Octopus MTG Card

Type	Token Creature — Octopus
Released	2015-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Battle for Zendikar
Set code	BFZ
Power	8
Toughness	8
Number	7
Frame	2015
Layout	Token
Border	Black
Illustred by	Craig J Spearing

Key Takeaways

Octopus cards draw additional cards, maintaining a robust hand for strategic flexibility during matches.
These creatures often untap lands or artifacts, boosting mana resources and enabling quicker spell casting.
Flashing in Octopus cards disrupts opponents’ plans, leveraging the element of surprise to your advantage.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With an Octopus card in your deck, you gain the potential to draw extra cards when it deals damage to an opponent. This can keep your hand full and increase your strategic options as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: Some Octopus cards can untap lands or artifacts as they come into play or attack, effectively increasing your mana availability and allowing you to cast more spells sooner in the game.

Instant Speed: The ability to flash in an Octopus creature at instant speed can surprise an adversary, disrupting their strategy. It allows you to wait and see how your opponent plays before committing your own resources on your turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In the context of octopus cards, one could find the discard action a hindrance, particularly in strategies that prioritize card retention over temporary boosts in power or unexpected plays.

Specific Mana Cost: Many octopus creatures require a concentration of blue mana, which can be restrictive. Decks need to be built around this to optimize the potential of these cards, potentially limiting deck diversity.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Octopus cards often come with a steep mana investment, making them a tougher play in the early game where board presence and mana efficiency are crucial for establishing control.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Octopus cards offer dynamic game play, as they often feature evasive abilities such as “cannot be blocked” that enable them to slip past defenders. These traits make them a smart choice for strategies that aim to deal damage directly to opponents.

Combo Potential: These cephalopod-themed cards can synergize with other sea creatures or spells that benefit from having creatures with specific attributes, like having eight or more power, which intersects neatly with the octopus theme.

Meta-Relevance: Due to their typically high toughness and impactful late-game presence, octopus cards can play a vital role in games where board control and resilience against removal spells are essential to outlasting the opponent.

How to beat

Confronting an Octopus MTG card on the battlefield can be quite the challenge, especially when they often come with debilitating abilities that can lock down your strategy. These tentacled menaces may seem daunting, but with the right tactics, they can be managed. A straightforward way to handle an Octopus is through removal spells. Effective spot removal like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can quickly handle these creatures before their abilities become problematic. Another strategy is to make use of bounce spells such as Unsummon to temporarily clear the board and hamper your opponent’s tempo.

Then there’s the option of countering the card outright. Holding up a counterspell like Mana Leak or Negate when you suspect an incoming Octopus can save you from having to deal with it on the board entirely. But if the Octopus has already landed, consider board wipes like Wrath of God to reset the playing field. Don’t forget about prevention either—cards that prohibit creature spells from being cast or creatures from entering the battlefield, such as Damping Sphere or Teferi, Time Raveler, can provide a more permanent solution to recurring Octopus threats.

In summary, though Octopus cards can be powerful and frustrating to play against, there are various methods to counteract them. Properly timing your removals, counters, and board-clearing spells is key to maintaining control against these formidable foes.

Cards like Octopus

Exploring the depths of the Magic: The Gathering sea-themed decks brings us to the enigmatic world of the Octopus MTG cards. One such card that may come to mind is Lorthos, the Tidemaker, an imposing 8/8 that taps eight target permanents, representing the octopus’s sweeping tentacle control. The Octopus MTG card niche is famed for its embodiments of size and gameplay impact, similar to creatures like Tromokratis. This leviathan also has the ability to lock down an opponent’s game plan but is less predictable, bearing the monstrosity of being unblockable as long as it’s attacking alone.

Then there’s the more recent addition of Nadir Kraken, which, while starting smaller, has the potential to grow colossal by drawing cards and creating Tentacle tokens. This growth mechanism mirrors the Octopus theme’s inherent potential for overwhelming board presence they’re known for. In terms of synergy and thematic inclusion, Octopus MTG cards like these create unique experiences on the battlefield, compelling players to strategize around their massive presence and control capabilities.

Ultimately, while each sea creature in MTG serves a distinct function, the Octopus cards particularly stand out for their commanding presence and key role in tailoring a game’s tide, offering control players a formidable and thematic weapon in their arsenal.

Lorthos, the Tidemaker - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Octopus MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar, 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 Octopus and other MTG cards: