Tarmogoyf MTG: The Most Efficient Creature
Tarmogoyf MTG is the 2-mana Lhurgoyf that defined an entire era of competitive Magic. Its power and toughness are equal to the number of card types in all graveyards. By turn two, a properly built deck has already made it a 3/4. By turn three, it’s a 4/5 or 5/6. For a 2-drop, no other creature in Magic history has come close to that efficiency for so long.
This Spotlight walks through the math behind the card, the print history from 2007 to 2024, the formats where it dominates, and why a Tarmogoyf proxy is the most cost-effective way to run four copies in your casual Modern deck.
Quick Facts
What This Article Covers
- The math behind Tarmogoyf’s power and toughness
- How the card became a $6-$20 Modern pillar for two decades
- Print history from Future Sight (2007) to Modern Horizons 3 Commander (2024)
- Which Tarmogoyf print is most budget-friendly in 2026
- When a Tarmogoyf proxy is the right move for casual play
What Does Tarmogoyf Actually Do?
Read the card carefully:
> Tarmogoyf’s power is equal to the number of card types among cards in all graveyards and its toughness is equal to that number plus 1.
That’s it. A 2-mana 0/1 with a built-in growth mechanic. Every time any player puts a card into any graveyard, Tarmogoyf gets bigger. The card types it counts are: artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land, planeswalker, sorcery, and tribal. The maximum power you can legally achieve in normal play is 8/9 (eight types in all graveyards).
Here’s the math that makes the card broken:
The reason Tarmogoyf MTG has stayed in Modern sideboards and maindecks for nearly 20 years is that 2 mana for a 4/5 or 5/6 on turn four is insanely efficient. The only real counterplay is graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void, Endurance), and most Modern decks can’t run enough of those cards to consistently answer a resolved Tarmogoyf.
- Turn 2 (Tarmogoyf enters the battlefield): at minimum 0/1 if no graveyards are populated
- Turn 3: typically 1/2 (one land in a graveyard counts as a land type)
- Turn 4: usually 2/3 (land + a sorcery burned for any reason)
- Turn 5: typically 3/4 or 4/5 in a deck built to fill graveyards quickly
- Late game (turn 7+): 5/6 or 6/7 in most modern decks, up to 8/9 in dedicated graveyard decks
Section A: The Modern Masters 2017 Print
The Filip Burburan redraw in Modern Masters 2017 (MM3) is the print most Modern players have in their trade binder. It brought Tarmogoyf into a masters set with a modern-frame treatment at the time, and it’s the print most commonly pulled from MM3 packs that have been opened and circulated over the last decade.
Source: Scryfall — Modern Masters 2017 (2017), Filip Burburan redraw.
The Modern Masters 2017 version of Tarmogoyf sits at the price-point sweet spot for most casual Modern players—about $6 for the same rules text, with the modern-frame treatment giving it a clean look in Modern and Legacy decks. If you bought a Modern deck in the last five years, this is probably the Tarmogoyf print you have.
Why Tarmogoyf MTG Has Been a Modern Pillar Since 2007
Tarmogoyf was first printed in Future Sight (2007), a set specifically designed to test mechanics that might appear in future Magic sets. It was immediately a $20+ card and stayed there for years. The original Justin Murray art made the card a collector’s item; the rules text made it a competitive staple.
The card dominated Modern from the format’s 2011 inception. The “Jund” deck (featuring Tarmogoyf, Liliana of the Veil, and Dark Confidant) won the first Modern Pro Tour in 2011. Through 2025, Tarmogoyf MTG has appeared in 8 of the top-15 most-played Modern green creatures, and it’s still a Tier-1 card in the format.
The reason for the longevity: Tarmogoyf rewards the right kind of deckbuilding. Decks that fill graveyards quickly (Jund, Abzan, Rock, 4-color Control) get a 2-drop that scales with the game. Decks that don’t fill graveyards (decks running Rest in Peace as a maindeck hate card) can’t push the card’s power beyond 1/2 or 2/3, which makes the card unplayable in those shells. Tarmogoyf is a format-warping card because it forces every Modern deck to consider whether it’s worth running graveyard hate.
Section D: Three Print Variations Worth Knowing
Across nearly two decades, Tarmogoyf has been printed in 14 different sets. These three prints give you the most visual variety, the best budget options, and the collector’s choice. None of these duplicate the original Future Sight frame shown at the top of the article, and none duplicate the Modern Masters 2017 print shown in Section A.
