Riptide Pilferer MTG Card

Enhances card advantage, allowing for a more robust strategic approach with additional options. Disrupts opponents by forcing discards, creating a resource imbalance in your favor. Complements instant-speed spells for complex and timed strategic plays.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Merfolk Rogue
Abilities Morph
Power 1
Toughness 1

Text of card

Whenever Riptide Pilferer deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card. Morph (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for . Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

Cards like Riptide Pilferer

Riptide Pilferer is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering that brings a blend of abilities that can disrupt an opponent’s strategy while accelerating your own plans. With its prowess in forcing discards upon dealing combat damage, it’s similar to creatures like Looter il-Kor, which also has shadow, allowing it to be blocked only by creatures with shadow, while providing the advantage of drawing and then discarding a card. This helps filter through the deck but does not directly reduce the opponent’s hand.

Another parallel can be drawn with cards like the infamous Thieving Magpie, which pairs card advantage with combat. However, Riptide Pilferer’s potential to thin out the opponent’s hand can be a more impactful form of long-term control. Unlike Thieving Magpie, the Pilferer deals with the opponent’s resources directly, before they are even played. Lastly, we observe that Merfolk Looter, while requiring an activation cost, can repeatedly grant the draw and discard effect, yet does not inherently pressure the opponent’s hand like the Pilferer does upon dealing damage.

In comparing these cards, Riptide Pilferer serves as a strategic tool for players looking to interlace their offensive maneuvers with tactics that limit an opponent’s options. It carves out a unique identity in Magic: The Gathering as a creature that can influence the flow of the game directly through its combat-triggered discard ability.

Looter il-Kor - MTG Card versions
Thieving Magpie - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Looter - MTG Card versions
Looter il-Kor - MTG Card versions
Thieving Magpie - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Looter - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage:Riptide Pilferer has the potential to increase your hand each time it deals combat damage to a player, giving you an edge as you’ll consistently have more options at your disposal.

Resource Acceleration: When Riptide Pilferer connects with an opponent, it not only may draw you a card but forces them to discard one. This form of disruption can accelerate your advantage by crippling your opponent’s resources.

Instant Speed: While Riptide Pilferer itself isn’t an instant, it synergizes well with instant-speed spells and abilities. This allows for strategic plays during the combat phase or a means to interact on an opponent’s turn while setting up the pilferer to attack.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Riptide Pilferer demands a successful combat damage hit to an opponent, triggering a discard from them. While this can disrupt your opponent’s hand, it’s reliant on the Pilferer not only attacking but also not being blocked or removed beforehand, which isn’t always a controllable scenario. This can be a setback if you’re counting on disrupting your opponent but find yourself unable to trigger the ability.

Specific Mana Cost: Riptide Pilferer’s casting cost includes one blue mana, making it a card best suited for blue or blue-inclusive decks. This could be restrictive as it may not fit the mana profile of a multicolored deck, or it might not be as synergistic in a deck that doesn’t heavily favor blue mana strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although the cost of two mana may appear low, in a fast-paced game, spending two mana for a 1/1 creature might not be the most mana-efficient play. Other creatures or spells could offer greater impact or board presence for the same or lesser mana investment. The Pilferer’s ability might not be enough to justify its spot over other cards with a more cost-effective rate of return.

Reasons to Include Riptide Pilferer in Your Collection

Versatility: Riptide Pilferer is a flexible card that seamlessly integrates into blue-focused decks that prioritize disrupting opponent strategies. Its ability to force discards while dealing combat damage makes it a valuable addition to aggro and control builds alike.

Combo Potential: This card excels in combination with mechanics that benefit from opponents discarding cards or from cards themselves being in the graveyard, potentially synergizing with delve, flashback, or reanimator strategies.

Meta-Relevance: As gameplay often shifts towards highly tuned decks with refined strategies, Riptide Pilferer shines by potentially getting rid of key components in your opponent’s hand, making it relevant in various competitive scenes.

How to beat

Riptide Pilferer, known for its sneaky ways to nibble at opponents’ card advantage in Magic: The Gathering, is a rogue that can easily disrupt strategies when left unchecked. This merfolk rogue has the potential to wreak havoc with its discard ability upon dealing combat damage to a player. Dealing with this elusive creature requires a keen understanding of control and removal options available in the game.

Token generators and creatures with reach or flash are viable options to block and remove Riptide Pilferer from the battlefield. Keeping instant-speed removal spells in hand ensures you can swiftly address the threat it poses when it becomes unblockable or targets the player directly. Sweepers are another effective method to clear Riptide Pilferer along with any accompanying threats on the board. Regular hand checks through spells can also minimize the damage this card causes, maintaining the integrity of your hand and thwarting the Pilferer’s advantage.

Countering the Riptide Pilferer involves a mix of foresight, maintaining board presence, and deploying timely removals or hand disruption. Awareness and preparedness can mitigate the negative impact that this card might have on your game plan, reinforcing the importance of strategic thinking in Magic: The Gathering.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Riptide Pilferer MTG card by a specific set like Planar Chaos and Time Spiral Remastered, 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 Riptide Pilferer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Riptide Pilferer Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2007-02-02 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by Steve Prescott.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12007-02-02Planar ChaosPLC 602003NormalBlackSteve Prescott
22021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 832015NormalBlackSteve Prescott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Riptide Pilferer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal