Great Whale MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 7 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Whale |
| Released | 1998-10-12 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Urza's Saga |
| Set code | USG |
| Power | 5 |
| Toughness | 5 |
| Number | 77 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Bob Eggleton |
Text of card
When Great Whale comes into play, untap up to seven lands.
"As a great whale dies, it flips onto its back. And so an island is born." —Mariners' legend
Cards like Great Whale
In the vast ocean of creatures within Magic: The Gathering, Great Whale sails as a unique entity. Among its brethren, Palincron stands out with a similar untap lands mechanic. Both creatures offer a substantial amount of mana utility when they enter the battlefield, but Great Whale requires a steeper seven mana investment compared to Palincron’s seven, potentially hindering its early game presence.
Another comparable card is Peregrine Drake which provides a smaller scale of mana advantage at a lower cost. It untaps five lands upon arrival, enabling various combos and mana ramp capabilities in a deck. Although it doesn’t quite match the robust rejuvenating power of Great Whale, Peregrine Drake’s efficiency shines in decks not requiring the vast mana surge that Great Whale offers.
Assessing Great Whale’s ability to untap seven lands, we perceive a potent combo enabler with the capacity to reshape the board state. While its kin in the same subset have their distinct pros and cons, Great Whale delivers a grand wave of utility that can lead a deck to victory when played strategically.
Cards similar to Great Whale by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Great Whale card provides a powerful benefit in terms of card advantage. Upon entering the battlefield, untapping up to seven lands can essentially refund the card’s casting cost, enabling you to cast additional spells or maintain resources for responses.
Resource Acceleration: This massive creature can give you an enormous boost in mana, which can be crucial for ramping up your gameplay. Unleashing a wave of mana upon its arrival allows for the potential to chain multiple spells or summon other high-cost creatures much sooner than usual.
Instant Speed: While Great Whale itself does not operate at instant speed, the influx of mana it provides can allow you to keep mana open for instant-speed interactions, giving you the flexibility to react to opponents’ actions with counterspells or instant cast abilities, keeping your game strategy both versatile and threatening.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Great Whale card necessitates sacrificing lands or creatures when it leaves the battlefield, due to its “Unearth” ability. This can set you back, especially if you’re strategizing for a long game.
Specific Mana Cost: The Whale demands a considerable amount of blue mana (seven mana with a heavy blue representation), making it a tough fit in multicolored or mana-flexible decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Seven mana to summon this creature is steep when you consider the current meta and the availability of lower-cost creatures that offer similar or superior benefits without the stringent resource requirements.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Great Whale offers a powerful effect that is a perfect fit for decks focused on mana acceleration and combo setups. Being able to untap up to seven lands ensures that it can find a home in a variety of blue-based decks, from control to combo.
Combo Potential: When paired with bounce or flicker effects, Great Whale provides an engine for generating large amounts of mana. This potential for unlimited mana can be the cornerstone of game-winning combos, especially with the right synergies and supporting cards.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where longer, more drawn-out games are common, the sheer power of bringing Great Whale onto the battlefield can shift the tide in your favor. It can be a meta call in pockets of the MTG community where such strategies thrive.
How to beat
Great Whale stands out in the vast sea of creatures in Magic: The Gathering as a powerful force when it comes to mana acceleration. Upon casting, this behemoth untaps up to seven lands, providing a sudden burst of mana. Cards such as Pemmin’s Aura can exploit this ability by granting the whale untapped potential repeatedly. Commandeering this powerful interplay can be challenging, but not insurmountable.
To overcome the prowess of Great Whale, consider using instant-speed removal spells that can disrupt this combo before it takes full effect. Counterspells are also highly effective; they prevent the whale from ever hitting the battlefield, thus negating the mana advantage. Cards like Essence Scatter are tailor-made to deal with creature threats. Moreover, land interaction should not be overlooked. Effects that tap or destroy lands can severely hamper the whale’s utility. Cards like Tectonic Edge help ensure that even if the whale dives into the battlefield, its impact remains minimal.
Ultimately, while Great Whale can indeed create a high tide in your opponent’s mana pool, a strategic approach with the right cards and timing can prevent it from making a splash in the game’s outcome.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Great Whale MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga, 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 Great Whale and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Great Whale has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Great Whale card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2016-06-08 | You choose which lands to untap as the triggered ability resolves. They aren’t targeted, and they don’t have to be lands that you control. |