Hoarding Dragon MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Dragon
Abilities Flying
Power 4
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Hoarding Dragon’s entry fetches artifacts, setting up future plays and boosting card advantage effectively.
  2. Death-triggered release of artifacts from Hoarding Dragon accelerates strategy by providing instant resources.
  3. While versatile in fetching, its restrictive casting requirements and delayed impact can limit deck synergy.

Text of card

Flying When Hoarding Dragon enters the battlefield, you may search your library for an artifact card, exile it, then shuffle your library. When Hoarding Dragon is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put the exiled card into its owner's hand.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Hoarding Dragon provides a unique form of card advantage by fetching any artifact from your deck upon entering the battlefield. This allows you to tailor your strategy on the fly and ensures you have access to crucial pieces when you need them most. Additionally, if you’re able to recur the dragon from the graveyard, you can repeatedly capitalize on this tutor-like effect.

Resource Acceleration: Upon death, Hoarding Dragon doesn’t leave you empty-handed. It holds onto previously fetched artifacts which are then put directly into your hand. This not only recoups resources but can also accelerate your game plan by providing immediate access to powerful artifacts without spending additional mana for casting.

Instant Speed: While Hoarding Dragon itself is not an instant-speed card, the artifacts it can retrieve can be. Securing an artifact that can be played at instant speed, like a counterspell or a flash creature, can provide game-swinging opportunities, allowing you to keep mana open for threats or responses and playing them just at the right moment during your opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Hoarding Dragon demands you to relinquish an artifact from your deck when it enters the battlefield. This prerequisite narrows your strategic choices, potentially disrupting your game plan if you cannot leverage the tutored artifact effectively or if it’s removed from play before use.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring two red mana to cast, Hoarding Dragon’s cost can be restrictive for multicolored decks looking for flexibility. This mana specificity might not align well with decks that aren’t heavily red-oriented, leading to possible mana struggles.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a creature that costs five mana, Hoarding Dragon’s impact may not justify the investment. Given that there are numerous cards with lower mana requisites that provide immediate value upon hitting the field, Hoarding Dragon’s delayed gratification can be a significant drawback in fast-paced games.


Reasons to Include Hoarding Dragon in Your Collection

Versatility: The Hoarding Dragon works as a formidable addition to any collection, offering a flying threat that fills multiple roles. Its ability to fetch key artifacts when it dies adds value to a range of deck archetypes, making it a flexible pick for your arsenal.

Combo Potential: With its unique ability to tutor for an artifact from your deck upon dying, Hoarding Dragon sets the stage for powerful combos. It’s essential for strategists looking to unleash game-changing plays once the dragon leaves the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta filled with artifact-centric strategies or those vulnerable to flying creatures, bringing this dragon to the fray can give you an upper hand. Its presence can be an ongoing threat that opponents must address, influencing their plays and holding sway over the game’s dynamic.


How to Beat

Hoarding Dragon presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. This card acts as a powerful artifact tutor, securing a much-needed piece of the toolkit for later use when it dies. But there are effective strategies to neutralize this winged treasure keeper without letting your opponent reap the benefits.

To outplay Hoarding Dragon, consider using cards that exile rather than destroy. When the dragon is exiled, it doesn’t die in the technical sense, which means its ability to fetch an artifact from the graveyard to the hand is nullified. Cards like Path to Exile or Dire Tactics serve this purpose well and help keep the hoarded artifacts buried in your opponent’s deck.

Another tactic is using cards that force your opponent to sacrifice creatures, such as Liliana of the Veil or Diabolic Edict. Since the Hoarding Dragon’s ability is not triggered by a sacrifice, the artifact remains out of play. Be mindful of your moves and patient in your plays; sometimes the best way to triumph over the Hoarding Dragon is to let it linger with its treasures undisturbed until you’re ready to deal with it on your terms.


BurnMana Recommendations

Through the strategic depths and soaring highs of MTG play, cards like Hoarding Dragon demand attention and careful play. This dragon, with its capacity to fetch key artifacts, can forge game-changing moments. The knowledge you’ve garnered here is merely the beginning. As you incorporate the dragon into your arsenal, remember to adapt, anticipate the meta, and plan your synergies. Let’s continue this journey together, enhancing your decks and honing your strategies. Explore the full potential of your collection with us, and seize every victory on the horizon. Learn more and command the battlefield with confidence.


