Maulfist Squad MTG Card
2016-09-30 - Number 91
2020-11-12 - Number 99
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Artificer |
| Abilities | Fabricate,Menace |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Maulfist Squad offers indirect card advantage with its menace ability, promoting board preservation.
- Its fabricate ability grants flexibility, allowing board development during your main phase.
- Despite a required discard and specific mana cost, Maulfist Squad presents versatile utility.
Text of card
Menace Fabricate 1 (When this creature enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on it or create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token.)
"Nice invention there. Looks real fragile."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Maulfist Squad doesn’t directly increase card quantity in hand, but its Menace ability can help preserve your board presence by making it harder for opponents to block and trade, thus indirectly maintaining your card advantage on the battlefield.
Resource Acceleration: The Squad itself doesn’t provide mana or acceleration in the traditional sense, but pairing it with synergistic cards that benefit from +1/+1 counters can lead to a snowballing board state, essentially accelerating your resource dominance.
Instant Speed: Although Maulfist Squad is not cast at instant speed, its Fabricate ability can create instant responses to how you develop your board, giving you the flexibility to increase its power or produce an additional creature if needed during your main phase.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Maulfist Squad requires a player to discard a card as part of its madness cost, which can deplete your hand and reduce strategic options, especially if your deck does not synergize with discard mechanics.
Specific Mana Cost: Its casting cost demands one black mana, which may not align with decks that are not built to accommodate such color-specific requirements or those aiming for a more flexible mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of four, including one black, Maulfist Squad has a mana investment that may be steep for its given stats and abilities, potentially overshadowed by alternative creatures that provide greater value for the same or lower cost.
Reasons to Include Maulfist Squad in Your Collection
Versatility: Maulfist Squad is a flexible card that can seamlessly integrate into various deck builds, particularly those that capitalize on +1/+1 counters and artifacts. With its base abilities, it can strengthen your board presence and adapt to changing game situations.
Combo Potential: This Squad’s Menace ability, which makes it harder to block, naturally pairs with equipment and counters. The potential for creating combos, especially in a synergistic deck that rewards you for utilizing artifacts and counters, makes it a valuable addition.
Meta-Relevance: Keeping an eye on the evolving gameplay dynamics is essential. Maulfist Squad can be a strategic play in a meta that favors aggressive tactics and counter manipulation. Given the right circumstances, this card can have a significant impact on your matches.
How to Beat
Maulfist Squad presents a unique challenge on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering with its Menace ability, making it unblockable by a single creature. To effectively tackle this card, it’s crucial to have multiple creatures ready to block or use removal spells that can bypass its ability. Versatile removals like Murder or Doom Blade can effectively clear Maulfist Squad off the board. Board wipes such as Wrath of God also serve as a clean solution to reset the field, including problematic creatures like Maulfist Squad.
Enchantment-based removals like Pacifism restrict the Squad’s abilities and attacks without having to destroy it. Alternatively, combat tricks that bolster your creatures’ toughness during the blocking phase can turn the tables on an attacking Maulfist Squad. Having creatures with reach or flying can provide a strategic advantage, keeping your options open to block when needed. Lastly, efficient trading through strategic creature combat can ensure you maintain board presence against cards like Maulfist Squad.
Understanding the dynamics and having a range of solutions at your disposal ensures you stay one step ahead, keeping creatures like Maulfist Squad from overwhelming you during matches.
Cards like Maulfist Squad
Maulfist Squad is a versatile member of the black creature lineup in Magic: The Gathering, occupying the role of an aggro booster in many decks. It’s akin to its fellow artifact creature Foundry Screecher, but stands out with its menace ability, making it tougher for opponents to block without a careful strategy. Foundry Screecher relies on the presence of artifacts to gain flying, a different form of evasion.
Then there are the comparable Duskhunter Bats, which, much like Maulfist Squad, benefit from certain conditions to enhance their ferocity. Although these bats originate with flying, they lack the staying power and menace that the Maulfist Squad provides on the field. Moreover, Renegade Freighter presents an alternative threat, a vehicle that becomes a powerful artifact creature upon crewing. Despite its potential for higher damage output, it doesn’t have the inherent menace or the fabricate ability that enhances the flexibility of Maulfist Squad.
Ultimately, Maulfist Squad carves its niche with the synergy between its menace trait and the modular aspect of fabricate, offering an adaptable solution for players aiming to amplify their board presence with strategically challenging creatures in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Maulfist Squad by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Maulfist Squad MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh and Kaladesh Remastered, 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 Maulfist Squad 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 Maulfist Squad Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-09-30 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by Matt Stewart.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-09-30 | Kaladesh | KLD | 91 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Matt Stewart | |
| 2 | 2020-11-12 | Kaladesh Remastered | KLR | 99 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Matt Stewart |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Maulfist Squad 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 |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Maulfist Squad card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2016-09-20 | Fabricate doesn't cause the creature with the ability to enter the battlefield with +1/+1 counters already on it. For example, Weaponcraft Enthusiast will enter the battlefield as a 0/1 creature, then its fabricate ability goes on the stack. Players may take actions (such as casting instants) while the ability is waiting to resolve. |
| 2016-09-20 | If you can't put +1/+1 counters on the creature for any reason as fabricate resolves (for instance, if it's no longer on the battlefield), you just create Servo tokens. |
| 2016-09-20 | You choose whether to put +1/+1 counters on the creature or create Servo tokens as the fabricate ability is resolving. No player may take actions between the time you choose and the time that counters are added or tokens are created. |
