Balduvian Frostwaker MTG Card


Transforms lands into 3/3 flying creatures, creating potential threats while maintaining card economy. Activating its ability requires a discarded snow land, presenting a resource trade-off. As a red card, it may limit deck-building options to those including red mana.
Balduvian Frostwaker - Coldsnap
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Wizard
Released2006-07-21
Set symbol
Set nameColdsnap
Set codeCSP
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number28
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byStephen Tappin

Text of card

, : Target snow land becomes a 2/2 blue Elemental creature with flying. It's still a land.

"Whether frozen or fertile, the land is our ally. It awaits the call to battle."


Cards like Balduvian Frostwaker

Balduvian Frostwaker offers a unique angle for altering the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to turn lands into 2/2 creatures with flying closely mirrors the functionality of cards like Earth Surge, which also gives lands the ability to become formidable creatures. However, Earth Surge grants this power to all lands you control and they don’t acquire the flying keyword, providing a different kind of board presence.

Examining comparable abilities, we have Life and Limb, blending the treefolk and saproling subtypes to turn them into lands as well as creatures. While it operates on different principles, the core concept of transforming cards into alternative game pieces remains consistent. On a separate note, Liege of the Tangle, another distinct card, offers the advantage of creating 8/8 creatures from your lands, albeit the transforming trigger is tied to combat damage, which is less predictable than the controlled activation offered by Balduvian Frostwaker.

Therefore, in the echelons of transformational cards within Magic: The Gathering, Balduvian Frostwaker is a tactical inclusion for those looking to surprise opponents by animating their lands in an unexpected air assault.

Earth Surge - MTG Card versions
Life and Limb - MTG Card versions
Liege of the Tangle - MTG Card versions
Earth Surge - MTG Card versions
Life and Limb - MTG Card versions
Liege of the Tangle - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Balduvian Frostwaker by color, type and mana cost

Wall of Water - MTG Card versions
Prodigal Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Apprentice Wizard - MTG Card versions
Homarid - MTG Card versions
Wall of Air - MTG Card versions
Daring Apprentice - MTG Card versions
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Volrath's Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions
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Phantom Warrior - MTG Card versions
Glacial Wall - MTG Card versions
Wormfang Drake - MTG Card versions
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - MTG Card versions
Wall of Water - MTG Card versions
Prodigal Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Apprentice Wizard - MTG Card versions
Homarid - MTG Card versions
Wall of Air - MTG Card versions
Daring Apprentice - MTG Card versions
Cloud Elemental - MTG Card versions
Time Elemental - MTG Card versions
Reef Pirates - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Shaman - MTG Card versions
Wind Drake - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions
Clam Session - MTG Card versions
Stronghold Biologist - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Wall - MTG Card versions
Phantom Warrior - MTG Card versions
Glacial Wall - MTG Card versions
Wormfang Drake - MTG Card versions
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Balduvian Frostwaker has the unique ability to transform lands into creatures, effectively turning a single card (a land) into a potential threat. This can quickly tilt the battlefield in your favor without losing card economy.

Resource Acceleration: By converting lands into powerful 3/3 creatures with flying, you’re essentially generating additional resources from what typically only produces mana. This acceleration can lead to a swifter and more potent offense, applying pressure to your opponent.

Instant Speed: While the Frostwaker’s ability isn’t at instant speed itself, the 3/3 creatures it creates retain their newfound power even during your opponents’ turns. This allows a flexible approach to both offense and defense, keeping opponents on their toes and giving you an upper hand during combat interactions on the fly.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Balduvian Frostwaker necessitates the discarding of a snow land to activate its ability. This can potentially diminish your land resources, placing you in a challenging position if your hand is already depleted.

Specific Mana Cost: Its activation cost includes one red mana, making it inherently restrictive for decks that don’t align with a red mana base or that aim for a more diverse color strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card’s activation cost might be seen as steep given the card’s payoff. There are alternatives that transform lands into creatures for less, which might yield more immediate or versatile results in a game.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Balduvian Frostwaker’s ability to turn lands into creature tokens allows it to adapt across various strategies, fitting well in land-based decks or those seeking to create unexpected blockers.

Combo Potential: This card has synergy with effects that benefit from creature generation or land interactions, providing a platform for innovative combos that can turn the tide of a match.

Meta-Relevance: With the ever-shifting landscape of MTG, Balduvian Frostwaker’s unique skill set can be a valuable tool against decks that don’t expect sudden creature generation, especially in formats where lands play a key role.


How to beat

The Balduvian Frostwaker is a unique creature card known for its ability to turn lands into powerful 2/2 blue Elemental creatures with flying. To effectively counter this card, consider employing removal spells that can target multiple creatures or lands. Land destruction tactics, such as those from cards like Tectonic Edge or Ghost Quarter, can disrupt the Frostwaker’s strategy by eliminating the transformed lands. Creature removal spells can also be effective, particularly those that can clear the board, like Wrath of God or Doomskar. These cards can remove the Elemental creatures that Balduvian Frostwaker creates, irrespective of their current state.

Beyond direct removal, strategies to beat the Balduvian Frostwaker may include using counter spells to prevent the activation of its ability outright. As a blue card, having control elements such as Negate or Dovin’s Veto at your disposal can be crucial. Remember, allowance of the Frostwaker’s ability without any response can quickly lead to accumulating threats from the opponent’s side. Lastly, including versatile removal in your deck ensures preparedness not only for cards like Balduvian Frostwaker but for a broad spectrum of MTG challenges you may face.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Balduvian Frostwaker MTG card by a specific set like Coldsnap, 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 Balduvian Frostwaker and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Balduvian Frostwaker has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2006-07-15 Balduvian Frostwaker’s effect has no duration. The snow land is a creature as long as it’s on the battlefield.
2006-07-15 If an affected land later loses the supertype snow, Balduvian Frostwaker’s effect doesn’t end. The land will remain a creature.
2008-08-01 A noncreature permanent that turns into a creature can attack, and its abilities can be activated, only if its controller has continuously controlled that permanent since the beginning of their most recent turn. It doesn’t matter how long the permanent has been a creature.