Herd Gnarr MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Beast
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Herd Gnarr offers card advantage and accelerates board state when beasts are summoned.
  2. Its mana cost and growth are limited to creature entries, affecting versatility.
  3. It’s a powerful asset in the right meta, rewarding multi-creature strategies.

Text of card

Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, Herd Gnarr gets +2/+2 until end of turn.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Herd Gnarr has the potential to accumulate significant card advantage, especially in creature-heavy decks. Each time a Beast enters the battlefield under your control, you may draw a card, refilling your hand and enabling more strategic plays.

Resource Acceleration: With Herd Gnarr, you can expedite your board presence. Since summoning multiple Beasts can build up the power of Herd Gnarr quickly, this creates a form of indirect resource acceleration by bolstering your board state in a more aggressive manner.

Instant Speed: While Herd Gnarr itself isn’t an instant, it synergizes well with Beasts that can be flashed onto the battlefield. This flexibility allows for surprise blocks or end-of-turn plays that can shift the game in your favor and misdirect opponents’ strategies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Herd Gnarr requires you to have creatures entering the battlefield to harness its potential. This can be restrictive, especially in games where your board presence is limited or in control-heavy matchups where keeping creatures on the field is challenging.

Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost that includes green, Herd Gnarr’s usability is narrowed down to decks that can produce green mana. This can be a limitation for MTG players not running green or those with a mana base not suited to consistently provide the necessary color.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a three mana creature, Herd Gnarr’s initial stats may not measure up favorably against other creatures at the same cost. In a game where efficiency is key, its starting power and toughness might not offer the immediate board impact that players seek from their three-mana plays.


Reasons to Include Herd Gnarr in Your Collection

Versatility: Herd Gnarr proves to be an adaptable addition to any deck that thrives on creature spells. Whether you’re casting creatures normally, or bringing them into play through alternative means like flickering or bounce effects, Herd Gnarr grows in strength and becomes a formidable threat on the board.

Combo Potential: With the potential to quickly become giant, Herd Gnarr synergizes well with decks that cast numerous creatures in a single turn. This can lead to explosive plays and can be especially lethal in combination with cards that generate tokens or copy creature spells.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-heavy strategies are dominant, Herd Gnarr can shine. It stands as a relevant piece in matchups where the board state can rapidly change, and creature counts can skyrocket, making it a valuable card against such prevalent strategies.


How to beat

Herd Gnarr is a unique creature card that can pose a significant challenge on the battlefield in MTG. Its strength lies in its ability to swell in power every time a creature enters the battlefield under your control, potentially turning it into a formidable force. Dealing with this ever-growing threat calls for strategy and the right cards.

One effective approach is using removal spells that can take Herd Gnarr out of play before it gets out of hand. Instant speed spells like Path to Exile or Fatal Push can be efficient ways to deal with it early on. If Herd Gnarr has already become too large, board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation can reset the battlefield. Counteracting Herd Gnarr’s strength also involves managing the number of creatures coming onto the field. Cards that limit creature spells like Rule of Law or Cursed Totem can suppress the Gnarr’s growth. Additionally, keeping your creature count low and focusing on non-creature spell strategies could hinder Herd Gnarr’s effectiveness. Cards that can exile creatures from the graveyard such as Scavenging Ooze are also useful to prevent recurring creature strategies that may bolster Herd Gnarr’s power. Being preemptive and aware of how your opponent might fuel their Gnarr can give you the upper hand.

Overall, understanding and anticipating the synergies that benefit Herd Gnarr, while maintaining a toolbox of responses, will be key in toppling this growing threat in your MTG matches.


Cards like Herd Gnarr

Herd Gnarr is an intriguing creature featured in MTG that thrives within decks centered around creature spells. Its ability to gain power whenever another creature enters the battlefield makes it reminiscent of cards like Managorger Hydra. However, Managorger Hydra has the added advantage of growing both in power and toughness, which offers an ever-increasing threat that can quickly get out of hand for your opponents. Moreover, the Hydra gains counters from any spell, not just creature spells, representing a wider range of opportunities to grow.

When assessing synergy and impact, another comparable card is Tattermunge Maniac. This card also flourishes in creature-heavy decks, feeding off the presence of other creatures. However, unlike Herd Gnarr’s potentially unlimited power boost with each creature cast, Tattermunge Maniac offers a static bonus, limiting its scaling potential but providing immediate board presence with its aggressive mana cost. Consequently, Herd Gnarr offers a more dynamic form of growth, rewarding players for casting multiple creatures.

Overall, in the varied ecosystem of MTG creatures with scaling capabilities, Herd Gnarr has its unique place, especially when building a strategy around frequent creature plays. It’s critical to weigh its merits against other similar options to fully utilize its potential in the context of your deck’s mechanics.

Managorger Hydra - MTG Card versions
Tattermunge Maniac - MTG Card versions
Managorger Hydra - Magic Origins (ORI)
Tattermunge Maniac - Shadowmoor (SHM)

Cards similar to Herd Gnarr by color, type and mana cost

Giant Spider - MTG Card versions
Marsh Viper - MTG Card versions
Scarwood Bandits - MTG Card versions
Carnivorous Plant - MTG Card versions
Erhnam Djinn - MTG Card versions
War Mammoth - MTG Card versions
Aurochs - MTG Card versions
Lhurgoyf - MTG Card versions
Jackalope Herd - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Alligator - MTG Card versions
Golden Bear - MTG Card versions
Argothian Swine - MTG Card versions
Elvish Piper - MTG Card versions
Erithizon - MTG Card versions
Saber Ants - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Cutter - MTG Card versions
Ulvenwald Oddity // Ulvenwald Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Fungusaur - MTG Card versions
Viridian Lorebearers - MTG Card versions
Monkey Monkey Monkey - MTG Card versions
Giant Spider - Tenth Edition (10E)
Marsh Viper - The Dark (DRK)
Scarwood Bandits - The Dark (DRK)
Carnivorous Plant - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Erhnam Djinn - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
War Mammoth - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Aurochs - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Lhurgoyf - World Championship Decks 1997 (WC97)
Jackalope Herd - Exodus (EXO)
Rootwater Alligator - Exodus (EXO)
Golden Bear - Portal Second Age (P02)
Argothian Swine - Urza's Saga (USG)
Elvish Piper - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Erithizon - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Saber Ants - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Skyshroud Cutter - Nemesis (NEM)
Ulvenwald Oddity // Ulvenwald Behemoth - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Fungusaur - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Viridian Lorebearers - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Monkey Monkey Monkey - Unhinged (UNH)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Herd Gnarr MTG card by a specific set like Salvat 2005 and Time Spiral, 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 Herd Gnarr and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Herd Gnarr Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2005-08-22 and 2006-10-06. Illustrated by Daren Bader.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL J172003normalwhiteDaren Bader
22006-10-06Time SpiralTSP 2002003normalblackDaren Bader

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Herd Gnarr has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks