Dream Pillager MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost7
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Dragon
Abilities Flying
Power 4
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Dream Pillager transforms combat damage into a dynamic card advantage, enriching your strategic options mid-battle.
  2. The card’s resource acceleration enables a surge of spellcasting, potentially overwhelming opponents with its effects.
  3. Its instant-speed interaction adds layers of complexity, offering surprise plays from exiled cards during opponents’ turns.

Text of card

Flying Whenever Dream Pillager deals combat damage to a player, exile that many cards from the top of your library. Until end of turn, you may cast nonland cards exiled this way.

Its wings shimmer with dreams absorbed from its enemies.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dream Pillager offers a unique opportunity to potentially dig deep into your deck for answers or threats. Upon dealing combat damage to a player, you can exile that many cards from the top of your deck and play them for the rest of the turn, which can substantially boost your options and pressure your opponents.

Resource Acceleration: Given its formidable power, Dream Pillager can significantly accelerate your resources. With each hit, you’re essentially unlocking additional cards that can be played right away, giving you a similar benefit to drawing cards but without the limitation of the draw step. This can lead to explosive turns where you can play several extra spells, granting an overwhelming advantage.

Instant Speed Interaction: While Dream Pillager itself isn’t an instant-speed spell, the cards you exile with its ability can be played as though they were in your hand. This includes any instants exiled, allowing you to hold up mana and play those spells in response to your opponents’ actions during their turn, thus maximizing your reactive capabilities and strategic depth.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Dream Pillager necessitates delving into your deck and discarding cards, which might not always align with your strategy, especially if you’re already dealing with a depleted hand.

Specific Mana Cost: With a demanding cost of six generic and two red mana, Dream Pillager can be challenging to summon without a mana base heavily skewed towards red or without access to acceleration mechanisms.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring eight mana to bring into play, Dream Pillager is a card that often appears in the late game. Given its high mana cost, it might arrive too late to impact the board effectively against faster, more tempo-driven decks.


Reasons to Include Dream Pillager in Your Collection

Versatility: Dream Pillager offers a unique ability that allows you to cast spells from the top of your library whenever it deals combat damage to a player. This flexibility can enhance various deck strategies, from ramping up your mana base to unleashing powerful spells for free.

Combo Potential: In combination with cards that allow multiple attack phases or ways to manipulate the top of your library, Dream Pillager can become a relentless force that consistently presents your opponents with unexpected threats each turn.

Meta-Relevance: As gameplay evolves and the meta shifts to include more sophisticated and diverse threats, Dream Pillager’s capacity to offer card advantage and surprise elements can disrupt opponents’ plans, especially in a format where direct damage and combat tricks prevail.


How to beat

Dream Pillager offers a unique twist in the MTG realm with its capability to cast spells from the top of your library when it deals combat damage to a player. This red dragon dons an imposing presence on the battlefield, allowing you to delve into your deck’s depth for hidden gems. Yet, even the mightiest creatures have their weakness, and Dream Pillager is no exception.

To successfully navigate against this fearsome foe, control-based strategies are your ally. Removal spells that can target creatures regardless of their size like Path to Exile or Doom Blade are effective ways to clear the board before Dream Pillager can assert its dominance. For those playing blue, countermagic spells like Counterspell can prevent Dream Pillager from ever entering the battlefield. Time your interventions wisely, focusing on eliminating Dream Pillager before its attack triggers can provide you with a plethora of additional spells and turn the tide of battle against you. Moreover, edict effects that force a player to sacrifice a creature, such as Diabolic Edict, can be invaluable, especially if Dream Pillager is the only creature your opponent has in play.

While Dream Pillager can be a game-changer, a comprehensive strategy that incorporates targeted removal, counterspells, or forcing sacrifices can effectively neutralize this threat and maintain your position in the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Unleashing the full potential of Dream Pillager can turn the tides in any MTG match. As it carves a path through your deck with its unique attack trigger, your strategic plays could reach new heights. Know, however, that its power comes at a cost and requires careful deck building. Dream Pillager isn’t just a single card strategy; it’s about creating synergies that optimize its ability for a crushing win. Want to harness the raw energy of this formidable dragon? Join us as we dive deeper into maximizing its strengths, mitigating its drawbacks, and integrating it seamlessly into your deck for ultimate domination in your MTG battles.


