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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thieving Otter has an ability that lets you draw a card whenever it deals damage to an opponent, effectively replenishing your hand and giving you more options as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing mana, the card advantage Thieving Otter offers can lead to drawing into additional land or ramp spells, indirectly accelerating your resources.

Instant Speed: While Thieving Otter itself is not an instant, it synergizes well with instant speed spells that can clear the way for its attacks or protect it, thus facilitating its damage-triggered draw ability.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Thieving Otter comes with the prerequisite of needing to connect with an opponent to trigger its draw ability. This can be challenging, especially when facing decks with robust creature defenses.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires both blue and generic mana to cast, which can potentially restrict its integration into multi-colored decks that are not heavily invested in blue mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana for a 2/2 creature, Thieving Otter might not provide the most cost-effective creature option available. Many players may opt for creatures with stronger abilities or stats for the same or lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include Thieving Otter in Your Collection

Versatility: Thieving Otter offers flexibility as a low-cost creature that can easily slip into a variety of blue-centered decks. Its ability to draw a card upon dealing damage to an opponent makes it an excellent addition to strategies aiming to maintain card advantage.

Combo Potential: This card has great synergy with mechanics that enable unblockable attacks or increase the number of draws. Those running cards that buff or grant evasion to creatures can certainly capitalize on Thieving Otter’s potential to enhance card draw engines and other interactions.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where slower, control-oriented games are prevalent, having a consistent card draw can be a significant edge. Thieving Otter, despite its modest appearance, can be a persistent source of card advantage that keeps you ahead of the competition in grindy match-ups.

How to Beat Thieving Otter

Thieving Otter is a card that can be tricky to play against in Magic: The Gathering due to its ability to draw a card upon dealing combat damage to a player. To counteract the advantage that Thieving Otter provides, it’s essential to prevent it from connecting with the player directly. This can be achieved through various strategies such as maintaining blockers with enough power to withstand the Otter’s attack or using removal spells to clear the Otter from the board before it becomes a threat. Cards with Flash also offer an excellent way to surprise your opponent by bringing in blockers when they least expect it.

Another effective strategy is to employ instant-speed removal or creature abilities that can be activated in response to the attack. This way, you can handle the Otter in combat, ensuring it doesn’t get the chance to sneak through and cause damage. It’s also worth considering the use of enchantments or artifacts that limit your opponent’s ability to attack successfully or buff your own creatures to discourage them from attacking in the first place. In essence, staying vigilant and reacting quickly to the presence of Thieving Otter can nullify its card-drawing capability and maintain the balance of the game.