Rats of Rath MTG Card

Tempest (TMP)
1997-10-14 - Number 150

Tempest Remastered (TPR)
2015-05-06 - Number 111

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Rat
Power	2
Toughness	1

Key Takeaways

Rats of Rath can overwhelm opponents with fast, low-cost creature deployment, enhancing board presence.
The card’s ability to disrupt artifact strategies can tip the scales in your favor during matches.
Strategic use of Rats of Rath complements tribal synergies and versatile deck builds in MTG.

Text of card

o B: Destroy target artifact, creature, or land you control.

"These creatures offer new challenges in the scrutiny of entrails." —Oracle *en*-Vec

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rats of Rath can quickly populate the field, offering a significant card advantage as each creature represents a potential threat or blocker for your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: As Rats of Rath typically have a low mana cost, they enable a faster buildup of board presence, outpacing opponents’ resource development with ease.

Instant Speed: While Rats of Rath itself isn’t an instant, many rat-related spells and abilities can be activated at instant speed, providing strategic flexibility during both your turn and your opponent’s.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While playing Rats of Rath, players must discard a card, potentially depleting valuable hand resources which can be critical in maintaining gameplay momentum.

Specific Mana Cost: The specific mana requirements for summoning Rats of Rath may clash with the deck’s mana base, especially in multi-colored decks where mana accessibility can fluctuate.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment needed to bring Rats of Rath to the battlefield may be steep compared to other creature options available, which could provide similar or greater advantages at a reduced cost.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Rats of Rath boasts a flexibility that allows it to sneak into an assortment of deck styles, particularly those valuing consistent creature presence or tribal synergies.

Combo Potential: This card can significantly enhance strategies that revolve around creature sacrifices or death-triggered abilities, enabling intricate and potentially game-ending combos.

Meta-Relevance: Given its resilience against removal due to its regeneration ability, Rats of Rath can become an integral part of a deck in a meta-game dominated by control decks with heavy removal components.

How to beat

Overcoming Rats of Rath in MTG requires a strategic approach, as this card can quickly overwhelm opponents with a horde of relentless vermin. The key to defeating this particular menace lies in early game control measures. Employing board wipes like Wrath of God can clear multiple creatures, including any pesky rodents that have amassed on the battlefield. Alternatively, targeted removal spells such as Doom Blade offer a more precise way to deal with key rat threats or their enablers.

It’s also wise to consider the use of cards that prevent creature abilities from triggering. By shutting down the innate powers of Rats of Rath, you negate their primary strength and make them much less of a nuisance. Moreover, cards that punish players for summoning multiple creatures can be mortifying for a rat swarm strategy. Something along the lines of Cursed Totem or Illness in the Ranks can severely inhibit a player’s ability to utilize the Rats of Rath effectively.

Lastly, by maintaining a robust line of defense with creatures that have potent defensive abilities, you ensure that your opponent’s rat army is met with formidable resistance, disrupting their game plan and granting you the upper hand.

Cards like Rats of Rath

Exploring the eerie corners of Magic: The Gathering, Rats of Rath stands out in the vermin-themed overview of cards. This card, reminiscent of the notorious Pestilence Rats, shares the trait of power depending on the number of Rats you control. However, Rats of Rath offers the added flexibility of directly destroying target artifacts. Contrast this with Swarm of Rats, whose strength lies purely in its increasing power with a growing rat population, but lacks the utility to disrupt an opponent’s artifact strategies.

When comparing with Plague Rats, a card of vintage lineage in MTG, the mechanic is quite similar. Yet, Rats of Rath’s ability to target artifacts can be an unexpected game-changer, especially in formats where artifacts play a crucial role. It’s comparable yet distinct from Relentless Rats, which not only grows in power but also allows you to bypass the normal singleton rule in a deck, enabling a truly relentless strategy.

Ultimately, Rats of Rath occupies a unique space in the realm of rat-infested offerings in Magic: The Gathering. It finds its strength in versatility and the tactical advantage it provides to players who wish to infest their decks with these skittering menaces, while maintaining control over the artifacts on the battlefield.

Cards similar to Rats of Rath by color, type and mana cost

Order of the Ebon Hand - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rats of Rath MTG card by a specific set like Tempest and Tempest Remastered, 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 Rats of Rath and other MTG cards: