Astroquarium MTG Card
Text of card
When Astroquarium enters the battlefield, you may put an art sticker on it. , : Until end of turn, target creature becomes a blue Shark with base power and toughness 4/4. If the cracks in Astroquarium's art are completely covered, that creature becomes a blue Octopus with base power and toughness 8/8 instead. Activate only as a sorcery.
Cards like Astroquarium
Astroquarium is an intriguing new entrant in Magic: The Gathering’s pool of enchantments. Like its counterparts, it brings a unique twist to the battlefield. Its closest relative might be Khalni Heart Expedition, which also offers a land-fetching ability. Both allow players to ramp up their mana base, yet Astroquarium demands a more strategic setup with its phased-out aspect, providing a delayed but potentially significant land boost.
In a broader sense, it resembles The Mending of Dominaria in its function of returning lands from the graveyard to the battlefield, nurturing long-term strategies. While The Mending offers a board-wide recursion over time, Astroquarium focuses on incremental advantage, presenting a contrast in pace and resource management. Then there’s Roiling Regrowth, offering an immediate land ramp with the cost of sacrificing a land, something Astroquarium doesn’t require, thus allowing for unimpeded land development.
Ultimately, Astroquarium stands out among its kin for its innovative approach to land advantages in Magic: The Gathering. It encourages careful planning and timing, offering a rewarding experience for players who navigate its phased-out condition adeptly.
Cards similar to Astroquarium by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Astroquarium is a stellar addition to any deck, allowing players to repeatedly peek at the cosmos of their libraries. It enables you to potentially draw additional cards per turn, ensuring you never fall behind in the vast ocean of a match.
Resource Acceleration: This celestial artifact doesn’t just let you gaze at the stars; it rockets your gameplay by potentially generating extra mana. With every orbit, your resources can expand, giving you the fuel to power out spells and creatures ahead of schedule.
Instant Speed: The capacity of the Astroquarium to manipulate the game at instant speed cannot be understated. This feature provides flexibility, allowing you to dive into its depths during an opponent’s end step or in response to actions, keeping your strategy both fluid and unpredictable.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One notable downside is the Astroquarium’s discard requirement as part of its activation, which can be a setback, especially when your hand is already depleted. In a game where each card in hand represents potential, having to discard can unintentionally hinder your strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: The Astroquarium also demands a specific mana arrangement to cast. Its stipulation for particular mana types can render it difficult to play in a multi-colored deck, restricting its flexibility and possibly straining your mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Furthermore, the card comes with a comparatively high mana value. For what it offers, this cost may deter players, considering there are alternatives that accomplish similar effects or advance your game position with a lesser investment, enabling a more efficient mana curve in your gameplay.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Astroquarium can seamlessly integrate into a variety of decks, lending itself well to strategies focused on mana fixing and card advantage. Its ability to provide extra draws while smoothing out mana colors makes it a universal fit.
Combo Potential: This card’s synergy with proliferate mechanics or any strategy that manipulates counters can unlock multiple combo possibilities. It becomes particularly powerful in decks that can capitalize on its unique counter-based interactions.
Meta-Relevance: Considering the shifting landscape of the MTG metagame, Astroquarium holds its weight as it’s adaptable to environments that favor longer games. Its consistent value generation can be the key to staying ahead in a match.
How to beat
The Astroquarium card in Magic: The Gathering presents a unique challenge with its ability to manipulate the flow of the game by controlling draws. At first glance, its potency seems daunting, as it provides consistent card advantage. To successfully negate its impact, integrate strategies that disrupt this flow such as targeted discard spells or abilities that exile enchantments directly from the battlefield. Consider the swift and effective nature of cards like Disenchant or the preemptive tactics like Thoughtseize that allow you to tackle the card before it ever hits the table.
Remaining adaptable in the face of such a card is crucial; hence, refining your deck to include a versatile set of answers ups the odds in your favor. Also, bearing in mind Astroquarium’s need for critical mana investment, hastening your game plan and asserting pressure can hinder your opponent from ever reaping the benefits of this powerful artifact. Taking a proactive stance against Astroquarium by being aggressive or by trimming down their hand size derails their setup, paving your way to victory.
In essence, overcoming the Astroquarium card requires a blend of proactive plays, strategic foresight, and the incorporation of versatile removal cards—making it a challenging yet manageable obstacle in the realm of competitive play.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Astroquarium MTG card by a specific set like Unfinity and Unfinity, 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 Astroquarium and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Astroquarium Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2022-10-07 and 2022-10-07. Illustrated by Tyler Walpole.
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Astroquarium card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-10-07 | After the activated ability resolves, the creature will not retain any of its previous colors or creature types—it will be only a blue Shark or a blue Octopus. Its other card types (such as artifact) and supertypes (such as legendary), if any, will remain unchanged. |
| 2022-10-07 | Effects that modify the creature’s power or toughness (such as the effect of Giant Growth) will apply no matter when they started to take effect. The same is true for counters that change its power or toughness (such as +1/+1 counters). |
| 2022-10-07 | Once the activated ability resolves, it doesn’t matter what happens to Astroquarium or its . . . um . . . cracks. If the creature becomes a 4/4 Shark and then the cracks become completely covered later in the turn, the creature won’t spontaneously become an 8/8 Octopus. |
| 2022-10-07 | You can use any kind of sticker to cover the cracks in Astroquarium’s art, not just art stickers. Name, ability, and power and toughness stickers will function no matter where they are physically positioned. |