Island of Wak-Wak MTG Card
1993-12-17 - Number 75
2007-09-10 - Number 176
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
Tap to reduce target flying creature's power to 0.
The Isle of Wak-Wak, home to a tribe of winged folk, is named for a peculiar fruit that grows there. The fruit looks like a woman's head, and when ripe speaks the word "Wak."
Cards like Island of Wak-Wak
The Island of Wak-Wak holds a unique position among land cards in Magic: The Gathering. Much like Maze of Ith, it doesn’t tap for mana but instead has an ability to influence the battlefield. The Island of Wak-Wak can tap to prevent a flying creature from dealing damage, reminiscent of Maze of Ith’s utility to remove an attacking creature from combat without inflicting damage.
The comparison extends to cards like Mystifying Maze, which also redirects the course of combat by removing attackers from the fray. Yet, the Island of Wak-Wak’s exclusive focus on flying creatures gives it a narrower application. Glacial Chasm provides a different form of protection by preventing all damage, not just solely from flyers, though at the cost of cumulative upkeep.
Assessing these alternatives, Island of Wak-Wak stands out for its defensive capabilities specific to aerial threats. Its status as a non-mana-producing land is offset by its potential to nullify some of the most potent attackers in the game.
Cards similar to Island of Wak-Wak by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While the Island of Wak-Wak doesn’t directly draw cards, its unique ability can effectively dictate the flow of combat by nullifying potential threats. By controlling the battlefield, you indirectly gain card advantage as opponents might be deterred from deploying high-value creatures susceptible to its ability.
Resource Acceleration: The card doesn’t accelerate resources in the traditional sense, but it represents a form of tempo acceleration. By preventing creatures from attacking successfully, you’re essentially buying time and saving yourself from expending resources on removal spells, allowing you to allocate mana elsewhere.
Instant Speed: The ability to disrupt combat at instant speed provides significant tactical advantages. Whether you’re fending off attackers or nullifying a blocker, the Island of Wak-Wak grants you the flexibility to adapt to fast-changing game states, making it a formidable tool in any strategic arsenal.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While the Island of Wak-Wak doesn’t require a discard per se, it demands a certain setup. To make the most of its ability, a player may need to keep certain cards in hand or play those that align with controlling flying creatures, potentially leading to situations where the player must hold back on deploying other cards.
Specific Mana Cost: The Island of Wak-Wak’s activation requires generic mana, which may seem flexible. However, its very nature as a non-producing land card means you’re sacrificing a spot in your deck that could provide color-specific mana crucial for executing your strategy effectively in earlier turns.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The ability cost of Island of Wak-Wak can be considered high given it only targets creatures with flying. In MTG, where many spells and creatures offer more versatile control options at a lower cost, dedicating mana each turn to potentially one aspect of an opponent’s strategy may not be the most efficient use of resources.
Reasons to Include Island of Wak-Wak in Your Collection
Versatility: The Island of Wak-Wak offers a unique functionality that can be a game-changer in many decks. As a non-basic land, it doesn’t tap for mana, but it can prevent a powerful flying creature from dealing damage, which is useful in a variety of situations and deck builds.
Combo Potential: This card’s ability can be pivotal in combos where preventing a flyer from attacking or blocking can lead to game-winning scenarios. It’s also valuable in decks that prioritize manipulating the combat phase or benefit from locking down opponents’ key creatures.
Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of powerful flying creatures in many competitive formats, having a land like the Island of Wak-Wak can offer strategic advantage and tilt the battlefield in your favor without using up valuable spell slots.
How to beat
The Island of Wak-Wak can be seen as a subtle but potent control tool in the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. This card sometimes proves troublesome due to its ability to hinder creatures that rely on dealing combat damage or are crucial in assault strategies. However, there are numerous ways to navigate around its disruptive power.
One efficient strategy is to harness the strength of noncreature spells that inflict damage or change the state of the game, such as board wipes or direct damage spells, which are impervious to the Island of Wak-Wak’s ability. As such spells are not creatures, the Island’s effect becomes irrelevant, providing a direct path to maintaining your offensive or controlling the board.
Another way to work around the Island of Wak-Wak is to focus on building a diverse fleet of creatures, diminishing the impact of its target-specific ability. By deploying a wide array of threats, you diffuse the effectiveness of the card since it can only target one creature at a time. You’ll often find that a strategy focused on swarming your opponent will overwhelm single-target control cards, such as the Island of Wak-Wak, leading your army to victory.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Island of Wak-Wak MTG card by a specific set like Arabian Nights and Masters Edition, 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 Island of Wak-Wak and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
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- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
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- Card Hoarder Magic Online
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Printings
The Island of Wak-Wak Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1993-12-17 and 2007-09-10. Illustrated by Douglas Shuler.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993-12-17 | Arabian Nights | ARN | 75 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Douglas Shuler | |
| 2 | 2007-09-10 | Masters Edition | ME1 | 176 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Douglas Shuler |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Island of Wak-Wak 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 Island of Wak-Wak card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | This is not an Island. |
| 2005-11-01 | Sets power to 0 instead of giving the creature -X/-0. |
| 2009-10-01 | You apply power/toughness changing effects in a series of sublayers in the following order: (a) effects from characteristic-defining abilities; (b) effects that set power and/or toughness to a specific number or value; (c) effects that modify power and/or toughness but don’t set power and/or toughness to a specific number or value; (d) changes from counters; (e) effects that switch a creature’s power and toughness. This card’s effect is always applied in (b), which means that effects applied in sublayer (c), (d), or (e) will not be overwritten; they will be applied to the new value. |