Trench Gorger MTG Card

Deck thinning with Trench Gorger increases chances of drawing impactful non-land cards in subsequent turns. Massive power boost potential turns Trench Gorger into a game-ending threat when it hits the battlefield. Utilize flash enablers with Trench Gorger for unexpected plays and pressure at instant speed.

Commander 2011 (CMD)
2011-06-17 - Number 65

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number CMD-65

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	8
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Leviathan
Abilities	Trample
Power	6
Toughness	6

Text of card

Trample When Trench Gorger enters the battlefield, you may search your library for any number of land cards, exile them, then shuffle your library. If you do, Trench Gorger's power and toughness each become equal to the number of cards exiled this way.

Cards like Trench Gorger

Trench Gorger stands as a unique giant in the world of MTG creature cards. With its vast potential to dramatically alter the land composition of your deck, it can be likened to cards such as Ulamog’s Crusher, a fearsome creature known for annihilating opposing defenses. Both are late-game titans, but Trench Gorger brings a tactical advantage with its potential to shape your library and increase the odds of drawing high-impact cards in the later stages of the game.

On another note, we have Scourge of Fleets, offering a mechanism to return all creatures to the opponent’s hand, proportional to the number of Islands you control. While Scourge impacts the board immediately, Trench Gorger’s ability is a double-edged sword, presenting a trade between raw power and strategic deck thinning. Additionally, compared to the immediate effect of Whale of Fortune, which allows a card advantage upon entry, Trench Gorger’s ability is a one-time land fetch, reshaping future turns rather than the current board state.

Both cards have their merits, and while Trench Gorger may not offer the direct board control like some of its counterparts, it ensures that every draw counts as you stride into the late game. It’s a card that rewards strategic planning and the art of deck manipulation in MTG.

Cards similar to Trench Gorger by color, type and mana cost

Brinelin, the Moon Kraken - MTG Card versions

Sphinx of the Second Sun - MTG Card versions

Lorthos, the Tidemaker - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Trench Gorger can drastically shape your deck mid-game, giving you the ability to thin out land cards. This tactic can significantly increase the probability of drawing into more impactful non-land cards, potentially steering the game in your favor by curating your upcoming draws for quality over quantity.

Resource Acceleration: When Trench Gorger enters the battlefield, its ability allows you to search for any number of land cards and exile them, providing a substantial power and toughness boost to the creature itself. This transformation turns Trench Gorger into a massive threat that can end games quickly if left unanswered, effectively serving as a significant form of acceleration towards your win condition.

Instant Speed: While Trench Gorger itself does not operate at instant speed, its potential pairing with cards that enable you to cheat creatures onto the battlefield can catch opponents unprepared. For instance, using flash enablers allows you to deploy Trench Gorger during your opponent’s turn, creating an unexpected swing in board state and pressure, aligning with the strategic use of instant speed advantages in MTG.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When playing Trench Gorger, you may be required to reshuffle your land cards into your library, which resembles a discard action. This can put you at a significant disadvantage, particularly if your strategy relies on specific land combinations or interactions within your deck.

Specific Mana Cost: Trench Gorger requires a specific blend of mana to cast—one blue and seven other mana. This specificity can pose a challenge, especially in multi-colored decks where mana resources need to be carefully managed or in quicker formats where accumulating that amount of mana swiftly is less feasible.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an eight-total-mana cost, Trench Gorger is among the more costly creatures to play. Even though its ability can be potent by reshaping your deck and boosting power/toughness, its initial high mana requirement makes it less competitive when compared to other game-changing creatures or spells with lower mana demands.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Trench Gorger offers a unique kind of flexibility for decks that capitalize on manipulating the mana base. By reshaping your deck mid-game, it enables a more streamlined draw for powerful late-game plays.

Combo Potential: With its ability to enhance your deck’s mana curve, Trench Gorger interacts well with cards that scale with land count or rely on high mana availability, setting the stage for game-ending combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where large creatures and game-changing plays decide the victor, Trench Gorger can be a sleeper hit. Its capacity to tip the scales and provide a massive threat is something that can catch many opponents off guard.

How to beat

Trench Gorger is a creature that can be a formidable presence on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. With its unique ability to shuffle any number of lands from your deck and then grow in power and toughness for each land discarded, this leviathan transforms into a massive threat. However, its strength can be mitigated through strategic planning and key card choices.

To counteract Trench Gorger’s game-swinging potential, control decks that pack answers to big creatures are essential. Cards like Path to Exile or Rapid Hybridization can efficiently remove the monster without the drawback of giving your opponent additional lands, which they could already be scarce on after Trench Gorger’s effect. For more interactive matches, countermagic such as Negate or Essence Scatter could prevent the leviathan from entering the fight altogether.

In more aggressive strategies, maintaining a swift pace and putting pressure on your opponent before they accumulate enough mana to cast Trench Gorger could be key. Reducing their life total quickly means they might not be able to afford the luxury of such a high-cost creature, or it could come too late. Ultimately, to triumph over Trench Gorger, one must adapt their playstyle and deck composition to ensure they’re never overwhelmed by this deep-sea behemoth.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Trench Gorger MTG card by a specific set like Commander 2011 and The List, 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 Trench Gorger and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Trench Gorger Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2011-06-17 and 2011-06-17. Illustrated by Hideaki Takamura.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2011-06-17	Commander 2011	CMD		65	2003	Normal	Black	Hideaki Takamura
2	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST		CMD-65	2003	Normal	Black	Hideaki Takamura

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Trench Gorger has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2011-09-22	After the ability resolves, Trench Gorger’s power and toughness won’t change if one of the exiled cards leaves exile.
2011-09-22	If Trench Gorger leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, you may still search your library.
2011-09-22	If you choose not to search, Trench Gorger will simply be 6/6.
2011-09-22	While Trench Gorger’s ability is on the stack, it’s on the battlefield as a 6/6.