Akroan Mastiff MTG Card


Akroan Mastiff - Journey into Nyx
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Dog
Released2014-05-02
Set symbol
Set nameJourney into Nyx
Set codeJOU
Power 2
Toughness 2
Number3
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byZoltan Boros

Key Takeaways

  1. Its tap ability at instant speed can disrupt opponents, offering a tactical advantage during the combat phase.
  2. Flexible in control-focused decks, the Mastiff tactically restrains key opposing threats.
  3. Despite its restrictions, the Mastiff’s value lies in combo potentials and meta-relevance against creature-based strategies.

Text of card

, : Tap target creature.

Even when many of the soldiers who guarded Akros were called away, its safety was never in doubt.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Akroan Mastiff comes with the capacity to potentially turn the tide of the battlefield in your favor. By continuously tapping your opponent’s formidable creatures, it indirectly contributes to maintaining your card presence on the board, ensuring that your threats remain unchallenged.

Resource Acceleration: While it may not provide direct resource acceleration like ramp cards, having the Akroan Mastiff in play could save valuable mana that you’d otherwise spend on removal spells. This efficiency allows you to accelerate your game plan by deploying more threats or holding up mana for critical plays.

Instant Speed: The ability to tap an opponent’s creature at instant speed gives the Mastiff a tactical edge. It can disrupt combat strategies, foil synergies, and provide surprise defenses right before the combat phase, all of which could swing the momentum of the game into your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Akroan Mastiff doesn’t require you to discard as an integral part of its mechanics, but its interaction within its limited environment, Theros, meant players often had to decide between playing the Mastiff or holding cards for more impactful plays, leading to a nuanced conundrum on resource management.

Specific Mana Cost: The Akroan Mastiff demands a particular setup with a white mana cost that can be a tad restrictive. Deck builders have to consider their mana base carefully to reliably cast it on curve, potentially affecting deck diversity and strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a four mana value, the investment in the Akroan Mastiff can steer players towards other creatures or spells with more immediate board presence or effects that come at a lower cast cost, providing a quicker tempo in gameplay.


Reasons to Include Akroan Mastiff in Your Collection

Versatility: The Akroan Mastiff’s ability to tap target creatures offers flexibility in controlling the battlefield. This mechanic can be useful in decks aiming to keep opponents’ potential threats at bay.

Combo Potential: When paired with cards that can untap creatures, the Mastiff’s ability can be used multiple times in a turn, allowing for deeper strategic plays and the ability to manipulate combat to your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where creatures with powerful abilities dictate the pace, having a card like Akroan Mastiff can disrupt opponent strategies, making it a tactical inclusion against creature-dependent decks.


How to beat

Akroan Mastiff may not top the list of powerhouse creatures in Magic: The Gathering, but it has a tactical ability that can strategically immobilize an opponent’s creature. Its tap ability targets creatures and prevents them from untapping during their controller’s next untap step. This ability, while useful, can be circumvented. The key to countering an Akroan Mastiff lies in speed and removal. Swift removal spells can effectively dispatch the Mastiff before it has a chance to tap your creatures.

For example, Lightning Bolt offers a fast and cost-effective way to remove the Mastiff from the battlefield. Alternatively, bounce spells like Unsummon allow you to temporarily remove it, giving you an opening to attack or cast spells without its interference. In a broader strategy, focus on building a board presence that can overwhelm or outpace the Mastiff’s single-target control, negating its impact on the game. By employing these methods, you can effectively negate the Akroan Mastiff’s ability and maintain the momentum of your play.


Cards like Akroan Mastiff

Akroan Mastiff may not be the flashiest card in MTG, but it shares traits with other creatures that command a presence on the battlefield through their ability to control opposition. Cards like Gideon’s Lawkeeper and Blinding Mage also have tap abilities, allowing players to effectively neutralize potential threats from opponent creatures by keeping them from attacking or blocking. However, Akroan Mastiff differentiates itself with a stiffer mana requirement for its activated ability and aligns closely with the limited-time tactics seen in white-based control decks.

Examining tappers like Goldmeadow Harrier reveals that while it may cost less to activate, it doesn’t possess the sturdy creature body the Mastiff offers. This gives the Mastiff a dual purpose as both a control piece and a relatively sizeable blocker if needed. Then there’s Avacynian Missionaries, another white creature with a transformative ability, which upon equipping an artifact becomes a formidable creature that can exile other creatures. Although more powerful, it requires a setup that Akroan Mastiff does not.

Akroan Mastiff shines as a standalone control tool in MTG, valuable for its inherent capacity to repeatedly neutralize key targets without additional conditions, providing tactical advantage during matches with its straightforward ability.

Gideon's Lawkeeper - MTG Card versions
Blinding Mage - MTG Card versions
Goldmeadow Harrier - MTG Card versions
Gideon's Lawkeeper - Magic 2012 (M12)
Blinding Mage - Magic 2010 (M10)
Goldmeadow Harrier - Lorwyn (LRW)

Cards similar to Akroan Mastiff by color, type and mana cost

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Witch Hunter - MTG Card versions
Carrier Pigeons - MTG Card versions
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Northern Paladin - Revised Edition (3ED)
Moorish Cavalry - Arabian Nights (ARN)
Witch Hunter - Chronicles (CHR)
Carrier Pigeons - Alliances (ALL)
Tormented Angel - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Seasoned Marshal - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Coalition Honor Guard - Apocalypse (APC)
Mangara, the Diplomat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Akroma's Devoted - Legions (LGN)
Aven Cloudchaser - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Seht's Tiger - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Valor - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Guardian Seraph - Magic 2010 (M10)
Cho-Manno, Revolutionary - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Hero of Bladehold - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Mausoleum Guard - Innistrad (ISD)
Galepowder Mage - Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth (DDI)
Kor Cartographer - Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth (DDI)
Sunspire Gatekeepers - Dragon's Maze (DGM)
Abzan Battle Priest - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Akroan Mastiff MTG card by a specific set like Journey into Nyx, 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 Akroan Mastiff and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Akroan Mastiff has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

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