Deadeye Rig-Hauler MTG Card


The card’s raid ability provides substantial tempo gain by bouncing opponents’ creatures when conditions are met. Its synergy with instant-speed spells and pirates maximizes the bounce effect, disrupting opponents’ strategies. Comparatively, its mana cost and requirement to attack can limit play options, affecting deck inclusion decisions.
Deadeye Rig-Hauler - Rivals of Ixalan
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Pirate
Abilities Raid
Released2018-01-19
Set symbol
Set nameRivals of Ixalan
Set codeRIX
Power 3
Toughness 2
Number36
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byVictor Adame Minguez

Text of card

Raid — When Deadeye Rig-Hauler enters the battlefield, if you attacked with a creature this turn, you may return target creature to its owner's hand.

"Up you go, you soggy rat."


Cards like Deadeye Rig-Hauler

Deadeye Rig-Hauler earns its place among the numerous options for blue creature cards in the fascinating world of MTG. Its kinship lies with creatures such as Air Elemental, both embracing the essence of the blue mana and the skies. Yet, Deadeye Rig-Hauler introduces a tactical twist with its Raid ability, rewarding players for being aggressive by potentially bouncing an opponent’s creature back to their hand if you attacked that turn. In contrast, the Air Elemental’s straightforward power lacks such strategic intricacy.

Another card worthy of mention is Man-o’-War, a creature that also captures the essence of tempo play by returning creatures to their owner’s hand upon entering the battlefield. Although it doesn’t require a conditional attack like Deadeye Rig-Hauler does, the Man-o’-War offers a similar disruptive effect with a slightly different deployment tactic. Similarly, Watertrap Weaver plays in this space, freezing opposing creatures temporarily, which can lead to favorable board states, albeit without the lasting removal effect the Deadeye Rig-Hauler can achieve.

Analyzing these comparisons, it’s evident that Deadeye Rig-Hauler presents a valuable combination of creature presence and board control, aligning well with the tempo-driven strategies embraced by players who favor blue decks.

Air Elemental - MTG Card versions
Man-o'-War - MTG Card versions
Watertrap Weaver - MTG Card versions
Air Elemental - MTG Card versions
Man-o'-War - MTG Card versions
Watertrap Weaver - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Deadeye Rig-Hauler enters the battlefield, if you attacked with a creature this turn, you may return target creature to its owner’s hand. This bounce effect can disrupt your opponent’s board, giving you a temporary card advantage and setting their plan back significantly.

Resource Acceleration: While the Deadeye Rig-Hauler doesn’t directly increase mana resources, by returning important creatures to your opponent’s hand, it effectively delays their game and can potentially cost them additional resources to replay those creatures. This tempo play often translates to acceleration in your own strategy, allowing you to outpace your opponent.

Instant Speed: Although the Rig-Hauler itself isn’t an instant, it interacts favorably with instant-speed tricks. By attacking with another creature, possibly one with flash, you trigger the Rig-Hauler’s ability when it comes into play. This can catch an opponent off guard, especially when they’ve tapped out or committed to an unfavorable block, believing their creature to be safe.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To capitalize on Deadeye Rig-Hauler’s raid ability, you must have attacked with a creature on the same turn. This requirement could be limiting, especially if you’re behind and can’t safely commit creatures to attack.

Specific Mana Cost: Deadeye Rig-Hauler requires both blue mana and generic mana to cast. This dual requirement makes it a less flexible choice for multi-colored decks that might struggle with mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, this card competes with other impactful four-mana spells that can potentially offer more value. In a format with mana efficiency playing a pivotal role, its cost might be too steep for the effect it provides.


Reasons to Include Deadeye Rig-Hauler in Your Collection

Versatility: Deadeye Rig-Hauler offers a flexible role in decks that prioritize tempo plays. It serves as both a creature on board and a mechanism for clearing out an opponent’s threat, making space for your attacks.

Combo Potential: When used in conjunction with other pirates or cards that enable quick board presence, Deadeye Rig-Hauler can consistently exploit its Raid ability, ensuring that you regularly benefit from its bounce effect to swing games in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that sees a lot of creatures sticking to the board, Deadeye Rig-Hauler can be a tactical addition that disrupts your opponent’s board state while developing your own, providing a subtle yet powerful shift in board control.


How to beat

Deadeye Rig-Hauler can be a challenging card to face in the tactical landscape of MTG due to its powerful raid ability, which lets you return a target creature to its owner’s hand if you attacked with a creature this turn. To navigate this ability, prioritize removal spells that can take Rig-Hauler off the board before its raid ability can trigger. Cards with instant-speed removal like Fatal Push or Path to Exile offer a quick solution to this dilemma. Another strategy involves minimizing the chances of a successful raid by controlling the number of creatures your opponent has that are capable of attacking and therefore enabling the raid effect.

Additionally, strategies that include counterspells such as Counterspell or Mana Leak can efficiently prevent Deadeye Rig-Hauler from entering the battlefield in the first place. Maintaining a focus on board presence and ensuring you have answers to your opponent’s potential attackers can ultimately limit the effectiveness of Deadeye Rig-Hauler. This preserves your board state against the tempo loss that its ability aims to provoke, allowing you to maintain an advantage in the match.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Deadeye Rig-Hauler MTG card by a specific set like Rivals of Ixalan, 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 Deadeye Rig-Hauler and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Deadeye Rig-Hauler has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2018-01-19 Raid abilities care only that you attacked with a creature. It doesn’t matter how many creatures you attacked with, or which opponent or planeswalker controlled by an opponent those creatures attacked.
2018-01-19 Raid abilities evaluate the entire turn to see if you attacked with a creature. That creature doesn’t have to still be on the battlefield. Similarly, the player or planeswalker it attacked doesn’t have to still be in the game or on the battlefield, respectively.