Modern Masters (2013): Ryan Barger’s redraw introduced Tarmogoyf to the masters-set ecosystem. This version brought the card to a wider audience and is the print most often traded in casual Modern pods. At $8 it’s the second-cheapest option for players who want a modern-frame Tarmogoyf.
Ultimate Masters (2018): Filip Burburan’s second redraw in a masters set, this print is the cheapest Tarmogoyf currently in print at $6. It’s the right answer for players building a budget Modern deck who need four copies and don’t care about art variations.
Modern Horizons 3 Commander (2024): Filipe Pagliuso’s commander-focused variant, this print is the cheapest of all at $0.43. The catch: it’s only available in Modern Horizons 3 Commander product, not standard boosters. For players who want a paper Tarmogoyf at almost no cost, this is the print.
Which Tarmogoyf Print Should You Buy?
If you want the cheapest functional copy, Modern Horizons 3 Commander (2024) at $0.43 is the obvious answer—but you may have trouble finding it outside of MH3C draft boxes. The more practical “cheapest available” answer is Ultimate Masters (2018) at $6, which is widely available in singles markets.
If you want a card that holds long-term value, Future Sight (2007) is the print collectors hunt. The original Justin Murray art has a 2000s Magic aesthetic that doesn’t get reprinted. Foil Future Sight Tarmogoyf is currently $172+, making it one of the most valuable Tarmogoyf prints.
For most Modern and Legacy players, the choice between Modern Masters 2013, Modern Masters 2017, and Ultimate Masters comes down to: do you want a specific art, or do you just want the cheapest copy? All three are functionally identical, all three are under $10.
How Much Does Tarmogoyf Cost in 2026?
The card is legal in Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Historic, Brawl, Commander, Oathbreaker, Duel, and Predh. The cheapest print is Modern Horizons 3 Commander at $0.43 (if you can find it). The most accessible print is Ultimate Masters at $6. The most valuable print is Future Sight foil at $172+.
Total budget for all four budget prints (cheapest pool): $13 for one copy of each. That’s significantly less than the cost of a single Future Sight foil, but more than the cost of a high-quality Tarmogoyf proxy set—where all four art variants can be yours for a fraction of the cost.
For a card this reprinted, paying $6-$172 per copy for a 2-drop common-equivalent feels steep—especially when a premium proxy service offers the same playability at a fraction of the cost.
Combo Example: Tarmogoyf + Hollow One Deck
Tarmogoyf pairs naturally with graveyard-themed cards. The most efficient shell is the “Hollow One” archetype:
1. Cast Hollow One (4 mana, 4/4 with menace and trample, costs less for each card in your graveyard). 2. Cast Tarmogoyf on turn 2. 3. Self-mill with Faithless Looting or Stitcher’s Supplier to put more card types in graveyards. 4. By turn 4, Tarmogoyf is a 5/6 or 6/7 and Hollow One is a 4/4 trample-menace. 5. Swing for 9-13 trample damage unblocked.
This is the deck archetype that has defined Modern “midrange” since 2017. Tarmogoyf is the centerpiece, Hollow One is the payoff, and the self-mill spells are the engine.
The reason this combo has stayed in Modern for 9+ years: every card in the shell costs under $1 except Tarmogoyf. The whole deck can be built for under $30 in paper. That’s a price point almost no other competitive Modern archetype can match.
Why the Card Types Math Matters
Most players underestimate how many card types are in a typical Modern game by turn 4. Here’s a real-game count from a Jund mirror match:
By turn 4 in a typical Jund game, 6 different card types are in the graveyards. That means Tarmogoyf is a 6/7 on turn 4. The opponent needs to answer a 6/7 for 2 mana. The math doesn’t work for them.
- Lands (4-7 in graveyards after fetch+shock): 1 type
- Creatures (Tarmogoyf itself, plus any creature played/discarded): 1 type
- Sorceries (Lightning Bolt, Inquisition of Kozilek, etc. resolved earlier): 1 type
- Instants (any counterspell or removal spell used): 1 type
- Artifacts (any equipment or artifact creature played): 1 type
- Enchantments (Blood Moon, Liliana of the Veil’s -2 creates an enchantment, etc.): 1 type
- Planeswalkers (Liliana, Wrenn, etc.): 1 type
- Tribal (legacy-only, not in Modern): 0 types