Arboreal Grazer is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Reach When this creature enters, you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield tapped.
Complete guide
Arboreal Grazer is a powerhouse one-drop that provides early defense and explosive mana acceleration. By allowing you to bypass the standard one-land-per-turn rule, this Sloth Beast sets the pace for high-impact plays in the early game. Its ability to block aerial threats with Reach makes it a versatile utility creature for any green deck.
A Sloth with Speed
Despite being a Sloth, Arboreal Grazer is all about acceleration. When it enters the battlefield, you get a triggered ability that lets you place a land card from your hand directly onto the battlefield tapped. This is an optional effect, meaning you choose whether or not to reveal and place the land when the ability resolves.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, you cast Arboreal Grazer by paying its mana cost. Once it successfully enters the battlefield, its triggered ability is put onto the stack. When that ability resolves, you may choose a land card from your hand and put it onto the battlefield tapped. Because this is a triggered effect and not a standard 'land play,' it does not use up your normal land drop for the turn.
Strategic Timing
This creature is best played on turn one to maximize the mana advantage for turn two. Since it has Reach and three points of toughness, it serves as an excellent early-game blocker against aggressive strategies. Remember that the land enters tapped, so you typically cannot use that land's mana on the same turn you play the Grazer.
Common Misconceptions
The most common mistake is thinking Arboreal Grazer limits your land plays. Official rulings clarify that this effect does not count as your land for the turn. You can play a land normally, then cast the Grazer to put a second land into play. Additionally, because the ability triggers 'on entry,' if the Grazer is countered, you do not get to put the land down.
Interaction examples
Birds of ParadiseOn turn one, you play a Forest and cast Arboreal Grazer. Its ability triggers, allowing you to put a second land into play tapped. On turn two, you now have access to two untapped lands and one tapped land. You use your two untapped lands to cast Birds of Paradise, establishing a massive mana advantage while the Grazer's Reach ability protects your Bird from small flying attackers.
Llanowar ElvesIf you have both Arboreal Grazer and Llanowar Elves in your opening hand, you can prioritize the Grazer to get extra lands onto the field immediately. By turn two, with the extra land provided by the Grazer and your normal turn two land play, you can easily cast Llanowar Elves and still have mana left over for other spells, effectively jumping ahead of your opponent's resource curve.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Arboreal Grazer
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Arboreal Grazer’s effect doesn’t count as playing a land. It can put a land card onto the battlefield even if you’ve already played your land for the turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Myojin of Cryptic Dreams + Evolution Sage + Arboreal Grazer + Simic Growth Chamber
- 1Cast Arboreal Grazer by paying
. - 2Holding priority, activate Myojin by removing an indestructible counter from it, copying the Arboreal Grazer spell three times.
- 3Resolve the first Arboreal Grazer copy.
- 4The Arboreal Grazer token enters the battlefield, putting SImic Growth Chamber from your hand onto the battlefield.
- 5Simic Growth Chamber enters the battlefield, triggering itself and Evolution Sage.
- 6Resolve the Simic Growth Chamber trigger, returning it from the battlefield to your hand.
- 7Resolve the Evolution Sage trigger, putting an indestructible counter on Myojin.
- 8Repeat from step 3 two additional times.
Myojin of Cryptic Dreams + Evolution Sage + Arboreal Grazer + Azorius Chancery
- 1Cast Arboreal Grazer by paying .
- 2Holding priority, activate Myojin of Cryptic Dreams by removing an indestructible counter from it, copying the Arboreal Grazer spell three times.
- 3Resolve the first Arboreal Grazer copy.
- 4The Arboreal Grazer token enters the battlefield, putting Azorius Chancery from your hand onto the battlefield.
- 5Azorius Chancery enters the battlefield, triggering itself and Evolution Sage.
- 6Resolve the Azorius Chancery trigger, returning it from the battlefield to your hand.
- 7Resolve the Evolution Sage trigger, putting an indestructible counter on Myojin of Cryptic Dreams.
- 8Repeat from step 3 two additional times.
Myojin of Cryptic Dreams + Evolution Sage + Arboreal Grazer + Izzet Boilerworks
- 1Cast Arboreal Grazer by paying .
- 2Holding priority, activate Myojin of Cryptic Dreams by removing an indestructible counter from it, copying the Arboreal Grazer spell three times.
- 3Resolve the first Arboreal Grazer copy.
- 4The Arboreal Grazer token enters the battlefield, putting Izzet Boilerworks from your hand onto the battlefield.
