Trollhide MTG Card

Trollhide bestows creatures with regeneration, offering resilience and card advantage during play. Its activation at instant speed affords strategic flexibility and surprise defensive plays. Restrictions in mana cost and higher casting investment may limit the card’s deck compatibility.

Magic 2012 (M12)
2011-07-15 - Number 199

Magic 2014 (M14)
2013-07-19 - Number 197

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has ": Regenerate this creature." (The next time the creature would be destroyed this turn, it isn't. Instead tap it, remove all damage from it, and remove it from combat.)

Cards like Trollhide

Trollhide is an intriguing card that offers protection and regeneration for creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It shares similarities with cards like Bear Umbra and Spider Umbra, each providing an additional layer of defense. What sets Trollhide apart is the ability it grants to regenerate the enchanted creature. Bear Umbra focuses on untapping lands which can significantly increase mana availability, while Spider Umbra offers the reach ability allowing creatures to block flying opponents.

Another card worthy of comparison is Whispersilk Cloak, known for its ability to make creatures unblockable while simultaneously providing shroud. Although it doesn’t have the regeneration ability like Trollhide, the unblockable aspect can turn the tides of the game. Regeneration from Trollhide assures that you keep your creatures on the battlefield, making it a resilient choice during combat.

Overall, Trollhide is a card with a distinct advantage in terms of creature sustainability on the board. Its synergistic potential in decks that aim to maintain a formidable creature presence makes it a valuable asset, especially in comparison to similar cards in the rich tapestry of Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Trollhide by color, type and mana cost

The Dragon-Kami Reborn // Dragon-Kami's Egg - MTG Card versions

Rites of Flourishing - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Trollhide from MTG has the utility to return from the graveyard to the battlefield, offering a cyclical form of card advantage. By preserving your creatures with this enchantment, you maintain an edge in resources over your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: Empowering your creatures, Trollhide facilitates more efficient attacks, potentially leading to accelerated resource accumulation as you dominate the battlefield, induce pressure on your opponent, and control the game’s pace.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, the activated ability of Trollhide can be used at instant speed, providing flexibility and surprise potential during combat or in response to removal, giving your creatures a chance to survive when they otherwise wouldn’t.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While not applicable to Trollhide itself, enchantment cards in the same category may demand you discard a card as part of their casting cost or activation. This can reduce your hand, leaving you vulnerable to running out of options during crucial turns.

Specific Mana Cost: Trollhide requires two green mana as part of its casting cost. This specificity can sometimes be restrictive, limiting the card’s inclusion to primarily green or two-color decks that heavily feature forests or mana fixing capabilities.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At three mana to cast—more than some other auras—Trollhide poses a higher investment for the effect of regenerating the enchanted creature. Given that there are enchantments with lower casting costs or those that offer additional benefits, players may opt for those alternatives to maximize efficiency and flexibility in gameplay.

Reasons to Include Trollhide in Your Collection

Versatility: Trollhide is a flexible aura that can be attached to any creature, providing a consistent way to boost its resilience and survivability. The ability to regenerate the enchanted creature makes it persist through combat and removal spells that would normally be lethal.

Combo Potential: This enchantment shines in decks built around creatures and incremental advantages. Its synergy with creatures that have tap abilities or those that benefit from being targeted, like Heroic creatures, can amplify your battlefield presence significantly.

Meta-Relevance: With creature-heavy decks commonly appearing in various formats, Trollhide can be a strategic addition to overcome removal-heavy decks. This can be especially potent in a meta where creature endurance is key to outlasting your opponent.

How to beat

Trollhide is a notable aura in the world of Magic: The Gathering, providing a creature with a significant +2/+2 boost and the all-important regenerative ability. While this can make an opponent’s creature quite resilient, there are several strategies to outmaneuver a Trollhide-enhanced threat. Removing a creature before Trollhide can be attached is a proactive measure. Alternatively, employing enchantment removal like Disenchant can dismantle the protective hide, leaving the creature vulnerable.

Direct damage spells that surpass the creature’s toughness—even with the Trollhide bonus—are effective as well. This circumvents the regeneration ability since Trollhide requires a mana investment to activate it. Counterplay can also involve utilizing board control spells such as Wrath of God to reset the playing field. These approaches ensure that the benefits Trollhide provides are mitigated, maintaining a balance in the battle and keeping any single creature from dominating the game state.

Understanding when to take down the enchanted creature or eliminate the aura itself is crucial for maintaining dominance on the battlefield. Recognizing Trollhide’s strength and having the right removal spells in your arsenal can lead to advantageous plays and potential victory against adversaries relying on aura-based strategies.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Trollhide MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2012 and Magic 2014, 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 Trollhide and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Trollhide Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2011-07-15 and 2013-07-19. Illustrated by Steven Belledin.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2011-07-15	Magic 2012	M12		199	2003	Normal	Black	Steven Belledin
2	2013-07-19	Magic 2014	M14		197	2003	Normal	Black	Steven Belledin

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Trollhide has restrictions

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

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Trollhide 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	Activating the ability granted to the enchanted creature causes a “regeneration shield” to be created for it. The next time that creature would be destroyed that turn, the regeneration shield is used up instead. This works only if the creature is dealt lethal damage, dealt damage from a source with deathtouch, or affected by a spell or ability that says to “destroy” it. Other effects that cause the creature to be put into the graveyard (such as reducing its toughness to 0 or sacrificing it) don’t destroy it, so regeneration won’t save it. If it hasn’t been used, the regeneration shield goes away as the turn ends.
2011-09-22	If the enchanted creature is dealt lethal damage and is dealt damage by a source with deathtouch during the same combat damage step, a single regeneration shield will save it.
2011-09-22	To work, the regeneration shield must be created before the enchanted creature is destroyed. This usually means activating its ability during the declare blockers step, or in response to a spell or ability that would destroy it.
2013-07-01	Trollhide needs to be attached to the creature as the ability that creates the regeneration shield is activated, but after that, the regeneration shield will be created and remain in effect even if Trollhide is no longer attached to the creature.