Cards like Hoarding Dragon

Hoarding Dragon stands as a unique creature within Magic: The Gathering. When searching for parallels, Hoarding Dragon can be likened to cards like Solemn Simulacrum. Both cards provide an advantage when they enter or leave the battlefield. However, Hoarding Dragon specifically targets artifact cards, placing them into exile, ready to be retrieved upon its departure from the field. In contrast, Solemn Simulacrum allows players to ramp up by searching their library for a basic land card and putting it into play when it arrives on the battlefield.

Another creature card with similarities is Goblin Engineer. This red creature shares the artifact retrieval theme but operates on a smaller scale. While Hoarding Dragon fetches any artifact card, Goblin Engineer is restricted to a converted mana cost of three or less. Additionally, Goblin Engineer offers more immediate artifact recursion from the graveyard, contrasting with Hoarding Dragon’s delayed retrieval mechanic.

To sum up, Hoarding Dragon provides MTG decks with a potent flying threat that combines board presence with strategic artifact control, making it a formidable card in comparison to its counterparts, which offer varying degrees of utility and impact in the artifact-centric game strategies.

Solemn Simulacrum - MTG Card versions
Goblin Engineer - MTG Card versions
Solemn Simulacrum - Mirrodin (MRD)
Goblin Engineer - Modern Horizons (MH1)

Cards similar to Hoarding Dragon by color, type and mana cost

Fire Elemental - MTG Card versions
Earth Elemental - MTG Card versions
Eron the Relentless - MTG Card versions
Balduvian War-Makers - MTG Card versions
Hivis of the Scale - MTG Card versions
Hulking Cyclops - MTG Card versions
Flame Spirit - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Salamander - MTG Card versions
Ma Chao, Western Warrior - MTG Card versions
Ravaging Horde - MTG Card versions
Covetous Dragon - MTG Card versions
Thundering Giant - MTG Card versions
Dwarven Strike Force - MTG Card versions
Savage Firecat - MTG Card versions
Volatile Arsonist // Dire-Strain Anarchist - MTG Card versions
Tephraderm - MTG Card versions
Avarax - MTG Card versions
Bonethorn Valesk - MTG Card versions
Frost Ogre - MTG Card versions
Heartless Hidetsugu - MTG Card versions
Fire Elemental - Core Set 2020 (M20)
Earth Elemental - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Eron the Relentless - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Balduvian War-Makers - Alliances (ALL)
Hivis of the Scale - Mirage (MIR)
Hulking Cyclops - Visions (VIS)
Flame Spirit - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Flowstone Salamander - Tempest (TMP)
Ma Chao, Western Warrior - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Ravaging Horde - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Covetous Dragon - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Thundering Giant - Tenth Edition (10E)
Dwarven Strike Force - Odyssey (ODY)
Savage Firecat - Odyssey (ODY)
Volatile Arsonist // Dire-Strain Anarchist - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Tephraderm - Onslaught (ONS)
Avarax - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Bonethorn Valesk - Scourge (SCG)
Frost Ogre - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Heartless Hidetsugu - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hoarding Dragon MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2011 and Magic 2015, 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 Hoarding Dragon and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Hoarding Dragon Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2010-07-16 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by Matt Cavotta.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-07-16Magic 2011M11 1442003normalblackMatt Cavotta
22014-07-18Magic 2015M15 1492015normalblackMatt Cavotta
32017-11-17Iconic MastersIMA 1342015normalblackMatt Cavotta
42020-09-26The ListPLST IMA-1342015normalblackMatt Cavotta
52023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 2332015normalblackMatt Cavotta

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hoarding Dragon has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-11-17 Hoarding Dragon’s two abilities are linked. The second ability refers only to the card exiled by that Hoarding Dragon’s first ability. In other words, each Dragon has its own hoard.
2017-11-17 If Hoarding Dragon dies before its first ability resolves, its second ability will trigger and do nothing. Then its first ability will resolve. If you choose to exile an artifact card from your library, it will be exiled indefinitely.
2017-11-17 The artifact card you find is exiled face up. All players can see what it is.

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