Ivorytusk Fortress MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Ivorytusk Fortress itself doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, its untapping ability can synergize with other abilities or effects that activate during each player’s turn, potentially offering multiple uses of abilities that can give you card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: The Fortress’s strength lies in its unique ability to untap each of your creatures with a +1/+1 counter on them during each other player’s untap step. This ability can lead to resource acceleration, as you are able to leverage more actions from the same set of creatures, not just on your turn but also during each of your opponents’ turns.

Instant Speed: Although Ivorytusk Fortress operates at a continuous effect rather than instant speed, the creatures you untap with its ability can be used for instant speed spells or abilities. This gives you the flexibility to react during your opponent’s turn, after you’ve already had the opportunity to use your creatures in your own turn.

Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Ivorytusk Fortress requires a specific blend of mana colors—white, black, and green—to cast. This can restrict deck-building flexibility, necessitating a dedicated base of all three colors which might not align with every player’s strategy or available card pool.

Discard Requirement: While Ivorytusk Fortress itself doesn’t have a discard requirement, its Abzan synergy often comes with cards in the same mechanic that could necessitate discarding as part of their cost. This isn’t always ideal, especially in games where hand advantage is crucial.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, Ivorytusk Fortress competes with other high-impact creatures and spells in the five-mana slot. Because of its defensive nature, it might not have the immediate board impact other five-cost cards possess, potentially setting you behind in more aggressive or tempo-driven games.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Ivorytusk Fortress offers a unique ability to untap all your tapped creatures during every player’s untap step. This capability allows for defensive agility and surprise offense, fitting nicely into decks that capitalize on tap and untap mechanics.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with creatures that have tap abilities, essentially doubling their usage. It’s a formidable partner in strategies built around creature abilities or those that employ vigilance and control elements.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where creatures command the board, Ivorytusk Fortress can help maintain board presence and exert continuous pressure on opponents. It’s particularly useful in a meta where being able to react on every turn is crucial.

How to beat

Ivorytusk Fortress is a unique card in the pantheon of Magic: The Gathering, offering a powerful ability that untaps all your creatures with +1/+1 counters during each player’s untap step. This effect can give you significant advantages by allowing blockers during your opponent’s turn or enabling repeated activated abilities that require tapping. However, there are strategies to undermine its effectiveness on the battlefield.

To effectively neutralize the threat of Ivorytusk Fortress, consider cards that can remove counters, such as Vampire Hexmage, which can target creatures with +1/+1 counters directly, stripping the fortress of its utility. Another approach is to employ board wipes like Supreme Verdict, which bypasses the creatures’ untapped state and removes them regardless of how many counters they have. Furthermore, exploit the power of exile effects found in cards like Path to Exile, removing the troublesome creature without the need to deal with it on the board. Lastly, playing around the Ivorytusk Fortress’ strengths by focusing on non-creature strategies or utilizing flying creatures can also mitigate its potential impact.

Devising a tactic that anticipates and counters this resilient fortress will lead to a more controlled and manageable game state, keeping your adversaries on the defensive and paving your way to victory.

BurnMana Recommendations

The strategic depth of MTG is a perfect arena to put Ivorytusk Fortress’s unique abilities to the test. As an exceptional architect of both combat and utility strategies, it’s a card that beckons for inventive playstyles and synergistic deck builds. The fortress’s ability to untap creatures with +1/+1 counters during each player’s untap step can unlock potent combos and create new defensive opportunities. Whether you’re aiming to maximize the use of tap abilities or simply want a reliable way to keep your creatures ready at all times, this might be a card worth adding to your arsenal. Discover more ways to harness the full potential of this dynamic card and refine your deck’s performance. Dive in with us and explore the endless possibilities that MTG offers.