Street Urchin MTG Card


Street Urchin excels at forcing discards while potentially drawing cards, shifting the game in your favor. Protective instants can enhance the card’s performance and ensure its presence on the battlefield. However, reliance on specific mana and high casting costs may limit the card’s utility in some decks.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeLegendary Enchantment — Background

Text of card

Commander creatures you own have ", Sacrifice another creature or an artifact: This creature deals 1 damage to any target."

Your harsh upbringing on the streets of the city left you crafty, resilient, and wise beyond your years.


Cards like Street Urchin

The Street Urchin stands as a quirky entrant amongst the pantheon of red creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It can be paralleled with other creatures that possess evasive abilities, such as the classic Flying Men. Much like Flying Men, the Street Urchin is designed to slip past defenders; however, Street Urchin achieves this through being unblockable as long as the opponent has an artifact card. Conversely, Flying Men utilizes the flying mechanic to soar over the battlefield uninterrupted.

Turning to a more recent comparison, we have the Gingerbrute from the Throne of Eldraine set. This pint-sized confectionary shares the same mana cost and also has the potential to be unblockable. Nevertheless, its condition for unblockability is satisfying a different clause: Its ability is based on paying a mana. Moreover, Gingerbrute offers a modest life gain ability, something the Street Urchin lacks.

When considering utility and adaptability in the context of red aggro strategies or artifact-centric decks, Street Urchin could be identified as a versatile player on the field. Its conditional unblockability makes it a situational ally, yet under the right circumstances, it can deal consistent damage, a trait highly valued in the dynamics of red’s aggressive gameplay.

Flying Men - MTG Card versions
Gingerbrute - MTG Card versions
Flying Men - MTG Card versions
Gingerbrute - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Street Urchin by color, type and mana cost

Power Surge - MTG Card versions
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Consuming Ferocity - MTG Card versions
Agility - MTG Card versions
Errantry - MTG Card versions
Heat of Battle - MTG Card versions
Goblin Festival - MTG Card versions
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Cave Sense - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Surge - MTG Card versions
Maniacal Rage - MTG Card versions
Battle Strain - MTG Card versions
Goblin Bombardment - MTG Card versions
Underworld Breach - MTG Card versions
Lightning Rift - MTG Card versions
Power Surge - MTG Card versions
Raging River - MTG Card versions
Smoke - MTG Card versions
Giant Strength - MTG Card versions
Goblin Kites - MTG Card versions
The Brute - MTG Card versions
Lightning Reflexes - MTG Card versions
Consuming Ferocity - MTG Card versions
Agility - MTG Card versions
Errantry - MTG Card versions
Heat of Battle - MTG Card versions
Goblin Festival - MTG Card versions
Scald - MTG Card versions
Cave Sense - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Surge - MTG Card versions
Maniacal Rage - MTG Card versions
Battle Strain - MTG Card versions
Goblin Bombardment - MTG Card versions
Underworld Breach - MTG Card versions
Lightning Rift - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Street Urchin card specializes in disrupting your opponent’s hand while giving you the potential to draw extra cards. Each time it deals combat damage to a player, you not only force them to discard a card but you also get to draw a card if you have the City’s Blessing. This can tilt game momentum in your favor by depriving opponents of resources while bolstering your own.

Resource Acceleration: While Street Urchin itself may not directly create resources, it indirectly accelerates your game by pressuring your opponents’ resources. By forcing your opponent to discard cards, you are effectively slowing them down and giving yourself the upper hand to play out your own strategy faster.

Instant Speed: The abilities of Street Urchin may not be activated at instant speed, but the card can benefit from instant-speed spells. For example, you can cast spells that increase its power before the damage step, ensuring that its damage-triggered ability will activate. Additionally, instant-speed interaction can protect the Street Urchin or disrupt your opponent’s attempts to block or remove it, which can be pivotal in maintaining board presence and pressure.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Street Urchin necessitates pitching a card from your hand to activate its ability. This can be a setback, especially when your hand is already thin and every card holds critical value for your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: Casting Street Urchin requires a particular combination of mana colors. If your deck isn’t tailored to generate these colors with ease or if you’re facing mana constraints, playing Street Urchin could be challenging.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Its casting cost might be considered steep for its power level and the benefits it provides. You might find that other creatures or spells in the same mana range offer more impact on the board, making Street Urchin a less optimal choice in a tightly curated deck.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Street Urchin is a unique addition to decks that thrive on manipulating the number of cards in hand. Its flexibility allows it to thrive in environments where maintaining a certain hand size is crucial.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to pump itself for each card a player has drawn in a turn makes it a prime candidate for synergy with draw-heavy strategies. Paired with cards that allow multiple draws, it can become a significant threat.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where players often hold back cards to build the perfect play, Street Urchin can serve as a useful tool. It capitalizes on your card advantage, turning it into board presence and pressure against opponents.


