Rushwood Herbalist MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Spellshaper
Released	1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set name	Mercadian Masques
Set code	MMQ
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	265
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Terese Nielsen

Key Takeaways

Gains card advantage by enabling consistent resource drawing during combat.
Accelerates green decks’ board presence, translating to quicker threat deployment.
Inexperience with Rushwood Herbalist could lead to inefficiencies in gameplay.

Text of card

o G, oc T, Discard a card from your hand: Regenerate target creature.

When generals gather their armies, healers gather their herbs.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rushwood Herbalist provides card advantage by allowing you to repeatedly draw cards every time it deals combat damage to a player. This consistent draw effect ensures a steady stream of resources, keeping your hand filled with options as you play.

Resource Acceleration: While Rushwood Herbalist itself may not produce additional mana, it can accelerate your resources in a green deck that focuses on creature-based strategies. A full hand can translate to an accelerated board presence, putting you well ahead of your opponent in terms of both threats and answers.

Instant Speed: Although the Herbalist doesn’t have an ability that operates at instant speed, its contribution to maintaining a hand full of cards increases the likelihood of drawing into instant speed interactions. Therefore, indirectly, Rushwood Herbalist supports your ability to react swiftly during your opponent’s turn with countermoves and surprises.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Utilizing Rushwood Herbalist might pressure your hand, as its ability necessitates discarding, which can detract from your card advantage and deplete vital resources.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s requirement for green mana can be restrictive, obliging your deck to have enough green sources to reliably cast it on curve, potentially limiting its inclusiveness.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Rushwood Herbalist might not always be the best use of your mana, especially considering its cost might be high relative to its impact on the game, leading to potentially more efficient alternatives.

Reasons to Include Rushwood Herbalist in Your Collection

Versatility: Rushwood Herbalist can seamlessly adapt to various green deck archetypes due to its ability to accelerate mana. It’s excellent in decks that capitalize on substantial early mana pools to deploy threats ahead of curve or overwhelm opponents with swift board development.

Combo Potential: This card’s potential to untap significant swaths of land opens up numerous combo avenues. It pairs exceptionally well with landfall abilities, or with cards that benefit from lands entering the battlefield or being untapped, thus multiplying the value you get from each land.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where speed is crucial and the ability to outpace your opponent can dictate the match’s outcome, Rushwood Herbalist holds relevance. Its innate synergy with rapid growth strategies makes it a force in matchups that hinge on quickly scaling threats or establishing board presence.

How to beat

Rushwood Herbalist is a unique creature in the world of Magic: The Gathering, offering players the potential for incremental advantage. To effectively counter this card, focusing on its inherent weakness is key. Despite its ability to boost its own strength, the Rushwood Herbalist remains vulnerable to spot removal spells. Efficient removal such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile can swiftly handle the creature before it becomes a significant threat.

Another tactic is to utilize creature counters. Since Rushwood Herbalist thrives in a creature-heavy deck, employing board-clearing spells like Wrath of God or Doomskar can effectively reset the playing field. Prioritizing control over the board and hindering the Herbalist’s growth conditions will diminish its impact on the game.

It’s also worth considering the use of enchantments that blunt creature abilities, for example, Imprisoned in the Moon or Frogify. These can neutralize Rushwood Herbalist by transforming or disabling it without having to remove it from the board, thus preserving your own resources while effectively diminishing your opponent’s assets. Staying ahead requires balancing these strategies to ensure you keep the Rushwood Herbalist in check.

Cards like Rushwood Herbalist

Rushwood Herbalist is a compelling choice for players looking to bolster their creature base in Magic: The Gathering. Its likeness can be seen when compared to cards like Quirion Ranger, which shares the ability to untap creatures. However, Rushwood Herbalist offers the distinct advantage of being able to untap itself, allowing for repeated use which is crucial in matches that require constant creature readiness. In contrast, Quirion Ranger must return a forest to your hand as a cost for its activation, which can be a strategic setback.

Another counterpart worth considering is Scryb Ranger. It too can untap creatures, but it brings flying and protection from blue to the table, making it a superior choice in particular situations, especially against blue-dominated decks. Despite these added abilities, Scryb Ranger requires sacrificing a land to return it to your hand, which can disrupt mana stability. The Rushwood Herbalist maintains a simpler and more direct approach to creature untapping without compromising land presence.

The efficacy of Rushwood Herbalist becomes evident when weighed against cards with similar abilities. Its straightforward mechanic caters to players who prefer an uncomplicated route to victory, exemplifying solid utility in creature-focused strategies within Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Rushwood Herbalist by color, type and mana cost

Hungry Hungry Heifer - MTG Card versions

Territorial Scythecat - MTG Card versions

Shizuko, Caller of Autumn - MTG Card versions

Reki, the History of Kamigawa - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rushwood Herbalist MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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 Rushwood Herbalist and other MTG cards: