Rendclaw Trow MTG Card


Rendclaw Trow - Eventide
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Troll
Abilities Persist,Wither
Released2008-07-25
Set symbol
Set nameEventide
Set codeEVE
Power 2
Toughness 2
Number127
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byWarren Mahy

Key Takeaways

  1. Persist allows Rendclaw Trow to return after death, offering strategic board advantage.
  2. Its low casting cost integrates well into early game plays, improving mana efficiency.
  3. Instantaneous effect of persist can disrupt opponents’ strategies unexpectedly.

Text of card

Wither (This deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters.) Persist (When this creature is put into a graveyard from play, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to play under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rendclaw Trow comes with the persist mechanic, offering a notable benefit as it can come back from the graveyard and provide you with an additional creature on the field. This potential for reusability ensures that you get more value from a single card, thus enhancing your card advantage during the game.

Resource Acceleration: While Rendclaw Trow itself does not directly provide resource acceleration, its low casting cost aids in curving out your plays efficiently. Being a part of your early game strategy can smooth out your mana usage, allowing you to deploy other spells sooner and optimize your mana resources throughout the game.

Instant Speed: While Rendclaw Trow is not an instant, its persist mechanic can create unexpected changes in board state at instant speed. If Rendclaw Trow is destroyed, it immediately returns to the battlefield, potentially during an opponent’s turn, which can disrupt their calculations and attack plans.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Rendclaw Trow requires you to discard another card if you want to utilize its persist ability. This trade-off can potentially deplete your hand and leave you at a strategic disadvantage, particularly if you’re already behind on card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost that demands both black and green, Rendclaw Trow may not fit seamlessly into decks that aren’t built around these colors. If your deck doesn’t support the Golgari guild’s mana base, including the Trow could disrupt your mana curve and consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a total cost of three mana, including one black and one green, the Trow’s investment may not justify its stats and abilities. For decks focusing on efficiency and tempo, there are alternatives that bring more board presence or utility for the same, or even a lower, mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Rendclaw Trow is a flexible option for decks that need resilience against removal spells. Due to its persist ability, it can remain a nuisance on the board, providing consistent board presence in various game scenarios.

Combo Potential: With its persist trait, Rendclaw Trow plays well in combinations that capitalize on creatures entering or leaving the battlefield. This ability interacts positively with cards that manipulate +1/+1 counters and those that benefit from creature sacrifice.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where creature-based strategies prevail, Rendclaw Trow becomes an even more valuable asset. Its tenacity adds to the pressure against control decks and serves as a reliable blocker in aggressive matchups.


How to beat Rendclaw Trow

Rendclaw Trow brings persistency to the table, literally. This trait means that removing it the first time won’t be enough; it’ll return with a -1/-1 counter. To truly beat this stubborn card, players need smart tactics. Since Rendclaw Trow returns weaker, employing cards that can deal with creatures regardless of their size is crucial. Cards with exile effects, such as Path to Exile, eliminate the Trow without triggering its persist ability. Enchantment-based removals like Banishing Light can also keep it off the battlefield for good.

Graveyard hate cards are another effective strategy. Play cards like Rest in Peace to ensure that Rendclaw Trow, along with other creatures with graveyard-triggered abilities, doesn’t get a second chance. Don’t forget to manage your opponent’s board and prevent the proliferation of -1/-1 counters which could potentially be used to their advantage. Sweep the board clear when the Trow’s presence is at its peak to reset the playing field. Respect its resilience, but remember, with the right plan, no creature is unbeatable.


Cards like Rendclaw Trow

Rendclaw Trow makes its mark in MTG as a resilient creature that thrives upon the graveyard mechanic. Much like Rendclaw Trow, Squee, the Immortal presents the same stubbornness when it comes to staying off the battlefield, with the upside of being cast from the graveyard or from exile. Both contribute to a strategy centered around creature permanence and flexibility.

Another peer in this space is Bloodghast. Although it doesn’t boast the persist ability found in Rendclaw Trow, Bloodghast has a similar tenacity to return to the fray, reanimating from the graveyard whenever a land enters under your control. The hiccup in Bloodghast’s design, when compared to Rendclaw Trow, is its reliance on land drops to fuel its resurgence, which can be limiting.

When evaluating the adaptability and endurance of such creatures, Rendclaw Trow offers a blend of resilience with its ability to return with a -1/-1 counter, making it a quietly powerful asset in graveyard-centric decks within Magic: The Gathering. Its unique combination of tenacity and self-recovery makes it an intriguing choice for players who value the strategic depth of relentless creature play.

Squee, the Immortal - MTG Card versions
Bloodghast - MTG Card versions
Squee, the Immortal - MTG Card versions
Bloodghast - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rendclaw Trow MTG card by a specific set like Eventide, 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 Rendclaw Trow and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Rendclaw Trow has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2013-06-07 If a creature with persist stops being a creature, persist will still work.
2013-06-07 If a creature with persist that has +1/+1 counters on it receives enough -1/-1 counters to cause it to be destroyed by lethal damage or put into its owner’s graveyard for having 0 or less toughness, persist won’t trigger and the card won’t return to the battlefield. That’s because persist checks the creature’s existence just before it leaves the battlefield, and it still has all those counters on it at that point.
2013-06-07 If a permanent has multiple instances of persist, they’ll each trigger separately, but the redundant instances will have no effect. If one instance returns the card to the battlefield, the next to resolve will do nothing.
2013-06-07 If a token with no -1/-1 counters on it has persist, the ability will trigger when the token is put into the graveyard. However, the token will cease to exist and can’t return to the battlefield.
2013-06-07 If multiple creatures with persist are put into the graveyard at the same time (due to combat damage or a spell that destroys all creatures, for example), the active player (the player whose turn it is) puts all of their persist triggers on the stack in any order, then each other player in turn order does the same. The last trigger put on the stack is the first one that resolves. That means that in a two-player game, the nonactive player’s persist creatures will return to the battlefield first, then the active player’s persist creatures do the same. The creatures return to the battlefield one at a time.
2013-06-07 The persist ability triggers when the permanent is put into a graveyard. Its last known information (that is, how the creature last existed on the battlefield) is used to determine whether it had a -1/-1 counter on it.
2013-06-07 When a permanent with persist returns to the battlefield, it’s a new object with no memory of or connection to its previous existence.

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