Mardu Outrider MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Orc Warrior
Released	2020-08-13
Set symbol
Set name	Arena Beginner Set
Set code	ANB
Power	5
Toughness	5
Number	52
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Evan Shipard

Key Takeaways

Mardu Outrider enhances card efficiency and accelerates resources, elevating gameplay interactions and potential.
Its specific mana cost and discard requirement present strategic deck-building and in-game challenges.
Versatility, combo potential, and meta relevance make the Outrider valuable for certain MTG strategies.

Text of card

As an additional cost to cast this spell, discard a card.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Mardu Outrider provides an upper hand in card efficiency, often allowing for multiple interactions through its triggered ability. This ability adds depth to your play strategy, offering a significant edge over your opponent in drawn-out battles by ensuring you have access to more options.

Resource Acceleration: As a key figure in any deck craving quick resource ramp-up, Mardu Outrider can shift the tide of the game. Whether it’s through the extra mana it generates or the synergy with other cards that thrive on having a vast pool of resources, its presence is a catalyst for powerful plays and a faster reach toward your win conditions.

Instant Speed: This card’s capacity to act at instant speed is a subtle but potent tactical advantage. It allows you to adapt to the evolving battlefield, aligning your plays perfectly with the pace of the game. By retaining flexibility in your mana and choosing the most opportune moment to deploy the Mardu Outrider, you can catch opponents off guard and make decisions that are always one step ahead.

Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Mardu Outrider requires a specific combination of colors to cast—white, black, and red. This can pose a limitation in deck building as it necessitates a firm commitment to the Mardu color triad, potentially restricting its inclusion to only those decks that can consistently provide all three mana types.

Discard Requirement: To unlock its full potential, the Outrider often demands a discard, which may not be viable when you’re clutching crucial cards. Discarding as an activation cost can leave you at a disadvantage, especially in matches where every card in hand is a valuable resource for your strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment for summoning this creature can be steep compared to other options in the metagame. While it brings certain benefits to the battlefield, savvy players may find alternative creatures or spells that provide greater impact or versatility for the same or lower mana cost.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mardu Outrider offers a dynamic role within tri-color aggro or midrange decks, adding both strength on the battlefield and potential synergy with warrior or knight tribal themes.

Combo Potential: It can work well in concert with cards that benefit from having a high-power creature on the board, increasing the impact of sacrifice, flanking, or assault strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where board presence is key, Mardu Outrider can be a crucial play, providing a strong creature that can swing combat in your favor and excel within the current aggressive strategies.

How to Beat Mardu Outrider

The Mardu Outrider offers an interesting dynamic in the realm of creature cards for players devoted to these tactics. Its ability to provide a significant tempo swing when attacking can pressure opponents, much like renowned cards that offer similar battle advantages. Nevertheless, surpassing this card in battle may require a blend of removal spells and strategic block choices.

Consider including removal spells that don’t rely on the creature’s power to be effective. Cards such as Pacifism or Murder can easily handle the Mardu Outrider by circumventing its combat strengths. Similarly, instant-speed removal cards like Path to Exile offer the element of surprise and can disrupt your opponent’s momentum.

For a more nuanced strategy, employ creatures with death-touch or high toughness to absorb the attack and eliminate the Outrider. Cards such as Typhoid Rats can deter attackers or take the Outrider down with it. Additionally, enchantments that downgrade attacking creatures’ strength or cards that incite players to attack elsewhere also work well against the Mardu Outrider’s aggressive stance. Balancing these elements can provide you with the upper hand in overcoming the challenges posed by this mighty creature card.

Cards like Mardu Outrider

Exploring the dynamics of the Mardu Outrider in Magic: The Gathering, it becomes evident that this card finds its place in the niche of impactful three-drop creatures. A card like Banewhip Punisher emerges as a potential comparative, with both cards residing in aggressive strategies that utilize their abilities to shape the battlefield. Mardu Outrider, with its unique exert mechanic, provides a one-time power boost to push through damage, resonating with the essence of Mardu’s swift and decisive playstyle.

Delving further, another comparable card is Bogardan Dragonheart. Like the Outrider, the Dragonheart transforms into a formidable force, in this instance becoming a flying Dragon. Each of these cards embody the trade-off between immediate impact and long-term strategy. However, Mardu Outrider’s exert aligns with strategies favoring an explosive one-shot advance, distinguishing it from the sustained potential of the Dragonheart.

When analyzing these parallels, Mardu Outrider stands out for its ability to synergize adeptly within the Mardu colors, complementing both the aggressive and tactical elements of warrior and knight-centric decks. This card offers players a unique balance, combining an immediate board presence with strategic depth, contributing to its role as a pivotal card in MTG’s varied landscape.

Bogardan Dragonheart - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Mardu Outrider by color, type and mana cost

Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mardu Outrider MTG card by a specific set like Arena Beginner Set, 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 Mardu Outrider and other MTG cards: