Gunk Slug MTG Card
2019-11-07 - Number 43
2021-08-20 - Number 43
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Slug |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Key Takeaways
- Gunk Slug provides indirect card advantage by impacting opponent’s hand size and play options.
- Instant speed interactions with Gunk Slug offer strategic advantages during gameplay.
- Its mana and discard requirements are key downsides to consider when playing the card.
Text of card
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, create three Gunk token cards and shuffle them into target opponent's library. (Gunk is a colorless sorcery card with no mana cost that has cycling .)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Gunk Slug stands out as an asset in any deck designed to control the board. By disrupting the opponent’s hand and limiting their options, this card effectively provides indirect card advantage. Keeping your opponent’s hand size in check ensures you’re a step ahead in the strategic game of resource management.
Resource Acceleration: This creature can be a cog in the engine of resource acceleration. For players looking for ways to turbo-charge their mana availability, Gunk Slug might offer synergies with other cards that capitalize on specific board states or conditions, propelling you towards powerful plays earlier in the game.
Instant Speed: The ability to interact at instant speed with Gunk Slug can significantly alter the pace of play. It opens up windows of opportunity, allowing players to act with greater flexibility and responsiveness to the evolving game state. Playing at instant speed is a fundamental pro that provides a strategic edge, enabling you to make plays on your opponent’s turn and maximize your own turn’s potential.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Gunk Slug comes with the downside that you must discard a card to leverage its ability, potentially shrinking your hand when you might least afford it.
Specific Mana Cost: Needing a certain combination of mana to play can be a hurdle, particularly for decks that don’t consistently generate the required colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment to get Gunk Slug into play is significant when weighed against other cards with similar or better effects that cost less.
Reasons to Include Gunk Slug in Your Collection
Versatility: Gunk Slug offers flexibility in deck construction, easily fitting into formats that can utilize its unique ability to hinder instant-speed interactions, thus shaping the flow of the game.
Combo Potential: As it changes the timings on when opponents can cast spells with flash, it pairs well with strategies aimed at limiting opponent’s options while setting up your own plays uninterrupted.
Meta-Relevance: With an ever-shifting competitive scene, a card like Gunk Slug can become increasingly relevant, especially if the meta favors instant-speed plays, giving it a niche role as a metagame disruptor.
How to beat
Gunk Slug is an intriguing creature card that can pose a unique challenge on the battlefield. Unlike many other creatures in Magic: The Gathering, the Gunk Slug has a special ability that may hinder an opponent’s land-based strategies. It’s designed to stifle land-heavy decks, particularly those that rely on nonbasic lands for diverse mana utilization. To overcome this slimy barrier, you should consider adjusting your strategy.
One approach is to limit the impact of Gunk Slug by adopting more basic lands in your deck. This way, the downside of having nonbasic lands becomes less relevant. Another effective countermeasure is to utilize instant-speed removal spells that can swiftly deal with the creature before its ability significantly impacts your gameplay. Likewise, employing cards with land-searching abilities allows you to pull out your necessary basic lands quickly, thereby reducing your susceptibility to the disruptive power of Gunk Slug.
When facing a Gunk Slug, carefully sequencing your land plays and choosing the right moment to deploy your nonbasic lands can minimize the creature’s effectiveness. By anticipating the presence of such obstacles and refining your strategy accordingly, playing against Gunk Slug turns into a manageable challenge, rather than a stumbling block.
Cards like Gunk Slug
The Gunk Slug is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering, similar in some ways to cards like Plaxmanta or Sedge Scorpion. Both of these creatures offer unique abilities that interact with the board in ways beyond just their combat stats. However, Gunk Slug introduces an interesting twist to the game due to its specific interaction with equipment cards worn by opponents’ creatures. Unlike Plaxmanta, which provides a protective shield for your creatures, Gunk Slug actively disrupts your opponent’s strategies.
Exploring further, we find Thraben Purebloods, another card that shares Gunk Slug’s same mana value. While Thraben Purebloods boast higher power and toughness, they lack the disruptive potential that Gunk Slug offers. Then there’s Tangle Angler, a creature that can be used to force opponents’ creatures into unfavorable combat. Yet, it doesn’t have the same continuous control over the battlefield equipment like Gunk Slug does.
Overall, Gunk Slug stands out in its ability to complicate equipment strategies, an aspect that can sway the tide of a matchup in MTG. When evaluating creature cards with unique battlefield effects, Gunk Slug definitely has a particular niche, especially in metagames where equipment plays a prominent role.
Cards similar to Gunk Slug by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Gunk Slug MTG card by a specific set like Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019 and Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021, 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 Gunk Slug and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Printings
The Gunk Slug Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-11-07 and 2021-08-20. Illustrated by Casey Gustafson.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019 | CMB1 | 43 | 2015 | normal | black | Casey Gustafson | |
| 2 | 2021-08-20 | Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021 | CMB2 | 43 | 2015 | normal | black | Casey Gustafson |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Gunk Slug card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2019-11-12 | A Gunk token card is a colorless Gunk sorcery named Gunk with cycling . It has no mana cost, so you can’t normally cast it. It has no spell abilities, so if you do find a way to cast it, it won’t have any effect. |
| 2019-11-12 | Cycling means “, Discard this card: Draw a card.” |
| 2019-11-12 | For effects that look for or modify the creation of tokens, creating token cards isn’t the same as creating tokens. |
| 2019-11-12 | If a token card is put into a hidden zone, you must use a supplementary token card with a Magic card back to represent it. Since these don’t exist yet, you may need to be creative. |
| 2019-11-12 | Unlike a normal token, a token card doesn’t cease to exist in a zone other than the battlefield. It’s both a token and a card. It can move between zones any number of times and continues to exist for the rest of the game. |
