Ronin Warclub MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Artifact — Equipment |
| Abilities | Equip |
| Released | 2005-02-04 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Betrayers of Kamigawa |
| Set code | BOK |
| Number | 158 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Pete Venters |
Key Takeaways
- Increases board presence with no extra mana cost for equipping, beneficial for creature-focused strategies.
- Encourages aggressive playstyles by instantly enhancing new creatures, thus impacting the game flow.
- Demands careful deck design due to equip bounce mechanic and specific mana requirements.
Text of card
Equipped creature gets +2/+1. Whenever a creature comes into play under your control, attach Ronin Warclub to that creature. Equip (: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Ronin Warclub doesn’t directly draw cards, but it compensates by offering a significant boost to a creature each time a new one enters your battlefield. This continous buff mechanism can lead to an advantage in board presence over time.
Resource Acceleration: Although not involved in resource acceleration in the traditional sense of providing extra mana, the Ronin Warclub can accelerate your game plan by automatically equipping to a newly summoned creature without any mana cost. This free equip action saves your resources for other strategic plays.
Instant Speed: While the Ronin Warclub itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its passive trigger can be an asset when creatures enter the battlefield during your opponent’s turn. This can turn surprise blockers into more formidable obstacles or suddenly amplify your offensive capability in response to an opponent’s actions.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Ronin Warclub brings immediate power enhancement without a discard expectation, it does require bouncing equipment back to your hand when a creature enters the battlefield. This can generate unintended setbacks in equipment strategies.
Specific Mana Cost: Hosting a cost that requires both generic and red mana, Ronin Warclub’s accessibility is restricted to decks that can produce or filter the appropriate mana, potentially narrowing its adaptability across various deck types.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With three mana for its casting and another two to equip, Ronin Warclub’s overall mana investment is high, especially when compared to other equipment that offer similar or greater bonuses at a lesser cost or with more flexible equip requirements.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: The Ronin Warclub can easily be integrated into numerous decks, particularly those that are heavy on creatures. Its ability to automatically attach to creatures that enter the battlefield makes it a seamless addition to aggressive strategies.
Combo Potential: This equipment shines in decks that have a focus on summoning multiple creatures in a single turn. Each new creature becomes an immediate threat by getting equipped, which can turn the tide in creature-centric combos.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Ronin Warclub can be a game-changer by consistently enhancing your creatures’ power. It also adapts well to metas that are unforgiving to slower, setup-heavy plays, allowing for rapid, impactful board development.
How to beat
Ronin Warclub presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. This equipment card, unlike many others in its category, automatically attaches to any creature that enters the battlefield under your control. Such a feature can rapidly turn new recruits into formidable threats. Despite its benefits, overcoming a Ronin Warclub-equipped army is not insurmountable.
To neutralize this artifact’s advantage, consider strategies that do not allow your opponent to get the most out of it. Removal spells that target artifacts, such as Naturalize or Shatter, can dispose of the Warclub before it becomes a problem. Edict effects, like Diabolic Edict or Liliana’s Triumph, can force the opponent to sacrifice creatures regardless of their equipped state. Additionally, your own creatures with protection from artifacts would be immune to the enhanced power the Warclub provides. Timing is also critical; dealing with the creature immediately before the equipment auto-attaches avoids its power boost and gives you a window to disrupt your opponent’s plans.
Overall, while the Ronin Warclub can be an intimidating piece of equipment, incorporating artifact destruction or creature-targeted removal spells into your deck strategy counters this threat effectively, maintaining the balance of the game in your favor.
Cards like Ronin Warclub
Ronin Warclub is a unique piece within the arsenal of equipment cards in Magic: The Gathering. It finds itself in the same league as cards like Bonesplitter, which also provides a power boost. Nevertheless, Ronin Warclub offers the singular advantage of automatically attaching to a creature that enters the battlefield under your control, saving mana and actions to equip. Bonesplitter requires additional mana each time you want to equip it to a new creature.
Another comparable equipment is the trusty Trusty Machete. Like Ronin Warclub, it increases a creature’s power. Trusty Machete, however, offers a balanced enhancement to both power and toughness, but lacks the auto-equip feature, demanding more strategic planning for reassignments. Then we have Grafted Wargear, which, despite its negative side of sacrificing equipped creature upon detachment, gives a significant power and toughness boost immediately upon equipping for no mana cost.
When assessing the strengths and synergies of these equipments, Ronin Warclub clearly stands out in scenarios where you want to maximize the impact of a continuous stream of creatures, ensuring immediate value from each summon, a distinct strategy that’s particularly useful in creature-heavy decks.
Cards similar to Ronin Warclub by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Ronin Warclub MTG card by a specific set like Betrayers of Kamigawa, 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 Ronin Warclub 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 Ronin Warclub has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Ronin Warclub card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2005-02-01 | The triggered ability can attach Ronin Warclub to an untargetable creature because the ability doesn’t target. |
| 2005-02-01 | The triggered ability won’t attach Ronin Warclub to a creature that can’t be equipped (such as Goblin Brawler). |
