Orcish Hellraiser MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Orc Warrior
Abilities	Echo
Released	2019-06-14
Set symbol
Set name	Modern Horizons
Set code	MH1
Power	3
Toughness	2
Number	136
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Darren Tan

Key Takeaways

Orcish Hellraiser presents an early game threat, commanding opponents to respond or face accelerated damage.
The card’s echo cost introduces strategic decisions, balancing board presence with resource management.
Well-suited for aggressive strategies, it forces opponents to adapt or capitalize on its inherent risks.

Text of card

Echo (At the beginning of your upkeep, if this came under your control since the beginning of your last upkeep, sacrifice it unless you pay its echo cost.) When Orcish Hellraiser dies, it deals 2 damage to target player or planeswalker.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Orcish Hellraiser doesn’t immediately seem like a card advantage tool, but it can put your opponent on a significant defensive, potentially diverting resources away from their own card advantage strategies.

Resource Acceleration: While not a direct source of resource acceleration, Orcish Hellraiser’s low casting cost enables a quick deployment, allowing you to commit other resources to the board or keep mana open for reactionary plays.

Instant Speed: Although Orcish Hellraiser is not an instant itself, it does interact well with instant speed spells. Its echo cost can be leveraged during your upkeep, after which you can choose to pay or use your mana for other instant speed interactions, preserving your in-game tempo and resource allocation.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the downsides of Orcish Hellraiser is its echo cost, which demands that you either pay a specific mana cost on your next upkeep or sacrifice the creature. This creates a strategic complexity where you may need to choose between advancing your board state or keeping the Hellraiser in play.

Specific Mana Cost: Orcish Hellraiser requires red mana to both cast and maintain on the board, due to its echo cost. This requirement can be restrictive, locking you into a mono-red deck or a two-colored deck that must be heavily skewed toward red mana to accommodate the Hellraiser’s demands.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Orcish Hellraiser’s initial casting cost is not prohibitively high, its combined initial and echo cost can be considered steep for its overall impact on the game. This could result in a less economically efficient use of resources compared to other options available in the meta, where more versatile or impactful creatures could be played for a similar total mana investment.

Reasons to Include Orcish Hellraiser in Your Collection

Versatility: Orcish Hellraiser is a solid inclusion in various decks that thrive on aggressive strategies. Its low casting cost and echo ability mesh well with red’s fast-paced playstyle offering both early game pressure and mid-game utility.

Combo Potential: This card’s echo cost can be leveraged as part of a strategy involving sacrificing creatures for value. Combined with sacrifice outlets, it can be more than just an attacker but also a tool in elaborate combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that favors quick, aggressive strategies, Orcish Hellraiser stands out as a reliable common. It helps maintain pressure on the opponent and demands answers, making it a notable choice for players aiming to disrupt slower, more controlling decks.

How to beat

Orcish Hellraiser is a compelling card with an aggressive early game potential. Capitalizing on its Echo cost can become a strategic avenue for opponents to mitigate its impact in MTG. The strategy to triumph over this fiery creature involves preparation for its sacrifice-triggered ability, which deals two damage to any target.

Resources such as life gain spells, damage prevention effects, or cards that benefit from creatures dying can help turn the tide against Orcish Hellraiser. Efficient removal spells that can dispatch it before the Echo cost comes into play may also be advantageous. It’s crucial to have a plan for its inevitable sacrifice while keeping an eye on the balance of board control and life points. Orcish Hellraiser’s presence in a deck is a signal to prioritize managing threats swiftly and utilizing spells that negate its damage or exploit its sacrifice for your gain.

In essence, defeating Orcish Hellraiser in MTG is about foresight and counterplay. Acknowledging the card’s strengths and weaknesses helps create a proactive approach against decks that include this aggressive Orc. With the proper strategy in place, Orcish Hellraiser can be transformed from an intimidating threat to a manageable challenge on the battlefield.

Cards like Orcish Hellraiser

Orcish Hellraiser earns its place in the pantheon of aggressive creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes the playstyle of other low-cost, high-impact red cards like Jackal Pup and Mogg Fanatic. Like these classic cards, Orcish Hellraiser deals damage to the opponent swiftly, but it comes with a catch – an echo cost that demands an extra investment in your next turn, giving it a risk-reward dynamic reminiscent of the Jackal Pup’s potential backlash upon taking damage.

Yet, when looking at similar MTG cards, the Hellraiser has the unique angle of guaranteed damage with its death-trigger ability, setting it apart from Mogg Fanatic, which requires a sacrifice to deal its damage. This ensures that even if Orcish Hellraiser is removed, it leaves behind a parting gift of damage, making it a constant threat on the board. While Mogg Fanatic’s flexibility of immediate damage can be advantageous, the Hellraiser’s echo cost and death-trigger combo can strategically pressure opponents, fitting seamlessly into red deck strategies that aim to burn out adversaries quickly.

Comparing these elements is crucial for red deck enthusiasts looking to optimize their strategy, and Orcish Hellraiser provides an aggressive option that rewards players for a well-calculated tempo.

Cards similar to Orcish Hellraiser by color, type and mana cost

Goblin Elite Infantry - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Orcish Hellraiser MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons, 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 Orcish Hellraiser and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Orcish Hellraiser has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2019-06-14	A permanent’s echo ability will trigger during your upkeep if it entered the battlefield since the beginning of your last upkeep, if you gained control of it since the beginning of your last upkeep, or if another player took control of it and it returned to your control since the beginning of your last upkeep.