Tidal Influence MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment
Released	1994-11-01
Set symbol
Set name	Fallen Empires
Set code	FEM
Number	28
Frame	1993
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Tom Wänerstrand

Key Takeaways

Tidal Influence leverages islands for card advantage, impacting board state and hand resources.
Deck building limitations arise from its specific blue mana cost and card discard requirements.
Its strategic relevance shines within island-heavy, blue-centric deck compositions.

Text of card

Put a tide counter on Tidal Influence when it is brought into play and during your upkeep. If there is one tide counter on Tidal Influence, all blue creatures get -2/-0. If there are three tide counters on Tidal Influence, all blue creatures get +2/+0. When there are four tide counters on Tidal Influence, remove them all. You may not cast Tidal Influence if there is another Tidal Influence in play.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tidal Influence can potentially provide ongoing card advantage in decks that are built around islands. By fulfilling its condition of controlling islands, the card can continuously influence the board state and keep your hand replenished with options.

Resource Acceleration: While not a direct source of mana, Tidal Influence’s ability to affect islands can indirectly lead to resource acceleration. By ensuring your islands remain untapped, it facilitates smoother gameplay and more opportunities to play high-impact spells earlier in the match.

Instant Speed: Tidal Influence operates at sorcery speed but can have an instant-like impact on the game. While this card must be played in your main phase, it can immediately alter the course of the game, setting up advantageous situations that can be capitalized on without delay.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging with Tidal Influence necessitates the surrender of another card in your hand, posing a challenge when your hand size is dwindling or the cards you hold are vital for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: For a card that influences the game based on an island’s presence, Tidal Influence does require blue mana. This requirement may restrain its incorporation exclusively to blue or blue-centric decks, limiting its versatility across the diverse magic multiverse.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its casting cost sitting at three blue mana, Tidal Influence can be a significant investment in the early stages of the game. Players must weigh its potential benefits against other cards that could be more impactful for the same, or even less, mana expenditure.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Tidal Influence shines in multicolored decks that interact with Island cards. It’s tailored for players who want to benefit from land-type specific effects and has a place in decks that capitalize on altering land types or utilizing landfall mechanics.

Combo Potential: With the right setup, Tidal Influence can be part of a powerful combo, especially in formats where land manipulation is key. It pairs well with cards that change land types or generate additional Island cards to fully utilize its control capabilities.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where blue-heavy or Island-based decks are prevalent, Tidal Influence provides a competitive edge. It allows for disruptive play against those strategies, making it a strategic choice for certain matchups.

How to beat

Tidal Influence is a unique enchantment in the world of Magic: The Gathering, placing a specific demand on land control. To successfully navigate against this card, assess your strategies around land types. If you’re facing an opponent using Tidal Influence, it will benefit you to monitor your land-based plays carefully. Prioritizing non-Island lands when developing your board positions can mitigate Tidal Influence’s control over your game, minimizing its potential impact.

Spell removals are also key in your arsenal; invoking a Disenchant can clear Tidal Influence from the board, freeing you from its confines. Similarly, cards such as Naturalize offer a direct response, being both affordable and easy to slot into decks. Also, consider the advantage of running versatile counterspells or universal removals that can handle enchantments alongside other types of threats. This way, you maintain flexibility and preparedness for a range of challenges beyond cards like Tidal Influence.

In summary, overcoming Tidal Influence requires a mix of strategic land play, targeted enchantment removal, and versatile countermeasures. Adapting your tactics and keeping a cool head when this card enters the fray will ensure that its influence on the tide of battle remains minimal, allowing you to steer your way towards victory.

Cards like Tidal Influence

Tidal Influence is a unique enchantment card that has a quirky and conditional influence over a game of Magic: The Gathering. It’s comparable to cards such as Standstill, which also creates a specific condition that can contribute to the strategic complexity of a game. Tidal Influence specifically benefits from the number of Islands in play, providing an incremental advantage to those who play heavy blue mana decks. Standstill, in contrast, can halt the game’s progress as it forces players to forego playing spells to avoid granting their opponent card advantage.

Another card with a conditional impact is Land Equilibrium which prevents players from playing additional lands if they already have more than another. It highlights a similar control aspect as Tidal Influence but focuses solely on the land aspect rather than creature control. Additionally, Propaganda acts as a deterrent, imposing a cost on opponents who wish to attack you, much like Tidal Influence encourages careful planning around the number of Islands one controls.

Ultimately, for those who appreciate the ebb and flow that specific conditions can bring to MTG, Tidal Influence holds its ground. It encourages strategic deck building around land control, and when positioned correctly, can be a significant advantage in blue-dominant decks.

Cards similar to Tidal Influence by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tidal Influence MTG card by a specific set like Fallen Empires, 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 Tidal Influence and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tidal Influence has restrictions

Format	Legality
Oldschool	Legal
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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