Ruin Raider MTG Card
2017-09-29 - Number 118s
2017-09-29 - Number 118
2017-09-29 - Number 118p
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Orc Pirate |
| Abilities | Raid |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Ruin Raider provides consistent card draw, bolstering your hand after engaging the opponent.
- The card’s raid mechanic fosters aggressive play, rewarding strategic combat phases.
- Despite its strengths, Ruin Raider’s utility may be dampened by deck composition.
Text of card
Raid — At the beginning of your end step, if you attacked this turn, reveal the top card of your library and put that card into your hand. You lose life equal to the card's mana value.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Ruin Raider offers consistent card draw each turn, equipping players with additional resources that can define the pace of the match. Its unique ability to draw a card at the end of your combat phase when you’ve attacked with a creature, places it as a valuable asset in decks that prioritize sustained pressure on the opponent.
Resource Acceleration: Although it doesn’t directly produce additional mana or tokens, Ruin Raider’s role in refilling your hand can indirectly lead to resource acceleration. By drawing more cards, the likelihood of reaching vital land drops or drawing into mana-producing artifacts increases, thus accelerating your overall resource development.
Instant Speed: While Ruin Raider itself is not an instant-speed spell, the card draw effect occurs at the end of the combat phase, which can be analogous to instant-speed utility. This timing allows for strategic planning, keeping hand resources fresh and responsive to the evolving game state right before the main second phase begins.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Ruin Raider’s ability can force you to discard your valuable cards, especially if it triggers during a turn where you’ve already played key pieces from your hand. This can lead to a reduction in your hand size over time, putting you at a disadvantage in longer games where card advantage is crucial.
Specific Mana Cost: This card demands both black and generic mana, which can be restrictive. Decks not running black or those that are color-intensive in other colors may find it challenging to reliably cast Ruin Raider on curve.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Ruin Raider competes with other three-drops in your deck. Considering that aggressive decks, where Ruin Raider would likely be played, want to maximize their impact in the early stages of the game, the cost may be somewhat steep for the effect Ruin Raider provides, especially in environments with cheaper alternative draw options.
Reasons to Include Ruin Raider in Your Collection
Versatility: Ruin Raider offers flexibility to your strategy, performing well in aggressive decks that take advantage of the Raider’s ability to provide additional card draw each turn.
Combo Potential: As a Rogue, Ruin Raider works seamlessly with synergies that revolve around this creature type, and feeding into strategies that benefit from consistent card draw to find key combo pieces.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where maintaining card advantage can make or break a game, Ruin Raider ensures you have a steady stream of options, making it a contender against control and tempo decks.
How to Beat Ruin Raider
Ruin Raider can be an advantageous asset for players looking to capitalize on card advantage in Magic: The Gathering. This powerful creature, reminiscent of Dark Confidant, allows the controller to draw a card and lose life equal to the card’s converted mana cost at the end of the turn a creature they control attacked. While Ruin Raider can provide significant value over time, there are strategies to mitigate its impact.
To counteract this Raider’s effect, employing removal spells before the endgame is crucial. Instant-speed spells like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can dispatch Ruin Raider before it yields considerable value. Additionally, keeping battlefield pressure low and managing opponents’ creatures can limit Ruin Raider’s effectiveness by reducing the number of triggered abilities activated per turn. Board wipes, such as Wrath of God or Damnation, are also effective at clearing the field, including any Ruin Raiders that might be lurking. Strategically, players might bait the opponent into overcommitting to the board before deploying these responses, maximizing resource disparity and minimizing the potential card advantage gained by the Ruin Raider.
Ultimately, while Ruin Raider can turn the tides with additional card draw, well-timed removal and control of the board state are key to neutralizing its advantages and maintaining parity or supremacy in the game.
Cards like Ruin Raider
Ruin Raider is a unique creature in Magic: The Gathering’s rich roster, standing out in its ability to enhance card draw. This Raider operates similarly to Dark Confidant by providing the advantage of revealing the top card of your library and placing it into your hand during your end step, at the cost of life points equal to the card’s mana value. Yet, Ruin Raider is distinctive in its combination with raid, activating only if you attacked with a creature this turn.
Another analog is the distinguished Night Market Lookout, which triggers life loss for your opponent and gain for you, each time it becomes tapped. While it doesn’t allow card draw, it’s a powerful tool in aggressive strategies that capitalize on the life differential. Then there’s Glint-Sleeve Siphoner, acting as an energy mechanic conduit that can draw additional cards. It accrues energy differently but nonetheless presents a similar card advantage to that of Ruin Raider, with an added measure of control over the draw.
When comparing these cards, Ruin Raider arguably provides more consistent card advantage for aggressive decks, especially when synergized with other raid abilities. Its blend of risk and reward with the raid mechanism enriches strategic depth for players seeking to maintain momentum with additional draws while applying pressure on opponents.
Cards similar to Ruin Raider by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Ruin Raider MTG card by a specific set like Ixalan Promos and Ixalan, 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 Ruin Raider 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
Printings
The Ruin Raider Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-09-29 and 2017-09-29. Illustrated by Kieran Yanner.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-09-29 | Ixalan Promos | PXLN | 118s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kieran Yanner | |
| 2 | 2017-09-29 | Ixalan | XLN | 118 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kieran Yanner | |
| 3 | 2017-09-29 | Ixalan Promos | PXLN | 118p | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kieran Yanner |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Ruin Raider 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 Ruin Raider card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-09-29 | If the mana cost of the revealed card includes , X is considered to be 0. |
| 2017-09-29 | If the revealed card doesn’t have a mana cost (because it’s a land card, for example), its converted mana cost is 0. |
| 2017-09-29 | The converted mana cost of a split card, such as cards with aftermath from the Amonkhet block, is based on the combined mana cost of its two halves. |
| 2018-01-19 | Raid abilities care only that you attacked with a creature. It doesn’t matter how many creatures you attacked with, or which opponent or planeswalker controlled by an opponent those creatures attacked. |
| 2018-01-19 | Raid abilities evaluate the entire turn to see if you attacked with a creature. That creature doesn’t have to still be on the battlefield. Similarly, the player or planeswalker it attacked doesn’t have to still be in the game or on the battlefield, respectively. |
| 2018-01-19 | Some raid abilities trigger at the beginning of your end step. These abilities trigger if you attacked with a creature that turn, even if the card with that raid ability wasn’t on the battlefield when you attacked. |
