Elder Deep-Fiend MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost8
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Eldrazi Octopus
Abilities Emerge, Flash
Power 5
Toughness 6

Key Takeaways

  1. Elder Deep-Fiend grants advantage through instant-speed tapping, disrupting opponent permanents and strategies effectively.
  2. The card fits various deck strategies and remains meta-relevant, having potential in both main and sideboard slots.
  3. To counter it, maintain instant-speed removal and familiarize yourself with opponent patterns for strategic response.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Flash Emerge (You may cast this spell by sacrificing a creature and paying the emerge cost reduced by that creature's converted mana cost.) When you cast Elder Deep-Fiend, tap up to four target permanents.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Elder Deep-Fiend can be a game-changer by tapping up to four target permanents an opponent controls. This disruptive ability often leads to a significant shift in board presence, essentially granting you card advantage as your opponent’s resources are temporarily nullified.

Resource Acceleration: Featuring Emerge, Elder Deep-Fiend can be summoned using cheaper alternative costs by sacrificing a creature, which accelerates your resource management. This allows you to cast a potent creature earlier than usual, potentially turning the tides of the game in your favor.

Instant Speed: Elder Deep-Fiend’s Emerge can be cast at instant speed, granting you the flexibility to surprise an opponent during their turn. This can disrupt their strategy, especially when they commit to an attack or cast a significant spell, ensuring that you are always playing with the advantage of unpredictability.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One challenge with Elder Deep-Fiend is its emerge cost. While not a traditional discard, it does require you to sacrifice a creature as part of the cost, making it a potentially steep price if your board presence is already thin.

Specific Mana Cost: This formidable creature requires a very specific mana setup to cast normally, with a heavy leaning towards blue mana. If you’re not running a deck that’s heavily blue or lacks color-fixing capabilities, you might find it hard to cast Elder Deep-Fiend without relying solely on its emerge mechanic.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For an eight mana creature, Elder Deep-Fiend may come across as costly for what it provides. While its emerge ability can reduce this, it’s conditional and depends on the other creatures you have in play, possibly limiting its instant-play viability in faster-paced games where keeping a strong board presence is crucial.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Elder Deep-Fiend offers flexibility across multiple decks due to its Emerge ability, which allows for a discounted cast at the expense of sacrificing another creature. This can be a pivotal move to disrupt your opponent’s strategy while developing your board presence.

Combo Potential: Its tap down effect when cast can set up game-winning combos, freezing opponents’ lands or creatures at critical moments. Furthermore, this can be timed during an opponent’s upkeep to maximize impact, playing into both tempo and control strategies.

Meta-Relevance: With ever-shifting metagames, Elder Deep-Fiend remains a formidable option, especially in environments heavy with creature-based strategies. Its ability to instantaneously turn the tide of a game keeps it relevant as both a main deck option and a surprise sideboard card.


How to beat

Elder Deep-Fiend is a card that players respect for its versatile and disruptive capabilities in Magic: The Gathering. Known for its Emerge mechanic, it empowers you to sacrifice a creature and cast it for a reduced cost. This eight-legged leviathan can put a grip on your opponent’s plans by tapping up to four target permanents with its cast trigger, often during an opponent’s upkeep to keep them off their mana or key blockers for a turn.

To effectively counter this strategy, priority should go to maintaining instant-speed removal in hand to eliminate the menace before it fully impacts the game. Cards like Path to Exile or Assassin’s Trophy provide a swift solution. Consider maintaining a balance of lands untapped during your opponent’s turn in anticipation. Moreover, graveyard hate cards like Rest in Peace disrupt the Emerge ability by exiling potential sacrifice fodder. Watch for the opportune moment to disrupt their mana base or counter the spell using efficient spells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto. Familiarizing yourself with your opponent’s play patterns can also reveal the ideal time to strike, keeping Elder Deep-Fiend’s tentacles at bay.

Awareness and preparedness are key. With timely counters and disruption, thwarting Elder Deep-Fiend’s dominating arrival becomes a foreseeable victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the depths where Elder Deep-Fiend lurks and enhance your MTG arsenal. Embrace the disruptive might of this powerful creature, tap into its strategic Emerge mechanic, and cast it to seize control of the game. Whether you’re adjusting board state dynamics or aspiring to outwit the competition with surprise instant-speed plays, this versatile card should not be overlooked. Curated for players seeking to refine their collections and gameplay, our insights are crafted to guide you through the intricacies of MTG strategy. Ready for a deeper understanding and advanced tactics? Engage with us to explore the endless possibilities Elder Deep-Fiend presents and anchor your deck with this formidable force.


Cards like Elder Deep-Fiend

Elder Deep-Fiend is a formidable presence on the battlefield, much like its kin from Magic: The Gathering such as Torrential Gearhulk. Both command a high respect due to their sizeable power and various capabilities. Elder Deep-Fiend’s unique feature is its emerge ability, allowing for a potential reduction in casting cost by sacrificing a creature. Torrential Gearhulk, conversely, offers an immediate impact by casting an instant from your graveyard without paying its mana cost.

