Rank Officer MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Zombie Soldier |
| Released | 2019-06-14 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Modern Horizons |
| Set code | MH1 |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 102 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Nicholas Gregory |
Key Takeaways
- Offers graveyard synergy for card advantage and flexible damage dealing to support creature-based strategies.
- Demands careful resource management due to its discard requirement and specific mana costs for casting.
- While powerful, it is cost-intensive and can be mitigated by graveyard disruption or timely removal.
Text of card
When Rank Officer enters the battlefield, you may discard a card. If you do, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token. , , Exile a creature card from your graveyard: Each opponent loses 2 life.
It recruits the fresh and tosses the rotten.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Rank Officer enables graveyard manipulation by allowing you to cycle creatures into your graveyard, offering potential synergies with strategies that capitalize on graveyards to gain card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: It provides a repeatable source of damage which, while not directly accelerating resources, helps clear the path for your other creatures to attack and can indirectly lead to accelerated wins.
Instant Speed: Although Rank Officer’s activated abilities aren’t at instant speed, its inherent ability to trigger upon death can be set up and utilized during any player’s turn, offering flexibility and strategic depth in game play.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Rank Officer MTG card necessitates that you discard a card to activate its ability. This can be a hefty price, especially when your hand is already running thin on valuable cards. It forces you to weigh the cost of losing a potential resource against the benefit of the card’s ability, which could be detrimental in crucial game moments.
Specific Mana Cost: Rank Officer requires a specific mana combination to cast, with a need for both black mana and generic mana. This could be restrictive as it demands a dedicated slot in your mana base, potentially hindering the diversity of spells you could play. Decks that aren’t heavily based in black may find it challenging to consistenly utilize the card to its full extent.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, Rank Officer might be considered on the higher end of the mana curve for its effects. In a game where tempo matters, spending your fourth turn to summon this creature may not align with more aggressive or tempo-based strategies. Especially when there are cards with lower mana costs or that provide more immediate board impact without the additional cost of discarding a card.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Rank Officer offers a strong utility for black-based decks, particularly those that require graveyard interaction and creature control. Its ability to repeatedly discard cards can be instrumental in setting up graveyard synergies or disrupt opponents’ strategies.
Combo Potential: This creature’s unearth ability not only recycles it from the graveyard but also combines effectively with sacrificial mechanics and death-triggered effects. This creates potential for powerful interactions within various combo-oriented decks.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where recurring creatures and managing graveyards is pivotal, Rank Officer can become a significant tool. Its flexibility to adapt in multiple game scenarios makes it a compelling choice for decks looking to stay competitive in shifting metas.
How to Beat Rank Officer
Rank Officer emerges in MTG as a unique creature, blending both graveyard interaction and board control. The crux of this card’s strength lies in its ability to both churn through your deck by discarding cards and potentially clearing out opposing smaller creatures by dealing damage. A savvy player, however, can navigate this card’s challenges with strategic plays.
Combatting Rank Officer starts with preventing graveyard strategies. Cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can effectively neuter its recursion ability. Alternatively, direct removal such as Path to Exile or Murderous Rider can dispatch the Officer before its abilities become a recurring problem. Considering it’s a creature that gets stronger with death triggers and graveyard synergies, interrupting its cycle is key to overpowering it.
Smart deck building and a keen sense of timing in utilizing removal or graveyard control are vital strategies against Rank Officer. Keeping disruption in hand and maintaining pressure on board state limits the impact Rank Officer has on the game, ensuring that your strategies hold the upper hand.
Cards like Rank Officer
Rank Officer provides a distinct niche in the realm of creature cards with recurring abilities in MTG. It shares some common ground with cards like Gavony Unhallowed, which also gains strength from creatures leaving the battlefield. Unlike Gavony Unhallowed, Rank Officer enables direct graveyard interaction, allowing players to deliberately exile a creature card from their own graveyard to both deal damage to an opponent and bolster graveyard strategies.
Looking at other cards, we find Sedraxis Alchemist, which has a similar ability to impact the game by returning a nonland permanent to its owner’s hand when it exploits a creature leaving the battlefield. Although Sedraxis Alchemist affects the board state differently, it lacks the direct damage dealing aspect of Rank Officer. Zombie Infestation is another analogous card that allows players to discard cards to create creature tokens. While it excels in token generation, it does not offer the repetitive damage dealing or graveyard manipulation provided by Rank Officer.
Overall, while Rank Officer isn’t alone in its ability to utilize creature deaths, its combination of direct damage and graveyard control gives it a respectable position among creature cards that capitalize on such mechanics, making it a versatile choice in MTG decks that favor graveyard strategies.
Cards similar to Rank Officer by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Rank Officer 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 Rank Officer 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Rank Officer 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 Rank Officer 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 | In a Two-Headed Giant game, Rank Officer’s last ability causes the opposing team to lose 4 life |
| 2019-06-14 | While resolving Rank Officer’s triggered ability, you can’t discard multiple cards to create multiple Zombie tokens. |
