Plated Slagwurm MTG Card

Mirrodin (MRD)
2003-10-02 - Number 127

Plated Slagwurm - Duel Decks Anthology: Garruk vs. Liliana (GVL)

Duel Decks Anthology: Garruk vs. Liliana (GVL)
2014-12-05 - Number 12

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	7
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Wurm
Abilities	Hexproof
Power	8
Toughness	8

Key Takeaways

With a commanding 8/8 stature, Plated Slagwurm often forces several cards to counter its presence, enhancing card advantage.
Its hexproof ability shields it from targeted spells, making it a solid addition to green-centric or ramp decks.
Despite its high mana cost, once unleashed, this creature becomes a formidable and evasive threat to opponents.

Text of card

Plated Slagwurm can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.

Beneath the Tangle, the wurm tunnels stretch . . . wide as a stone's throw, long as forever, deep as you dare.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Plated Slagwurm’s massive presence on the battlefield can often deter opponents from attacking, effectively preserving your other cards and resources. Though it doesn’t draw cards directly, it often requires multiple cards from an opponent to be dealt with, indirectly contributing to your card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Plated Slagwurm itself doesn’t accelerate resources, its inclusion in decks centered around ramp strategies can turn excess mana into a significant and immediate threat. It exemplifies the payoff for successfully accelerating your resource development in the early game.

Instant Speed: Although the Plated Slagwurm is not an instant, its presence influences the pace of the game. It alters the dynamics by pressuring opponents to react instantly to its threat. This can force them to play their removal spells at suboptimal times or conserve resources to deal with it, which can be leveraged to your advantage during various phases of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Plated Slagwurm doesn’t have a discard requirement itself, building up to its demanding mana cost could potentially force discard actions to enable earlier plays, hindering hand availability.

Specific Mana Cost: With a stringent requirement of green mana, this creature card can prove challenging to cast outside of mono-green or heavily green-inclined decks, limiting its versatility across various builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Necessitating a total of seven mana, three of which must be green, the Plated Slagwurm’s entry to the battlefield can be delayed in comparison to other alternatives that might be cast sooner, possibly impacting your board presence in the crucial middle turns of a game.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Plated Slagwurm boasts a formidable presence as a 7 mana cost creature that can slot into a range of green-centric decks. Its innate ability to be untargetable by spells and abilities makes it a resilient threat on the board.

Combo Potential: This verdant behemoth pairs well with cards that capitalize on high creature power or provide benefits for controlling creatures with substantial toughness. Its synergy with various green spells magnifies its impact in creature-focused strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-based strategies prevail, Plated Slagwurm can be a game-changer. With its considerable bulk and evasion, it stands as a substantial roadblock against many common threats, aligning well with the current meta that favors durable creatures.

How to beat

Plated Slagwurm is one of those formidable creatures in Magic: The Gathering that can wield an overwhelming presence on the battlefield. With its massive 8/8 body and the ability to be untargetable by spells or abilities your opponents control, it poses a significant challenge to overcome. However, there are strategies to keep this green behemoth in check.

In tackling the Plated Slagwurm, board wipes become a valuable tool. Since the Slagwurm is resilient against targeted spells, sweeping the board with effects like Wrath of God or Damnation can equalize the playing field without having to target it directly. Alternatively, enforcing combat restrictions with cards such as Ensnaring Bridge can prevent the Slagwurm from attacking, effectively neutralizing its offensive capabilities. In the realm of green, leveraging the fight mechanic with a creature that has deathtouch can also dispatch the Slagwurm, turning its substantial size against it.

Ultimately, while the Plated Slagwurm may initially seem daunting, it’s worth remembering that even the mightiest of creatures have their Achilles heel. With the right tactics and some foresight, this MTG heavyweight can be effectively managed, keeping its raw power from overtaking the game.

Cards like Plated Slagwurm

Exploring the forests of Magic: The Gathering, Plated Slagwurm has found its niche as a formidable creature. Similar to other green behemoths, like Pelakka Wurm, both creatures boast significant toughness and power. Pelakka Wurm offers a different suite of benefits upon entering the battlefield, such as gaining life and drawing a card, which Plated Slagwurm lacks. However, what sets Plated Slagwurm apart is its inherent hexproof ability, preventing it from being the target of your opponents’ spells or abilities.

In terms of resilience and survivability, Thrun, the Last Troll marches alongside Plated Slagwurm. Thrun has regeneration and is also untargetable by spells or abilities. Although smaller in size compared to the Slagwurm, Thrun brings persistent board presence and can be a thorny issue for opponents to remove. Then there’s the Soul of the Harvest, another creature that echoes the verdant strength of green. While it doesn’t share Plated Slagwurm’s protective hexproof, it compensates by drawing a card whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control.

Each of these green titans serves a distinct role in a player’s deck, reflecting the versatility and power of green creatures in Magic: The Gathering. The Plated Slagwurm stands out with its straightforward but potent ability to shield itself from targeted removal, a subtle yet significant advantage in many MTG games.

Thrun, the Last Troll - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Plated Slagwurm MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin and Duel Decks Anthology: Garruk vs. Liliana, 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 Plated Slagwurm and other MTG cards: