Vexing Scuttler MTG Card


Retrieve critical instants or sorceries from the graveyard with Vexing Scuttler for consistent card advantage. Leverage the emerge mechanic for cost-efficient casting and nimble battlefield tactics. Utilize at instant speed to disrupt opponents and secure tactical plays during their turn.
Vexing Scuttler - Eldritch Moon
Mana cost
Converted mana cost8
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Eldrazi Crab
Abilities Emerge
Released2016-07-22
Set symbol
Set nameEldritch Moon
Set codeEMN
Power 4
Toughness 5
Number11
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byJames Paick

Text of card

Emerge (You may cast this spell by sacrificing a creature and paying the emerge cost reduced by that creature's converted mana cost.) When you cast Vexing Scuttler, you may return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.


Cards like Vexing Scuttler

Vexing Scuttler makes a unique impression among the variety of creatures in Magic: The Gathering. Held in similarity to cards like Man-o’-War, it offers a kind of utility that’s appreciated in specific deck builds. Man-o’-War allows for the return of a creature to its owner’s hand upon entering the battlefield, slightly contrasting the Scuttler’s ability to return an instant or sorcery card. The utility of interacting with different card types sets each apart in deck utility and synergy.

Analogous in function to Archaeomancer, with both creatures being able to retrieve instant or sorcery cards from the graveyard to hand, the Vexing Scuttler has the added benefit of emerge. This lets it come into play potentially at a lower cost while also having a larger body. Other creatures like Possessed Skaab offer similar recur effects alongside additional creature types, giving it broader synergy across various decks. Yet the emerge mechanic and being a colorless creature give Scuttler a unique niche.

Deciphering the advantages among these options, Vexing Scuttler holds its ground with its versatile emerge ability and strategic advantage in decks that can exploit these traits, marking its spot in the eclectic world of Magic: The Gathering.

Man-o'-War - MTG Card versions
Archaeomancer - MTG Card versions
Possessed Skaab - MTG Card versions
Man-o'-War - MTG Card versions
Archaeomancer - MTG Card versions
Possessed Skaab - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Vexing Scuttler by color, type and mana cost

Deep Spawn - MTG Card versions
Benthic Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Denizen of the Deep - MTG Card versions
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Lorthos, the Tidemaker - MTG Card versions
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Trench Gorger - MTG Card versions
Tidal Force - MTG Card versions
Deep Spawn - MTG Card versions
Benthic Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Denizen of the Deep - MTG Card versions
Tidal Kraken - MTG Card versions
Avatar of Will - MTG Card versions
Cognivore - MTG Card versions
Brinelin, the Moon Kraken - MTG Card versions
Sphinx of the Second Sun - MTG Card versions
Scornful Egotist - MTG Card versions
Qumulox - MTG Card versions
Hoverguard Sweepers - MTG Card versions
Greater Morphling - MTG Card versions
Tidespout Tyrant - MTG Card versions
Slipstream Serpent - MTG Card versions
Maelstrom Djinn - MTG Card versions
Kederekt Leviathan - MTG Card versions
Lorthos, the Tidemaker - MTG Card versions
Stormtide Leviathan - MTG Card versions
Trench Gorger - MTG Card versions
Tidal Force - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Vexing Scuttler lets players bring back a key instant or sorcery card from their graveyard to their hand, contributing to vital card advantage and enabling combos or pivotal plays to maintain control of the game.

Resource Acceleration: Vexing Scuttler’s emerge ability provides a method for casting it at a potentially reduced cost, by sacrificing a creature. This mechanic serves as an alternative form of resource acceleration, allowing for efficient use of the board state to deploy a significant threat earlier than otherwise possible.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast an instant that Vexing Scuttler retrieves during an opponent’s turn provides high tactical flexibility. This creates opportunities for disrupting the opponent’s strategy at critical moments, making Vexing Scuttler a card with dynamic and real-time advantage capabilities.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Vexing Scuttler requires you to discard a card as part of its emerge cost. This may deplete your hand, putting you at a disadvantage, especially if you’re unable to leverage graveyard synergies effectively.

Specific Mana Cost: Vexing Scuttler has a specific mana requirement, needing both generic and blue mana to be cast. This can restrict its inclusion, as it fits best into decks that can consistently provide blue mana or support a color-specific strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its potential for cost reduction through its emerge ability, Vexing Scuttler still has a high initial mana cost. There are alternatives within the card pool that might be a more mana-efficient fit for reclaiming instants or sorceries from your graveyard.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Vexing Scuttler proves to be a flexible choice for decks focusing on instant and sorcery card recursion. With the ability to emerge by sacrificing another creature, it offers a dynamic playstyle across various deck configurations.

Combo Potential: This cephalopod brings to the table the potential for engine-like synergies, especially appealing for players keen on repeating spells. The emerge cost itself can be harnessed to leverage dying creature triggers or other enter-the-battlefield effects.

Meta-Relevance: As the meta shifts to accommodate control stratagems, Vexing Scuttler stands out as a resilient creature capable of recurring critical spells that may determine the outcome of a tightly-contested match.


How to beat

Vexing Scuttler presents a unique challenge in MTG due to its ability to recur an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard when you cast it with its emerge cost. For players looking to overcome this elusive Isopod, it’s critical to manage the battlefield and your graveyard. Tactics like graveyard hate, with cards such as Scavenging Ooze or Rest in Peace, can remove potential targets before the Scuttler can bring them back. Creature removal spells, capable of being cast in response to the emerge trigger, deny your opponent the recursion benefit. It’s also worth considering counter-strategies, where cards like Negate or Essence Scatter come into play, preventing Vexing Scuttler from hitting the board in the first place.

Additionally, maintaining a paced strategy can be effective. This might mean holding back on casting valuable instants or sorceries if you suspect your opponent has Vexing Scuttler at the ready. By adapting to their emerge game plan, you can make Vexing Scuttler much less of a nuisance and maintain control over the flow of the game. In conclusion, with the right balance of graveyard control, responsive play, and strategic foresight, the Vexing Scuttler can be demystified and dealt with efficiently in MTG.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Vexing Scuttler MTG card by a specific set like Eldritch Moon, 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 Vexing Scuttler and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Vexing Scuttler has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2016-07-13 A creature’s converted mana cost is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner (unless that creature is the back face of a double-faced card, is a melded permanent, or is copying something else; see below). If the mana cost includes , X is considered to be 0. If it’s a single-faced card with no mana symbols in its upper right corner (because it’s an animated land, for example), its converted mana cost is 0. Ignore any alternative costs or additional costs (such as kicker) that were paid as the creature was cast.
2016-07-13 A “when you cast” triggered ability resolves before the original spell resolves. It resolves even if the original spell is countered, and the original spell resolves even if the triggered ability is countered.
2016-07-13 Colored mana components of emerge costs can’t be reduced with emerge.
2016-07-13 Each card with emerge is colorless and has an emerge cost that includes one or more colors of mana. These cards are still colorless if you pay the emerge cost.
2016-07-13 If you sacrifice a creature with in its mana cost, that X is considered to be 0.
2016-07-13 Once you begin to cast a spell with emerge, no player may take actions until you’re done. Notably, opponents can’t try to remove the creature you wish to sacrifice.
2016-07-13 The converted mana cost of a creature spell with emerge isn’t affected by whether its emerge cost is paid. For example, if you cast Elder Deep-Fiend for its emerge cost and sacrifice a creature whose converted mana cost is 3, Elder Deep-Fiend’s converted mana cost remains 8.
2016-07-13 The converted mana cost of the back face of a double-faced card is the converted mana cost of its front face. The converted mana cost of a melded permanent is the sum of the converted mana costs of its front faces. A creature that’s a copy of either has a converted mana cost of 0.
2016-07-13 The creature chosen to be sacrificed is still on the battlefield up through the time that you activate mana abilities. Its abilities may affect the spell’s cost, be activated to generate mana, and so on. However, if it has an ability that triggers when a spell is cast, it will have been sacrificed before that ability can trigger.
2016-07-13 You may sacrifice a creature with a converted mana cost of 0, such as a token creature that’s not a copy of another permanent, to cast a spell for its emerge cost. You’ll just pay the full emerge cost with no reduction.
2016-07-13 You may sacrifice a creature with converted mana cost greater than or equal to the emerge cost. If you do, you’ll pay only the colored mana component of the emerge cost.