Kiora, the Crashing Wave Emblem MTG Card
| Type | Emblem — Kiora |
| Released | 2014-02-07 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Born of the Gods |
| Set code | BNG |
| Number | 11 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Emblem |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Scott M. Fischer |
Text of card
At the beginning of your end step, create a 9/9 blue Kraken creature token.
Cards like Kiora, the Crashing Wave Emblem
The Kiora, the Crashing Wave Emblem is a unique and powerful asset in Magic: The Gathering. It draws parallels to other emblem and planeswalker abilities that control the board. Kiora’s emblem allows players to summon a 9/9 blue Kraken creature token during each of their upkeeps, presenting an unending tide of pressure for opponents. This is evocative of other major threats like Elspeth, Sun’s Champion, where emblems provide a continual advantage with indestructible creatures.
Similarly, Tamiyo, Field Researcher provides a formidable emblem that allows you to draw cards each time a permanent you control becomes the target of a spell or ability. While Tamiyo’s emblem involves card advantage, Kiora’s focuses on amassing a powerful creature presence. Another comparable dynamic is found with Jace, Cunning Castaway, who can create multiple copies of himself, albeit with a different approach, favoring wizardry over brute force.
While each of these abilities has its distinctive playstyle and benefits, Kiora’s emblem stands out for its relentless ability to put a powerful creature on the board every turn, a feature that potentially overpowers opponents with its colossal Krakens while requiring a specific removal strategy to be countered.
Cards similar to Kiora, the Crashing Wave Emblem by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Kiora’s emblem grants the ability to summon a 9/9 Kraken every turn, essentially providing an unwavering stream of powerful creatures that can overwhelm opponents. The card doesn’t need to be part of your draw since it’s an ongoing effect, freeing up draws for other strategies or answers.
Resource Acceleration: Once you unlock Kiora’s emblem, no additional mana investment is needed to benefit from it. This efficiency in resource usage means your mana can be redirected to other essential spells, enabling a more versatile and robust playstyle.
Instant Speed: Although the emblem itself isn’t an instant, it provides a creature at the beginning of each upkeep, not just yours. This means that not only do you gain constant pressure on the board, but you also retain open mana for instant-speed interactions, making you a formidable opponent during all phases of the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While gaining control of Kiora’s emblem does not directly require discarding cards, reaching this ultimate ability often entails considerable card investment, potentially depleting your hand.
Specific Mana Cost: Kiora, the Crashing Wave, demands an exact green and blue mana, which could restrict deck-building options and require a dedicated mana base to cast with consistency.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: To utilize Kiora’s emblem, substantial mana investment is necessary first to cast Kiora and then to protect and maintain her presence on the battlefield until her loyalty allows activation of her emblem effect.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: The Kiora, the Crashing Wave emblem offers a durable advantage that can seamlessly blend into various types of decks focusing on sea creatures or ones that capitalize on the no-damage clause to protect life totals. Its enduring presence on the battlefield helps players maintain control over the game’s pace and direction.
Combo Potential: This emblem synergizes exceptionally well with high-toughness creatures that can block indefinitely, or with effects that incrementally weaken opponents’ creatures. Its ability to prevent all damage that would be dealt to creatures you control can be a game-changer, making it a keystone in defensive strategies.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where combat damage is a primary route to victory, Kiora’s emblem becomes a resilient tool. It neutralizes many aggressive strategies that rely on dealing damage through creatures, making it a strategic asset against creature-heavy decks in the current meta.
How to Beat Kiora, the Crashing Wave Emblem
Kiora, the Crashing Wave emblem presents a unique challenge on the battlefield, creating an effect where the controller’s Krakens, Leviathans, octopuses, and serpents can’t be targeted and gain indestructible. This powerful emblem transforms an already formidable board presence into an unassailable force. However, defeating this emblem isn’t impossible.
Combatting Kiora’s emblem requires strategy. Focus on global effects that don’t target individual creatures. Board wipes like Supreme Verdict or Damnation can clear the way, as they don’t target and thus bypass the indestructible trait. Cards that change the fundamental rules of the game, like Humility, nullify the abilities granted by the emblem by turning all creatures into simple 1/1 without abilities, while Sudden Spoiling can temporarily turn opponent’s creatures into 0/2 with no abilities, allowing for potential combat tricks.
Adapting to and overcoming the emblem’s influence is key. Employing strategies that bypass creature combat altogether, such as mill or direct player damage, can pivot the game in your favor. Redirect your approach, focus on versatile removal, and remember that victory is still within reach despite the seeming invulnerability bestowed by Kiora’s emblem.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Kiora, the Crashing Wave Emblem MTG card by a specific set like Born of the Gods, 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, the Crashing Wave Emblem and other MTG cards:
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