Underworld Hermit MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Peasant
Power 3
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Earns card advantage by spawning squirrels equal to your green devotion, enhancing board presence.
  2. Resource Acceleration through squirrels, which ramps up mana for quicker high-cost spell casting.
  3. Synergizes with flash effects for surprise end-of-turn army unveilings, elevating tactical play.

Text of card

When Underworld Hermit enters the battlefield, create a number of 1/1 green Squirrel creature tokens equal to your devotion to black. (Each in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to black.)

Mood: He's the Pied Piper of squirrels.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Underworld Hermit brings friends to the fight by creating a number of 1/1 green Squirrel creature tokens equal to your devotion to green. This effectively populates your board, potentially turning a tight game to your advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Each of these Squirrels isn’t just cute furry fodder; they’re also mana-producing little workers. Tap two untapped Squirrels you control: Add one green mana to your mana pool, ramping up your ability to cast high-cost spells earlier in the game. This can lead to surprising swings in board state and game tempo.

Instant Speed: Though the card itself does not have instant speed, Underworld Hermit synergizes well with flash-enabling effects in the game, allowing for unexpected end-of-turn plays. Playing it at the last moment before your turn can give you a substantial untapped army ready to march or tap for mana without giving your opponents a chance to respond on their turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Underworld Hermit demands a particular board state to truly flourish. Without sufficient graveyard setup, its impact is substantially lessened, potentially leaving you with a hefty cost and modest reward.

Specific Mana Cost: The deckbuilding requirements are stringent due to an exacting mana cost that leans heavily into green. This restricts deck diversity and can complicate your mana base, especially in multi-colored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value of five, Underworld Hermit faces stiff competition from other cards that might provide more immediate or flexible effects. This can affect its overall efficiency and role in your game plan.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Underworld Hermit is a solid option for various Commander and Modern decks. It’s not only an efficient token generator but also synergizes with strategies that capitalize on having a high creature count.

Combo Potential: The Squirrel tokens produced by Underworld Hermit are perfect for combos with cards that benefit from creatures entering the battlefield or dying, such as those with sacrifice outlets or overrun effects.

Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of graveyard-centric strategies in several MTG formats, Underworld Hermit can become a key player by providing a steady source of board presence, making it a potentially impactful addition in a creature-focused meta.


How to beat

Underworld Hermit is a card that, upon entering the battlefield, brings an army of Squirrel tokens with it in Magic: The Gathering. This card sees play in decks that benefit from having a large number of creatures and can be particularly overwhelming if left unchecked. Each Squirrel not only bolsters your opponent’s defenses but can also become a significant threat if paired with global buffs or synergies that benefit from creature numbers.

To effectively counter Underworld Hermit, board wipes like Wrath of God or Damning Verdict can clear out the Squirrels in a single fell swoop. Spot removal isn’t as efficient here due to the number of creatures produced. Instead, cards that prevent creature tokens from being generated, such as Hushbringer or Tocatli Honor Guard, can nip the problem in the bud before the Hermit’s ability triggers. Inclusive strategies such as deploying cards like Crippling Fear, which allows you to choose a creature type that survives the wipe, could handle the multitude of tokens while preserving your board state.

Deploying continuous removal spells like Pestilence can discourage an opponent from playing Underworld Hermit or quickly deal with the tokens post-generation. In summary, a combination of creature token prevention and sweeping removal gives you the edge against Underworld Hermit’s otherwise overwhelming presence.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the nuances of Underworld Hermit can significantly boost your gameplay, especially if you’re drawn to strategies overflowing with creature tokens. This card proves its worth by populating the battlefield and bolstering your mana resources, a dual advantage that can shift the tides of battle. While it might require fine-tuning your deck to maximize its potential, the payoff in creature-based synergy is undeniable. For those interested in enhancing their green devotion or exploring new combo avenues, consider adding Underworld Hermit to your collection. Its presence in your deck could be the turning point for many victories. Embark on the journey to discover the full extent of this card’s capabilities and ensure your arsenal is ready for any challenge.


Cards like Underworld Hermit

Underworld Hermit has carved its niche in the Magic: The Gathering ecosystem as a quintessential card for decks that capitalize on creature tokens. Standing toe-to-toe with cards like Deep Forest Hermit, both create a cluster of small creatures, yet Underworld Hermit does so with the additional advantage of the Decay mechanic. This nuances the way token creatures can be used in combat or sacrifice strategies.

Delving deeper, we meet Tendershoot Dryad as another parallel. Tendershoot Dryad not only produces tokens but also buffs them, a dynamic Underworld Hermit lacks. However, Underworld Hermit boasts synergy with death-triggered abilities thanks to its Decay tokens vanishing after a single attack. Finally, comparing it to Siege-Gang Commander, which offers a burst of tokens plus a direct damage ability, Underworld Hermit’s strength lies in its potential to develop a broader synergistic game plan with cards benefiting from creature deaths or high creature counts.

Through careful analysis, it’s evident Underworld Hermit holds its ground among the variety of token generating cards in Magic: The Gathering, offering distinctive benefits aligned with sacrificial and swarm strategies.

Deep Forest Hermit - MTG Card versions
Tendershoot Dryad - MTG Card versions
Siege-Gang Commander - MTG Card versions
Deep Forest Hermit - Modern Horizons (MH1)
Tendershoot Dryad - Rivals of Ixalan Promos (PRIX)
Siege-Gang Commander - Scourge (SCG)

Cards similar to Underworld Hermit by color, type and mana cost

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Ihsan's Shade - MTG Card versions
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Ascendant Evincar - MTG Card versions
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Nightmare - Arena Beginner Set (ANB)
Demonic Hordes - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Ihsan's Shade - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Necrosavant - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Dakmor Lancer - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Face of Fear - Odyssey (ODY)
Wire Surgeons - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Grave Titan - Fallout (PIP)
Chittering Harvester - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Crossway Troublemakers - Crimson Vow Commander (VOC)
Anurid Murkdiver - Onslaught (ONS)
Gempalm Polluter - Legions (LGN)
Nefashu - Scourge (SCG)
Twisted Abomination - Scourge (SCG)
Iname, Death Aspect - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Deathcurse Ogre - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Yawgmoth Demon - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Ascendant Evincar - Tenth Edition (10E)
Bog Hoodlums - Lorwyn (LRW)
Helldozer - Planechase (HOP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Underworld Hermit MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons 2 and Modern Horizons 2, 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 Underworld Hermit and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Underworld Hermit Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2021-06-18 and 2021-06-18. Illustrated by Jason A. Engle.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 3472015normalblackJason A. Engle
22021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 1052015normalblackJason A. Engle

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Underworld Hermit has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-06-18 Colorless and generic mana symbols (, , , , , and so on) in mana costs of permanents you control don't count toward your devotion to any color.
2021-06-18 Hybrid mana symbols, monocolored hybrid mana symbols, and Phyrexian mana symbols do count toward your devotion to their color(s).
2021-06-18 If an activated ability or triggered ability has an effect that depends on your devotion to a color, you count the number of mana symbols of that color among the mana costs of permanents you control as the ability resolves. The permanent with that ability will be counted if it's still on the battlefield at that time.
2021-06-18 If you put an Aura on an opponent's permanent, you still control the Aura, and mana symbols in its mana cost count towards your devotion.
2021-06-18 Mana symbols in the text boxes of permanents you control don't count toward your devotion to any color.

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