Gutter Grime MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Enhances board presence by generating Ooze tokens every time a nontoken creature dies.
  2. Flexible use as tokens accumulate strength, building a formidable and escalating force.
  3. Necessitates creature sacrifice strategies, restricting its use to specific deck builds.

Text of card

Whenever a nontoken creature you control dies, put a slime counter on Gutter Grime, then put a green Ooze creature token onto the battlefield with "This creature's power and toughness are each equal to the number of slime counters on Gutter Grime."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gutter Grime shines in providing card advantage by creating an army of Ooze tokens. Each time a nontoken creature dies under your control, you not only get a token, but their strength grows collectively, making each subsequent loss on your board less impactful.

Resource Acceleration: While Gutter Grime doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens that can be exchanged for mana, the Ooze tokens it creates can be a formidable threat. This card indirectly accelerates your resource accumulation by swelling your board presence, thereby keeping mana open for other spells while your oozes threaten the opponent.

Instant Speed: Although Gutter Grime itself is not an instant, the tokens it creates provide flexibility similar to instant speed interaction. Whenever you lose a nontoken creature, you instantly receive an Ooze token, allowing for potentially unforeseen blocks or surprise increases in your board state during any phase of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Gutter Grime provides a steady stream of Ooze tokens, it requires you to have creatures hit the graveyard to trigger. This necessitates a build where you can afford to lose creatures or have methods to sacrifice them, which can be a strategic drawback in some situations.

Specific Mana Cost: Gutter Grime’s mana cost is split between generic and specific green mana, which might restrict its inclusion in multicolored decks. Players will need a reliable green mana base to cast it efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, Gutter Grime sits at a higher mana range which could delay your game plan, especially in formats where speed is critical. There are alternative token-generating or graveyard-utilizing cards that could be cast earlier, potentially offering a quicker impact on the game state.


Reasons to Include Gutter Grime in Your Collection

Versatility: Gutter Grime is a unique enchantment that grows in power with every non-token creature you have that dies, turning this natural cycle into an opportunity for your deck. This card fits well into strategies that aren’t afraid to sacrifice creatures for a greater payoff.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks that frequently cycle creatures through the graveyard. Every time a creature you control dies, you create an Ooze token, and those tokens get stronger with each subsequent death, opening up explosive combo possibilities in the right deck.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Gutter Grime can quickly become a game-changer on the battlefield. Its ability to consistently create and empower tokens can give you a significant advantage against opponents.


How to beat

Gutter Grime is a unique enchantment in MTG that thrives in scenarios where your creatures are frequently sent to the graveyard. It produces increasingly stronger Ooze tokens with its ability to create a slime token that scales to the number of slime counters on Gutter Grime itself. Overlooking this growing threat can quickly lead to an overwhelming army of Ooze.

To counteract Gutter Grime, consider incorporating graveyard disruption or enchantment removal into your deck. Cards like Rest in Peace or Scavenging Ooze can effectively neutralize the token-generating ability of Gutter Grime by preventing creatures from hitting the graveyard in the first place. Enchantment destruction cards like Naturalize or Disenchant can also provide a direct and efficient answer to the Grime’s sticky situation. Additionally, mass removal spells clear the board of Ooze tokens and reset the token-generating process, delaying the Gutter Grime’s impact on the game.

Understanding the mechanics behind Gutter Grime and preparing your deck with suitable counters ensures you maintain control over the board and diminish the impact of this slippery enchantment.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the depths of MTG strategies reveals hidden gems like Gutter Grime, an enchantment with serious potential. Its strength in token generation makes it a worthy contender for decks that embrace the cycle of life and death on the battlefield. The nuances of using Gutter Grime effectively require ingenuity and a willingness to adapt as the game evolves. With our insights into this card’s advantages, drawbacks, and synergy with similar cards, you’re equipped to make informed decisions about including it in your deck. Discover more about optimizing decks and outmaneuvering opponents by diving into our comprehensive MTG guides. Step up your game and harness the power of Gutter Grime to conquer your next match.


