Sabertooth Outrider MTG Card


Trample and potential card draw from Sabertooth Outrider create valuable battlefield control and card advantage. Demands strategic hand management due to its discard requirement for activating its formidable ability. Combines well with other big creatures to unlock its full potential and dominate the game board.
Sabertooth Outrider - Dragons of Tarkir
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Warrior
Abilities Formidable,Trample
Released2015-03-27
Set symbol
Set nameDragons of Tarkir
Set codeDTK
Power 4
Toughness 2
Number152
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byWinona Nelson

Text of card

Trample Formidable — Whenever Sabertooth Outrider attacks, if creatures you control have total power 8 or greater, Sabertooth Outrider gains first strike until end of turn.


Cards like Sabertooth Outrider

The Sabertooth Outrider card is a notable member of the creature ensemble in MTG, with similarities to other cards that enthusiasts appreciate for their battlefield presence. When compared to some other red creatures, like the Alpine Grizzly, the Sabertooth Outrider offers a different dynamic with its trample ability when there’s a formidable power increase or when it’s under the influence of a spell that grants it formidable status.

Looking at the Charging Monstrosaur, we have another similar card that brings immediate impact via trample and haste. However, Sabertooth Outrider requires the formidable condition to unlock trample, which adds a strategic layer to gameplay. The Monstrosaur, offering haste, can swing the game in your favor swiftly after casting.

Furthermore, Boggart Brute is a lesser-powered example, yet it has a built-in menace, securing its ability to be hard to block. This distinction illustrates how Sabertooth Outrider fits particularly well in decks focusing on achieving and benefiting from the formidable mechanic. Overall, the value of Sabertooth Outrider is seen in decks designed to meet its condition, making it a versatile creature in red-themed decks in MTG that aim to maintain sustained board pressure.

Alpine Grizzly - MTG Card versions
Charging Monstrosaur - MTG Card versions
Boggart Brute - MTG Card versions
Alpine Grizzly - MTG Card versions
Charging Monstrosaur - MTG Card versions
Boggart Brute - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Sabertooth Outrider by color, type and mana cost

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Dragon Whelp - MTG Card versions
Keldon Warlord - MTG Card versions
Crimson Manticore - MTG Card versions
Márton Stromgald - MTG Card versions
Reckless Embermage - MTG Card versions
Wildfire Emissary - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Giant - MTG Card versions
Rathi Dragon - MTG Card versions
Mogg Bombers - MTG Card versions
Warmonger - MTG Card versions
Bloodfire Kavu - MTG Card versions
Whipkeeper - MTG Card versions
Anger - MTG Card versions
Nalathni Dragon - MTG Card versions
Everquill Phoenix - MTG Card versions
Goblin Goon - MTG Card versions
Lesser Gargadon - MTG Card versions
Krark-Clan Engineers - MTG Card versions
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - MTG Card versions
Ogre Taskmaster - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sabertooth Outrider enables you to exert control over the battlefield by allowing for the potential to draw, when fulfilling its formidable condition. This feature can effectively tilt the scales in your favor by increasing your available options each turn.

Resource Acceleration: The inherent trample ability of Sabertooth Outrider adds a strategic advantage by potentially clearing a path through smaller blockers. This acceleration in board impact can hasten your route to victory and forces your opponent to deal with a persistent threat.

Instant Speed: Although the Sabertooth Outrider operates at sorcery speed, the formidable mechanic can be activated instantaneously if the conditions are met after blockers are declared. This allows for tactical flexibility in your attack phase, surprising opponents with enhanced creatures during critical combat decisions.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Sabertooth Outrider presents a strategic challenge with the necessity of discarding another card to activate formidable, which might strain your hand especially when the game progresses and resources become scarce.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a combination of red and generic mana, deck builders need to consider whether their mana base can consistently support casting it on curve, making it less flexible for multicolor decks that aren’t heavily red.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three generic and one red mana, Sabertooth Outrider competes with other four-mana spells that may provide instant impact or greater value, potentially relegating it to a secondary choice in deck-building considerations.


Reasons to Include Sabertooth Outrider in Your Collection

Versatility: Sabertooth Outrider presents flexibility for deck builders. With the ability to fit into various red or green-based strategies, it offers a combination of aggression and late-game board presence. Whether you’re racing to deal damage or setting up for bigger plays, this card adapts to multiple game scenarios.

Combo Potential: As a creature with formidability, Sabertooth Outrider becomes more potent if you have another creature with power 4 or greater. This attribute opens up synergies with numerous cards that capitalize on powerful creatures, triggering effects that can turn the tide of the game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: Depending on the pace and style of current popular decks, this card can be quite a useful asset. In environments where board presence is key, Sabertooth Outrider’s stats and trample ability pose a consistent threat, requiring opponents to have an answer or risk being overrun by its onslaught.


How to beat

The Sabertooth Outrider card presents an interesting challenge on the battlefield. As a formidable creature, it boasts trample and has the potential to gain first strike until end of turn whenever a spell with ferocious is cast. One key strategy to overpower this card is through efficient removal spells. Direct damage spells that can deal with a creature with four toughness, such as Lava Coil or the ever-reliable Doom Blade for non-black creatures, can take the Outrider off the board before it becomes a bigger threat.

Avoiding direct combat is also wise unless control of the battlefield allows for beneficial trades. This means using creatures with higher toughness or those with deathtouch to deter or eliminate the threat without sustaining too much loss. Additionally, countering key spells that trigger the Outrider’s abilities can be a decisive method to maintain control. Ultimately, the right mix of prompt removal, strategic creature blocks, and spell counters can ensure Sabertooth Outrider’s impact is minimalized, preserving your chances of victory in the match.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sabertooth Outrider MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir, 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 Sabertooth Outrider and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sabertooth Outrider has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sabertooth Outrider card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2015-02-25 If you control a creature with power less than 0, use its actual power when calculating the total power of creatures you control. For example, if you control three creatures with powers 4, 5, and -2, the total power of creatures you control is 7.
2015-02-25 Other formidable abilities are triggered abilities with an “intervening ‘if’” clause. Such abilities check the total power of creatures you control twice: once at the appropriate time to see if the ability will trigger, and again as the ability tries to resolve. If, at that time, the total power of creatures you control is no longer 8 or greater, the ability will have no effect.
2015-02-25 Some formidable abilities are activated abilities that require creatures you control to have total power 8 or greater. Once you activate these abilities, it doesn’t matter what happens to the total power of creatures you control.