Alley Grifters MTG Card


Alley Grifters - Mercadian Masques
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Mercenary
Released1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set nameMercadian Masques
Set codeMMQ
Power 2
Toughness 2
Number115
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byPaolo Parente

Key Takeaways

  1. Alley Grifters can disrupt opponents by forcing card discards, benefiting your strategic position.
  2. It synergizes with other cards for resource acceleration, though it requires careful hand management.
  3. Offers potential for strong combos, particularly within specific deck archetypes favoring disruption.

Text of card

Whenever Alley Grifters becomes blocked, defending player discards a card from his or her hand.

One distracts the victim, the other extracts the valuables.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Alley Grifters can create advantageous scenarios by forcing your opponent to discard cards. This can disrupt their strategy and give you an upper hand as you whittle down their resources while maintaining your own hand size.

Resource Acceleration: In the right deck, Alley Grifters might work synergistically with other cards that benefit from your opponents losing cards or from creatures entering the battlefield. This can expedite your game plan as you leverage the misfortune of your opponents to quicken your own board development.

Instant Speed: Although Alley Grifters operates at sorcery speed, the mechanics it interacts with could be enhanced by other instant speed spells in your deck. This creates dynamic gameplay where the timing of card plays can be crucial in gaining the upper hand, particularly if you utilize spells that can be cast out of turn to respond to threats or opportunities promptly.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Integrating Alley Grifters into your gameplay demands a card to be discarded, which can be a setback if your hand is already depleted. This can hinder maintaining card advantage against your opponent and limit your strategic options.

Specific Mana Cost: Alley Grifters require a combination of black and other mana, which could be cumbersome for multicolored decks that need a flexible mana base. This makes the card a less versatile option in decks that are not heavily skewed towards black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost leaning on the higher side for its ability set, Alley Grifters may not be the most efficient choice in a game where tempo and resource maximization are crucial. It faces stiff competition from other cards with lower cost or with more impactful abilities for the same investment.


Reasons to Include Alley Grifters in Your Collection

Versatility: Alley Grifters offers dynamic play options, fitting seamlessly into rogue or control decks that benefit from its repeatable effects.

Combo Potential: This card works well with strategies that leverage discard effects, enabling potent combinations that can disrupt opponents’ plans.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment that rewards tactical hand management, Alley Grifters can tip the scales by giving you the upper hand through consistent opponent disruption.


How to Beat Alley Grifters

Alley Grifters bring a unique challenge to the playing field with its mechanic that allows it to potentially lock down a player’s valuable creatures. By requiring opponents to constantly pay mana to avoid this fate, Alley Grifters can disrupt an opponent’s strategy. Nevertheless, triumphing over this card involves smart mana management and timely removal. Tactics such as instant-speed removal spells allow you to outmaneuver the Grifters’ control before they latch onto a target. Additionally, playing creatures with abilities that trigger upon entering the battlefield or dying can mitigate the downside of having them tapped by the Grifters.

Strategic deck building can also assist in overcoming the Alley Grifters’ threat. Implement cards that operate from the graveyard or that you can activate from your hand, thus keeping your on-board presence relatively unaffected by their ability. Moreover, creatures with vigilance or those that can untap themselves render the Grifters’ ability less of a hindrance. In essence, by limiting the number of targets vulnerable to Alley Grifters and keeping up a reserve of mana for crucial moments, you can effectively counter their influence and maintain control of the game.


Cards like Alley Grifters

Alley Grifters joins the ranks of MTG’s intriguing rogue-themed cards, offering players a unique blend of abilities. Like Alley Grifters, Audacious Thief from the Core Set 2020 allows its controller to draw a card whenever it attacks, providing a steady stream of card advantage. However, the Thief does so at a lower converted mana cost without the prerequisite for the opponent to have eight or more cards in their graveyard.

Shadowmage Infiltrator, a fan favorite, shares the card draw on combat damage trait with Alley Grifters. The main difference lies in the Infiltrator’s evasion capability, thanks to fear, letting it slip past most creatures unblocked. Though Alley Grifters requires setup to achieve its full potential, both serve a similar role in providing card advantage in creature form. Lastly, Rogue’s Gloves attach to any creature, mimic the card-drawing ability on dealing combat damage but exclude the conditional aspect intrinsic to Alley Grifters.

Their distinctions aid in deck-building decisions where investing in gradual graveyard buildup with Alley Grifters could yield a higher return in the right deck. Thus, in the context of card advantage with a rogue twist, Alley Grifters proves to be a card with niche yet potent potential.

Audacious Thief - MTG Card versions
Shadowmage Infiltrator - MTG Card versions
Rogue's Gloves - MTG Card versions
Audacious Thief - Core Set 2020 (M20)
Shadowmage Infiltrator - Odyssey (ODY)
Rogue's Gloves - Magic 2015 (M15)

Cards similar to Alley Grifters by color, type and mana cost

Nettling Imp - MTG Card versions
Royal Assassin - MTG Card versions
El-Hajjâj - MTG Card versions
Plague Rats - MTG Card versions
Frozen Shade - MTG Card versions
Scathe Zombies - MTG Card versions
Sorceress Queen - MTG Card versions
Wall of Bone - MTG Card versions
Lost Soul - MTG Card versions
Mindstab Thrull - MTG Card versions
Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions
Strongarm Thug - MTG Card versions
Razortooth Rats - MTG Card versions
Ghastly Remains - MTG Card versions
Lord of the Undead - MTG Card versions
Deepwood Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Dross Prowler - MTG Card versions
Nim Lasher - MTG Card versions
Nim Abomination - MTG Card versions
Nantuko Husk - MTG Card versions
Nettling Imp - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Royal Assassin - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
El-Hajjâj - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Plague Rats - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Frozen Shade - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Scathe Zombies - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Sorceress Queen - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Wall of Bone - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Lost Soul - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Mindstab Thrull - Masters Edition (ME1)
Mischievous Poltergeist - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Strongarm Thug - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Razortooth Rats - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Ghastly Remains - Legions (LGN)
Lord of the Undead - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Deepwood Ghoul - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Dross Prowler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Lasher - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Abomination - Darksteel (DST)
Nantuko Husk - Ninth Edition (9ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Alley Grifters MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Alley Grifters and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Alley Grifters has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Alley Grifters card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2004-10-04 It triggers only once even if blocked by more than one creature.

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