Corpse Hauler MTG Card
2013-07-19 - Number 90
2020-07-17 - Number 219
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Rogue |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Provides card advantage by reviving creatures, optimizing your resource usage within the game.
- Activation at strategic times maximizes utility, despite the non-instant speed of its ability.
- Thread of recursion makes it a consistent choice for various deck strategies, enhancing its appeal.
Text of card
, Sacrifice Corpse Hauler: Return another target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
"He expects a reward, but the only piece of silver he'll get from me is my blade in his gut." —Shelac, necromancer
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Corpse Hauler has the potential to provide card advantage by bringing back a key creature from your graveyard to your hand. This kind of recursive ability extends the utility of creatures, making sure they’re not a one-and-done resource.
Resource Acceleration: While Corpse Hauler itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, its ability to recycle creatures can accelerate your board state. Reclaiming value creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects or high power can swing the game back in your favor.
Instant Speed: Even though Corpse Hauler’s ability isn’t at instant speed, it can be activated in response to spells or abilities that would exile it. This ensures you get value before it leaves the battlefield. Moreover, this can be strategically timed during your opponent’s end step or after board wipes.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Corpse Hauler demands you to sacrifice it to trigger its ability, which can be a setback when you’re trying to maintain a strong board presence.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires black mana, which can restrict its inclusion to only specific decks that can generate that type of mana consistently.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though its initial casting cost is low, the activation fee for Corpse Hauler’s ability might be considered steep for the effect it provides, especially when compared to other creature reanimation options available.
Reasons to Include Corpse Hauler in Your Collection
Versatility: Corpse Hauler offers flexibility for any black-themed deck by providing an easy way to bring back crucial creatures from the graveyard to your hand. Whether you’re running aggro or control, this small creature fits well.
Combo Potential: With Corpse Hauler, the ability to resurrect combo pieces from the graveyard ensures consistency in executing your strategy. It pairs well with sacrifice and recursion themes prevalent in black-oriented decks.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where removal spells are plentiful, Corpse Hauler remains relevant by turning any creature’s demise into strategic advantage, ensuring you never lose access to your key creatures.
How to beat
Corpse Hauler is a creature card that presents a nuanced challenge within the realm of MTG. Its ability to retrieve other creatures from the graveyard upon being sacrificed gives it a tactical edge, especially in late-game scenarios where resources are crucial. To effectively counter Corpse Hauler, consider pursuing strategies that exile it from the game or lock it down, preventing it from reaching the graveyard in the first place.
Key spells such as Path to Exile or Silent Gravestone can be useful tools in your arsenal. Applying graveyard disruption techniques can also nullify the benefits Corpse Hauler brings, such as using Tormod’s Crypt to remove target Creature Cards from play. Understanding your opponent’s deck and anticipating the optimal moment to deploy these counters is essential when facing Corpse Hauler.
In essence, maintaining board control and being proactive with your disruption can shift the tides in your favor, diminishing the impact of Corpse Hauler significantly. Effective graveyard management is the cornerstone of overcoming this card’s potential, ensuring that Corpse Hauler’s ability becomes a non-factor in your path to victory.
Exploring the Versatility of Corpse Hauler
Corpse Hauler can be quietly formidable in your MTG graveyard utilization strategies, resembling the utility of similar creatures. It offers a decent creature retrieval feature, restoring key creatures from the graveyard to your hand. This can be critical in the late game or for reutilizing powerful abilities and combos of fallen creatures.
Cards like Corpse Hauler
Corpse Hauler shares its graveyard retrieval ability with cards like Dutiful Attendant, which also returns a creature from your graveyard to your hand upon death. Corpse Hauler has the edge with its lower mana cost, affording early-game deployment and strategic flexibility. Gravedigger stands out as well, featuring the same ability but as an additional effect when it enters the battlefield rather than as an activated ability.
Another notable mention is Cadaver Imp, which flies onto the battlefield, instantly retrieving a creature card. This provides an immediate advantage, whereas Corpse Hauler requires an extra step to use its ability. With the creature retrieval mechanism being a common theme, the subtle differences in activation, cost, and additional utility make Corpse Hauler a versatile and cunning inclusion in many MTG decks.
In assessing the intricacies and comparing these creatures, Corpse Hauler holds its ground, subtly asserting its value as a cost-effective and versatile tool for recurring pivotal creatures.
Cards similar to Corpse Hauler by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Corpse Hauler MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2014 and Jumpstart, 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 Corpse Hauler 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 Corpse Hauler Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2013-07-19 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by Jesper Ejsing.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2013-07-19 | Magic 2014 | M14 | 90 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Jesper Ejsing | |
| 2 | 2020-07-17 | Jumpstart | JMP | 219 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jesper Ejsing |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Corpse Hauler 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 |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
