3 mana for a 1/1 isn't much of a deal. 6 mana for two 2/2's (if you're lucky) isn't much of a deal either. If you absolutely MUST play with rats, just use Relentless Rats and an AEther Vial.
John-Bender
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
"These kids today with their collector numbers and their newfangled tap symbol. Twenty Black Lotuses and twenty Plague Rats. Now that's real Magic." - Old Fogey.
But yeah there isn't much of a reason to use Plague Rats when you could be using Relentless Rats instead.
Paleopaladin
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
I really miss real-world poetry/literary references in flavor texts. :-(
Awesome educational value for the kiddies who play. Seems very appropriate for core sets.
fjdkslan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
considering that this came out before you were only allowed to have 4 of any card, this thing was pretty good for its time. you could have 3 or 4 and have decent sized creatures for the mana, or you can have 20 of them for insanity!!
longwinded
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
As fjdkslan has said, you used to be able to construct a deck of 20 plague rats (and for that matter, 20 Dark Rituals). Both of those cards are a BIG reason you're only allowed 4 of any card today, since neither card was not powerful enough to ban/restrict.
Originally, high cost/slowness was the only thing that made them balanced. When the new rules nerfed them, Pestilence Rats were added as a way to recapture some of their swarming ability in a card that was useful even with only one on the field. Relentless Rats is a similar attempt to bring back swarming with creatures that are useful even with only one on the field.
psychokid121
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
ill give it this. not only did this card INSPIRE relentless rats, but in a game where you both had them, if you both had all 4 out, thats an 8/8 for only 3 mana and no drawback as long as they are all out. i dont look at this as a crap card, but more a look at where we came from and helped us get what we have now :)
supershawn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm building a rat deck, I want these because they bring back old memories but I can't bring myself to use them when relentless rats is available.
zyvlyn
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
It's sad that Relentless Rats made this obsolete, but Plague Rats can be combined with Followed Footsteps for a powerful, if slow, combination.
ROBRAM89
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I love the disgusting skinless patch with the hideous yellow sac underneath. What, does this thing have one of the gold sentinel spheres from Phantasm driving it around?
Ragamander
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Bah! I refuse to let some "four-copy maximum" rule stop me from legally playing (and killing you with) more than four!
Also, Tombstone Stairwell would be an interesting, if difficult to manage, addition.
Technetium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is one of the best examples of "strictly better" I can think of: Plague Rats 2B Only counts other Plague Rats
Pack Rat 1B Counts all rats Can even make duplicates
I reserve the 0.5 for the cards are are really legendary in awfulness, like Wood Elemental or Sorrow's Path... cards that your opponent would actually want to make you play if he could. This isn't that level of awfulness. But it has to be one of the worst 1.0 cards.
Comments (11)
But yeah there isn't much of a reason to use Plague Rats when you could be using Relentless Rats instead.
Awesome educational value for the kiddies who play. Seems very appropriate for core sets.
Originally, high cost/slowness was the only thing that made them balanced. When the new rules nerfed them, Pestilence Rats were added as a way to recapture some of their swarming ability in a card that was useful even with only one on the field. Relentless Rats is a similar attempt to bring back swarming with creatures that are useful even with only one on the field.
1) Plague Rats and as many creatures as possible (Sengir Autocrat, Hunted Horror and Hunted Phantasm are good)
2) Levitation
3) Mirrorweave
Take that! I don't need no stinkin' Pestilence Rats or Relentless Rats!
...
Also, Tombstone Stairwell would be an interesting, if difficult to manage, addition.
Plague Rats
2B
Only counts other Plague Rats
Pack Rat
1B
Counts all rats
Can even make duplicates
I reserve the 0.5 for the cards are are really legendary in awfulness, like Wood Elemental or Sorrow's Path... cards that your opponent would actually want to make you play if he could. This isn't that level of awfulness. But it has to be one of the worst 1.0 cards.