Orcish Captain MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Orc Warrior
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Orcish Captain offers deck manipulation and increased draw efficiencies, vital for maintaining a lead.
  2. The card’s instant speed activation can shift the tide of combat, providing strategic adaptability.
  3. While valuable, Orcish Captain’s randomness can pose risks to a carefully curated hand and strategy.

Text of card

o1: Choose a target Orc. Flip a coin; opponent calls heads or tails while coin is in the air. If the flip ends up in your favor, that Orc gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Otherwise, that Orc gets -0/-2 until end of turn.

There's a chance to win every battle.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Orcish Captain provides a unique edge in card advantage as it offers the ability to manipulate the top of the deck – the so-called “stacking” effect. This increases the chance to draw the needed cards for the turn, keeping you a step ahead of your opponent. It ensures you make the most out of each draw, particularly in formats where single card efficiency can determine the outcome.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting your mana pool, Orcish Captain’s ability to manipulate chance and power up orcs can indirectly lead to resource acceleration by enabling quicker wins. More combat wins can result in less need for extensive mana investments, optimizing your play strategy and resource management.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate Orcish Captain’s skill at instant speed gives you the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s actions during their turn. This places you at an advantage as you can adapt to the game’s current state and maximize the effect of your orcs before any crucial combat or key decision.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Orcish Captain’s ability necessitates discarding at random, which can result in losing critical cards needed for your gameplay strategy. This kind of unpredictability tends to be unfavorable, as it can disrupt well-laid plans and diminish your hand, impacting your ability to respond to opponents’ actions.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s activation cost demands red mana, which means it aligns predominantly with red decks or those able to generate multiple mana colors. If your mana base isn’t diverse enough or heavily skewed towards other colors, consistently casting Orcish Captain might become challenging.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The initial cost of Orcish Captain might not seem exorbitant at a single red mana, but the cumulative mana needed to maximize its ability can be steep. As a player, you might find that investing in Orcish Captain’s ability throughout the game may not be as mana-efficient as other options available, making it a less desirable choice when optimizing your deck’s performance.


Reasons to Include Orcish Captain in Your Collection

Versatility: Orcish Captain can easily fit into a variety of red decks that emphasize aggressive playstyles or those seeking to utilize Orc tribal synergies. Its ability to pump up your Orc creatures can be a game-changer on the battlefield, making it flexible for inclusion in various strategies.

Combo Potential: With its chance-based ability to boost an Orc’s power and toughness, Orcish Captain can be integral in combos that rely on creature size. Additionally, it can be valuable in decks that interact with coin flips, offering an enjoyable mix of risk and reward.

Meta-Relevance: Given its low cost and potential for high payoff, Orcish Captain could find a place in metas where quick, powerful creatures are essential. It’s particularly relevant in formats where summoning multiple creatures quickly can overwhelm opponents unprepared for such a rush.


How to beat Orcish Captain

Orcish Captain is a niche card that often appeals to players who appreciate randomness and chance in their Magic: The Gathering decks. This card allows players to manipulate luck with its ability to influence coin tosses, a mechanism that can either be beneficial or detrimental to the player’s strategy. Defeating a deck that includes Orcish Captain requires a tactical approach, focusing on reducing the card’s impact on the game.

The key to overcoming Orcish Captain lies in either removing it from the battlefield or disrupting the coin-flipping strategy. Efficient removal spells or abilities that can target creatures at instant speed, thereby interrupting the Captain’s ability before the effect resolves, are particularly effective. Consistency in your deck’s strategy may also outpace the unpredictable outcomes generated by the Orcish Captain’s coin tosses. Therefore, countering the randomness with reliable card interactions and maintaining board control can greatly reduce the challenges posed by this card.

Ultimately, the Orcish Captain can be an exciting card to play against, and sporting a deck that remains steadfast and versatile in its game plan is the best tactic to nullify its potential. Managing the whims of chance and maintaining strategic focus will often lead you to victory against a deck wielding this unpredictable MTG Commander staple.


Cards like Orcish Captain

Orcish Captain, a unique MTG card, opens strategic avenues within the red creature-focused decks. It bears resemblance to cards that affect creature power, like Goblin Bushwhacker, which offers a temporary power boost to your creatures. Orcish Captain, however, leverages its ability to influence not just the power, but also the chance element with coin flipping determining a creature’s fate.

Similar in theme, Frenzied Goblin provides a different tactical approach by restricting blockers, enhancing the damage output potential during your turn. Though it doesn’t involve coin flipping, it still manipulates combat outcomes. On another front, Ogre Battledriver boasts a more direct approach, providing a consistent power and speed bonus to creatures as they enter the battlefield, bypassing Orcish Captain’s randomness.

Within the Magic gameplay, Ogre Battledriver offers predictability while both Frenzied Goblin and Orcish Captain serve their roles in more opportunistic and interactive strategies. Whichever card a player prefers hinges on their tolerance for chance in a match, where Orcish Captain may either lead to grand victories or stochastic defeats.

Goblin Bushwhacker - MTG Card versions
Frenzied Goblin - MTG Card versions
Ogre Battledriver - MTG Card versions
Goblin Bushwhacker - Zendikar (ZEN)
Frenzied Goblin - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Ogre Battledriver - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014 Promos (PDP14)

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

Goblin Balloon Brigade - MTG Card versions
Hurr Jackal - MTG Card versions
Primordial Ooze - MTG Card versions
Gorilla Shaman - MTG Card versions
Goblin Swine-Rider - MTG Card versions
Mons's Goblin Raiders - MTG Card versions
Orcish Conscripts - MTG Card versions
Mountain Goat - MTG Card versions
Roc Hatchling - MTG Card versions
Jackal Pup - MTG Card versions
Flailing Soldier - MTG Card versions
Branded Brawlers - MTG Card versions
Scarred Puma - MTG Card versions
Mogg Fanatic - MTG Card versions
Grim Lavamancer - MTG Card versions
Kessig Wolfrider - MTG Card versions
Goblin Guide - MTG Card versions
Skirk Prospector - MTG Card versions
Crazed Goblin - MTG Card versions
Akki Avalanchers - MTG Card versions
Goblin Balloon Brigade - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Hurr Jackal - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Primordial Ooze - Chronicles (CHR)
Gorilla Shaman - Alliances (ALL)
Goblin Swine-Rider - Visions (VIS)
Mons's Goblin Raiders - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Orcish Conscripts - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Mountain Goat - Portal (POR)
Roc Hatchling - Weatherlight (WTH)
Jackal Pup - The List (PLST)
Flailing Soldier - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Branded Brawlers - Prophecy (PCY)
Scarred Puma - Invasion (INV)
Mogg Fanatic - Tenth Edition (10E)
Grim Lavamancer - Torment (TOR)
Kessig Wolfrider - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Goblin Guide - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Skirk Prospector - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Crazed Goblin - Darksteel (DST)
Akki Avalanchers - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Orcish Captain MTG card by a specific set like Fallen Empires and Fifth Edition, 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 Captain and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Orcish Captain Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1994-11-01 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11994-11-01Fallen EmpiresFEM 601993normalblackMark Tedin
21997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 2541997normalwhiteCharles Gillespie
32008-09-22Masters Edition IIME2 1391997normalblackMark Tedin

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Orcish Captain has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2008-10-01 You choose the target when you activate the ability. You don’t flip a coin until the ability resolves.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks