Scrounge MTG Card


Scrounge - Darksteel
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery
Released2004-02-06
Set symbol
Set nameDarksteel
Set codeDST
Number53
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byPete Venters

Key Takeaways

  1. Scrounge’s selective graveyard retrieval is essential for maintaining strategy and pressure in-game.
  2. Instant speed play of Scrounge allows for adaptable responses to evolving board states.
  3. The precise mana cost and discard requirement of Scrounge may limit its versatility.

Text of card

Target opponent chooses an artifact card in his or her graveyard. Put that card into play under your control.

When leonin settlers abandon their homes to the nim, items of value are often left behind.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Scrounge allows the retrieval of a specific creature card from your graveyard to your hand. This selective recovery is a boon for players, ensuring that they can bring back key pieces to advance their game strategy and maintain pressure.

Resource Acceleration: By recycling valuable creature cards with Scrounge, players effectively diminish the need for additional draw spells or creatures, thus indirectly accelerating their resource management. This card enables players to make the most out of both their graveyard and hand, acting as a cog in the machine of a well-oiled deck.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Scrounge at instant speed provides a significant strategic edge. It can be cast in times of need, perhaps in response to an opponent’s threat or after a board wipe, without compromising the player’s ability to interact during an opponent’s turn. This flexibility allows players to adapt to the developing board state more efficiently.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging with the Scrounge mechanic often means having to discard a card, which could be a setback when your hand is already depleted. This can cause a snag in your strategy as you might be forced to toss a card that could be useful later on, limiting your options for future plays.

Specific Mana Cost: Scrounge cards require a precise combination of mana to cast, which can make them less flexible when deck-building. If your mana base is not perfectly tuned, you might find it hard to utilize the Scrounge ability when it really counts, causing potential delays in your game plan.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Even though the Scrounge cards can offer impressive outcomes, the mana investment is quite substantial when juxtaposed with other options in the game. For players looking to optimize every turn, there might be other cards that provide a better cost-to-benefit ratio and could slot more seamlessly into a swift-paced strategy.


Reasons to Include Scrounge in Your Collection

Versatility: Scrounge offers a unique ability to return creatures from the graveyard to your hand, which can be essential in decks that hinge upon creature synergy or recursion strategies.

Combo Potential: This card can seamlessly integrate into engines that capitalize on graveyard manipulation, enabling combos with cards that benefit from, or facilitate, repeatable creature castings.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where cards are frequently moving in and out of the graveyard, Scrounge can maintain momentum by providing a steady stream of resources, making it a tactical choice against trendy graveyard-based strategies.


How to beat

Scrounge has emerged as a unique challenge in the world of Magic: The Gathering, blending elements of resource management and graveyard manipulation. Its innovative mechanic allows a player to bring it back from the graveyard by sacrificing a creature, posing a recurring threat that demands strategic answers. To effectively counter Scrounge, players should prioritize maintaining graveyard control. Cards like Rest in Peace or Relic of Progenitus can be vital, as they impede the card’s return by exiling it or forcing the opponent to continuously deal with graveyard purges. Furthermore, leveraging instant speed removal spells that can response to the Scrounge’s resurrection ability is pivotal. Ensuring that the window to utilize Scrounge’s return is tightly closed will gradually diminish your opponent’s resources, turning the tide in your favor.

Additionally, incorporating sacrifice deterrents, such as Grave Pact or Dictate of Erebos, can flip the script on the opponent. These cards, when on the battlefield, make the cost of sacrificing a creature to bring back Scrounge profoundly punitive, thereby discouraging its repeated use. In conclusion, while Scrounge can be a persistent nuisance, a well-rounded approach focusing on graveyard control, timely removal, and deterrence can efficiently neutralize its impact and secure your gameplay advantage.


Cards like Scrounge

Scrounge stands out as a unique piece in the suite of graveyard interaction cards in Magic: The Gathering. This mechanic allows players to bring back a creature card from their graveyard to their hand, echoing the functionality of other reanimation spells. Take Disentomb, for instance, which similarly retrieves a creature from the graveyard, but with fewer constraints since Scrounge limits the retrieval to artifact creatures.

Next is Raise Dead, a classic that shares the straightforward essence of Scrounge but lacks its specificity towards artifact creatures. Resourceful Return is another relative, allowing for the return of a creature while also providing a card draw if you have an artifact in play, adding a deeper layer of strategic advantage. Yet, unlike Scrounge, it does not offer any cost reduction benefits, making it less economically viable in artifact-heavy decks.

Examining these counterparts, it’s evident that Scrounge holds a particular niche. It caters especially well to artifact-centric strategies, offering both a selective and cost-effective approach to creature retrieval in Magic: The Gathering, enhancing deck resilience and consistency in specific archetypes.

Disentomb - MTG Card versions
Raise Dead - MTG Card versions
Resourceful Return - MTG Card versions
Disentomb - Magic 2010 (M10)
Raise Dead - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Resourceful Return - Aether Revolt (AER)

Cards similar to Scrounge by color, type and mana cost

Darkpact - MTG Card versions
Demonic Attorney - MTG Card versions
Jovial Evil - MTG Card versions
Touch of Death - MTG Card versions
Wicked Pact - MTG Card versions
Nature's Ruin - MTG Card versions
Buried Alive - MTG Card versions
Choking Sands - MTG Card versions
Brush with Death - MTG Card versions
Infernal Contract - MTG Card versions
Hand of Death - MTG Card versions
Forced March - MTG Card versions
Stupor - MTG Card versions
Coercion - MTG Card versions
Noxious Vapors - MTG Card versions
Mind Rot - MTG Card versions
Crippling Fatigue - MTG Card versions
Flaying Tendrils - MTG Card versions
Victimize - MTG Card versions
Pain's Reward - MTG Card versions
Darkpact - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Demonic Attorney - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Jovial Evil - Legends (LEG)
Touch of Death - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Wicked Pact - Portal (POR)
Nature's Ruin - Portal (POR)
Buried Alive - Odyssey (ODY)
Choking Sands - World Championship Decks 1997 (WC97)
Brush with Death - Stronghold (STH)
Infernal Contract - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Hand of Death - Starter 1999 (S99)
Forced March - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Stupor - Arena League 2000 (PAL00)
Coercion - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Noxious Vapors - Planeshift (PLS)
Mind Rot - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)
Crippling Fatigue - Hachette UK (PHUK)
Flaying Tendrils - Friday Night Magic 2016 (F16)
Victimize - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Pain's Reward - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Scrounge MTG card by a specific set like Darksteel, 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 Scrounge and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Scrounge has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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