How to beat

Evading the sneaky tactics of the Street Urchin in MTG can be quite the challenge. This nimble creature often flies under the radar, subtly depleting your opponent’s life total. One effective method to outmaneuver it is by utilizing cards that deal direct damage. This can swiftly remove the nimble miscreant from the playing field before it can cause significant harm.

Alternatively, employing creatures with the ability to block multiple attackers can hinder the Street Urchin’s offensive. This positions you in a defensive stance, ready to intercept any attempts at thievery. Board wipes also serve as a powerful countermeasure, clearing the board of this pesky urchin along with any other threats lurking on the battlefield.

Street Urchin may seem daunting at first, but strategic planning and clever card choices can render this card’s impact minimal. Ensure your deck has a balanced mix of removal, defensive options, and potential sweepers to stay ahead of the stealthy tactics Street Urchin brings to the table.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the depths of MTG can be as intricate and rewarding as mastering the wily ways of the Street Urchin card. If strategizing your next big play or optimizing your deck brings you excitement, this card might turn out to be an asset worth delving into. Capitalizing on your opponent’s weaknesses while strengthening your own positions is a craft in itself. To further enhance your gameplay and breathe life into your MTG experience, we encourage you to deepen your knowledge and discover new strategic horizons. Venture with us into the heart of MTG’s competitive arena and uncover the potential of cards like Street Urchin for an unmatched tactical edge.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Street Urchin MTG card by a specific set like Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate and Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, 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 Street Urchin and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Street Urchin Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2022-06-10 and 2022-06-10. Illustrated by Julie Dillon.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 1972015NormalBlackJulie Dillon
22022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 5102015NormalBlackJulie Dillon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Street Urchin has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2022-06-10 An effect that checks whether you control your commander is satisfied if you control one or both of your two commanders.
2022-06-10 Both commanders start in the command zone, and the remaining 98 cards (or 58 cards in a Commander Draft game) of your deck are shuffled to become your library.
2022-06-10 Choose a Background is a variant of the partner ability. You may have two commanders if one of them is a legendary creature with the choose a background ability and the other is a legendary Background enchantment. Backgrounds and cards with choose a Background do not interact with cards which have any other partner ability.
2022-06-10 If a card refers to a commander creature you own, a Background won't usually be counted or included for that effect. If another spell or ability causes your Background to become a creature, however, it will be included. Any effect that refers to your commander or a commander you own or control without specifying creature will apply to a Background that is your commander, as appropriate.
2022-06-10 If something refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to one of them of your choice. If you are instructed to perform an action on your commander (e.g. put it from the command zone into your hand due to Command Beacon), you choose one of your commanders at the time the effect happens.
2022-06-10 If you control a Background that grants an ability to commander creatures you own, and you own more than one commander creature, each of them will have that ability.
2022-06-10 If your Commander deck has two commanders, you can include only cards whose own color identities are also found in your commanders’ combined color identities.
2022-06-10 If your commander is an artifact creature, you may sacrifice it to pay the cost of this ability.
2022-06-10 If your commander loses the choose a Background ability or stops being a Background during the game, as appropriate, it is still your commander.
2022-06-10 If your commander that had the ability Street Urchin gave it somehow isn't a creature at the time the ability resolves, it will still deal 1 damage.
2022-06-10 Once the game begins, your two commanders are tracked separately. If you cast one, you won’t have to pay an additional the first time you cast the other. A player loses the game after having been dealt 21 combat damage from any one of them, not from both of them combined (although your Background won’t usually be a creature anyway).
2022-06-10 You can choose two commanders that are the same color or colors.