- 5Izzet Boilerworks enters the battlefield, triggering itself and Evolution Sage.
- 6Resolve the Izzet Boilerworks trigger, returning it from the battlefield to your hand.
- 7Resolve the Evolution Sage trigger, putting an indestructible counter on Myojin of Cryptic Dreams.
- 8Repeat from step 3 two additional times.
Myojin of Cryptic Dreams + Evolution Sage + Selesnya Sanctuary + Arboreal Grazer
- 1Cast Arboreal Grazer by paying .
- 2Holding priority, activate Myojin of Cryptic Dreams by removing an indestructible counter from it, copying the Arboreal Grazer spell three times.
- 3Resolve the first Arboreal Grazer copy.
- 4The Arboreal Grazer token enters the battlefield, putting Selesnya Sanctuary from your hand onto the battlefield.
- 5Selesnya Sanctuary enters the battlefield, triggering itself and Evolution Sage.
- 6Resolve the Selesnya Sanctuary trigger, returning it from the battlefield to your hand.
- 7Resolve the Evolution Sage trigger, putting an indestructible counter on Myojin of Cryptic Dreams.
- 8Repeat from step 3 two additional times.
Myojin of Cryptic Dreams + Evolution Sage + Arboreal Grazer + Arid Archway
- 1Cast Arboreal Grazer by paying .
- 2Holding priority, activate Myojin of Cryptic Dreams by removing an indestructible counter from it, copying the Arboreal Grazer spell three times.
- 3Resolve the first Arboreal Grazer copy.
- 4The Arboreal Grazer token enters the battlefield, putting Arid Archway from your hand onto the battlefield.
- 5Arid Archway enters the battlefield, triggering itself and Evolution Sage.
- 6Resolve the Arid Archway trigger, returning it from the battlefield to your hand.
- 7Resolve the Evolution Sage trigger, putting an indestructible counter on Myojin of Cryptic Dreams.
- 8Repeat from step 3 two additional times.
Myojin of Cryptic Dreams + Evolution Sage + Arboreal Grazer + Dimir Aqueduct
- 1Cast Arboreal Grazer by paying .
- 2Holding priority, activate Myojin of Cryptic Dreams by removing an indestructible counter from it, copying the Arboreal Grazer spell three times.
- 3Resolve the first Arboreal Grazer copy.
- 4The Arboreal Grazer token enters the battlefield, putting Dimir Aqueduct from your hand onto the battlefield.
- 5Dimir Aqueduct enters the battlefield, triggering itself and Evolution Sage.
- 6Resolve the Dimir Aqueduct trigger, returning it from the battlefield to your hand.
- 7Resolve the Evolution Sage trigger, putting an indestructible counter on Myojin of Cryptic Dreams.
- 8Repeat from step 3 two additional times.
Myojin of Cryptic Dreams + Evolution Sage + Gruul Turf + Arboreal Grazer
- 1Cast Arboreal Grazer by paying .
- 2Holding priority, activate Myojin of Cryptic Dreams by removing an indestructible counter from it, copying the Arboreal Grazer spell three times.
- 3Resolve the first Arboreal Grazer copy.
- 4The Arboreal Grazer token enters the battlefield, putting Gruul Turf from your hand onto the battlefield.
- 5Gruul Turf enters the battlefield, triggering itself and Evolution Sage.
- 6Resolve the Gruul Turf trigger, returning it from the battlefield to your hand.
- 7Resolve the Evolution Sage trigger, putting an indestructible counter on Myojin of Cryptic Dreams.
- 8Repeat from step 3 two additional times.
Myojin of Cryptic Dreams + Evolution Sage + Golgari Rot Farm + Arboreal Grazer
- 1Cast Arboreal Grazer by paying .
- 2Holding priority, activate Myojin of Cryptic Dreams by removing an indestructible counter from it, copying the Arboreal Grazer spell three times.
- 3Resolve the first Arboreal Grazer copy.
- 4The Arboreal Grazer token enters the battlefield, putting Golgari Rot Farm from your hand onto the battlefield.
- 5Golgari Rot Farm enters the battlefield, triggering itself and Evolution Sage.
- 6Resolve the Golgari Rot Farm trigger, returning it from the battlefield to your hand.
- 7Resolve the Evolution Sage trigger, putting an indestructible counter on Myojin of Cryptic Dreams.
- 8Repeat from step 3 two additional times.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Arboreal Grazer
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.