Cards like Gutter Grime

Gutter Grime as a unique enchantment within Magic: The Gathering stands out for its ability to create an army of Ooze tokens. In line with this token-generating theme, Tendershoot Dryad serves as a comparison. This card, however, leans towards creating Saproling tokens during each of your upkeeps, contrasting Gutter Grime’s trigger, which is based on the death of your creatures. Tendershoot Dryad also has the added benefit of bolstering all your Saprolings if you have the city’s blessing.

Treading a similar path to token generation, Mycoloth demands attention. It offers a different approach, devouring your own creatures to later spawn a multitude of Saproling tokens in subsequent upkeeps. While Gutter Grime creates tokens passively as creatures you control die, Mycoloth requires a more active and immediate sacrifice for a potentially larger payoff. This represents a strategic divergence in how each card impacts the board state over time.

When evaluating the potency of these cards, Gutter Grime’s escalating nature can be a game-changer in the right deck. It steadily strengthens your board presence without upfront sacrifices and is an excellent fit for strategies that use the natural lifecycle of creatures to their advantage.

Tendershoot Dryad - MTG Card versions
Mycoloth - MTG Card versions
Tendershoot Dryad - Rivals of Ixalan Promos (PRIX)
Mycoloth - Shards of Alara (ALA)

Cards similar to Gutter Grime by color, type and mana cost

Nature's Revolt - MTG Card versions
Midsummer Revel - MTG Card versions
Saproling Burst - MTG Card versions
Verdant Succession - MTG Card versions
Unnatural Growth - MTG Card versions
Glorious Sunrise - MTG Card versions
Centaur Glade - MTG Card versions
Doubling Season - MTG Card versions
Perilous Forays - MTG Card versions
Hibernation's End - MTG Card versions
Verdant Embrace - MTG Card versions
Tornado - MTG Card versions
Flourishing Defenses - MTG Card versions
Gigantiform - MTG Card versions
Vastwood Zendikon - MTG Card versions
Asceticism - MTG Card versions
Lost in the Woods - MTG Card versions
Primal Vigor - MTG Card versions
Raised by Wolves - MTG Card versions
Dictate of Karametra - MTG Card versions
Nature's Revolt - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Midsummer Revel - Urza's Saga (USG)
Saproling Burst - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Verdant Succession - Odyssey (ODY)
Unnatural Growth - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Glorious Sunrise - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
Centaur Glade - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Doubling Season - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Perilous Forays - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Hibernation's End - Coldsnap (CSP)
Verdant Embrace - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Tornado - Masters Edition (ME1)
Flourishing Defenses - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Gigantiform - Zendikar (ZEN)
Vastwood Zendikon - Jumpstart (JMP)
Asceticism - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Lost in the Woods - Dark Ascension (DKA)
Primal Vigor - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Raised by Wolves - Born of the Gods (BNG)
Dictate of Karametra - Journey into Nyx (JOU)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gutter Grime MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad and The List, 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 Gutter Grime and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Gutter Grime Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2011-09-30 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Erica Yang.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-09-30InnistradISD 1862003normalblackErica Yang
22020-09-26The ListPLST ISD-1862003normalblackErica Yang
32023-03-21Shadows of the PastSIS 512015normalblackErica Yang

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gutter Grime has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2011-09-22 If Gutter Grime leaves the battlefield, the power and toughness of each Ooze token it created will become 0. Unless another effect is raising its toughness above 0, each of these Ooze tokens will be put into its owner’s graveyard the next time state-based actions are checked.
2011-09-22 If you control more than one Gutter Grime, each Ooze token remembers which one created it. The power and toughness of that Ooze will be equal to the number of slime counters on that Gutter Grime only.
2011-09-22 The power and toughness of the Ooze tokens will constantly update as Gutter Grime accumulates slime counters.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks