Wilderness Elemental MTG Card

Coldsnap (CSP)
2006-07-21 - Number 134

Wilderness Elemental - Commander 2016 (C16)

Commander 2016 (C16)
2016-11-11 - Number 230

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Elemental
Abilities	Trample
Power	*
Toughness	3

Key Takeaways

Applies pressure early on and can indirectly lead to card advantage.
Demands specific mana combinations and has a high cost.
Excels against decks rich in nonbasic lands, enhancing its power.

Text of card

Trample Wilderness Elemental's power is equal to the number of nonbasic lands your opponents control.

"Don't be so quick to reclaim the thawing lands. They might have acquired a taste for freedom." —Taaveti of Kelsinko, elvish hunter

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Wilderness Elemental contributes to card advantage by presenting a resilient threat that requires an answer. This forces the opponent to use resources, potentially more than one, to deal with it, indirectly leading to card advantage for you.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting resources like some ramp spells, Wilderness Elemental can apply pressure early, which may disrupt the opponent’s development. This can accelerate your position in the game, as they divert resources to handle the threat rather than advancing their own board.

Instant Speed: Although Wilderness Elemental doesn’t have a flash mechanic itself, its synergy within decks that operate at instant speed is notable. Being a potent threat on the board, it allows you to operate with spells at instant speed more comfortably, knowing you have a substantial presence already in play to capitalize on weakened opponent defenses.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Harnessing the Wilderness Elemental’s power comes with a catch – you must part with a card from your hand, potentially depleting your vital play options.

Specific Mana Cost: The elemental beckons for a particular blend of mana, necessitating both green and other colors which may clash with single-colored or less flexible strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To summon this creature of the wild, a substantial investment is necessary, a cost that might overshadow its benefits when weighed against other creatures that tread the battlefield for less.

Reasons to Include Wilderness Elemental in Your Collection

Versatility: Wilderness Elemental is a dynamic addition to decks that capitalize on land control. With its ability to grow stronger for each nonbasic land your opponents control, it adapts well to various game situations.

Combo Potential: This creature has synergy with land disruption strategies. Pairing Wilderness Elemental with cards that encourage your opponent to play or search for nonbasic lands enhances its power on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where multicolored decks and nonbasic lands are prolific, Wilderness Elemental becomes increasingly powerful. It’s a card that can catch opponents off-guard and serve as an effective meta-counter.

How to beat

Confronting a Wilderness Elemental on the battlefield can be a tricky situation for many Magic: The Gathering players. This creature’s strength scales with the number of nonbasic lands your opponent controls, typically making it a formidable force in formats where diverse mana bases are common. Fortunately, there are strategies you can employ to mitigate its influence on the game.

To reduce the Elemental’s power, prioritize using basic lands in your own deck build, or employ land destruction cards to specifically target the nonbasic lands fueling your opponent’s creature. Additionally, cards that change land types, such as Blood Moon, can transform your opponent’s nonbasic lands into basic mountains, thereby weakening the Elemental. Spot removal spells remain one of the most direct methods to eliminate this creature. Instant-speed removal like Path to Exile or Fatal Push can efficiently handle the Elemental before it becomes too much of a threat. Employing these tactics can turn the tide and keep the Wilderness Elemental from overrunning your defenses.

In essence, beating a Wilderness Elemental involves a blend of deck-building foresight, timing your removal, and possibly altering the landscape of the battlefield itself. When you manage to keep the nonbasic lands at bay, the Elemental becomes much less of a wild card to contend with.

Cards like Wilderness Elemental

Wilderness Elemental is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering that has found its way into many green-based decks. Its power is intertwined with the number of nonbasic lands your opponents control, offering a scaling threat that can become quite large in the right meta. This mechanism of power calculation shares a conceptual resemblance with the card Unstable Frontier. Though Unstable Frontier doesn’t grow in power, it impacts the board by turning lands into basic land types, which can strategically impact Wilderness Elemental’s power.

Another card worthy of comparison is Terra Ravager. This creature also thrives on land dynamics, as its attack power is determined by the number of lands the defending player controls. While Terra Ravager is less conditional and can provide a more consistent offensive presence, it lacks the element of surprise and scaling potential that Wilderness Elemental offers against decks rich in nonbasic lands.

Each card presents its advantages within gameplay, but Wilderness Elemental stands out in environments where nonbasic lands are prevalent, making it a potentially game-changing card against the right opponent.

Cards similar to Wilderness Elemental by color, type and mana cost

Giant Trap Door Spider - MTG Card versions

Daybreak Ranger // Nightfall Predator - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wilderness Elemental MTG card by a specific set like Coldsnap and Commander 2016, 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 Wilderness Elemental and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Wilderness Elemental Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2006-07-21 and 2016-11-11. Illustrated by Anthony S. Waters.