Charnel Troll MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Troll |
| Abilities | Trample |
| Released | 2018-10-05 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Guilds of Ravnica |
| Set code | GRN |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | 160 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Daniel Ljunggren |
Key Takeaways
- Charnel Troll excels in graveyard synergy, transforming losses into potent board presence.
- Needs careful handling due to its upkeep requirement depleting hand resources.
- Its unique aggression early in the game positions it as a formidable choice.
Text of card
Trample At the beginning of your upkeep, exile a creature card from your graveyard. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on Charnel Troll. Otherwise, sacrifice it. , Discard a creature card: Put a +1/+1 counter on Charnel Troll.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Charnel Troll thrives on graveyard interaction, allowing you to convert creatures in your graveyard into raw power and toughness, effectively transforming potential losses into an on-board advantage.
Resource Acceleration: Charnel Troll provides an aggressive growth curve, rapidly becoming a formidable threat if left unchecked. By efficiently utilising the creatures in your graveyard, you streamline your resource allocation towards developing a dominant board presence quickly.
Instant Speed: While the Charnel Troll itself isn’t an instant, it synergizes exceptionally well with instant-speed creatures and graveyard tactics. This allows you to adapt and react to the flow of the game, setting up your graveyard for the troll’s upkeep ability at a moment’s notice and keeping opponents on their toes.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The upkeep of Charnel Troll necessitates the discard of another creature card from your hand. This demand can rapidly deplete your resources, particularly in the late game when your hand size might be reduced.
Specific Mana Cost: Charnel Troll has a casting cost that specifically requires both green and black mana. This restriction can potentially limit the card’s inclusion to decks that can reliably produce both types of mana, reducing its flexibility across various deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though Charnel Troll offers a sizeable body for its cost, the three mana needed, including one black and one green, could be seen as a significant investment. When considering the competitive environment, there are alternative creatures that may offer better value or synergy for the same or lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include Charnel Troll in Your Collection
Versatility: Charnel Troll offers a robust addition to any Golgari deck, thriving in environments rich with creature cards. Its adaptability stems from its ability to both grow in power and help manage graveyard resources.
Combo Potential: This creature excels in synergy with strategies that revolve around self-mill and recurring creatures from the graveyard. Utilizing Charnel Troll effectively can lead to explosive turns and overwhelming board presence.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where graveyard interaction is prevalent, Charnel Troll becomes a menacing threat. It quickly adapts to battlefield conditions, making it a formidable card against a variety of popular deck archetypes.
How to beat
Charnel Troll is a creature that demands immediate attention on the battlefield within the MTG universe. Various elements combine to make this card a formidable presence, with its ability to grow stronger with each passing turn, requiring thoughtful strategy to counter it effectively. To come out on top against the Charnel Troll, players would do well to keep their graveyards in check, as this fiend thrives off a stocked graveyard.
Additionally, removal spells that exile can be particularly effective in dealing with the Charnel Troll, as they prevent it from regenerating or being summoned back from the graveyard. Cards with instant speed removal are especially valuable because they can disrupt the opponent’s plans mid-combat or in the end step prior to the Troll’s growth phase. Ensuring that you have a reliable removal strategy will mitigate the Troll’s threat and keep your opponent second-guessing their offensive approach.
Ultimately, understanding the ecosystems of MTG card interactions is paramount, and Charnel Troll’s weaknesses are no different. By combining graveyard management and swift removal tactics, you can handle this monstrous card and maintain a competitive edge in your matches.
Cards like Charnel Troll
Charnel Troll stands out in the realm of creature cards that require a maintenance cost in Magic: The Gathering. It’s often compared to other creatures like Lotleth Troll, which also showcases a built-in mechanic for growth through discarding creature cards. The key difference lies in Charnel Troll’s constant need to feed off creatures in the graveyard to maintain its presence on the battlefield, whereas Lotleth Troll offers more control with its ability to become larger at will without an upkeep demand.
Tarmogoyf, a beloved staple in the MTG community, also benefits from a graveyard-fueled power increase, but it doesn’t require the same upkeep sacrifice as Charnel Troll. Another related card is Scavenging Ooze that grows by feeding off graveyard resources, providing additional utility in disrupting the opponent’s graveyard strategies. While not demanding a regular upkeep like Charnel Troll, Scavenging Ooze provides flexibility and secondary benefits.
Every card in this archetype brings something unique to the table, and Charnel Troll distinguishes itself with the aggressive pressure it can apply early in the game. As it stands, Charnel Troll is a formidable choice for players looking to leverage their graveyard resources aggressively in MTG.
Cards similar to Charnel Troll by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Charnel Troll MTG card by a specific set like Guilds of Ravnica, 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 Charnel Troll and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Charnel Troll has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Charnel Troll card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-10-05 | Because your upkeep step is after your untap step, your lands will be untapped to help you activate Charnel Troll’s last ability during your upkeep. However, because your upkeep step is before your draw step, you won’t have drawn a card for the turn yet. |
| 2018-10-05 | You can activate Charnel Troll’s last ability during your upkeep before its triggered ability resolves. |
| 2018-10-05 | You can’t choose not to exile a creature card from your graveyard if you have one to exile. |
