Raiders' Spoils MTG Card


Raiders' Spoils - Khans of Tarkir
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment
Released2014-09-26
Set symbol
Set nameKhans of Tarkir
Set codeKTK
Number83
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byWayne Reynolds

Key Takeaways

  1. Card draw from combat damage with warriors bolsters hand size and pressurizes opponents.
  2. Mana-cost specificity limits broader deck inclusion, requiring a solid black mana base.
  3. Warrior tribe synergy enhances its value, making it a crucial piece in aggressive strategies.

Text of card

Creatures you control get +1/+0. Whenever a Warrior you control deals combat damage to a player, you may pay 1 life. If you do, draw a card.

"To conquer is to eat." —Edicts of Ilagra


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Raiders’ Spoils can potentially provide a steady flow of card draw, particularly in decks teeming with warriors. Each time a warrior you control deals combat damage to a player, it offers the chance to draw a card, sustaining your hand and pressuring your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or tokens, the card indirectly accelerates your resources. By consistently drawing you more cards with its ability, it ensures that you have a higher chance of drawing into the lands or mana sources you need to execute your game plan more effectively.

Instant Speed: While Raiders’ Spoils itself is not an instant, it empowers creatures with its ability to draw cards at any combat where they deal damage. This can create surprise advantages at instant speed during the combat phase, as opponents might not account for the card advantage you’ll gain after warriors deal damage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Raiders’ Spoils does not directly require you to discard, its ability to draw cards is contingent upon attacking with a creature. If you’re unable to sustain a board presence to attack, this ability can be redundant.

Specific Mana Cost: Raiders’ Spoils has a mana cost that necessitates both black mana and generic mana. This specific cost can be restrictive, potentially limiting the card’s inclusion to decks with a firm black mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Priced at four mana, with one black mana specifically, the cost for initiating Raiders’ Spoils might be considered high. It could be challenging to play it on curve, especially when competing with other impactful four-mana plays in the game.


Reasons to Include Raiders’ Spoils in Your Collection

Versatility: Raiders’ Spoils fits well in decks that focus on an aggressive warrior tribe strategy. Its ability to provide a steady stream of card draw keeps your hand full, ensuring more options as the game progresses.

Combo Potential: In combination with other warrior-themed cards, Raiders’ Spoils can turn any creatures’ victory into a chance to draw, bolstering both your battlefield and your hand, leading to a domino effect of advantages.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where creature-based aggressive strategies are prevalent, Raiders’ Spoils can give you an upper hand, making your warriors a bigger threat and keeping the pressure on your opponents.


How to beat

Raiders’ Spoils is a card that can tip the scales in Magic: The Gathering, especially within warrior-centric decks. This enchantment not only boosts your warriors’ power but also provides a consistent card advantage with its ability to draw a card whenever a warrior deals combat damage to a player. The key to countering Raiders’ Spoils lies in preventing these combat damage triggers from occurring.

One effective strategy is to remove your opponent’s creatures before they can benefit from Raiders’ Spoils. Spells that can control or destroy multiple creatures at once, such as board wipes, are particularly effective here. If you’re facing a deck with this enchantment, prioritize keeping the board clear or setting up defenses that discourage or outright block attacks. Another tactic involves using enchantment removal cards to deal with Raiders’ Spoils directly. This can negate the power bump and card draw effect in one fell swoop.

Ultimately, dealing with Raiders’ Spoils requires a proactive approach to control the battlefield. Keeping a warrior deck from gaining momentum is crucial, as once it’s established, the combination of enhanced power and card advantage can be overwhelming. Act early with the right removal tools to mitigate the impact of Raiders’ Spoils on the game.


Cards like Raiders' Spoils

Raiders’ Spoils is an intriguing card that rewards players for their combat successes in Magic: The Gathering. It bears a certain resemblance to cards such as Coastal Piracy, which similarly offers a card draw mechanism tied to creatures dealing combat damage. However, Raiders’ Spoils grants the additional boon of boosting the power of your Warriors, something Coastal Piracy does not provide.

Moving into the realm of creature boosts and card advantage, cards like Bident of Thassa come to mind. Although Bident of Thassa also furnishes a card draw feature on creature damage, it does not discriminate between creature types for its effect or offer an attack bonus. On the other side, Raiders’ Spoils excels in tribal Warrior decks, where its importance is markedly increased due to this specificity.

To sum up, Raiders’ Spoils finds its strength in synergy with Warrior-type creatures and excels in decks designed around this theme. While its card advantage is conditional, its contributions to combat make it an invaluable piece in specific tribal strategies within the diverse landscape of Magic: The Gathering.

Coastal Piracy - MTG Card versions
Bident of Thassa - MTG Card versions
Coastal Piracy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Bident of Thassa - Theros (THS)

Cards similar to Raiders' Spoils by color, type and mana cost

Pestilence - MTG Card versions
Lich - MTG Card versions
Cursed Land - MTG Card versions
Nether Void - MTG Card versions
Breeding Pit - MTG Card versions
Greed - MTG Card versions
Feast of the Unicorn - MTG Card versions
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Diabolic Servitude - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Embrace - MTG Card versions
Brink of Madness - MTG Card versions
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Tainted Aether - MTG Card versions
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Erebos, Bleak-Hearted - MTG Card versions
Night of Souls' Betrayal - MTG Card versions
Measure of Wickedness - MTG Card versions
Pestilence - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Lich - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Cursed Land - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Nether Void - Legends (LEG)
Breeding Pit - The List (PLST)
Greed - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Feast of the Unicorn - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Koskun Falls - Homelands (HML)
Diabolic Servitude - Urza's Saga (USG)
Vampiric Embrace - Urza's Saga (USG)
Brink of Madness - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Death Pit Offering - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Tainted Aether - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Patriarch's Desire - Odyssey (ODY)
Last Laugh - Torment (TOR)
Court of Ambition - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Nightmare Shepherd - Theros Beyond Death Promos (PTHB)
Erebos, Bleak-Hearted - Commander Masters (CMM)
Night of Souls' Betrayal - Iconic Masters (IMA)
Measure of Wickedness - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Raiders' Spoils MTG card by a specific set like Khans of Tarkir, 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 Raiders' Spoils and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Raiders' Spoils has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2014-09-20 You decide whether to pay 1 life as the triggered ability resolves. You may do this only once per ability (in other words, once per Warrior that deals combat damage to a player).

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