Kalemne's Captain MTG Card
2015-11-13 - Number 5
2015-11-18 - Number 7
2018-06-08 - Number 31
2020-04-17 - Number 92
Text of card
Vigilance: Monstrosity 3. (If this creature isn't monstrous, put three +1/+1 counters on it and it becomes monstrous.) When Kalemne's Captain becomes monstrous, exile all artifacts and enchantments.
Cards like Kalemne's Captain
Kalemne’s Captain enhances the array of giant creatures in Magic: The Gathering. Like other giants, it shares traits of significant power and toughness. It is most easily compared to Hamletback Goliath, as both can become massive threats on the battlefield. Kalemne’s Captain starts smaller but can grow its power and toughness through its renown ability, becoming an imposing 5/5 after dealing combat damage to a player. Hamletback Goliath, in contrast, doesn’t have renown but can potentially grow larger by gaining +1/+1 counters whenever another creature enters the battlefield.
Another related card is Sunrise Sovereign, which grants other giants you control +2/+0 and trample, empowering a giant-centric strategy unlike Kalemne’s Captain, which offers more individual value with its ability to exile all nonland permanents with converted mana cost 4 or less when it becomes monstrous. This can be a game-changing effect, significantly disrupting opponents’ boards. The monstrous ability requires a heavy mana commitment, but it can be a strategic late-game move that clears the path for victory.
Assessing these options, Kalemne’s Captain is a formidable choice in any deck focusing on giants, offering an excellent combination of individual strength and potential board-wide impact.
Cards similar to Kalemne's Captain by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Kalemne’s Captain can transform into a formidable creature, providing excellent card value. By morphing the card for its mana cost and later turning it face up, you effectively get a giant creature while maintaining card parity with your opponent.
Resource Acceleration: As a formidable 5/5 vigilance, Kalemne’s Captain accelerates your board state presence significantly. It can also exile all nonland permanents with converted mana cost 4 or greater, which often includes crucial resources and key threats from the opponents, affecting the course of the game markedly in your favor.
Instant Speed: While Kalemne’s Captain does not operate at instant speed itself, its impact is closely related to instant-speed interactions. Once morphed, it can be turned face up at any time you could cast an instant, allowing for strategic timing to surprise the opponent and potentially disrupt their plans.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Kalemne’s Captain itself doesn’t impose a discard cost, the necessity to discard cards to enable its monstrous ability can be a drawback. Having enough cards to discard can sometimes be challenging, especially if the game has been progressing for several turns and hand sizes have diminished.
Specific Mana Cost: Kalemne’s Captain demands a specific mana allocation with its demanding {3}{R}{W} cost. This restricts the card’s inclusion to decks that can reliably generate both red and white mana, typically constraining it to Boros or multi-color decks equipped to accommodate such mana needs.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Those five mana could be quite an investment, considering the competitive landscape of powerful creatures and spells you might access at that range. Additionally, executing the monstrous ability of Kalemne’s Captain requires even more resources, making the total investment potentially cumbersome in fast-paced matches where efficiency is paramount.
Reasons to Include Kalemne’s Captain in Your Collection
Versatility: Kalemne’s Captain offers a unique blend as a creature card, providing a robust body for combat and the potential to significantly impact the game with its morph ability. This giant ally can easily find a home in Commander decks that focus on giant tribes or any strategy that appreciates a sturdy board presence.
Combo Potential: The ability to exile all nonland permanents your opponents control when Kalemne’s Captain’s morph cost is paid can set up devastating combos. This can be synchronized with cards that benefit from opponent’s permanents leaving the field, such as those that trigger on exile or when the opponent’s board is cleared.
Meta-Relevance: In a MTG environment where players often build up powerful board states with a variety of enchantments, artifacts, and other troublesome permanents, Kalemne’s Captain can act as a form of insurance or game finisher. Its exile effect bypasses indestructibility, making it particularly effective against strategies reliant on such defenses.
How to beat
Kalemne’s Captain presents a formidable challenge on the battlefield, boasting vigilance and the ability to become monstrous, which gives it the power to exile all artifacts and enchantments once it transforms. This may seem daunting, but effective strategies can turn the tide against this giant ally. To outmaneuver Kalemne’s Captain, consider using removal spells that don’t target, such as board wipes, which clean the slate without having to target individual creatures. Cards like Doomskar or Wrath of God can effectively neutralize the threat by removing Kalemne’s Captain regardless of its monstrous status.
Countering the spell before it hits the field is another bulletproof approach. Spells like Negate or Essence Scatter work efficiently against creature spells and can prevent Kalemne’s Captain from ever becoming an issue. Moreover, if the Captain is already on the board, utilizing sacrifice effects can bypass its abilities. Edict effects, named after the classic Diabolic Edict, force the opponent to sacrifice a creature, which can be particularly useful if Kalemne’s Captain is their only or most valuable creature.
In summary, while Kalemne’s Captain carries the potential to swing the game in your opponent’s favor, there are several counters and strategies in Magic: The Gathering that allow players to deal with this formidable threat efficiently.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Kalemne's Captain MTG card by a specific set like Commander 2015 and Legendary Cube Prize Pack, 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 Kalemne's Captain and other MTG cards:
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Printings
The Kalemne's Captain Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2015-11-13 and 2020-04-17. Illustrated by Tomasz Jedruszek.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-11-13 | Commander 2015 | C15 | 5 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Tomasz Jedruszek | |
| 2 | 2015-11-18 | Legendary Cube Prize Pack | PZ1 | 7 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Tomasz Jedruszek | |
| 3 | 2018-06-08 | Commander Anthology Volume II | CM2 | 31 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Tomasz Jedruszek | |
| 4 | 2020-04-17 | Commander 2020 | C20 | 92 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Tomasz Jedruszek |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Kalemne's Captain has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Kalemne's Captain card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-11-04 | An ability that triggers when a creature becomes monstrous won’t trigger if that creature isn’t on the battlefield when its monstrosity ability resolves. |
| 2015-11-04 | Monstrous isn’t an ability that the creature has. It’s just something true about that creature. If the creature stops being a creature or loses its abilities, it continues to be monstrous. |
| 2015-11-04 | Once a creature becomes monstrous, it can’t become monstrous again. If Kalemne’s Captain is already monstrous, the activated ability won’t do anything. |
Guide to Vigilance card ability
In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.