Thunder Brute MTG Card

Thunder Brute’s Trample ability establishes card advantage, breaking through defenses and pressuring opponents. The Tribute mechanic of Thunder Brute offers a strategic choice between resource acceleration and creature strength. Including Thunder Brute in collections adds versatility and power, capable of swinging the game’s momentum.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Cyclops
Abilities	Trample,Tribute
Released	2014-02-07
Set symbol
Set name	Born of the Gods
Set code	BNG
Power	5
Toughness	5
Number	113
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Phill Simmer

Text of card

Trample Tribute 3 (As this creature enters the battlefield, an opponent of your choice may place three +1/+1 counters on it.) When Thunder Brute enters the battlefield, if tribute wasn't paid, it gains haste until end of turn.

Cards like Thunder Brute

Thunder Brute emerges as a powerful creature in the pantheon of beefy hitters within MTG. It shares the battlefield with cards like Charging Monstrosaur, a beast that also brings immediate impact with haste and decent power. However, Thunder Brute ramps up the combat phase with trample, ensuring that excess damage isn’t wasted and can topple multiple blockers or hit directly at an opponent’s life total.

Looking across the arena, we encounter Terra Stomper, another formidable creature. Terra Stomper, much like our brute friend, is uncounterable and boasts a significant trample advantage. Yet, it lacks the haste trait, which significantly alters the dynamics of play, offering opponents a turn to find answers. Moving to a different spectrum, we find Ruric Thar, the Unbowed. This gargantuan serves a dual purpose as an attack deterrent and as a six-powered attacker with vigilance and reach, further diversifying one’s strategic offensive.

In essence, while MTG teems with titanic creatures, Thunder Brute stands tall with haste and trample, a combination that pressures opponents and shapes the skirmishes on the battlefield effectively.

Charging Monstrosaur - MTG Card versions

Ruric Thar, the Unbowed - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Thunder Brute by color, type and mana cost

Ryusei, the Falling Star - MTG Card versions

Lu Bu, Master-at-Arms - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: One of the significant benefits of Thunder Brute is its potential to offer card advantage. With its Trample ability, it ensures that even when blocked, the damage can spill over to the opponent, often resulting in card advantage by whittling down their board presence.

Resource Acceleration: Thunder Brute’s Tribute mechanic can put opponents in a difficult position. Paying the tribute leads to immediate resource acceleration, enabling access to more mana earlier than usual, while choosing not to pay can give you a powerful creature. This flexibility can be a game-changer.

Instant Speed: Although Thunder Brute itself is not an instant, it synergizes well with cards that can be played at instant speed. For instance, being able to flash in creatures or spells that buff or give your creature double strike can drastically increase the impact of its Trample ability, often catching opponents off-guard during combat.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Thunder Brute may force the player to discard another card from their hand, which could be detrimental if the player is already struggling to maintain card advantage or if the discarded card is of crucial strategic importance.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Thunder Brute requires a specific combination of mana, which can be a disadvantage in multi-color decks that might struggle to have the right mana available at the right time, hence potentially delaying the play of this card or affecting the overall mana curve of the deck.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Thunder Brute boasts impactful abilities, its relatively high mana cost makes it a later game play, which may not synergize well with aggressive strategies aiming to outpace the opponent quickly. This high cost also makes it vulnerable to mana disruption and might clog up the hand if drawn early in the game.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Thunder Brute is a dynamic addition to decks seeking a significant power creature that can impact the board immediately. It’s especially useful in decks with trample synergies or those that require substantial attackers.

Combo Potential: Thunder Brute can be the key piece in combos that revolve around dealing damage, as it often requires an immediate answer from opponents. Combine it with cards that grant additional combat phases or amplify damage for even greater effect.

Meta-Relevance: As the meta shifts to favor creature-based strategies, Thunder Brute holds its ground by posing as a formidable blocker or powerful attacker. Its presence in your collection ensures you have the means to adjust to creature-heavy environments and dominate the battlefield.

How to beat

Thunder Brute represents a formidable force in any MTG game, as its presence can tilt the battlefield in favor of the player who wields it. Its Trample ability combined with a substantial power makes it an aggressive threat that opponents must address swiftly. One way to neutralize this creature’s impact is to remove it from play before it can deal significant damage. Spells like Murder or Doom Blade are efficient tools to handle such threats directly.

Control strategies also shine in this scenario – a well-timed Counterspell can prevent Thunder Brute from ever entering the battlefield. Additionally, if battling in a Limited format where premium removal might be scarce, chump blocking with smaller creatures can buy precious time. Another key maneuver is to strategize your game plan around mitigating the risk it poses by maintaining a board state with multiple creatures to absorb the brute force it brings, effectively diluting its impact on the game.

In practice, devising a game plan that includes early removal, counterspells, or robust board presence can enhance your ability to contend with, and ultimately triumph over Thunder Brute. Addressing the threat it represents with strategy and foresight can swing the game in your favor and showcase the depth of tactical play in MTG.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thunder Brute MTG card by a specific set like Born of the Gods, 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 Thunder Brute and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Thunder Brute has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2014-02-01	If the opponent pays tribute, the creature will enter the battlefield with the specified number of +1/+1 counters on it. It won’t enter the battlefield and then have the +1/+1 counters placed on it.
2014-02-01	If the triggered ability has a target, that target will not be known while the creature spell with tribute is on the stack.
2014-02-01	Players can’t respond to the tribute decision before the creature enters the battlefield. That is, if the opponent doesn’t pay tribute, the triggered ability will trigger before any player has a chance to remove the creature.
2014-02-01	The choice of whether to pay tribute is made as the creature with tribute is entering the battlefield. At that point, it’s too late to respond to the creature spell. For example, in a multiplayer game, opponents won’t know whether tribute will be paid or which opponent will be chosen to pay tribute or not when deciding whether to counter the creature spell.
2014-02-01	The triggered ability will resolve even if the creature with tribute isn’t on the battlefield at that time.
2017-04-18	For effects that check which player put counters on the entering creature, the player chosen to pay tribute puts those counters on it, not the creature’s controller.