The Kozilek’s Return interaction with Elder Deep-Fiend also warrants mention. Both hail from the Eldrazi lineage and synergize well, as casting Elder Deep-Fiend can trigger Kozilek’s Return from the graveyard for a board wipe effect. Another card to consider is Icefall Regent. While it lacks the emerge mechanic, it similarly taps a target creature when it enters the battlefield and makes it costlier for opponents to target it, albeit without Elder Deep-Fiend’s capability to sacrifice for a potential cost reduction.

Ultimately, Elder Deep-Fiend stands out due to its versatility and impactful tap-down ability when cast, providing both offensive and defensive benefits. The comparison shows that while there are other noteworthy cards, the unique traits of Elder Deep-Fiend position it as a strategic choice in numerous MTG decks.

Torrential Gearhulk - MTG Card versions
Kozilek's Return - MTG Card versions
Icefall Regent - MTG Card versions
Torrential Gearhulk - Kaladesh (KLD)
Kozilek's Return - Oath of the Gatewatch Promos (POGW)
Icefall Regent - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)

Cards similar to Elder Deep-Fiend by color, type and mana cost

Deep Spawn - MTG Card versions
Benthic Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Denizen of the Deep - MTG Card versions
Tidal Kraken - MTG Card versions
Avatar of Will - MTG Card versions
Cognivore - MTG Card versions
Brinelin, the Moon Kraken - MTG Card versions
Sphinx of the Second Sun - MTG Card versions
Scornful Egotist - MTG Card versions
Qumulox - MTG Card versions
Hoverguard Sweepers - MTG Card versions
Greater Morphling - MTG Card versions
Tidespout Tyrant - MTG Card versions
Slipstream Serpent - MTG Card versions
Maelstrom Djinn - MTG Card versions
Kederekt Leviathan - MTG Card versions
Lorthos, the Tidemaker - MTG Card versions
Stormtide Leviathan - MTG Card versions
Trench Gorger - MTG Card versions
Tidal Force - MTG Card versions
Deep Spawn - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Benthic Behemoth - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Denizen of the Deep - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Tidal Kraken - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Avatar of Will - Prophecy (PCY)
Cognivore - Odyssey (ODY)
Brinelin, the Moon Kraken - Commander Masters (CMM)
Sphinx of the Second Sun - Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)
Scornful Egotist - Scourge (SCG)
Qumulox - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Hoverguard Sweepers - Commander 2014 (C14)
Greater Morphling - Unhinged (UNH)
Tidespout Tyrant - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Slipstream Serpent - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)
Maelstrom Djinn - Future Sight (FUT)
Kederekt Leviathan - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Lorthos, the Tidemaker - Commander Masters (CMM)
Stormtide Leviathan - Commander Legends (CMR)
Trench Gorger - The List (PLST)
Tidal Force - Commander 2013 (C13)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Elder Deep-Fiend MTG card by a specific set like Eldritch Moon and Eldritch Moon Promos, 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 Elder Deep-Fiend and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Elder Deep-Fiend Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2016-07-22 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Jason Felix.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-07-22Eldritch MoonEMN 52015normalblackJason Felix
22016-07-22Eldritch Moon PromosPEMN 5s2015normalblackJason Felix
32020-09-26The ListPLST EMN-52015normalblackJason Felix
42020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 3682015normalblackJason Felix
52023-03-21Shadows over Innistrad RemasteredSIR 52015normalblackJason Felix

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Elder Deep-Fiend has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2016-07-13 A "when you cast" triggered ability resolves before the original spell resolves. It resolves even if the original spell is countered, and the original spell resolves even if the triggered ability is countered.
2016-07-13 A creature's mana value is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner (unless that creature is the back face of a double-faced card, is a melded permanent, or is copying something else; see below). If the mana cost includes , X is considered to be 0. If it's a single-faced card with no mana symbols in its upper right corner (because it's an animated land, for example), its mana value is 0. Ignore any alternative costs or additional costs (such as kicker) that were paid as the creature was cast.
2016-07-13 Colored mana components of emerge costs can't be reduced with emerge.
2016-07-13 Each card with emerge is colorless and has an emerge cost that includes one or more colors of mana. These cards are still colorless if you pay the emerge cost.
2016-07-13 If you sacrifice a creature with in its mana cost, that X is considered to be 0.
2016-07-13 Once you begin to cast a spell with emerge, no player may take actions until you're done. Notably, opponents can't try to remove the creature you wish to sacrifice.
2016-07-13 The creature chosen to be sacrificed is still on the battlefield up through the time that you activate mana abilities. Its abilities may affect the spell's cost, be activated to generate mana, and so on. However, if it has an ability that triggers when a spell is cast, it will have been sacrificed before that ability can trigger.
2016-07-13 The mana value of a creature spell with emerge isn't affected by whether its emerge cost is paid. For example, if you cast Elder Deep-Fiend for its emerge cost and sacrifice a creature whose mana value is 3, Elder Deep-Fiend's mana value remains 8.
2016-07-13 The mana value of the back face of a double-faced card is the mana value of its front face. The mana value of a melded permanent is the sum of the mana values of its front faces. A creature that's a copy of either has a mana value of 0.
2016-07-13 You may sacrifice a creature with a mana value of 0, such as a token creature that's not a copy of another permanent, to cast a spell for its emerge cost. You'll just pay the full emerge cost with no reduction.
2016-07-13 You may sacrifice a creature with mana value greater than or equal to the emerge cost. If you do, you'll pay only the colored mana component of the emerge cost.

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