Drooling Groodion MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Beast
Power 4
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. This card can greatly impact gameplay through card advantage and strategic creature removal abilities.
  2. Instant speed activation and synergies with sacrifice mechanisms enhance its flexibility and potency in-game.
  3. It presents some challenges like specific mana needs and high casting cost, which may limit its use.

Text of card

, Sacrifice a creature: Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Another target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.

"The Golgari expand, yes, but I refuse to call their tainted creations 'growth.'" —Veszka, Selesnya evangel


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Drooling Groodion can potentially offer card advantage through its ability to eliminate threats. By removing key opposing creatures, it indirectly adds value to your side of the board.

Resource Acceleration: While the Drooling Groodion itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its presence can lead to a form of resource acceleration by clearing the path for your stronger creatures to attack unimpeded, thereby accelerating your victory condition.

Instant Speed: The activation of Drooling Groodion’s ability at instant speed gives players significant flexibility during the course of the game. This allows for strategic removal of creatures after opponents have declared attackers or in response to other abilities, keeping opponents off-balance and preserving the element of surprise.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Drooling Groodion card requires players to sacrifice another creature as a way to activate its ability. This cost necessitates having a creature you are willing to lose, which might not always align with your strategy, especially if you’re managing limited board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a precise combination of mana to cast — three green and one black. This can be restrictive as it requires a dual-color mana base, making it less flexible and potentially harder to play on curve in a deck that isn’t heavily focused on these colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Its mana value of four can be quite steep for the effect it provides. In the same mana range, there are alternative creatures or spells that could provide more immediate impact or value without the additional requirement of sacrificing a creature, ultimately delivering similar or better effects with fewer drawbacks.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Drooling Groodion offers adaptability in different types of black-green decks, especially those focused on creature sacrifice synergies or requiring a solid blocker with its formidable 3/3 body.

Combo Potential: This card provides the capability to eliminate key threats by paying just three mana and sacrificing a creature, synergizing with decks that can easily generate creature tokens or capitalize on death triggers.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state that favors long-term strategies or a meta with creatures susceptible to targeted removal, Drooling Groodion’s repeatable “fattening” and removal tool makes it a potentially influential pick.


How to Beat Drooling Groodion

Drooling Groodion can be a formidable card to face on the battlefield. Its ability to give any creature +2/+2 and trample at the cost of sacrificing another creature can overwhelm unprepared opponents. Defeating this card relies on strategy and understanding its weaknesses.

One effective method is to control the battlefield with removal spells. Direct damage spells or targeted removal like Fatal Push can take out Drooling Groodion before its ability becomes a repeated threat. Similarly, countering it upon casting will prevent it from influencing the game. Without Groodion on the field, the opponent loses a key piece of their creature sacrificing strategy, diminishing their board presence.

Another tactic is to limit the number of creatures your opponent has. Board wipes such as Wrath of God clear the field, depriving Drooling Groodion of sacrifice fodder. When facing Groodion, it’s crucial to manage the pace of the game. Delaying its appearance with counterspells or quickly setting up defenses can turn the tide in your favor. By staying one step ahead, you maintain control over the match, ensuring Drooling Groodion never sinks its teeth into victory.


Cards like Drooling Groodion

Drooling Groodion is a unique creature within the vast array of Magic: The Gathering cards. Notably, this black creature card from the Guildpact expansion brings a blend of power and utility to the battlefield. In comparison, we can look at cards like Mortivore, which, like Drooling Groodion, adjusts its power and toughness based on the graveyard, although based on a different variable – the number of creature cards in all graveyards. Mortivore doesn’t require mana to increase its might, making it a more passive yet potentially powerful card.

Another card to consider is Baloth Null. While it also carries the attribute of resurrecting creatures from the graveyard, Baloth Null grants you immediate value as it puts those creatures right into your hand when it enters the battlefield, unlike Drooling Groodion which requires mana investment to activate its ability. Moreover, Baloth Null gives you two creatures instead of one, but it does lack Drooling Groodion’s potential for direct creature removal.

When analyzing the value and versatility Drooling Groodion brings to the game, especially in decks focused on creature-based interactions and graveyard strategies, it holds its ground as a multifaceted card that can lead to complex and advantageous board states.

Mortivore - MTG Card versions
Baloth Null - MTG Card versions
Mortivore - Odyssey (ODY)
Baloth Null - Oath of the Gatewatch (OGW)

Cards similar to Drooling Groodion by color, type and mana cost

Gleancrawler - MTG Card versions
Woodwraith Corrupter - MTG Card versions
Loathsome Catoblepas - MTG Card versions
Baloth Null - MTG Card versions
Izoni, Thousand-Eyed - MTG Card versions
Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal - MTG Card versions
Bortuk Bonerattle - MTG Card versions
Yargle and Multani - MTG Card versions
Invasion of Lorwyn // Winnowing Forces - MTG Card versions
Shelob, Child of Ungoliant - MTG Card versions
Izoni, Center of the Web - MTG Card versions
Sludge Titan - MTG Card versions
Alpha Deathclaw - MTG Card versions
Gleancrawler - Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari (DDJ)
Woodwraith Corrupter - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Loathsome Catoblepas - Theros (THS)
Baloth Null - The List (PLST)
Izoni, Thousand-Eyed - GRN Guild Kit (GK1)
Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal - Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate (HBG)
Bortuk Bonerattle - Dominaria United (DMU)
Yargle and Multani - March of the Machine (MOM)
Invasion of Lorwyn // Winnowing Forces - March of the Machine (MOM)
Shelob, Child of Ungoliant - The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR)
Izoni, Center of the Web - Murders at Karlov Manor Promos (PMKM)
Sludge Titan - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Alpha Deathclaw - Fallout (PIP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Drooling Groodion MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica: City of Guilds and Duel Decks: Mirrodin Pure vs. New Phyrexia, 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 Drooling Groodion and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Drooling Groodion Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2005-10-07 and 2015-05-22. Illustrated by Kev Walker.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12005-10-07Ravnica: City of GuildsRAV 2042003normalblackKev Walker
22011-05-14Duel Decks: Mirrodin Pure vs. New PhyrexiaTD2 642003normalblackKev Walker
32014-03-14Duel Decks: Jace vs. VraskaDDM 652003normalblackKev Walker
42015-05-22Modern Masters 2015MM2 1732015normalblackKev Walker

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Drooling Groodion has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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