Pack Rat MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Rat
Power *
Toughness *

Key Takeaways

  1. Pack Rat translates any card in hand into a threatening board presence, enhancing player strategy effectively.
  2. Each Rat exponentially strengthens your position, converting drawn cards into an overpowering force.
  3. Flexibility to multiply at instant speed adds a tactical layer, utilizing mana efficiently during opponents’ turns.

Text of card

Pack Rat's power and toughness are each equal to the number of Rats you control. , Discard a card: Put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of Pack Rat.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Pack Rat offers a unique form of card advantage, transforming any card in your hand into a potential threat by creating a copy of itself. This quickly pressures opponents, as each card you draw can add to your board presence.

Resource Acceleration: While Pack Rat itself doesn’t directly provide mana or acceleration, its very presence speeds up the game in your favor. Each additional Pack Rat exponentially increases your board state, turning every drawn card into a valuable resource for overwhelming your opponent.

Instant Speed: Although Pack Rat operates at sorcery speed, it grants the flexibility to multiply at instant speed. You can end your opponent’s turn by discarding a card and create a new Rat, effectively utilizing your mana and expanding your army at any time during the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One limiting aspect of the Pack Rat card is the necessity to discard another card from your hand to utilize its ability. This can be particularly detrimental during the late stages of a game where card advantage is paramount, potentially leaving you with fewer options and resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Pack Rat demands a precise mana configuration to cast—two black mana. This requirement can restrict its integration into multicolored decks, hindering its flexibility and the diversity of strategies in which it can be effectively incorporated.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the ability to create a copy of Pack Rat offers a unique tactical advantage, the investment is significant when considering its initial mana cost alongside the ongoing costs to utilize its ability. In a game where tempo and efficiency are key, there may be scenarios where the resources allocated to Pack Rat could be better employed on other creatures or spells with an immediate board impact.


Reasons to Include Pack Rat in Your Collection

Versatility: Pack Rat offers unique adaptability, seamlessly finding its place in various deck archetypes. It can enhance strategies centered around creature numbers or graveyard synergies, making it a multifaceted asset for any collector.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to duplicate itself by discarding a card creates exponential growth in power and toughness for each rat on the battlefield, ripe for exploitation in combo strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where single-card answers are prevalent, Pack Rat’s capability to quickly populate the board makes it a consistent threat that can demand multiple responses from opponents.


How to Beat

Pack Rat is known for its ability to duplicate itself, quickly overwhelming opponents in Magic: The Gathering. Every copy is not just a creature but a potential threat multiplier, as each rat’s power and toughness are equal to the number of Rats you control. This means that dealing with one rat doesn’t solve the problem since any remaining can replicate at the drop of a hat—or card in this case.

To effectively combat this infestation, sweepers such as Wrath of God or Damnation are key, as they clear out all creatures on the battlefield, regardless of their numbers. Targeted removal, while useful, may not suffice against the relentless tide of furry tokens. Playing cards that limit the number of creatures a player can control, like Meekstone or Ensnaring Bridge, can also significantly hinder the Pack Rat strategy. Another strategy is to attack the player’s hand, using discard effects from cards like Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek. By reducing your opponent’s hand, you’ll limit their ability to feed the Pack Rat engine.

Understanding and preparing for this card’s exponential growth potential is crucial, making the right sideboard choices vital in competitive play.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the art of MTG means constantly refining your deck and deciphering the meta. Pack Rat is a card that offers unique strategic depth, embodying resilience and adaptability. It’s important to recognize both its potential to amplify your strategy and the precautions needed to counteract opposing Rats. As you ponder including Pack Rat in your arsenal, consider the balance of its resource demands against the pressing need for board control. Whether enhancing your collection for competitive play or casual fun, there’s untapped power in understanding how to effectively utilize and challenge this dynamic card. Expand your game knowledge and discover more intricacies of MTG deckbuilding with us.


Cards like Pack Rat

In the landscape of Magic: The Gathering, Pack Rat stands out as a powerful creature card, drawing comparisons to relentless swarm strategies. Take the card Gravecrawler, for example, which can be cast from the graveyard as long as you control a Zombie. While it offers an endless front of undead assaults, Pack Rat’s utility lies in its ability to convert any card in your hand into another menacing Rat token, potentially overpowering the board with a growing throng of creatures.

