Garruk's Harbinger MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Beast
Abilities Hexproof,Hexproof from
Power 4
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Garruk’s Harbinger excels in card advantage, efficiently restocking your hand upon dealing combat damage.
  2. It offers substantial value for green mana, presenting a 4/3 creature that can sway resource dynamics early on.
  3. Hexproof from black makes it a resilient threat, lessening the impact of opponents’ instant-speed black removal.

Text of card

Hexproof from black Whenever Garruk's Harbinger deals combat damage to a player or planeswalker, look at that many cards from the top of your library. You may reveal a creature card or Garruk planeswalker card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Garruk’s Harbinger shines in generating card advantage. Its ability to reveal a creature or Garruk planeswalker card from among your top few cards when it deals damage to a player or planeswalker gives you the potential to draw into more threats, keeping your hand replenished.

Resource Acceleration: This beast is not just about gaining card advantage; it can positively impact your resource acceleration. Its relatively low casting cost paired with a 4/3 body means you’re getting a substantial creature on the board early. The ability to sift through your deck with its damage-triggered ability can help you find land cards or ramp spells more consistently.

Instant Speed: While Garruk’s Harbinger does not operate at instant speed itself, it influences how instant-speed spells are played in your deck. Its hexproof from black provides protection from many instant-speed removal spells, allowing you to maintain a steady board presence without worrying about your opponent’s turn, thus indirectly affecting the pacing of the game and making it a resilient threat.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Garruk’s Harbinger doesn’t require a discard itself, playing it within decks might force players to choose between holding onto this creature or discarding other valuable cards to ensure its impactful presence on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Garruk’s Harbinger demands a specific commitment to green mana with its cost of 1GG. This necessity can restrict deck-building flexibility, mainly if a player wishes to blend it into a multicolored deck without ample mana-fixing support.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana to summon this card may seem fair at a glance, but when considering it in the context of aggressive green decks, players might find that there are more tempo-efficient creatures or that they’d rather be ramping up for more impactful threats at that stage of the game.


Reasons to Include Garruk’s Harbinger in Your Collection

Versatility: Garruk’s Harbinger offers flexibility across multiple deck archetypes. Its ability to draw cards when dealing damage to an opponent’s creature ensures a steady flow of resources in creature-based strategies.

Combo Potential: This card is a boon for decks focusing on Garruk planeswalkers or those leveraging Green’s creature-centric synergies. Its hexproof from black also makes it an excellent choice against decks using a lot of black removal spells.

Meta-Relevance: In a game centered around creature combat, Garruk’s Harbinger thrives. It’s particularly effective in a meta where black creatures and removal are prevalent, providing you with card advantage while maintaining a robust board presence.


How to beat

Garruk’s Harbinger is an intriguing creature card with a unique ability to grant card advantage by revealing creatures or Garruk planeswalkers from the library whenever it deals damage to your opponent. This can result in a significant momentum shift, especially if the Harbinger remains unchecked. One effective method to handle this threat is to take advantage of its limitation to only dealing combat damage. Prevent the Harbinger from attacking or blocking through the use of tapping effects or spells that can force it to stay grounded, like Frost Breath or Sleep.

Furthermore, having instant speed removal spells ready can stifle the Harbinger’s impact immediately. Cards like Murderous Rider or Heartless Act enable you to swiftly dispatch the Harbinger before damage is dealt, ensuring your opponent doesn’t get the chance to refill their hand. Additionally, since Garruk’s Harbinger has hexproof from black, it’s vital to have removal options outside of that color to ensure you can deal with it – consider using red spells like Lightning Strike or white ones such as Path to Exile for an efficient response. By remaining vigilant and prepared, you can overcome the challenge posted by Garruk’s Harbinger and maintain control of the game.


Cards like Garruk's Harbinger

Garruk’s Harbinger is a unique creature in MTG that boasts an ability to draw cards upon dealing damage to an opponent. It bears similarities to other green creatures like Courser of Kruphix, which also provides card advantage by revealing the top card of your library and playing lands from the top. However, Garruk’s Harbinger specifically targets an opponent’s life total to unlock its card drawing potential.

We also see parallels with Ohran Viper, a creature that draws a card when it deals damage to a creature. However, unlike Ohran Viper, Garruk’s Harbinger is more robust in power and toughness, and it can draw multiple cards against a single target, amplifying its value in creature-intensive matchups.

Another card worth mentioning is Mwonvuli Beast Tracker, which does not draw but tutors a creature with a specific ability to your hand. Mwonvuli’s search function is narrower yet more controlled, as opposed to Garruk’s Harbinger’s broader draw ability which depends on creature combat.

Considering the combat-centric nature and potential for drawing multiple cards, Garruk’s Harbinger presents an intriguing choice for players who appreciate aggressive strategies coupled with the possibility of replenishing their hand.

Courser of Kruphix - MTG Card versions
Ohran Viper - MTG Card versions
Mwonvuli Beast Tracker - MTG Card versions
Courser of Kruphix - Born of the Gods (BNG)
Ohran Viper - Coldsnap (CSP)
Mwonvuli Beast Tracker - Magic 2013 Promos (PM13)

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Wirewood Savage - Onslaught (ONS)
Shizuko, Caller of Autumn - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Garruk's Harbinger MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2021 and Core Set 2021, 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 Garruk's Harbinger and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Garruk's Harbinger Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2020-07-03 and 2020-07-03. Illustrated by Lie Setiawan.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12020-07-03Core Set 2021M21 1852015normalblackLie Setiawan
22020-07-03Core Set 2021M21 3072015normalblackLie Setiawan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Garruk's Harbinger has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-06-23 Hexproof from black means that Garruk's Harbinger can't be the target of black spells your opponents control or abilities your opponents control of black sources.
2020-06-23 If Garruk's Harbinger deals damage to a planeswalker greater than their loyalty or to a player greater than their life total, you look at a number of cards equal to that full amount of damage dealt, not just that loyalty or life total.

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