Mossbridge Troll MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 7 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Troll |
| Released | 2008-05-02 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Shadowmoor |
| Set code | SHM |
| Power | 5 |
| Toughness | 5 |
| Number | 123 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Jeremy Jarvis |
Key Takeaways
- The Troll’s regenerative power promotes card longevity against most removals, securing your board’s stability.
- While mana-intensive, its potential to grow massive makes it a lynchpin in creature-focused strategies.
- Exile and sacrifice effects bypass the Troll’s regeneration, offering strategic counters to its might.
Text of card
If Mossbridge Troll would be destroyed, regenerate it. Tap any number of untapped creatures you control other than Mossbridge Troll with total power 10 or greater: Mossbridge Troll gets +20/+20 until end of turn.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With its ability to become virtually indestructible by tapping creatures with a total power of 10 or more, Mossbridge Troll can deter opponents from attacking, thereby protecting your card assets on the board. This can lead to maintaining a solid presence in the game, occasionally granting you an advantage over the opponent who might need to expend more resources to handle the threat it poses.
Resource Acceleration: While the Mossbridge Troll itself does not directly accelerate your resources, its resilience allows you to confidently invest in your board without fearing a loss of those resources. The stability it provides can indirectly lead to a stronger resource state, as it allows you to plan your mana and other resources without worrying about losing a key creature.
Instant Speed: Although not an instant itself, the Mossbridge Troll’s ability to pump up its power can be used at instant speed. This gives you the flexibility to wait until the most opportune moment during a turn to activate its growth, such as during the declare blockers step, making it a surprisingly reactive threat that your opponent must always consider.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Mossbridge Troll is the need to discard other creatures to activate its ability. This requirement can deplete your hand, leaving fewer options for subsequent plays and potentially putting you at a disadvantage.
Specific Mana Cost: Tapping into Mossbridge Troll’s power necessitates a specific combination of green mana. This cost pattern can be restrictive, requiring a player to build their deck with a substantial green mana base, potentially making the deck less adaptable to diverse strategies or meta shifts.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes five mana plus the need for at least one green, Mossbridge Troll’s investment can be steep. In the fast-paced game environment where early threats are prevalent, allocating seven mana for a single creature may slow down your other gameplays or leave you vulnerable to more cost-effective removal spells.
Reasons to Include Mossbridge Troll in Your Collection
Versatility: Mossbridge Troll provides robust resilience in many deck builds, capable of withstanding most removal spells thanks to its regeneration ability, making it a formidable presence in any green-centric deck or as a strong defender in multicolor decks.
Combo Potential: This card has impressive synergy with strategies that manipulate +1/+1 counters or creatures’ power. Its ability to become a gargantuan creature can be the cornerstone of powerful combo finishes, especially in decks that can tap multiple creatures to boost its power.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta with frequent board wipes or targeted removal, Mossbridge Troll maintains a relevant position by surviving those situations where many creatures cannot, solidifying your board presence and providing a consistent offensive and defensive threat.
How to beat
Mossbridge Troll is one of those cards in Magic: The Gathering that can seem unstoppable at a glance. With its ability to regenerate and the potential to become monstrously large, it can intimidate any player. But like all cards, it has its vulnerabilities. The key lies in bypassing the Troll’s regeneration. This means employing cards that say “destroy” won’t be enough. To effectively counter it, you want cards that exile, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares. These cards remove Mossbridge Troll from the game entirely without giving it a chance to regenerate.
Another strategy is to play cards that force the opponent to sacrifice creatures. Since Mossbridge Troll’s ability only works when it’s the target of spells or abilities, a global effect like Damnation or Toxic Deluge can sweep it off the board before it becomes a big problem. Moreover, cards that reduce toughness, rather than dealing damage, can also get around its regeneration, so consider effects like Dismember for an efficient removal.
Despite its formidable presence, Mossbridge Troll can be managed with precise removal strategies and an understanding of how regeneration works. By preparing your deck with the right answers, you can ensure that this colossal creature won’t stand in your way to victory.
Understanding Mossbridge Troll’s Place Among Its Peers
In the vast landscape of Magic: The Gathering, Mossbridge Troll asserts its dominance with a substantial presence. Boasting an impressive resilience due to its ability to regenerate, it mirrors the defensive capabilities of other formidable creatures like Thrun, the Last Troll. Thrun offers hexproof and regeneration, providing a slightly different protective angle. Still, what sets Mossbridge Troll apart is its potential for exponential power growth, a unique trait that’s not commonly found in green creatures.
Cards like Mossbridge Troll
Mossbridge Troll carves out a niche in the creature-heavy green spectrum of MTG. It draws a parallel with other powerhouses like Scaled Behemoth, which also presents a formidable challenge for opponents to deal with due to its hexproof ability. Nonetheless, the sheer magnitude of Mossbridge Troll’s potential power swamps the substantial but static power of the Behemoth. Comparably, Pelakka Wurm enters the fray with a palpable impact—prompt life gain and card draw—yet it lacks the recurring resilience provided by regeneration.
In essence, Mossbridge Troll resides in a sweet spot, with its scalable power overshadowing many of its kin while offering continuity in play that is rare and highly valued. This consistent thread of survivability places Mossbridge Troll in a unique lineage of green creatures within Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Mossbridge Troll by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Mossbridge Troll MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor, 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 Mossbridge Troll 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 Mossbridge Troll has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Mossbridge Troll card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-05-01 | The first ability essentially means that Mossbridge Troll always has a regeneration shield. It retains that shield even if it’s used. |
| 2008-05-01 | The total power of the creatures you tap is checked only when you pay the cost. It doesn’t matter if their power decreases, or if any of them have left the battlefield, by the time the ability resolves. Note that you may tap a Mossbridge Troll to help pay the cost of a different Mossbridge Troll’s ability. |
