Robber of the Rich MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityMythic
TypeCreature — Human Archer Rogue
Abilities Haste,Reach
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides card advantage by exiling opponents’ cards and disrupting their game plan.
  2. Accelerates resources, increasing tempo and saving mana for strategic plays.
  3. Serves up unexpected plays, maintaining pressure with each attack.

Text of card

Reach, haste Whenever Robber of the Rich attacks, if defending player has more cards in hand than you, exile the top card of their library. During any turn you attacked with a Rogue, you may cast that card and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast that spell.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Robber of the Rich is a powerhouse in gaining card advantage. The unique ability to exile the top card of an opponent’s library and play it for as long as Robber remains on the battlefield gives players access to more options while potentially disrupting the opponent’s strategy.

Resource Acceleration: This agile Rogue doesn’t directly generate mana but propels tempo by permitting you to cast the exiled card, effectively saving your own resources. This form of indirect resource acceleration keeps the pressure high and your mana available for other plays.

Instant Speed: While Robber of the Rich itself is not an instant, its ability to trigger on each of your turns when you attack with a Rogue can feel like having access to instant speed plays. Since the stolen cards can be cast during the main phase, it’s as though you’re drawing into additional instant speed options with each successful hit, keeping your opponents on edge.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Robber of the Rich has a built-in mechanic that allows you to cast the stolen cards under certain conditions. However, it’s essential to have at least one fewer card in hand than your opponent when attacking to trigger its ability, potentially guiding deck building decisions or in-game tactics towards ensuring your hand is adequately empty.

Specific Mana Cost: As a card requiring both red mana, Robber of the Rich is naturally inclined toward red or red-inclusive decks. This specificity means the card may not easily fit into more varied color strategies, potentially affecting its versatility across different deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While a cost of two mana, one red and one generic, is relatively modest, it’s necessary to acknowledge that there are numerous two-mana creatures that can apply early game pressure. Although Robber of the Rich also carries the potential for card advantage, its attack-dependent trigger may not consistently match the immediate impact of other two-drop creatures in the aggressive red decks where it would typically find a home.


Reasons to Include Robber of the Rich in Your Collection

Versatility: Robber of the Rich brings dynamic play to several deck archetypes, thriving in aggressive red builds that prioritize swift attacks. Its ability to play cards from your opponent’s deck adds an unpredictable advantage in matches, blending well in strategies focused on resource denial.

Combo Potential: This rogue highlights synergy with cards that care about attacking with a certain number of creatures, like “Edgar Markov” or “Embercleave.” Additionally, it can leverage discarded cards from the opponent through various graveyard interactions, making it a linchpin in decks that exploit such mechanics.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where controlling opponent resources is key, Robber of the Rich shines by disarming the opponent’s plans and using their tools against them. Its relevance grows as decks that accumulate large hand sizes become prevalent, ensuring your red deck stays on the cutting edge of competitive play.


How to beat

Robber of the Rich has made a name for itself in Magic: The Gathering as a formidable rogue, capable of turning the tides by stealing cards from opponents when attacking. To effectively combat this agile adversary, consider improving your deck’s block strategies. Creatures with high toughness or those that can flash onto the battlefield can thwart Robber’s heist attempts. Ensnaring it with instant speed removal spells before it hits can neutralize its threat.

Moreover, card advantage is key to diluting Robber’s impact. Keeping your hand plentiful ensures that even if Robber does succeed in exiling your cards, the loss is mitigated. Utilize low-cost card draw spells to maintain a robust hand. Prioritizing this, along with smart blocking, can help shield you against not just Robber of the Rich but other aggressive threats as well. By focusing on these strategies and maintaining a steady stream of resources, you can diminish the influence of Robber of the Rich on the game’s outcome.

In short, facing down Robber of the Rich requires a delicate balance of proactivity and reactivity. By keeping your defense solid and card resources plentiful, you can render Robber’s pilfering ways far less intimidating and hold the line against your opponent’s stratagems.


BurnMana Recommendations

As MTG players continue their quest for deck optimization, the Robber of the Rich emerges as a card worth contemplating. Its knack for disrupting opponent strategies and providing unexpected card advantage can be pivotal in the heat of battle. Consideration of this card’s pros and cons, from its potential for card advantage and tempo acceleration to the conditions required for its ability to trigger, can guide players in refining their strategies. If you’re intrigued by the tactical edge that Robber of the Rich could bring to your red-centric decks, or if you’re looking for ways to innovate within the current meta, delve further into its potential. Join the BurnMana community where seasoned veterans and aspiring champions alike gather to discuss, learn, and elevate their MTG gameplay.


