Argentum Masticore

Strategy & Gameplay

Argentum Masticore is a compelling artifact creature that rewards careful hand management and strategic resource allocation across multiple formats. As a five-mana 5/5 with first strike and protection from multicolored, this creature presents immediate board presence while being remarkably difficult for opponents to block or remove through combat, especially in color-intensive decks. The real power emerges from its sacrifice-prevention clause: each upkeep, you must either discard a card or sacrifice the creature, but when you do discard, you get to destroy target nonland permanent with mana value less than or equal to your discarded card's cost. This creates a powerful two-for-one engine that transforms dead cards, excess lands, and creatures stuck in your hand into permanent removal, making it particularly valuable in discard-focused strategies, cycling decks, and control shells that naturally generate excess cards. The card shines in Pioneer and Modern formats within Mardu control, Rakdos pyromancy builds, and izzet spellslinger decks that already utilize discard outlets and card filtering. In Commander, it functions as an efficient removal machine in Grixis and Rakdos control decks while also fitting nicely into commander decks built around discard synergies. The protection from multicolored makes it resilient against spot removal in most matchups, while the attached removal ability ensures you're constantly advancing your board state even while managing your hand. Players seeking a flexible removal engine that doesn't require additional mana investment or spell slots will find Argentum Masticore an excellent addition to their trading binder.