Mitotic Slime is another creature that multiplies upon hitting the graveyard, spawning smaller oozes. Although it shares this multiplicative nature with Pack Rat, it lacks the on-demand versatility and control over the battlefield. By contrast, Pack Rat’s strength magnifies with each card discarded, spiraling into an overwhelming force that can adapt rapidly to the ever-changing game state.

Marrow-Gnawer, yet another rat-themed card, amplifies the might of your rat army by granting them all fear and the capacity to multiply, much like Pack Rat. What sets Pack Rat apart, however, is its ability to impact the board right from its first summoning. The autonomy it provides the player makes it a formidable card in comparison.

Gravecrawler - MTG Card versions
Mitotic Slime - MTG Card versions
Marrow-Gnawer - MTG Card versions
Gravecrawler - Dark Ascension Promos (PDKA)
Mitotic Slime - Magic 2011 Promos (PM11)
Marrow-Gnawer - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)

Cards similar to Pack Rat by color, type and mana cost

Drudge Skeletons - MTG Card versions
Erg Raiders - MTG Card versions
Cuombajj Witches - MTG Card versions
Order of the Ebon Hand - MTG Card versions
Bog Imp - MTG Card versions
Wall of Corpses - MTG Card versions
Blighted Shaman - MTG Card versions
Rabid Rats - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Bat - MTG Card versions
Ravenous Rats - MTG Card versions
Flesh Reaver - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdler - MTG Card versions
Nantuko Shade - MTG Card versions
Piper of the Swarm - MTG Card versions
Undead Augur - MTG Card versions
Shepherd of Rot - MTG Card versions
Swarm of Rats - MTG Card versions
Skullsnatcher - MTG Card versions
Nezumi Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Nezumi Graverobber // Nighteyes the Desecrator - MTG Card versions
Drudge Skeletons - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Erg Raiders - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Cuombajj Witches - Chronicles (CHR)
Order of the Ebon Hand - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Bog Imp - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Wall of Corpses - Mirage (MIR)
Blighted Shaman - Mirage (MIR)
Rabid Rats - Stronghold (STH)
Dakmor Bat - Portal Second Age (P02)
Ravenous Rats - Invasion (INV)
Flesh Reaver - Urza's Saga (USG)
Bloodcurdler - Odyssey (ODY)
Nantuko Shade - Commander 2014 (C14)
Piper of the Swarm - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Undead Augur - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Shepherd of Rot - Onslaught (ONS)
Swarm of Rats - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Skullsnatcher - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Nezumi Cutthroat - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Nezumi Graverobber // Nighteyes the Desecrator - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Pack Rat MTG card by a specific set like Return to Ravnica and Secret Lair Drop, 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 Pack Rat and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Pack Rat Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2012-10-05 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-10-05Return to RavnicaRTR 732003normalblackKev Walker
22019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 352015normalblackFiona Hsieh
32019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 14482015normalborderlessNestor Ossandon Leal
42020-03-12Historic Anthology 2HA2 82015normalblackKev Walker
52024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 4262015normalborderlessYukihiro Maruo
62024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 4551997normalblackKev Walker

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Pack Rat has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2012-10-01 If Pack Rat leaves the battlefield before its activated ability resolves, the token will still enter the battlefield as a copy of Pack Rat, using Pack Rat’s copiable values from when it was last on the battlefield.
2012-10-01 Pack Rat’s first ability counts any creature you control with the creature type Rat, not just Pack Rats.
2012-10-01 The token will copy Pack Rat’s two abilities. Its power and toughness will be equal to the number of Rats you control (not the number of Rats you controlled when the token entered the battlefield). It will also be able to create copies of itself.
2012-10-01 The token won’t copy counters on Pack Rat, nor will it copy other effects that have changed Pack Rat’s power, toughness, types, color, or so on. Normally, this means the token will simply be a Pack Rat. But if any copy effects have affected that Pack Rat, they’re taken into account.

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