Cards like Dream Pillager

Dream Pillager presents an intriguing presence in the world of red cards in Magic: The Gathering. It shares thematic similarities with bold red creatures like Etali, Primal Storm, both offering perks when attacking. While Dream Pillager allows you to exile cards and play them for as long as it remains on the battlefield, Etali grants an immediate advantage by letting you cast spells from the top of each player’s library for free.

Siege-Gang Commander is another card mirroring some mechanics, as it also emphasizes red’s ability to offer indirect benefits – in the form of creating goblin tokens. Though it doesn’t have the card advantage like Dream Pillager, it compensates with its goblin synergies and onboard flexibility. Comparatively, Combustible Gearhulk can give either direct damage to opponents or card draw, a choice that brings strategic depth based on the situation. While not as enduring in its effects as Dream Pillager’s exile mechanic, Gearhulk’s power is in the immediacy of its impact.

Evaluating their roles in a deck, Dream Pillager stands out as a card with consistent, long-term value, especially in games that extend into many turns. Its unique repeated card advantage capability ensures it stands tall amongst its counterparts.

Etali, Primal Storm - MTG Card versions
Siege-Gang Commander - MTG Card versions
Combustible Gearhulk - MTG Card versions
Etali, Primal Storm - Resale Promos (PRES)
Siege-Gang Commander - Scourge (SCG)
Combustible Gearhulk - Kaladesh (KLD)

Cards similar to Dream Pillager by color, type and mana cost

Magma Giant - MTG Card versions
Trained Orgg - MTG Card versions
Velican Dragon - MTG Card versions
Crazed Firecat - MTG Card versions
Yidaro, Wandering Monster - MTG Card versions
Butcher Orgg - MTG Card versions
Goblin Dynamo - MTG Card versions
Rimescale Dragon - MTG Card versions
Boldwyr Intimidator - MTG Card versions
Shivan Hellkite - MTG Card versions
Hamletback Goliath - MTG Card versions
Knollspine Dragon - MTG Card versions
Thunder Dragon - MTG Card versions
Karplusan Giant - MTG Card versions
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Ancient Hellkite - MTG Card versions
Tyrant of Discord - MTG Card versions
Minotaur Aggressor - MTG Card versions
Molten Primordial - MTG Card versions
Spawn of Thraxes - MTG Card versions
Magma Giant - Portal Second Age (P02)
Trained Orgg - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Velican Dragon - Sega Dreamcast Cards (PSDG)
Crazed Firecat - Torment (TOR)
Yidaro, Wandering Monster - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Butcher Orgg - Onslaught (ONS)
Goblin Dynamo - Legions (LGN)
Rimescale Dragon - Coldsnap (CSP)
Boldwyr Intimidator - Morningtide (MOR)
Shivan Hellkite - Forgotten Realms Commander (AFC)
Hamletback Goliath - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)
Knollspine Dragon - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Thunder Dragon - From the Vault: Dragons (DRB)
Karplusan Giant - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Ridge Rannet - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Ancient Hellkite - Magic 2011 Promos (PM11)
Tyrant of Discord - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Minotaur Aggressor - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Molten Primordial - Gatecrash (GTC)
Spawn of Thraxes - Journey into Nyx (JOU)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dream Pillager MTG card by a specific set like Commander 2015 and Legendary Cube Prize Pack, 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 Dream Pillager and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dream Pillager Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2015-11-13 and 2022-06-10. Illustrated by Min Yum.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-11-13Commander 2015C15 252015normalblackMin Yum
22015-11-18Legendary Cube Prize PackPZ1 582015normalblackMin Yum
32018-06-08Commander Anthology Volume IICM2 932015normalblackMin Yum
42021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 1252015normalblackMin Yum
52022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 7912015normalblackMin Yum

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dream Pillager has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2015-11-04 Any cards you don't cast will remain exiled.
2015-11-04 Casting a card this way follows the normal rules for casting the card. You must pay its costs, and you must follow all applicable timing rules. For example, if one of the cards is a creature card, you can cast that card only during your main phase while the stack is empty.
2015-11-04 Exiling all the cards from your library this way won't cause you to lose the game. You'll lose only if you attempt to draw a card from an empty library.
2015-11-04 If you cast an instant or sorcery card this way, it will go to your graveyard after it resolves, fails to resolve, or is countered. It won't return to exile.
2015-11-04 The cards are exiled face up.

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