Ruff, Underdog Champ MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ruff, Underdog Champ boasts an ability that can potentially draw you multiple cards each turn. This is contingent on the number of creatures you control that are attacking and aren’t blocked. In an aggressive deck with numerous attackers, Ruff can be a reliable source of drawing extra cards and giving you an edge over your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: The card also excels in resource acceleration by enabling you to potentially cast more spells in a single turn. Ruff’s second ability reduces the cost of creature spells you cast based on the number of creatures you have declared as attackers. This cost reduction can lead to a commanding board presence by deploying more creatures quickly, effectively overrunning your opponent.

Instant Speed: Although Ruff, Underdog Champ does not have an ability that operates at instant speed, this MTG card commands attention for enabling other strategies in your deck to flourish. With a focus on a swift and sustained offense, Ruff encourages the inclusion of other instant speed cards that protect your attacking creatures or disrupt your opponent’s plans during their turn, helping to further capitalize on the already established board state created by Ruff’s abilities.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Ruff, Underdog Champ asks you to part with a valuable card from your hand, which can be detrimental when your options are already scarce. Careful management of your hand is necessary to ensure this cost doesn’t hamper your game progression.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both red and white mana, Ruff, Underdog Champ can be hard to cast on curve in multicolored decks. This restricts the card primarily to Boros or color-intensive strategies, potentially limiting its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Investing three mana into this creature might be inefficient compared to other options available in the mana curve. Players may find that in a deck seeking to maximize value per mana spent, Ruff, Underdog Champ falls a bit short, especially in fast-paced games where every mana point is crucial.

Reasons to Include Ruff, Underdog Champ in Your Collection

Versatility: Ruff, Underdog Champ excels as a flexible card, seamlessly fitting into a variety of decks that capitalize on aggressive strategies as well as those looking to bolster their line-up with resilient creatures.

Combo Potential: With its ability to gain counters and power up, Ruff can synergize with cards that interact with +1/+1 counters or those that reward you for controlling a champion, opening up dynamic combo opportunities within your deck.

Meta-Relevance: Given the right build, Ruff, Underdog Champ can hold its own in a competitive environment. Its potential for rapid growth makes it a threat that must be dealt with, ensuring it retains relevance amidst evolving metagames.

How to Beat

Ruff, Underdog Champ is a unique creature card that can bolster its power and toughness each time it’s targeted by a spell you control. To counter this, prioritize removal spells that don’t target Ruff or use board wipes to clear the field. Alternatively, effects that prevent your opponent from casting spells on their own creatures can be highly effective. Control strategies with counterspells can neutralize the spells that would make Ruff stronger or provide benefits to your opponent when they target Ruff. Efficiently managing your resources and timing your removal or counterspells can maintain the balance of power on the battlefield.