Scurrid Colony 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 This creature gets +2/+2 as long as you control eight or more lands.
Complete guide
Scurrid Colony is a versatile low-cost creature that scales effectively into the late game. While it starts as a modest defender, it transforms into a significant threat once your mana base is fully established.
A Growing Threat
Scurrid Colony possesses Reach, allowing it to block creatures with Flying. Its most notable feature is a continuous ability that grants it a +2/+2 bonus as long as you control eight or more lands. This check is constant; as soon as you play your eighth land, the bonus applies immediately without using the stack.
State-Based Actions and Buffs
The +2/+2 bonus is not a counter; it is a static effect. If a spell or ability causes your land count to drop below eight, the bonus vanishes instantly. This is crucial because damage marked on a creature stays until the end of the turn. If Scurrid Colony has damage marked on it and you lose your eighth land, the reduction in toughness may cause it to be destroyed by state-based actions.
Common Mistakes
Players often forget that Scurrid Colony does not count mana-producing creatures like Llanowar Elves toward its eight-land requirement. Only cards with the 'Land' type on their type line count. Additionally, remember that Reach only matters when you are defending; it does not grant the Squirrel any special evasion when it attacks.
Strategic Timing
In the early game, use Scurrid Colony to deter small flyers. Once you reach the eight-land threshold, it becomes a 4/4 creature, making it a viable attacker. Be cautious when using 'fetch lands' or sacrifice effects if you are exactly at eight lands, as this will shrink your Squirrel mid-turn.
Interaction examples
Birds of ParadiseIf your opponent attacks with Birds of Paradise, you can declare Scurrid Colony as a blocker because it has Reach. Even though Birds of Paradise has Flying, Reach allows the Squirrel to intercept it in combat.
Llanowar ElvesIf you control seven Forests and one Llanowar Elves, Scurrid Colony remains a 2/2. Although you have eight sources of mana, Llanowar Elves is a creature, not a land. You must play an eighth land card to trigger the +2/+2 bonus.
Suppose you control eight lands and Scurrid Colony is a 4/4. It blocks a 3/3 creature and takes 3 damage. If an opponent destroys one of your lands later that turn, Scurrid Colony immediately becomes a 2/2. Since it still has 3 damage marked on it, it will be destroyed because its toughness is now less than the damage it sustained.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Scurrid Colony
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Because damage remains marked on creatures until the damage is removed as the turn ends, nonlethal damage dealt to Scurrid Colony may become lethal if the number of lands you control falls below eight.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If the number of lands you control falls below eight, Scurrid Colony loses the +2/+2 bonus. This may cause it to die to damage that is already marked on it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Scurrid Colony
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.