Ossuary Rats MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Rat |
| Released | 2022-12-02 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Jumpstart 2022 |
| Set code | J22 |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 24 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Ralph Horsley |
Text of card
When Ossuary Rats enters the battlefield, it deals X damage to target creature or planeswalker an opponent controls, where X is the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
You know you've ventured too deep when the rats stop running and hold their ground.
Cards like Ossuary Rats
Ossuary Rats breathes new life into the swarm of creature cards infesting the darker corners of Magic: The Gathering. It echoes the sinister functionality of Plague Rats, where the strength grows with every identical card on the field. Yet, Ossuary Rats stands alone with its bone-chilling ability to bestow poison counters on your opponent, much like the formidable Inkmoth Nexus, albeit devoid of evasion capabilities.
In the same realm of toxic threats, Typhoid Rats should not go unnoticed. It brings deathtouch to the table, allowing it to destroy any creature it battles, much like the Ossuary Rats. However, the Ossuary Rats takes this a step further by potentially eroding an opponent’s life total outside the combat phase. Another similar card is the nefarious Pestilent Rat, which, while it offers the deathtouch mechanic as well, lacks the direct potential to end games via poison counters like the Ossuary Rats.
Examining these creepy crawlies side by side, Ossuary Rats manages to carve a niche for itself in the MTG landscape, offering a unique and relentless pressure that can terrify any adversary into submission by the mere threat of accumulating lethal levels of poison.
Cards similar to Ossuary Rats by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Ossuary Rats excel in whittling down your opponent’s hand, offering indirect card advantage by compelling them to discard when it deals combat damage. This relentless pressure can disrupt your opponent’s strategies and lead to a more favorable board state for you.
Resource Acceleration: Although Ossuary Rats don’t directly provide mana or treasure tokens, their low casting cost allows for an efficient use of your resources. This means you can deploy them early in the game while still holding mana for other crucial spells or abilities.
Instant Speed: While Ossuary Rats itself isn’t an instant, its presence on the battlefield can complement instant-speed interactions. You can play spells or abilities that let you sneak through the rats’ damage, thereby forcing a discard at unexpected moments, keeping your opponent on edge and disrupting their rhythm.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: To fully maximize Ossuary Rats’ potential, you might be prompted to discard cards to activate its abilities. This can backfire when you’re running low on hand size, putting you at a strategic disadvantage.
Specific Mana Cost: Ossuary Rats comes with a set mana requirement. The need for black mana can become restrictive for decks that are not mono-black or that have a limited mana base, thus reducing its versatility in multi-colored decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Weighing the card’s abilities against its mana cost reveals that Ossuary Rats may demand more from your mana pool than other creatures with similar or better impacts on the game. This could make it a less preferable option in situations where mana efficiency is crucial.
Reasons to Include Ossuary Rats in Your Collection
Versatility: Ossuary Rats may not appear to be a standout at first glance, but its deathtouch ability means it can act as a deterrent for larger creatures your opponent controls. This characteristic allows the card to punch above its weight class, making it a useful tool for defense or as an aggressive one-drop in various deck types.
Combo Potential: In a deck that leverages graveyard strategies, Ossuary Rats shines by adding to your graveyard count. This creature works well with mechanics that resurrect or recycle creatures from the graveyard, potentially creating an endless cycle of deathtouch threats.
Meta-Relevance: Given the right meta, where players might undervalue the impact of one-drops, Ossuary Rats can become a significant threat. Its ability to continuously pressure life totals while being a menace against more formidable creatures can shift the tempo of the game in your favor.
How to beat
Ossuary Rats presents a pesky challenge for players in Magic: The Gathering with its ability to inflict consistent damage through its deathtouch ability. These small creatures can demolish any blocker, regardless of size, making them a threat to be reckoned with. Unlike larger creatures that can be effectively blocked and taken out by larger creatures without deathtouch, Ossuary Rats can be a peskier problem due to their ability to take down any creature they touch, no matter the size.
One effective approach to neutralize the threat posed by Ossuary Rats is to utilize removal spells that don’t rely on blocking. Spells like Shock or Lightning Bolt can take them out before they ever get the chance to engage in combat. Running sweepers like Wrath of God can also clear the board of these nuisances, in addition to other potential threats. Furthermore, evasion abilities, such as flying or trample, allow you to circumvent the need to engage these creatures directly, keeping your own creatures safe while you chip away at your opponent’s life total.
Understanding the mechanics and having the right cards on hand can turn the tide of the match, making Ossuary Rats far less daunting. The key is to stay one step ahead, remove them efficiently, and maintain pressure on your opponent.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Ossuary Rats MTG card by a specific set like Jumpstart 2022, 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 Ossuary Rats and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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 MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Ossuary Rats has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |