Spurred Wolverine MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Wolverine Beast |
| Released | 2002-10-07 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Onslaught |
| Set code | ONS |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 237 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Daren Bader |
Key Takeaways
- Enhance board presence by using Spurred Wolverine’s abilities to outpace opponent creatures and maintain pressure.
- With low casting cost and instant speed utility, it keeps the tempo and provides tactical advantages in battles.
- Despite requiring specific mana and a discard to activate, it can be a versatile, meta-relevant pick for collections.
Text of card
Tap two untapped Beasts you control: Target creature gains first strike until end of turn.
After a few painful experiences, goblins learned not to pick their noses around the beasts.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Spurred Wolverine may not directly allow you to draw cards, but its ability offers the potential for card superiority by outmaneuvering your opponent’s creatures in battle. By effectively managing your creature’s abilities, you maintain pressure and can indirectly lead to gaining card advantage through board superiority.
Resource Acceleration: Although not a direct source of resource acceleration, Spurred Wolverine’s low casting cost makes it an efficient use of mana. This, in turn, helps you allocate resources elsewhere, maintaining a fast-paced tempo and putting the opponent on the defensive.
Instant Speed: The activated ability of Spurred Wolverine can be used at instant speed, giving you the tactical upper hand. You have the flexibility to wait until the most opportune moment during combat or in response to an opponent’s actions to surprise them and shift the tide of the game in your favor.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Spurred Wolverine comes with the need to discard a card to activate its significant abilities. This condition can put you at a disadvantage, particularly in late-game scenarios where preserving your hand size is crucial to maintaining your strategic options.
Specific Mana Cost: Sporting a casting cost that necessitates both red and generic mana, Spurred Wolverine may not fit seamlessly into decks that aren’t heavily invested in red. This specific mana requirement could restrict its inclusion to dedicated red or certain two-color decks, potentially sidelining the card for players running multicolor deck variations.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost effectiveness of Spurred Wolverine is a topic of debate. When considering the investment of three mana to get this creature into play, the return may not always match up against other options. Savvy players might prefer creatures or spells with a lower mana cost or more impactful abilities, making it a potentially less attractive choice when deckbuilding.
Reasons to Include Spurred Wolverine in Your Collection
Versatility: Spurred Wolverine fits well into aggro and midrange strategies, offering a keen balance of power and functionality to decks seeking to maintain board presence.
Combo Potential: With the right synergies, this creature amplifies strategies that capitalize on attack triggers and damage-based effects, weaving seamlessly into existing combos or creating new opportunities for interplay.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta favoring creature-based tactics and combat tricks, Spurred Wolverine stands as a sturdy addition, aligning with the shifting demands of player engagements and deck adaptability.
How to beat
Spurred Wolverine is an intriguing creature card that brings a level of tenacity to the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. Its notable feature is its ability to become stronger when equipped or enchanted, making it a potential threat if left unchecked. The key to tackling such a card lies in timing and the efficient use of removal spells. Instant speed removal like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can take out the Spurred Wolverine before buffs can make it too large to handle. Alternatively, board wipes like Wrath of God can reset the playing field regardless of how strong the creature has become.
Control strategies tend to be effective against cards like Spurred Wolverine. Counterspells can prevent it from ever entering the battlefield, which is a clean solution to dealing with creatures that can scale in power. Also, since enchantments and equipment are necessary to trigger its potential, enchantment removal or artifact destruction, such as Disenchant or Abrade, can indirectly weaken or neutralize its abilities, making it much less of a problem.
Ultimately, understanding when to disrupt your opponent’s plays and keeping removal or counterspells at the ready are essential strategies for overcoming the challenges posed by Spurred Wolverine in a game of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards like Spurred Wolverine
When delving into MTG card comparisons, Spurred Wolverine stands out for its aggressive potential in creature-focused decks. Among cards that resonate with its essence, Goblin Piker jumps to the forefront with an identical power and toughness of 2/1. What distinguishes Spurred Wolverine is its unique ability to gain first strike until end of turn when a spell targets it, making it a particularly nimble choice during combat.
Another creature that invites comparison is the steadfast Raging Goblin. This card shares the low mana cost, but it comes with haste, enabling immediate action upon hitting the battlefield. Despite this advantage, it lacks the reactive play capabilities Spurred Wolverine offers, missing an opportunity to potentially outmaneuver opponents’ creatures.
A closer look at Swiftclaw reveals a slightly sturdier creature at 2/1 for the same mana cost. Although it lacks an inherent combat trick, it can sustain a bit more aggression over time. Spurred Wolverine, however, shines in its capacity to surprise opponents and alter combat outcomes with its conditional first strike.
To sum up, MTG players seeking a nimble combatant in their red decks will find a versatile and threatening inclusion with Spurred Wolverine. Its reactive strength can pivot the direction of a match, making it a noteworthy card among its peers.
Cards similar to Spurred Wolverine by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Spurred Wolverine MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, 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 Spurred Wolverine 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Spurred Wolverine has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Spurred Wolverine card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | It can tap itself but is not required to do so. |
| 2004-10-04 | Since the ability does not have the symbol, you can use the ability before this creature begins a turn under your control. |
