Muck Rats MTG Card

Muck Rats fits perfectly into swarm strategies, offering early game board presence boost. Its specificity to black mana restricts deck types, limiting its flexibility in use. Inclusions in decks should consider meta relevance and potential to pressure opponents.

Portal (POR)
1997-05-01 - Number 102

Portal Second Age (P02)
1998-06-24 - Number 80

Starter 1999 (S99)
1999-07-01 - Number 84

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Rat
Power	1
Toughness	1

Cards like Muck Rats

Muck Rats from Magic: The Gathering holds a simple yet relevant place in the realm of creature cards. It mirrors the likes of Typhoid Rats, sharing the key feature of deathtouch which allows these small creatures to destroy any blocker or attacker they deal combat damage to, irrespective of the enemy’s size. However, Muck Rats trades deathtouch for lower mana cost, being a pure and straightforward one black mana creature with no additional abilities but offering an early-game board presence.

Looking at Festering Goblin, we observe another one mana creature that can impact the battlefield posthumously by giving a -1/-1 to a creature of your choice when it dies. This grants a strategic advantage Muck Rats lacks, providing potential board control in the early stages of the game. Another creature to consider is the ever-popular Foul Imp. Although costing more mana and life to hit the field, it boasts a stronger attack capability, which may justify the additional resources.

Assessing the efficiency and strategic depth of Muck Rats proves it’s a fundamental piece for straightforward strategies seeking to establish board control from the very first turns of the game without the complexities of additional abilities or requirements.

Cards similar to Muck Rats by color, type and mana cost

Stone-Throwing Devils - MTG Card versions

Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Muck Rats may not directly offer card draw but can contribute to card advantage by easily fitting into swarm or recursion strategies that capitalize on quantity over quality.

Resource Acceleration: While Muck Rats doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its low mana cost allows for a quick deployment, offering a strategic benefit enabling the allocation of mana elsewhere.

Instant Speed: Muck Rats doesn’t have the instant speed attribute, but its real-time play does emphasize the importance of board presence, allowing strategic plays during your main phases and more flexibility in building board control.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One downside of Muck Rats is the potential discard element included in some deck strategies. The requirement of discarding another card to capitalize on synergies or activate certain effects means you might have to sacrifice valuable hand assets, leaving you at a card advantage deficit versus opponents.

Specific Mana Cost: Muck Rats requires black mana to play, which may not meld well with decks that are not focused on or including black mana sources. This can restrict deck-building options and limit its inclusion to primarily mono-black or black-inclusive multicolored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its seeming low mana cost, within its class, when matched against other one-mana creatures, Muck Rats might not offer the same level of power or utility. Additionally, in the current meta, there are alternatives that could provide more impactful effects or creatures that outclass it in terms of stats and abilities for a similar investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Muck Rats has a simplicity that allows it to blend seamlessly into various deck archetypes. Its low mana cost makes it an easy inclusion for decks looking to establish early board presence.

Combo Potential: As a creature card, Muck Rats can be an essential cog in decks that revolve around synergies with creature types, specifically Rats, enabling various combo opportunities in tribal-focused builds.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where creature-heavy strategies are prominent, having a steady stream of easily deployable creatures like Muck Rats can help maintain momentum and apply continuous pressure on opponents.

How to beat

Muck Rats, a seemingly minor threat in the vast universe of MTG, often goes unnoticed until a horde descends upon the game board. While individually weak, these creatures can quickly overrun an unprepared opponent thanks to their easy-to-meet casting cost and the ability to swarm. When facing a deck utilizing Muck Rats, the key is to maintain board control. This can be effectively achieved through sweepers or cards with wide-reaching effects that can clear multiple creatures at once.

Strategic use of removal spells like “Wrath of God” or “Damnation” can swiftly reset the playing field, nullifying the advantage these creatures confer when they amass in numbers. Implementing continuous control elements like “Norn’s Annex” or “Propaganda” can also deter the swarm, making it costly for the opponent to attack. Furthermore, since Muck Rats have a low toughness, even utility cards with minor damage-dealing abilities, such as “Electrickery” or “Pyroclasm,” become powerful tools to eradicate the infestation they can create.

Ultimately, overcoming Muck Rats involves preemptive action and a well-constructed defense strategy. Incorporating board wipes and control mechanisms into your MTG arsenal will ensure that your opponent’s Muck Rats are kept at bay, securing your path to victory.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Muck Rats MTG card by a specific set like Portal and Portal Second Age, 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 Muck Rats and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Muck Rats Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1997-05-01 and 1999-07-01. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1997-05-01	Portal	POR	102	1997	Normal	Black	Colin MacNeil
2	1998-06-24	Portal Second Age	P02	80	1997	Normal	Black	Una Fricker
3	1999-07-01	Starter 1999	S99	84	1997	Normal	White	Una Fricker

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Muck Rats has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal