Burrog Befuddler MTG Card


Burrog Befuddler - Strixhaven: School of Mages
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Frog Wizard
Abilities Flash
Released2021-04-23
Set symbol
Set nameStrixhaven: School of Mages
Set codeSTX
Power 2
Toughness 1
Number38
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byZoltan Boros

Key Takeaways

  1. Versatility and combo potential make it a strategic card for control-focused MTG decks.
  2. As a combat trick, it can be key in turning tight combat situations in your favor.
  3. Despite its benefits, careful deck building is required due to its specific mana needs.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Flash When Burrog Befuddler enters the battlefield, target creature an opponent controls gets -1/-0 until end of turn.

Students who seek river herbs in Doradur quickly find themselves slightly damp and thoroughly surrounded.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Burrog Befuddler comes with a subtle edge as it often leaves the opponent with a less effective creature while you maintain a creature on the board. This trade-off can shift the game in your favor by depleting an opponent’s resources while retaining your own.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly influencing your mana pool, the strategic deployment of Burrog Befuddler can result in resource acceleration by setting your opponent back, effectively giving you a tempo advantage to develop your board presence faster.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Burrog Befuddler at instant speed offers versatility, allowing you to react to your opponent’s actions or end-of-turn tactics to optimize your plays and keep your strategy hidden until the moment is right.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Burrog Befuddler asks you to discard a card to activate its madness cost, posing a challenge when your hand is already sparse.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands both blue and green mana, which can complicate its integration into multicolored decks that don’t focus on these colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost requiring three mana, including one green and one blue, Burrog Befuddler’s stats and ability may not justify its expense when there are lower-cost creatures with similar or better effects.


Reasons to Include Burrog Befuddler in Your Collection

Versatility: Burrog Befuddler offers a unique mix of control and combat trick capabilities. This makes it a flexible card to have on hand, suitable for decks that capitalize on instant-speed interactions to outmaneuver opponents during combat.

Combo Potential: The card’s ability to give a creature -1/-0 until end of turn may seem small, but it’s perfect for enabling combos with cards that thrive on targeting creatures, or for subtly setting up favorable trades and survival of your key creatures in combat.

Meta-Relevance: In a gameplay environment where combat interactions are pivotal, Burrog Befuddler can be a low-cost and effective option to tip the scales in your favor. In metas where aggressive strategies are common, this card can be a secret weapon to disrupt your opponent’s tempo.


How to beat

Burrog Befuddler is an intriguing creature in the blue color pie that can alter the flow of combat in MTG. Its ability to decrease an opposing creature’s strength can turn the tides in your favor. When facing this pesky frog, your strategy should focus on cards that can bypass its ability. Direct removal spells that can target and eliminate Burrog Befuddler are efficient ways to clear the path for your attackers. Another approach is to use creatures with trample or those that can’t be blocked by creatures with lesser power, thereby negating the Befuddler’s debuff effect entirely.

Additionally, spells that grant your creatures hexproof or protection from blue can prevent the Befuddler from targeting them in the first place. Versatile counterspells are also valuable, giving you the ability to stop the Befuddler from hitting the battlefield or negating the abilities it tries to activate. Lastly, never underestimate the power of combat tricks or buff spells in safeguarding your key creatures from its feeble-making touch. With the right cards in hand, you can efficiently counter its befuddling influence and maintain the upper hand.


Cards like Burrog Befuddler

Burrog Befuddler serves as a unique twist on blue’s creature disruption repertoire in MTG. It bears resemblance to cards like Merfolk Trickster, which also taps an opponent’s creature upon entering the battlefield. What sets Burrog Befuddler apart is its ability to not only tap a creature but also give it -1/-0 until the end of turn, subtly diminishing the opponent’s power for key interactions.

Comparably, there is the Frost Lynx, which taps a creature upon entry as well, but lacks the power reduction quality. While not influencing power stats makes Frost Lynx a simpler choice, the tactical advantage Burrog Befuddler offers can be pivotal during combat phases or to set back creatures with potent tap abilities.

The interesting blend of tap and weaken abilities positions Burrog Befuddler in a special niche for controlling opponents’ assets. While other cards may tap or debilitate opposing creatures, the Befuddler does so with the finesse of a single, unobtrusive card, making it a smart addition to decks aiming for subtle yet effective field manipulation.

Merfolk Trickster - MTG Card versions
Frost Lynx - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Trickster - MTG Card versions
Frost Lynx - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Burrog Befuddler MTG card by a specific set like Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 Burrog Befuddler and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Burrog Befuddler has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

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