Brine Elemental MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Elemental
Abilities Morph
Power 5
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Brine Elemental disrupts opponents, controlling the game by preventing creature untaps during their untap steps.
  2. Fits well in blue control decks, has combo potential with Vesuvan Shapeshifter for a consistent untap phase lock.
  3. Challenges include steep mana requirements and high cost; countered by removal and vigilance strategies.

Text of card

Morph (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for . Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.) When Brine Elemental is turned face up, each opponent skips his or her next untap step.

Water calls to water, and the world is left exhausted and withered in its wake.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Brine Elemental provides a unique edge in controlling the pace of the game. When it’s unmorphed, it prevents your opponents from untapping their creatures during their untap steps, which could lead to a significant card advantage by effectively nullifying threats and enabling you to dictate the flow of the match.

Resource Acceleration: While Brine Elemental itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its ability to lock down opponent’s resources allows you to capitalize on your mana base and establish a stronger board presence without the pressure from active opposition. This indirect resource advantage can pivot the game to your favor.

Instant Speed: Although Brine Elemental isn’t cast at instant speed, the act of unmorphing it can be done at any time you could cast an instant. This lets you surprise your opponents during their end step or after they’ve committed to an unfavorable attack, setting up a pivotal turn for you to seize control of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Brine Elemental doesn’t directly impose a discard requirement upon casting, but in a deck where every card counts, the six-mana cost might mean you’re not deploying other cards that could be more immediately impactful. Discarding options for Brine Elemental can feel like a high opportunity cost, especially in fast-paced games.

Specific Mana Cost: Brine Elemental has a mana value that’s highly specific—four colorless and double blue. This steep blue commitment can strain mana bases not heavily tuned towards blue, making it challenging to fit into multicolored or less mana-flexible decks without risking consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total mana cost of six, Brine Elemental is on the higher end of the mana curve. While its ability to lock down opponents’ untap steps can be game-changing, there are occasions where six mana might not equate to value on the board, particularly when compared to other creatures or impactful spells in the same range.


Reasons to Include Brine Elemental in Your Collection

Versatility: Brine Elemental offers flexibility in control-centric decks, particularly in blue-based strategies that aim to manipulate the pace of the game. Its ability to prevent opponents from untapping during their untap step can be a significant disruption.

Combo Potential: Paired with cards like Vesuvan Shapeshifter, Brine Elemental enables the “Pickles” lock combo, efficiently locking opponents out of their untap phase and gaining a substantial advantage over time.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where opponents rely heavily on creatures and combat, Brine Elemental’s Morph effect can tip the scales in your favor, making it a tactical asset against creature-dependent decks.


How to Beat

The Brine Elemental card in Magic: The Gathering is known for its pesky ability to keep an opponent’s creatures turned down, leading to potential game lock when paired with cards like Vesuvan Shapeshifter. Defeating a deck that utilizes Brine Elemental often hinges on swift removal or counterspells. Removal spells like Path to Exile or Doom Blade can effectively dispatch the Elemental before its ability becomes active. For blue players, countering key spells with Negate or Cancel can disrupt the combo before it takes hold.

Another strategy is to employ creatures with vigilance to maintain a steady line of defense even when Brine Elemental flips face up. Additionally, cards with the ability to untap your creatures, such as Seedborn Muse, can mitigate the Elemental’s paralyzing effect. Always keep in mind the importance of board state awareness, and prioritize threats like Brine Elemental that can turn the tide of a game if left unchecked. In essence, a blend of foresight, quick action, and targeted responses is your best bet against this watery adversary.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG involves understanding intricate card interactions and strategic deployment. Brine Elemental can play a pivotal role in games, especially when wielded with skill to control the tempo of play. If you’re intrigued by its potential to shift matches in your favor and are curious about integrating this card effectively into your arsenal, let us guide you further. Explore our insights on advanced play techniques, the best synergies to implement, and how to optimize your deck with Brine Elemental and similar impactful cards. Enhance your MTG journey with us – your strategic advantage awaits just one click away.


Cards like Brine Elemental

Brine Elemental is a unique card in MTG that presents a particular challenge to opponents when it unveils. Known for its ability to skip the untap step of the opponent’s turn, it shares some similarities with cards like Sleep, which also disrupts the enemy’s pace by tapping all creatures they control. Sleep, while not having a morphing cost like Brine Elemental, can be a one-time event game-changer by rendering an opponent’s creature force inert for a turn.

Looking at Frozen Aether, another card that meddles with opposing strategies, it slows the game down for your adversary by causing their artifacts, creatures, and lands to enter the battlefield tapped. While not as direct as Brine Elemental in affecting the untap step, Frozen Aether applies a constant pressure on your opponent’s resources. Yet, Brine Elemental can turn the tide of battle unexpectedly, thanks to its morph ability, surprising an unprepared rival.

The strategic value of Brine Elemental lies in its potential to create sudden advantages. Its capacity for disruption, combined with the morph mechanic, offers tactical depth and timing plays that are valuable in MTG gameplay and can certainly be a powerhouse under the right circumstances.

Sleep - MTG Card versions
Frozen Aether - MTG Card versions
Sleep - Magic 2010 (M10)
Frozen Aether - Planar Chaos (PLC)

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Sea Serpent - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
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Arcanis the Omnipotent - Commander 2017 (C17)
Quicksilver Dragon - Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra (DD2)
Frost Titan - Magic 2012 (M12)
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Harbor Serpent - Magic 2013 (M13)
Skyline Predator - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Isperia's Skywatch - Return to Ravnica (RTR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Brine Elemental MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra, 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 Brine Elemental and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Brine Elemental Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by Stephen Tappin.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12006-10-06Time SpiralTSP 502003normalblackStephen Tappin
22008-11-07Duel Decks: Jace vs. ChandraDD2 182003normalblackStephen Tappin
32014-11-07Commander 2014C14 992015normalblackStephen Tappin
42014-12-05Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. ChandraJVC 182015normalblackStephen Tappin
52018-03-16Masters 25A25 472015normalblackStephen Tappin
62019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 3032015normalblackStephen Tappin
72020-09-26The ListPLST A25-472015normalblackStephen Tappin
82021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 552015normalblackStephen Tappin

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Brine Elemental has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-03-19 If an effect says that something doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step, that effect applies to the next untap step that isn’t skipped.
2021-03-19 Skipping your “next” untap step is cumulative. If a player turns two Brine Elementals face up on the same turn, that player’s opponents will each skip their next two untap steps.

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