Undercity Scrounger MTG Card
2022-02-18 - Number 126
2022-02-18 - Number 42
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Human Rogue |
| Abilities | Treasure |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Key Takeaways
- Undercity Scrounger recycles creatures from your graveyard, offering sustained card advantage in MTG games.
- Its triggered ability simulates instant-speed interactions, surprising opponents and swaying the game’s momentum.
- Despite its advantages, Undercity Scrounger’s requirements and cost may hinder its play in faster-paced formats.
Text of card
: Create a Treasure token. Activate only if a creature died this turn. (It's an artifact with ", Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.")
"That will pay for another arm extension all by itself! Well, as long as it doesn't explode."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Undercity Scrounger provides a strategic edge by cycling dead creatures from your graveyard back into your deck, essentially recycling resources to optimize your draw potential. This is a significant advantage in longer matches where quality of draws can determine the game’s outcome.
Resource Acceleration: The ability to return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand with Undercity Scrounger can be a form of resource acceleration. It effectively saves mana that would have been spent on drawing or tutoring for another creature, thereby optimizing your mana usage and pacing the play to your advantage.
Instant Speed: Although Undercity Scrounger is a creature card and not an instant, its triggered ability can sometimes allow for instant-speed-like interactions, depending on the game state. For example, engaging in combat or using other instant-speed effects to trigger the Scrounger’s ability can surprise an opponent unexpectedly, mimicking the benefits of instant speed play.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Undercity Scrounger requires the sacrifice of a creature or an artifact in addition to its mana cost. This condition could place you at a disadvantage should your board state be lacking expendable assets.
Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting cost necessitates black mana, potentially restricting its inclusion to decks that can reliably produce that type of mana or are part of the black color’s strategy.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Needing three mana, including one black, can be considered steep for a card that has tough prerequisites for activation. In the fast-paced games of current formats, this could result in Undercity Scrounger being an underperformer as there might be more cost-effective cards to include in your deck.
Reasons to Include Undercity Scrounger in Your Collection
Versatility: Undercity Scrounger fits into a variety of deck themes, from graveyard-centric strategies to creature-focused builds. Its ability to potentially return a high-value creature from your graveyard to the battlefield gives it flexibility in both control and aggressive decks.
Combo Potential: This card shines in combos, enabling graveyard synergies and serving as a cog in engine decks. It works exceptionally well with cards that care about creature death or self-mill tactics, maximizing the value of every creature card in your deck.
Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of graveyard strategies in many metagames, Undercity Scrounger can be a tactical inclusion. As the metagame adapts to new set releases and rotations, this card has the potential to become a staple in decks that exploit the graveyard for strategic advantage.
How to beat Undercity Scrounger
Undercity Scrounger can be a pesky opponent on the battlefield, thriving in decks brimming with creatures and graveyard strategies. To outmaneuver this resilient threat, start by limiting your opponent’s creature count. Cards that cause mass removal or sweep the board clean, such as Day of Judgment or Wrath of God, reset the playing field and hamper the Scrounger’s recursion potential.
Furthermore, targeting the graveyard directly dismantles the Scrounger’s game plan. Rely on graveyard hate cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void to ensure that creatures stay in the graveyard, stripping the Scrounger of its power source. Additionally, timing is crucial—employ instant-speed removal like Path to Exile or Fatal Push right before your opponent’s turn to disrupt their strategy and maintain control.
Tackling Undercity Scrounger involves strategic plays and a strong defense against graveyard synergies. Keep the pressure with consistent removal, and don’t let the creatures settle on the board. By preemptively managing the graveyard and maintaining a watchful eye on the state of play, you can confidently navigate around the resilience of Undercity Scrounger.
Cards like Undercity Scrounger
The Undercity Scrounger card adds strategic depth to graveyard utilization tactics in MTG. It shares some common ground with cards like Scrapheap Scrounger – both capitalize on graveyard recursion. Undercity Scrounger, however, has a nuanced advantage with its lifelink ability, offering a dual benefit of recouping life while reanimating creatures.
Then there’s the ever-relevant Gutterbones, another creature that rises from the graveyard but requiring a hit on an opponent first. While Gutterbones can be a reliable returnee to the hand, Undercity Scrounger’s lifelink gives an immediate impact on the battlefield that Gutterbones can’t match. Lastly, the Dread Wanderer enters the fray with similar recursive patterns. Though it re-enters the battlefield tapped, it comes back without the need for additional creature sacrifices, streamlining its return compared to Undercity Scrounger’s more complex condition.
When comparing the potential of these cards, Undercity Scrounger stands out with its valuable lifelink ability, making it a noteworthy consideration for decks that synergize with graveyard mechanics and seek to maintain life totals while pressuring opponents.
Cards similar to Undercity Scrounger by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Undercity Scrounger MTG card by a specific set like Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty and Neon Dynasty Art Series, 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 Undercity Scrounger and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Undercity Scrounger Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2022-02-18 and 2022-02-18. Illustrated by Mike Jordana.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2022-02-18 | Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty | NEO | 126 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mike Jordana | |
| 2 | Neon Dynasty Art Series | ANEO | 42 | 2015 | Art series | Borderless | Mike Jordana |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Undercity Scrounger has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |