Ruin Crab MTG Card


Ruin Crab excels in disrupting opponents by milling their libraries through landfall triggers. It shines within landfall and mill strategies, offering alternate win conditions. Despite its potential, the Crab’s impact can wane without lands in hand.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Crab
Abilities Landfall,Mill
Power 0
Toughness 3

Text of card

Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, each opponent mills three cards. (To mill a card, a player puts the top card of their library into their graveyard.)


Cards like Ruin Crab

Ruin Crab has etched its name into MTG history as an archetype mill card, a strategy revolving around depleting the opponent’s library. It mirrors the abilities of Hedron Crab, a predecessor in the milling category. Both cards share the landfall ability – which can put cards from a library into a graveyard whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control. However, Ruin Crab ups the ante by adding an extra card to the milling count, tipping the scales in effectiveness.

Closer in ability is the card Crab, often used in mill decks for its synergistic traits. Although not as efficient with milling per landfall, it holds its ground with a lower casting cost. Alternatively, Mind Funeral targets a different angle of the mill strategy by revealing cards until four lands are revealed, risking a bigger mill effect in one go. It lacks the repeatable use that Ruin Crab offers but can be devastating in a single casting.

Assessing these options, Ruin Crab stands out as a valuable card in MTG’s mill decks. Its persistent threat paired with a reasonable mana cost makes it a formidable choice for players wanting to leverage the mill strategy effectively.

Hedron Crab - MTG Card versions
Crab - MTG Card versions
Mind Funeral - MTG Card versions
Hedron Crab - MTG Card versions
Crab - MTG Card versions
Mind Funeral - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Ruin Crab by color, type and mana cost

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Cloud Sprite - MTG Card versions
Merrow Witsniper - MTG Card versions
Merfolk of the Pearl Trident - MTG Card versions
Flying Men - MTG Card versions
Shrieking Drake - MTG Card versions
Cloud Pirates - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Diver - MTG Card versions
Fledgling Osprey - MTG Card versions
Manta Riders - MTG Card versions
Faerie Squadron - MTG Card versions
Faerie Seer - MTG Card versions
Fugitive Wizard - MTG Card versions
Wandering Ones - MTG Card versions
Teardrop Kami - MTG Card versions
Dreamcatcher - MTG Card versions
Trusted Advisor - MTG Card versions
Drifter il-Dal - MTG Card versions
Sage of Epityr - MTG Card versions
Screeching Sliver - MTG Card versions
Timebender - MTG Card versions
Cloud Sprite - MTG Card versions
Merrow Witsniper - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Ruin Crab. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Dimir MillDimir Mill ModernMillModern Showcase Challenge 2024-04-13
Azorius MillAzorius Mill ModernMillModern Preliminary 2024-04-26 (1)
Mono-Blue MillMono-Blue Mill ModernMillModern Challenge 64 2024-04-22

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ruin Crab presents an edge by milling three cards from your opponent’s library into their graveyard each time a land enters the battlefield under your control. This continuous effect can deplete key resources from your opponent over time, subtly shifting the game’s balance in your favor without spending additional resources.

Resource Acceleration: While Ruin Crab itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, it synergizes exceptionally well with landfall strategies. Integrating it with effects that put multiple lands into play can ramp up its milling potential, effectively accelerating the path to victory through an alternative win condition.

Instant Speed: Though Ruin Crab operates at sorcery speed, its influence on the game can be felt at instant speed due to the nature of land play. For example, playing a fetch land and cracking it on an opponent’s turn can unexpectedly mill them for six cards, disrupting their strategy at a moment’s notice. This makes it a formidable presence that can capitalize on every land drop, regardless of whose turn it is.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Ruin Crab itself does not require discarding, its synergistic potential is significantly reduced when your hand is empty. Without land cards to play, you can’t capitalize on its landfall ability, making it less impactful on the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Ruin Crab demands a blue mana to be cast. This specificity can hinder deck-building flexibility, particularly in multi-colored decks that might struggle to have the necessary mana readily available in the early game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite being a one-cost creature, the real value of Ruin Crab can become somewhat mana intensive as it relies on playing additional lands to trigger its milling effect. In scenarios where you need to optimize mana usage, other creatures or spells could be more advantageous.


Reasons to Include Ruin Crab in Your Collection

Versatility: Ruin Crab serves as an excellent addition in a variety of decks, particularly those that capitalize on mill strategies or require consistent landfall triggers to activate other abilities.

Combo Potential: Ruin Crab is often a key component in decks built around milling opponents, working exceptionally well with cards that allow for multiple land plays per turn, thus maximizing its effect.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where graveyard-based strategies or decks with limited options to interact with enchantments or creatures are prevalent, Ruin Crab stands out as a potent threat that can disrupt your opponent’s game plan from early on.


How to beat

Ruin Crab has swiftly become a staple in MTG decks that focus on milling opponents, presenting a real challenge with its ability to steadily deplete an adversary’s library. When facing such a persistent threat, the key to success lies in removing the Ruin Crab from the battlefield swiftly. Spell-based removal such as Fatal Push or Abrade can efficiently handle this task, keeping the board clear and your library intact.

Another angle is to exploit graveyard recursion strategies that can mitigate the milling effect. Cards like Echo of Eons or Gaea’s Blessing can shuffle your graveyard back into your library, frustrating the milling strategy. Additionally, applying pressure with aggressive creatures can force an opponent to divert resources from milling to defense, disrupting their game plan.

Lastly, playing cards that grant hexproof to your library such as Leyline of Sanctity shields it from targeted milling, fundamentally weakening Ruin Crab’s potential impact on the game. By using these tactics, you’re well-equipped to counteract the tide that Ruin Crab brings to the table and maintain the upper hand throughout the match.


BurnMana Recommendations

Ruin Crab has carved a niche in MTG as a card that reshapes game dynamics subtly yet significantly. Whether you’re intrigued by the consistent milling advantage or the combo opportunities it unlocks with landfall synergies, adding Ruin Crab to your collection is a strategic move for both new players and veterans. If you’re keen to exploit the full potential of this compelling creature and disrupt your opponent’s deck in the process, we’re here to delve deeper. Join us as we explore advanced strategies, techniques, and card synergies, ensuring your MTG endeavors are not just successful but truly engaging.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ruin Crab MTG card by a specific set like Media Inserts and Magic Online Promos, 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 Ruin Crab and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ruin Crab Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2020-09-25 and 2022-07-07. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11995-01-02Media InsertsPMEI 541997NormalBlackSimon Dominic
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 836962015NormalBlackMatteo Bassini
32020-09-25Zendikar RisingZNR 2952015NormalBlackMatteo Bassini
42020-09-25Zendikar RisingZNR 752015NormalBlackSimon Dominic
52022-07-07Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's GateHBG 9112015NormalBlackSimon Dominic

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ruin Crab has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2020-09-25 A landfall ability doesn’t trigger if a permanent already on the battlefield becomes a land.
2020-09-25 A landfall ability triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. It triggers whenever you play a land, as well as whenever a spell or ability puts a land onto the battlefield under your control.
2020-09-25 Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one to resolve.