Harvest Wurm MTG Card
1997-06-09 - Number 130
1997-08-13 - Number sg130
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Wurm |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Text of card
When Harvest Wurm comes into play, return any basic land card from your graveyard to your hand or bury Harvest Wurm.
The wurm's weave —Elvish expression meaning "plowed fields"
Cards like Harvest Wurm
Harvest Wurm brings an interesting dynamic to the realm of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes the behavior of cards like Tilling Treefolk or Stoic Builder, which also play with the concept of retrieving lands from the graveyard. However, Harvest Wurm’s uniqueness lies in its direct and singular focus on the fetching of a land card upon entering the battlefield.
In the grand tapestry of creature abilities, Groundskeeper shares a kinship with Harvest Wurm, providing continuous utility to return lands from your graveyard to your hand. Yet, it demands a mana investment to activate this ability, whereas Harvest Wurm’s retrieval is an enters-the-battlefield effect, making it a one-time boon that’s cost-effective.
Examining these cards side by side, it’s clear that Harvest Wurm offers a blend of cost efficiency and a surge in your land resources, making it a strategic choice for decks that capitalize on land mechanics. As players navigate the ecosystem of utility creatures, Harvest Wurm presents itself as a versatile addition, fitting neatly into strategies that value immediate land recursion without additional resource expenditure.
Cards similar to Harvest Wurm by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Harvest Wurm has the ability to return a land card from your graveyard to your hand when it enters the battlefield. This recycles your resources, potentially giving you an extra land drop and mitigating any land destruction strategies your opponents may deploy.
Resource Acceleration: The land-returning ability of Harvest Wurm aids in resource acceleration by ensuring you maintain land drops each turn. This is crucial for building up your mana base to cast more impactful spells as the game progresses.
Instant Speed: While Harvest Wurm itself does not operate at instant speed, the land it retrieves can be utilized to great effect with other instant-speed spells in your deck. This enhances your flexibility to respond to opponents’ moves during their turn while advancing your board state.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Harvest Wurm’s ability necessitates that you discard a land card when it enters the battlefield. This self-imposed card disadvantage can be restrictive, especially when your hand lacks extraneous lands or during the late game when every card matters.
Specific Mana Cost: Its casting cost requires one green mana, which can sometimes be a hurdle in multicolored decks that are tight on color fixing. The necessity for green mana might also make it less desirable for decks that could benefit from a more flexible mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At three mana for a 3/2 creature, Harvest Wurm might be considered inefficient when compared to other creatures at the same cost. In a format where efficiency is key, there are creatures that provide greater impact on the board for a similar investment of mana.
Reasons to Include Harvest Wurm in Your Collection
Versatility: Harvest Wurm offers flexibility in decks focused on resource management. It shines in strategies where graveyard mechanics are leveraged, typically seen in green-based decks.
Combo Potential: This card works well with land recycling tactics. It can be pivotal in combinations that benefit from land cards entering the battlefield repeatedly, like landfall mechanics or with cards that count the number of lands that come into play.
Meta-Relevance: In metagames where resource denial is common, Harvest Wurm helps ensure land drop consistency. It can be particularly useful to recover from disruptive plays, keeping your mana base stable and your game plan on track.
How to Beat Harvest Wurm
Harvest Wurm is a classic card beloved by players for its capacity to recur a land card when it enters the battlefield. This is particularly useful in strategies that benefit from land cycling or graveyard synergies. To counteract Harvest Wurm effectively, players should consider tactics that either exile or permanently remove lands from the graveyard, limiting the card’s intrinsic value. Land destruction can also disrupt the Harvest Wurm’s ability to function as a resource-recycling tool.
Strategic use of graveyard hate cards, like Rest in Peace or Relic of Progenitus, can be decisive. These cards do not just hinder Harvest Wurm but also disrupt your opponent’s broader graveyard-dependent strategies. Prioritizing such tactics forces the Harvest Wurm into a mere creature without its additional benefits, making it less of a game changer and more of a simple obstacle to overcome.
In conclusion, while Harvest Wurm may appear to provide a persistent advantage, smart deck building and in-game decisions can defuse its potential. By leveraging graveyard control or preemptive land removal, you render Harvest Wurm a minor threat, ensuring your path to victory remains clear.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Harvest Wurm MTG card by a specific set like Weatherlight and World Championship Decks 1997, 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 Harvest Wurm 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
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Printings
The Harvest Wurm Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1997-06-09 and 1997-08-13. Illustrated by Stephen L. Walsh.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1997-06-09 | Weatherlight | WTH | 130 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Stephen L. Walsh | |
| 2 | 1997-08-13 | World Championship Decks 1997 | WC97 | sg130 | 1997 | Normal | Gold | Stephen L. Walsh |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Harvest Wurm has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Harvest Wurm card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-04-01 | If the creature is no longer on the battlefield when the ability resolves, you may still perform the action if you want. |
| 2008-04-01 | When the ability resolves, you choose whether to sacrifice the creature or perform the other action. If you can’t perform the other action, then you must sacrifice the creature. |