Gruesome Scourger MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Orc Warrior
Released	2019-07-12
Set symbol
Set name	Core Set 2020
Set code	M20
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	104
Frame	2015
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	Karl Kopinski

Key Takeaways

Provides card advantage by potentially clearing multiple foes without depleting your hand.
Demands commitment to black mana and arrives with a notable five mana cost.
Member of strategies focused on wide board states and creature synergies.

Text of card

When Gruesome Scourger enters the battlefield, it deals damage to target opponent or planeswalker equal to the number of creatures you control.

His whips twist and tremble like living things, moved by the fury of the horde he commands.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gruesome Scourger’s ability to deal damage equal to the number of creatures you control can offer a form of card advantage by potentially eliminating multiple opposing creatures with a single spell, thus conserving the cards in your hand.

Resource Acceleration: While Gruesome Scourger doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration, its ability to clear the board can pave the way for your creatures to connect with your opponent, potentially accelerating your resource advantage as they remain unblocked.

Instant Speed: Though Gruesome Scourger operates at sorcery speed, its synergistic potential in a deck that can flash in creatures could effectively adjust your battlefield presence instantly. This strategy allows you to set up for maximizing its impact right before your turn, simulating the sudden shift of power often associated with instant speed interactions.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When you play Gruesome Scourger, you don’t have to say goodbye to any of your treasured cards in hand. This creature arrives on the battlefield ready to unleash chaos without stripping your resources further, making it one pitiless opportunist.

Specific Mana Cost: Commanding both black and generic mana, Gruesome Scourger’s cost requires a degree of commitment to darkness. This can restrict its presence to decks that thrive on the morbid and macabre energies of black mana, potentially sidelining it from more color-flexible strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a somewhat hefty price of five mana, some ardent strategists might argue that the Scourger enters the fray too late or at too great a cost. Especially considering that the creature, while menacing, might not tip the scales of war in your favor as might a less mana-intensive alternative.

Reasons to Include Gruesome Scourger in Your Collection

Versatility: Gruesome Scourger offers a flexible role in black-based decks, adept at providing a sudden jolt to your opponent’s life total. This can be especially effective in games where board presence translates directly to damage output.

Combo Potential: When combined with creatures that generate additional tokens upon entering the battlefield or creatures that return from the graveyard, Gruesome Scourger’s ability can be magnified, delivering devastating turns that can swing the game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: Within the shifting landscape of the playing environment, cards like Gruesome Scourger can become key components against opponent strategies reliant on maintaining life total equilibriums or in metas where aggressive strategies are less prevalent, providing a tactical edge.

How to beat

Gruesome Scourger assuredly makes its presence felt on the battlefield within Magic: The Gathering, dealing damage to opponents equal to the number of creatures you control as it enters play. This black creature can turn the tide of a game, especially in decks that swarm the field with numerous minions. To mitigate the impact of this card, controlling the board is key.

Effective removal spells like Wrath of God or Damnation can clear the board before the Scourger lands, substantially minimizing the damage it can inflict. Counterspells such as Counterspell or Mana Leak can also prevent it from ever hitting the field. Alternatively, instant-speed spot removal like Path to Exile or Fatal Push can be reserved for the Scourger itself, dealing with the threat directly once it’s cast.

Moreover, maintaining a robust life total and having damage prevention strategies through cards like The Wanderer or cards with lifelink can cushion the blow from the Scourger’s ability. Understanding and disrupting the synergies that maximize Gruesome Scourger’s potential is the crux of ensuring it doesn’t overwhelm you during a match.

Cards like Gruesome Scourger

Gruesome Scourger offers a unique spot in MTG’s extensive catalog of creatures that deal damage upon entering the battlefield. In the same vein as cards like Siege-Gang Commander, the Scourger requires a setup to maximize its impact. Siege-Gang Commander, however, brings additional bodies into play, which can then be leveraged for damage, whereas Gruesome Scourger’s damage output is directly tied to the number of creatures you control, encouraging a wide board state.

Casting Gray Merchant of Asphodel can feel similar due to its ability to deal damage to opponents based upon devotion to black. While the Merchant’s effect is linked to the amount of black mana in your card symbols, Gruesome Scourger is all about the quantity of allies you’ve gathered. Comparatively, Mogis’s Marauder can grant creatures haste and intimidate, yet its initial damage output doesn’t quite match the potential burst from Gruesome Scourger.

Assessing Gruesome Scourger in light of these comparisons, it’s evident that this card is capable of delivering a game-ending blow in the right conditions and can be a valuable addition to decks aiming to swarm the board with creatures.

Siege-Gang Commander - MTG Card versions

Gray Merchant of Asphodel - MTG Card versions

Gray Merchant of Asphodel - Theros (THS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gruesome Scourger MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020, 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 Gruesome Scourger and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gruesome Scourger has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2019-07-12	The number of creatures you control is counted as Gruesome Scourger’s ability resolves. If Gruesome Scourger is still on the battlefield, it will count itself.