Ridge Rannet MTG Card


Ridge Rannet - Shards of Alara
Mana cost
Converted mana cost7
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Beast
Abilities Cycling
Released2008-10-03
Set symbol
Set nameShards of Alara
Set codeALA
Power 6
Toughness 4
Number111
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJim Murray

Key Takeaways

  1. Ridge Rannet offers card advantage through its efficient cycling mechanic, enhancing hand consistency.
  2. Its cycling enables vital land searching, contributing to a well-paced resource acceleration.
  3. Cycling at instant speed grants players strategic flexibility and unexpected in-game responses.

Text of card

Cycling (, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

"Only those with the strength to seize their destiny deserve to have one." —Nacatl scratchforms


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ridge Rannet has the ability to cycle for just two mana. This action not only puts it directly into your graveyard from your hand, freeing up space for another card draw but also replaces itself with another card from your deck. This cycling mechanic keeps your hand full, ensuring that you maintain momentum and have access to more options as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: While Ridge Rannet is not a direct source of mana, its cycling ability enables you to dig through your deck to find necessary lands or mana sources. This can be particularly impactful in the early to mid-game where reaching critical land drops is essential for executing your strategy and establishing a strong board presence.

Instant Speed: Cycling Ridge Rannet can be performed at instant speed, which leaves your options open during your opponent’s turn. This gives you the flexibility to wait until the end of your opponent’s turn to decide whether cycling is the best course of action, potentially baiting out opponent decisions before you commit to your play, keeping them guessing about the contents of your hand.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Ridge Rannet’s ability to cycle comes with a demand that a player must discard a card. This can often lead to a setback if your hand is already running thin, depriving you of vital resources needed for later plays.

Specific Mana Cost: As a card that requires both red and green mana, Ridge Rannet demands a dual resource investment. This can sometimes result in a less flexible deck construction, potentially hindering your ability to react to an opponent’s strategy effectively.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing six mana to cast, this creature can put a strain on your reserves, especially when faster, more efficient creatures are available. In many cases, the mana could be utilized for spells or creatures that offer immediate board impact rather than waiting on a large creature like Ridge Rannet to influence the game.


Reasons to Include Ridge Rannet in Your Collection

Versatility: Ridge Rannet is a useful card because it can be seamlessly included in decks that require land cycling or benefit from having an additional creature on board. Its ability to fetch a basic land card and put it into your hand makes it a valuable resource for color fixing in multicolor decks.

Combo Potential: While not a combo piece in the traditional sense, Ridge Rannet’s land-fetching capability can be instrumental in setting up the stages for more intricate plays, ensuring you have the mana needed to execute your game-winning strategy.

Meta-Relevance: Although Ridge Rannet may not be a staple in highly competitive formats, it can hold its ground within certain metas, especially those where a slower pace allows for land cycling and creature presence to have an impact on the game’s outcome.


How to beat

Ridge Rannet is a creature card that finds its way into MTG decks that thrive on utilizing the cycling mechanic. Its ability to be cycled from your hand adds distinct versatility, enabling you to filter through your deck for more immediate answers or threats. This cycling ability can be particularly potent in formats where game tempo and card advantage matter.

Countering Ridge Rannet effectively involves disrupting this cycling synergy. Playing cards that prevent your opponents from drawing or forces them to discard can be critical. Tactics like hand disruption or using spells that negate the cycling ability can stall the advantages gained by your opponent. Additionally, since Ridge Rannet requires a specific mana investment when cast, ensuring control over the board state by removing key lands or ramp resources can also stifle your opponent’s ability to play and cycle cards like Ridge Rannet efficiently.

In environments where creatures dominate, remember that Ridge Rannet has to compete with other substantial threats. Thus, your strategy could include more powerful or efficient creatures to eclipse it in combat, or removal spells tailored to manage such threats. Considering Ridge Rannet’s strengths and counters can help you maintain the upper hand and lead to victory.


Cards like Ridge Rannet

Ridge Rannet occupies a unique space in the pantheon of land-fetching creatures in Magic: The Gathering. This beast stands out with its cycling ability allowing players to sift through their deck and trigger any “when you cycle” effects. Its closest relatives in terms of functionality might be the likes of Valley Rannet, which also comes equipped with cycling but searches for a Mountain or Forest specifically, as opposed to any basic land type.

Then there’s Shefet Monitor, another creature with a cycling ability underscored by the land-fetching mechanic. However, Shefet Monitor’s cycling cost is slightly higher, yet it compensates by allowing the fetched land to enter the battlefield untapped. This grants an immediate advantage for mana acceleration. Also worth mentioning is Krosan Tusker, which similarly offers a cycling-based land fetch, but sweetens the deal with the added benefit of drawing a card.

Placing Ridge Rannet within the context of these cards reveals its balanced mix of cycling cost and versatility in fetching any basic land type. For players who value smooth mana curves and deck thinning, Ridge Rannet provides a solid and versatile option to consider within their land-acquisition strategies.

Valley Rannet - MTG Card versions
Shefet Monitor - MTG Card versions
Krosan Tusker - MTG Card versions
Valley Rannet - Alara Reborn (ARB)
Shefet Monitor - Amonkhet (AKH)
Krosan Tusker - Onslaught (ONS)

Cards similar to Ridge Rannet by color, type and mana cost

Magma Giant - MTG Card versions
Trained Orgg - MTG Card versions
Velican Dragon - MTG Card versions
Crazed Firecat - MTG Card versions
Yidaro, Wandering Monster - MTG Card versions
Butcher Orgg - MTG Card versions
Goblin Dynamo - MTG Card versions
Rimescale Dragon - MTG Card versions
Boldwyr Intimidator - MTG Card versions
Shivan Hellkite - MTG Card versions
Hamletback Goliath - MTG Card versions
Knollspine Dragon - MTG Card versions
Thunder Dragon - MTG Card versions
Karplusan Giant - MTG Card versions
Ancient Hellkite - MTG Card versions
Tyrant of Discord - MTG Card versions
Minotaur Aggressor - MTG Card versions
Molten Primordial - MTG Card versions
Spawn of Thraxes - MTG Card versions
Dream Pillager - MTG Card versions
Magma Giant - Portal Second Age (P02)
Trained Orgg - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Velican Dragon - Sega Dreamcast Cards (PSDG)
Crazed Firecat - Torment (TOR)
Yidaro, Wandering Monster - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Butcher Orgg - Onslaught (ONS)
Goblin Dynamo - Legions (LGN)
Rimescale Dragon - Coldsnap (CSP)
Boldwyr Intimidator - Morningtide (MOR)
Shivan Hellkite - Forgotten Realms Commander (AFC)
Hamletback Goliath - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)
Knollspine Dragon - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Thunder Dragon - From the Vault: Dragons (DRB)
Karplusan Giant - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Ancient Hellkite - Magic 2011 Promos (PM11)
Tyrant of Discord - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Minotaur Aggressor - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Molten Primordial - Gatecrash (GTC)
Spawn of Thraxes - Journey into Nyx (JOU)
Dream Pillager - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ridge Rannet MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara, 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 Ridge Rannet and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ridge Rannet has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2008-10-01 Cycling is an activated ability. Effects that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle or Rings of Brighthearth) will interact with cycling. Effects that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul or Faerie Tauntings) will not.

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