Town Gossipmonger // Incited Rabble MTG Card

Town Gossipmonger // Incited Rabble - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)

Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)
2016-04-08 - Number 46

Town Gossipmonger // Incited Rabble - Shadows over Innistrad Remastered (SIR)

Shadows over Innistrad Remastered (SIR)
2023-03-21 - Number 53

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human
Abilities	Transform
Power	1
Toughness	1

Key Takeaways

Town Gossipmonger transforms without extra card expenses, offering a scalable board threat.
Incited Rabble increases damage output effectively with mana investment per attack.
Strategic transformation timing of Gossipmonger to Rabble can catch opponents off-guard.

Text of card

, Tap an untapped creature you control: Transform Town Gossipmonger.

"You'll never believe what I heard."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The transformation from Town Gossipmonger to Incited Rabble presents an opportunity to scale your board presence without spending cards from your hand. This shift intensifies your threats on the battlefield and can offer a sustained advantage as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: While Town Gossipmonger itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its transformed version, Incited Rabble, has the potential to ramp up your damage output quickly. The ability to pump Incited Rabble for each 1 mana spent can translate into accelerating your game clock and pressuring your opponent more effectively.

Instant Speed: Although the card’s activation is not at instant speed, the ability to transform Town Gossipmonger at your upkeep still allows you to adapt to the flow of the game and surprise opponents with a sudden shift, making strategic planning imperative when considering when to flip Town Gossipmonger into Incited Rabble.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Tapping Town Gossipmonger to transform it into Incited Rabble can be a setback as it requires the discard of another creature. This puts a demand on your hand, potentially depleting valuable creature cards that could be critical for later stages of the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Incited Rabble requires a specific mana allocation to attack—two colorless and one red. This necessity could potentially hinder deck flexibility, especially in multicolor decks that might struggle with red mana consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The maintenance cost to keep Incited Rabble at its peak performance—two colorless and one red each turn it attacks—might not always be feasible and can be seen as a high investment, especially when compared to other creatures that offer persistent benefits without recurring costs.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Town Gossipmonger // Incited Rabble offers unique gameplay advantages, easily fitting into human tribal or aggressive red-white decks. Its ability to flip into a stronger creature provides adaptability in various game scenarios.

Combo Potential: This card thrives in synergy with strategies that capitalize on tapping and untapping creatures, enabling dynamic plays and surprise shifts in board presence to overwhelm opponents.

Meta-Relevance: Given its low cost and transform capability, it holds its own in a meta heavy with aggressive creature-based tactics, offering early game presence that can quickly escalate if left unchecked.

How to beat

The dual nature of Town Gossipmonger, which transforms into Incited Rabble, presents a unique challenge in MTG gameplay. As a one-drop 1/1 creature, Town Gossipmonger can seem inconspicuous early in the game. However, its ability to transform into a more formidable creature demands prompt attention. Controlling a Town Gossipmonger often hinges on managing the board state to prevent its transformation into Incited Rabble.

Effective strategies include using removal spells before the creature flips or aggressively maintaining board control to avoid tapping out during your opponent’s upkeep. Sweepers can also prove useful in resetting the board, especially if Town Gossipmonger has already transformed and you’re facing multiple creatures. Acting swiftly and utilizing your control tools will keep the gossip at bay, ensuring that this seemingly minor threat doesn’t escalate into a major problem on the battlefield.

In summary, intercepting Town Gossipmonger’s transition to Incited Rabble with timely interventions is essential. Preventative action preserves game balance and mitigates the risk of the creature’s bolstered attack capabilities, safeguarding your position in the match.

Cards like Town Gossipmonger // Incited Rabble

Town Gossipmonger stands out in the trove of transformative cards found within the world of Magic: The Gathering. This card shares similarities with Delver of Secrets, another card known for its front face converting into a more powerful creature. Unlike Town Gossipmonger, which requires tapping along with other creatures to transform, Delver of Secrets evolves through revealing an instant or sorcery card from the top of your deck at the beginning of your upkeep.

When examining creatures with a transform ability, Village Messenger is another card that enters the fray. It flips into Moonrise Intruder when no spells are cast in a turn, unlike Town Gossipmonger which demands a tap action, making its transformation condition more under a player’s control. However, Town Gossipmonger, once transformed into Incited Rabble, brings higher power to the field, potentially leading to significant combat pressure.

During deck construction, choosing between Town Gossipmonger and its counterparts can greatly depend on the intended strategy and deck synergy. Its voluntary transformation and potential for powerful attacks make it a unique and formidable addition to any deck seeking a dynamic creature-based element.

Cards similar to Town Gossipmonger // Incited Rabble by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Town Gossipmonger // Incited Rabble MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Shadows over Innistrad Remastered, 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 Town Gossipmonger // Incited Rabble and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Town Gossipmonger // Incited Rabble Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by John Stanko.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2016-04-08	Shadows over Innistrad	SOI		46	2015	Transform	Black	John Stanko
2	2023-03-21	Shadows over Innistrad Remastered	SIR		53	2015	Transform	Black	John Stanko

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Town Gossipmonger // Incited Rabble has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2016-04-08	If, during its controller’s declare attackers step, Incited Rabble is tapped or is affected by a spell or ability that says it can’t attack, then it doesn’t attack. If there’s a cost associated with having Incited Rabble attack, its controller isn’t forced to pay that cost, so it doesn’t have to attack in that case either. Note that transforming Town Gossipmonger won’t untap it.
2016-04-08	Incited Rabble’s controller still chooses which player or planeswalker it attacks.
2016-04-08	You can tap any untapped creature you control, including one you haven’t controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn, to pay the cost of Town Gossipmonger’s activated ability. You must have controlled Town Gossipmonger continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn, however.
2016-07-13	For more information on double-faced cards, see the Shadows over Innistrad mechanics article (http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/shadows-over-innistrad-mechanics).