Cards like Robber of the Rich

In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, the Robber of the Rich emerges as a unique rogue with abilities that compare intriguingly with other cards. With Haste and Reach, this card brings immediate board presence and utility against flying creatures. When looking at similar cards, one might consider Light Up the Stage, a spell with a spectacle cost that exiles the top two cards of your library, giving a window to play them. While Light Up the Stage doesn’t boast a creature’s body, its potential card advantage is similar.

Seasoned Pyromancer is another card that deserves a comparison. Though the Pyromancer lacks Haste, it does provide card filtering and potential to create creature tokens, offering a different path to value. While Robber of the Rich can benefit greatly from attacking in a multiplayer game, the Pyromancer provides value immediately upon entering the battlefield.

Robber of the Rich’s ability to steal cards from the opponent’s deck also brings to mind the beloved Gonti, Lord of Luxury, who exiles cards and grants access to them irrespective of color identity. Though Gonti operates differently, the strategic theft of resources underlines a similar disruptive gameplay theme.

As a testament to its flexibility and aggressive nature, Robber of the Rich provides interesting advantages that set it apart in MTG’s wealth of creature cards, cementing its place in decks focusing on combat tricks and resource denial.

Light Up the Stage - MTG Card versions
Seasoned Pyromancer - MTG Card versions
Gonti, Lord of Luxury - MTG Card versions
Light Up the Stage - Ravnica Allegiance (RNA)
Seasoned Pyromancer - Modern Horizons (MH1)
Gonti, Lord of Luxury - Kaladesh Promos (PKLD)

Cards similar to Robber of the Rich by color, type and mana cost

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Heart Sliver - Tempest (TMP)
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Goblin Elite Infantry - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Fireslinger - Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. Chandra (JVC)
Skittish Kavu - Invasion (INV)
Rage Weaver - Invasion (INV)
Minotaur Explorer - Odyssey (ODY)
Sparksmith - Onslaught (ONS)
Goblin Lookout - Legions (LGN)
Skirk Marauder - Legions (LGN)
Hellspark Elemental - DCI Promos (PDCI)
Storm Entity - Future Sight (FUT)
Dwarven Soldier - Masters Edition (ME1)
Mogg War Marshal - Duel Decks: Elves vs. Goblins (DD1)
Stigma Lasher - Eventide (EVE)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Robber of the Rich MTG card by a specific set like Throne of Eldraine and Throne of Eldraine, 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 Robber of the Rich and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Robber of the Rich Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2019-10-04 and 2019-10-04. Illustrated by Paul Scott Canavan.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-10-04Throne of EldraineELD 1382015normalblackPaul Scott Canavan
22019-10-04Throne of EldraineELD 3652015normalblackPaul Scott Canavan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Robber of the Rich has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-10-04 An effect that instructs you to “cast” a card doesn't allow you to play lands.
2019-10-04 Casting an exiled card causes it to leave exile. You can't cast it multiple times.
2019-10-04 If Robber of the Rich leaves the battlefield, the effect allowing you to cast the exiled card if you attacked with a Rogue continues to apply, even during later turns—as long as you attack with a Rogue during those later turns.
2019-10-04 If a creature is attacking a planeswalker, the controller of the planeswalker is the defending player.
2019-10-04 If the defending player doesn't have more cards in hand than you immediately after Robber of the Rich attacks, its ability doesn't trigger at all. If that player doesn't have more cards in hand as the ability resolves, the ability does nothing. It doesn't matter if that player has fewer or the same number of cards in hand in between these two times, or if they have fewer or the same number of cards in hand later.
2019-10-04 If you cast an Adventure with Robber of the Rich, it's you, not the card's owner, who may cast the creature later.
2019-10-04 In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well. If you leave the game, any spells and/or permanents you control from Robber of the Rich's effect are exiled.
2019-10-04 Robber of the Rich's effect doesn't change when you can cast the exiled card. For example, if you exile a sorcery card, you can cast it only during your main phase when the stack is empty.
2019-10-04 The card Robber of the Rich exiles is exiled face up.
2019-10-04 You can cast the exiled card if the Rogue that attacked is still in combat, if it's left combat, if it's left the battlefield, or even if combat is over.

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