Thassa's Devourer MTG Card


Thassa’s Devourer’s ability triggers at instant speed, enhancing graveyard interaction and surprise tactics. The card’s versatility shines in self-mill and graveyard-based strategies, becoming a meta-relevant choice. Though impactful, its higher mana cost and blue mana specificity could limit its deck compatibility.
Thassa's Devourer - Journey into Nyx
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment Creature — Elemental
Abilities Constellation,Mill
Released2014-05-02
Set symbol
Set nameJourney into Nyx
Set codeJOU
Power 2
Toughness 6
Number53
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byDavid Palumbo

Text of card

Constellation — Whenever Thassa's Devourer or another enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, target player puts the top two cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.

When mortals claim there are places Thassa cannot reach, the sea god laughs.


Cards like Thassa's Devourer

Thassa’s Devourer offers a unique twist to the mill card landscape in Magic: The Gathering. Its presence in the enchantment creature category is reminiscent of other formidable cards dedicated to diminishing an opponent’s library, like Drowner Initiate which similarly mills the opposition though with a more subtle effect upon casting a blue spell. Thassa’s Devourer takes it up a notch, tapping into the Constellation mechanic that triggers its effect whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, thus potentially unleashing multiple instances of milling in a single turn.

A look at Hedron Crab offers insight into another approach to milling – a creature that requires landfall to activate its ability. Although it doesn’t boast a passive ability like Thassa’s Devourer, Hedron Crab can consistently apply pressure each turn with land plays. Conversely, Thassa’s Devourer benefits from a wider array of enchantments being played, ranging from auras to other enchantment creatures and beyond.

Considering the synergistic potential with enchantment-heavy decks, Thassa’s Devourer holds an esteemed spot among its peers in MTG. It marries the concepts of creature presence and enchantment synergy, demonstrating power in a well-crafted deck designed to exploit its constellation trigger for maximum advantage.

Drowner Initiate - MTG Card versions
Hedron Crab - MTG Card versions
Drowner Initiate - MTG Card versions
Hedron Crab - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Thassa's Devourer by color, type and mana cost

Psychic Allergy - MTG Card versions
Duplicity - MTG Card versions
Dream Halls - MTG Card versions
Bureaucracy - MTG Card versions
Treachery - MTG Card versions
Heightened Awareness - MTG Card versions
Sunken Hope - MTG Card versions
Ice Cave - MTG Card versions
Persuasion - MTG Card versions
Telekinetic Bonds - MTG Card versions
Reflections of Littjara - MTG Card versions
Wrath of Marit Lage - MTG Card versions
Shared Fate - MTG Card versions
Cowardice - MTG Card versions
Battle of Wits - MTG Card versions
Followed Footsteps - MTG Card versions
Biting Tether - MTG Card versions
Coma Veil - MTG Card versions
Vapor Snare - MTG Card versions
Gravitational Shift - MTG Card versions
Psychic Allergy - MTG Card versions
Duplicity - MTG Card versions
Dream Halls - MTG Card versions
Bureaucracy - MTG Card versions
Treachery - MTG Card versions
Heightened Awareness - MTG Card versions
Sunken Hope - MTG Card versions
Ice Cave - MTG Card versions
Persuasion - MTG Card versions
Telekinetic Bonds - MTG Card versions
Reflections of Littjara - MTG Card versions
Wrath of Marit Lage - MTG Card versions
Shared Fate - MTG Card versions
Cowardice - MTG Card versions
Battle of Wits - MTG Card versions
Followed Footsteps - MTG Card versions
Biting Tether - MTG Card versions
Coma Veil - MTG Card versions
Vapor Snare - MTG Card versions
Gravitational Shift - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thassa’s Devourer provides a tactical edge with its ability to exploit your graveyard. Each time you mill or exile a card from your graveyard, this card can increase the power of your creatures on the battlefield, potentially leading to overwhelming card presence as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly producing additional mana, Thassa’s Devourer can accelerate your deck’s engine by fueling graveyard-based strategies. This can lead to faster deployment of threats or enable more efficient use of your resources, especially in decks that revolve around the graveyard.

Instant Speed: Although Thassa’s Devourer operates in the battlefield zone, its triggered ability can function at instant speed, reacting to any action that involves cards entering your graveyard. This unique timing interaction can catch opponents off guard and may supplement the effectiveness of your instant-speed spells during crucial moments of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Thassa’s Devourer compels you to exile cards from your graveyard each time you exploit its ability. This demand can tax your card resources, particularly in longer games where your graveyard serves as a valuable extension of your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s blue mana requirement means it fits primarily into blue-centric or blue-compatible decks, thus potentially limiting its versatility across various deck archetypes. Players must carefully consider their mana base to ensure consistency in playing it on curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing five mana to cast, Thassa’s Devourer comes with a price tag that might deter players, especially considering that there are other creatures or enchantments that can initiate mill strategies at a lower cost or with more immediate board impact.


Reasons to Include Thassa’s Devourer in Your Collection

Versatility: Thassa’s Devourer is a flexible card that can enhance a variety of self-mill and graveyard-based decks. Its ability to exile cards from opponents’ graveyards makes it a useful tool in disrupting their strategies as well.

Combo Potential: This creature synergizes well with effects that capitalize on card types in graveyards, such as delve and threshold. It can also be the linchpin in decks built around constellation mechanics, where enchantments entering the battlefield trigger potent abilities.

Meta-Relevance: In metas heavy with strategies that utilize the graveyard, Thassa’s Devourer provides an edge by limiting those dynamics. Current themes that interact with the graveyard make it a relevant inclusion for quite a few blue-centric decks aiming to keep pace with or disrupt the prevailing trends.


How to beat Thassa’s Devourer

When you’re facing Thassa’s Devourer in MTG, the challenge is managing the opponent’s graveyard to minimize the card’s impact. As a powerful entity in decks revolving around the graveyard and delve strategies, this creature’s ability to exile cards from a graveyard whenever you cast an enchantment can be problematic. A good strategy is to employ cards that can substitute your graveyard’s contents or ones that simply shuffle your entire graveyard back into your library, hindering the effectiveness of the Devourer’s ability.

For example, consider using cards like Elixir of Immortality, which not only shuffles your graveyard into your library but also gains you life, potentially countering the Devourer’s milling effect. Paying attention to enchantment casting is crucial, as well; hold off on casting non-essential enchantments if Thassa’s Devourer is on the battlefield or have a way to neutralize it first. Instant-speed removals or cards that can exile it from the battlefield can tilt the scales in your favor. Thus, a well-timed Path to Exile or similar direct removal spells can effectively mitigate the impact of your opponent’s Devourer and safeguard your strategic assets in the graveyard.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thassa's Devourer MTG card by a specific set like Journey into Nyx, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Thassa's Devourer and other MTG cards:

TCGPlayerBUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Thassa's Devourer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Thassa's Devourer card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2014-04-26 A constellation ability triggers whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. Enchantments with other card types, such as enchantment creatures, will also cause constellation abilities to trigger.
2014-04-26 An Aura spell without bestow that has an illegal target when it tries to resolve won't resolve and will be put into its owner's graveyard. It won't enter the battlefield and constellation abilities won't trigger. An Aura spell with bestow won't be countered this way. It will revert to being an enchantment creature and resolve, entering the battlefield and triggering constellation abilities.
2014-04-26 When an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, each constellation ability of permanents you control will trigger. You can put these abilities on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one that resolves.