Golgari Thug MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Warrior
Abilities Dredge,Mill
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Boosts graveyard strategies through dredging and ensures card quality with its death trigger.
  2. Fuels gameplay pace by accelerating resource deployment, crucial for maintaining dominance.
  3. Interacts with instant speed mechanics, setting up advantageous scenarios for the player.

Text of card

When Golgari Thug is put into a graveyard from play, put target creature card in your graveyard on top of your library. Dredge 4 (If you would draw a card, instead you may put exactly four cards from the top of your library into your graveyard. If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Otherwise, draw a card.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Golgari Thug enhances graveyard strategies by dredging, providing a level of card selection and recurring creatures, which can be crucial for maintaining card superiority over your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: With its death-trigger ability, it ensures that a valuable creature card from your graveyard is placed on top of your library, swiftly accelerating your resource deployment and maintaining momentum.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Golgari Thug interacts beneficially with instant speed mechanics, allowing you to set up your next draw in response to end-of-turn actions or during unforeseen gameplay scenarios.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Golgari Thug necessitates that a player discards a card, which can position one at a disadvantage, especially when the player is already managing a scarce hand.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting requirements for Golgari Thug involve both black and green mana, which restricts its integration to decks that can produce both types of mana reliably.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although providing a dredge mechanic, the two mana required might be deemed steep for the card’s direct impact on the game, considering there are alternatives that offer dredge for less or provide additional benefits.


Reasons to Include Golgari Thug in Your Collection

Versatility: Golgari Thug is a solid choice for an array of deck styles, known for its utility in graveyard-centric strategies. It serves as both an early blocker and a means to set up your draws or delve into deeper graveyard plays.

Combo Potential: With its death-triggered ability to put creature cards from your graveyard on top of your library, Golgari Thug can be a key component in combos, particularly those that revolve around recurring creatures or dredge mechanics.

Meta-Relevance: In formats where the graveyard is a resource, such as Legacy or Commander, this card holds its ground. It has proven to be effective against a variety of decks, making it a resilient choice in diverse metagames.


How to beat

Golgari Thug is a staple in many graveyard-centric decks in Magic: The Gathering, providing strategic depth with its death-trigger ability. Recognized for its role in the dredge mechanic, this card can be a real thorn in an opponent’s side. When Golgari Thug is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, it enables the player to put a creature card from their graveyard on top of their library, a subtle but potent form of card advantage.

To effectively counter this card, it’s essential to disrupt graveyard synergies. Cards like Relic of Progenitus or Scavenging Ooze can exile Golgari Thug before the dredge ability can be utilized, nullifying its potential. Graveyard hate cards should be part of your strategy when facing decks that exploit these mechanics. Additionally, instant speed removal can ensure that Golgari Thug’s death-trigger does not provide its full value, especially if you can time it just before your opponent’s draw step. By doing so, you prevent the setup of their next draw and limit the recursive plays that the Golgari Thug encourages.

Understanding this, employing graveyard disruption and strategic removal can tip the scales in your favor against a card that otherwise offers a nuanced advantage through its unique interaction with the graveyard.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG involves recognizing the subtle strengths and weaknesses of each card. Golgari Thug is a prime example, offering a nuanced edge with its graveyard-centric abilities. Enhancing your strategy with cards like Golgari Thug can drastically influence the game’s outcome. Whether you’re a seasoned player or just starting, understanding the dynamics of such cards is key to refining your deck. If Golgari Thug’s strategic depth speaks to your playstyle, delve further into our comprehensive guides and take your game beyond the basics. Embrace the depths of graveyard strategies with us, and witness your MTG expertise flourish.


Cards like Golgari Thug

In the realm of graveyard manipulation, Golgari Thug stands out as a staple for dredge strategies in MTG. It bears similarity to other creatures within its archetype, like Stinkweed Imp which also carries the dredge mechanic. The difference lies in the dredge numbers – Golgari Thug dredges for four, while Stinkweed Imp reaches five. The trade-off with Stinkweed Imp is its higher mana cost and the fact that it doesn’t have the ability to put a creature card from your graveyard on top of your library when it dies.

Golgari Thug shares its creature resurrection trait with cards like Gravecrawler. Both can influence the board post-mortem. However, Gravecrawler’s recurring casting ability from the graveyard is conditional upon controlling another Zombie, whereas Golgari Thug’s death-triggered ability is less restrictive and can target any creature in your graveyard. This makes Golgari Thug a critical enabler in reanimator decks or those looking to recycle creatures with powerful enter-the-battlefield effects.

Ultimately, Golgari Thug is a compact package with dredge and recursion, valuable in decks designed to exploit the graveyard. It finds its niche among players looking to finely tune their grave-based strategies, standing as a crucial piece in the vast puzzle of MTG’s strategic gameplay.

Stinkweed Imp - MTG Card versions
Gravecrawler - MTG Card versions
Stinkweed Imp - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Gravecrawler - Dark Ascension Promos (PDKA)

Cards similar to Golgari Thug by color, type and mana cost

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Drudge Skeletons - Eighth Edition (8ED)
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Erg Raiders - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
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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)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Golgari Thug MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica: City of Guilds and Magic Online Theme Decks, 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 Golgari Thug and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Golgari Thug Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2005-10-07 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12005-10-07Ravnica: City of GuildsRAV 872003normalblackKev Walker
22010-11-08Magic Online Theme DecksTD0 A422003normalblackKev Walker
32012-09-07Duel Decks: Izzet vs. GolgariDDJ 482003normalblackJohann Bodin
42018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 982015normalblackJohann Bodin
52019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 72015normalblackDan Mumford
62020-09-26The ListPLST RAV-872003normalblackKev Walker
72024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 3251997normalblackKev Walker
82024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 762015normalblackKev Walker

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Golgari Thug has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-06-07 Dredge lets you replace any card draw, not just the one during your draw step.
2013-06-07 Once you decide to replace a draw using a card’s dredge ability, that card can’t be removed from your graveyard “in response.” (Replacement effects don’t use the stack.)
2013-06-07 You can’t use dredge unless you’re going to draw a card and the card with dredge is already in your graveyard.

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