Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Merfolk Noble
Abilities Ward, Vigilance
Power 4
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Kiora offers card advantage by triggering draws as creatures with power two or less enter the battlefield.
  2. Ability to untap permanents enhances mana resources and gameplay flexibility, bolstering strategic depth.
  3. Demands careful hand management due to discard requirement, posing a challenge to maintaining card quantity.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep MTG card by a specific set like March of the Machine: The Aftermath and March of the Machine: The Aftermath, 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 Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep and other MTG cards:

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Text of card

Vigilance, ward Whenever you cast a Kraken, Leviathan, Octopus, or Serpent spell from your hand, look at the top X cards of your library, where X is that spell's mana value. You may cast a spell with mana value less than X from among them without paying its mana cost. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Kiora Sovereign of the Deep offers significant card advantage by allowing you to potentially draw multiple cards over several turns. Each creature with power two or less that enters the battlefield under your control triggers Kiora’s ability, continuously refilling your hand and outpacing your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: This card contributes to resource acceleration through the untapping of a permanent. This can effectively double the use of mana-producing lands or artifacts, thus giving you a substantial edge in deploying more threats and answers more rapidly than your opponent.

Instant Speed: Although Kiora herself is not an instant, the fact that her ability can be triggered during either player’s turn includes interactions at instant speed. This means you can strategically play low-power creatures during your opponent’s turn to immediately draw a card, keeping up the pressure and adaptation in the heat of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: A distinct downside to Kiora Sovereign of the Deep is the necessity to discard a card, especially when your hand is nearly empty. This can be detrimental to your tempo, forcing you to weigh the card’s benefits against the immediate cost of weakening your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost of Kiora Sovereign of the Deep includes specific symbols, which can make it challenging to include in multicolor decks. This requirement might restrict the card mainly to decks that can easily produce both blue and green mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a somewhat hefty mana cost for its abilities, this card might lag behind other options that provide similar benefits with less investment. Players need to consider if the mana cost aligns with their deck’s strategy and speed.


Reasons to Include Kiora Sovereign of the Deep in Your Collection

Versatility: Kiora Sovereign of the Deep offers flexibility across multiple deck archetypes. With her ability to ramp and manipulate sea creatures, she’s a perfect fit for tribal and ramp decks alike, finding her place in various build strategies.

Combo Potential: This planeswalker’s capabilities provide fertile ground for combos, particularly with her ultimate ability that can turn any number of creatures into potent threats. She works well with cards that enable untapping or benefit from creatures entering or leaving the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: As the metagame often adapts to the most efficient strategies, Kiora’s unique skill set can exploit certain matchups. Her presence is especially felt in a metagame teeming with creature-based synergies, making her a timely addition to respond to such trends.


How to beat

Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep offers an intriguing dynamic in the realm of planeswalker cards in MTG. With her ability to command sea creatures and manipulate untapping of permanents, she can quickly become a formidable opponent. To navigate the tidal challenges she presents, players must devise strategies that counter her aquatic dominance. Removal spells are essential; acting swiftly with direct removal such as Murder to dispatch sea monsters before they gain momentum or using bounce effects like Unsummon to return Kiora’s aquatic allies back to hand and disrupt her strategy can be effective tactics.

Counterplay is also vital. Counter spells are a key line of defense against Kiora’s entrance or her potent abilities. Denying her the field with a well-timed Counterspell ensures she doesn’t establish a dominating board presence. Moreover, persistent board control through sweepers like Wrath of God can reset Kiora’s advancing tide, countering the buildup of her underwater army and maintaining pressure to prevent her from becoming the deep sea sovereign she aspires to be.

Ultimately, understanding Kiora’s strengths allows you to prepare counters effectively, ensuring you stay afloat and leading you to victory over the Sovereign of the Deep.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the depths of MTG with Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep. Her card advantage and resource acceleration capabilities make her a force to be reckoned with. While there are considerations to her discard requirement and specific mana cost, her potential in the right deck is immense. If you’re looking to harness the power of the oceans or simply want a planeswalker that can tilt the tides in your favor, Kiora might just be the card to round out your collection. Cast your net wide, tap into new strategies, and ride the wave of victory with Kiora’s aquatic expertise.


Cards like Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep

Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep fortifies the pantheon of Magic: The Gathering sea-themed planeswalkers. This card echoes the abilities of other oceanic wielders like Thassa, God of the Sea, who similarly manipulates creatures of the deep. Thassa offers the advantage of making a creature unblockable, however, Kiora’s strength lies in her ability to untap a permanent, potentially unlocking multiple uses for one card in a single turn.

Then there’s Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle, which enters the battlefield as a land and later transforms into a powerful creature. Kiora’s ability to untap Arixmethes can be seen as complementary, allowing it to be a dynamic asset by swiftly transitioning roles. Also, in comparison, Kiora’s versatility in interacting with any permanent makes her a valuable asset beyond just creature control. Another parallel can be drawn with Tatyova, Benthic Druid, who also has a strong connection with lands, granting the player life and card advantage with land plays, whereas Kiora emphasizes the potential for explosive turns.

Assessing the unique strengths and synergies, Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep, aligns exceptionally well with cards that benefit from being untapped, setting her apart in the roster of sea-themed cards in Magic: The Gathering.

Thassa, God of the Sea - MTG Card versions
Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle - MTG Card versions
Tatyova, Benthic Druid - MTG Card versions
Thassa, God of the Sea - MTG Card versions
Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle - MTG Card versions
Tatyova, Benthic Druid - MTG Card versions

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Printings

The Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-05-12 and 2023-05-12. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12023-05-12March of the Machine: The AftermathMAT 1702015NormalBlackChris Rallis
22023-05-12March of the Machine: The AftermathMAT 2142015NormalBlackDominik Mayer
32023-05-12March of the Machine: The AftermathMAT 1352015NormalBlackChris Rallis
42023-05-12March of the Machine: The AftermathMAT 352015NormalBlackChris Rallis
52023-05-12March of the Machine: The AftermathMAT 852015NormalBlackDominik Mayer

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2023-05-12 If the spell has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
2023-05-12 If you cast a spell "without paying its mana cost," you can't pay any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, those must be paid to cast it.
2023-05-12 The spell you cast without paying its mana cost is cast during the resolution of the triggered ability. Timing restrictions of that spell based on card type are ignored. It will resolve before the spell that caused the ability to trigger.
Vigilance card art

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.