Almighty Brushwagg MTG Card

Almighty Brushwagg - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Brushwagg
Abilities	Trample
Released	2020-04-24
Set symbol
Set name	Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
Set code	IKO
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	143
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Dmitry Burmak

Key Takeaways

Almighty Brushwagg offers hidden card advantage and strategic benefits in MTG gameplay.
Its ability for instant power-up can alter combat significantly, offering tactical flexibility.
The Brushwagg’s mana requirements and activation cost affect its overall versatility in decks.

Text of card

Trample : Almighty Brushwagg gets +3/+3 until end of turn.

Laughed at the brushwagg —Hunters' expression meaning "died unexpectedly"

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Almighty Brushwagg may seem unassuming at first, but it can surprisingly contribute to card advantage. When it’s on the battlefield, it demands answers. Indeed, the mere presence of this mighty creature can shift an opponent’s strategy, effectively buying you time to draw into more impactful cards.

Resource Acceleration: While the Almighty Brushwagg itself doesn’t directly offer resource acceleration, its low-cost presence on the battlefield paves the way for bigger and more mana-intensive plays. By absorbing removal that could’ve targeted your more valuable creatures later, it indirectly accelerates your game plan.

Instant Speed: The true power of the Almighty Brushwagg shines with its activated ability. For a single green mana at instant speed, it can become a sizable threat, turning a seemingly harmless 1/1 into a formidable 4/4 until end of turn. This ability can throw off an opponent’s combat calculations and provides tactical flexibility in terms of blocking or attacking scenarios.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Almighty Brushwagg doesn’t specifically ask for a card discard, the necessity to utilize other spells or abilities to bolster this creature can lead to an indirect discard situation, which can deplete your hand and leave you at a disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Almighty Brushwagg requires green mana to play, which could potentially limit its integration into multi-colored decks or those that don’t focus on a green mana-base, thereby reducing its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To activate Almighty Brushwagg’s power-boosting ability, you must invest four mana, including one green. In a game where tempo is essential, the cost for such an increment in power might not be the most mana-efficient action, especially when considering other creatures or spells that provide greater impact for the same or lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Almighty Brushwagg can adapt to various gameplay situations, offering a low-cost creature with the ability to become a substantial threat. This feature allows it to be a flexible addition to decks that may need an adaptable creature to handle different stages of the game.

Combo Potential: With its inherent ability to increase its power and toughness, Almighty Brushwagg pairs well with cards that capitalize on creature size. It can be a key piece in strategies that look for creatures that can grow quickly and unexpectedly to overwhelm opponents.

Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves, so does the meta. Almighty Brushwagg may not be a staple in high-tier competitive decks, but it can find a place in meta-game environments where utility and exponential growth potential in creatures are undervalued or can catch an opponent off-guard during play.

How to beat

Almighty Brushwagg stands as a quirky and deceptive creature card within the arena of Magic: The Gathering. With an unassuming 1/1 for one green mana, it’s easy to underestimate the little green monster. Yet, the Brushwagg can quickly become a threat with its three mana activated ability, boosting it to a 4/4 until end of turn. This can catch players off guard during combat, especially in the early stages of the game.

To outsmart this furry foe, direct removal spells are a straightforward solution. Spells like Path to Exile or Murder can efficiently handle the critter before its power can be increased. In addition to removal, combat tricks that offer deathtouch, such as Touch of Moonglove, can be lethal against the Brushwagg, no matter its size. Furthermore, cards that prevent creatures from activating abilities or that tap creatures can sideline the Brushwagg without having to remove it from the board entirely. Understanding when to time these cards is key to ensuring that your opponent’s Almighty Brushwagg does not become an insurmountable threat.

Ultimately, while the Almighty Brushwagg can be an unexpected powerhouse, with the right strategy and card choices, outmaneuvering this fluffy dynamo is entirely feasible.

Cards like Almighty Brushwagg

The Almighty Brushwagg stands as a quirky and memorable creature in the vast landscape of MTG. Its closest kin in terms of low-cost creatures may be the Spore Frog, which also carries a minimal mana cost and offers a unique survival ability. While the Spore Frog can be sacrificed to prevent all combat damage for a turn, Almighty Brushwagg ups the ante with the power to self-buff, gaining +3/+3 until the end of turn at the cost of three mana, including one green.

Looking further, the Slippery Bogle is another card that comes to mind. Like our Brushwagg, it’s a low-cost creature often used in decks focused on combat tricks and protection. However, the Bogle carries hexproof, making it far less susceptible to targeted removal, as opposed to the Brushwagg, which relies on its toughness to stay in battle longer.

Almighty Brushwagg emerges as a rather unique contender for its cost-effectiveness and surprise factor, offering a decent choice for players who love to catch their opponents off-guard with a sudden and unexpected power surge from such an unassuming creature.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Almighty Brushwagg MTG card by a specific set like Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, 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 Almighty Brushwagg and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Almighty Brushwagg has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Timeless	Legal