Wall of Vapor MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Wall
Abilities Defender
Power 0
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Wall of Vapor indirectly maintains card advantage by forcing opponents to use more resources.
  2. As a sturdy deterrent, it preserves your life and resources over multiple turns.
  3. Due to unyielding defenses, Wall of Vapor acts like a pseudo-instant deterrent each turn.

Text of card

Damage done to Wall of Vapor by creatures it blocks is reduced to 0.

"Walls of a castle are made out of stone,/ Walls of a house out of bricks or of wood./ My walls are made out of magic alone,/ Stronger than any that ever have stood." —Chrysoberyl Earthsdaughter, *Incantations*


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Though Wall of Vapor may not directly enable you to draw cards, it acts as a reliable deterrent that protects your hand and field from potential threats. With its substantial toughness, opponents need to expend more resources to get past it, indirectly maintaining your card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Wall of Vapor itself may not provide a direct acceleration of resources. However, its four mana value investment can lead to potential savings down the line. By thwarting multiple attacks over several turns, it helps preserve the life and resources you’d otherwise spend on regaining control of the board.

Instant Speed: Although Wall of Vapor is not an instant, its defensive presence on the board is akin to having a standing deterrent that is always available. It doesn’t require tapping, which means it’s perpetually ready to “fog” an enemy creature each turn, acting as a pseudo-instant in maintaining your fortifications.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While not requiring a discard outright, Wall of Vapor needs strategic hand management to ensure you have the appropriate spells to work alongside it, which can be onerous when your hand is lacking.

Specific Mana Cost: Wall of Vapor commands a very specific color alignment with its blue mana requirement, potentially restricting its inclusion to certain deck archetypes or reducing its flexibility in multi-color decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, Wall of Vapor may compete with other impactful four-mana spells or creatures, which might provide a greater return on investment for your precious mana resources.


Reasons to Include Wall of Vapor in Your Collection

Versatility: Wall of Vapor is not your typical defensive card. Its unique ability to prevent all damage dealt to it makes it a solid protective barrier for any deck focusing on defense, giving you ample time to set up your strategy.

Combo Potential: This card interacts well with effects that target creatures without dealing damage, or it can be part of a defensive combo to safeguard your life total while you execute your game plan.

Meta-Relevance: In a game that sees aggressive creatures and combat strategies, Wall of Vapor has relevance. It’s a formidable obstruction that requires opponents to find alternative ways to win, which can shift the balance of a match in your favor.


How to beat

Wall of Vapor represents an intriguing challenge in Magic: The Gathering due to its capacity to avoid destruction through damage. This characteristic may seem daunting at first but there are several tactics players can employ to effectively manage and ultimately triumph over this elusive barrier.

For instance, spells that specifically target enchantments or non-creature permanents pose a significant threat to Wall of Vapor. Such spells sidestep the card’s defensive advantage and remove it from play without requiring an exchange of damage. Also, players might consider utilizing abilities that force the owner to sacrifice a creature, thus circumventing the wall’s protective attributes.

Additionally, employing creatures with abilities like flying or those that can’t be blocked by walls can outmaneuver the Wall of Vapor, allowing for direct attacks on an opponent’s life total. Cards that change creature types or remove abilities temporarily can also neutralize the Wall of Vapor, opening a window for critical strikes.

Understanding your own deck’s strengths and the specific capabilities available within it are essential when devising a strategy to surpass obstacles like Wall of Vapor. With the right combination of removal, evasion, and tactical play, this card can be overcome, maintaining the flow and progression of your game.


Cards like Wall of Vapor

The Wall of Vapor card in Magic: The Gathering is a unique defender that can make players rethink their attack strategies. This illusory wall shares some similarities with other defensive cards but stands out due to its particular set of abilities. For example, consider the classic Wall of Air. Both cards are blue, offer significant defensive utility, and require three mana to play. However, Wall of Vapor’s non-physical nature gives it an inherent advantage, being harder to destroy with typical damage-dealing spells.

Moving on to another related card, we encounter Fog Bank. This two-mana creature likewise presents a similar dilemma for attackers, absorbing damage without getting destroyed. Although it comes at a lower cost, Fog Bank’s vulnerability to spells and abilities that don’t deal damage could make Wall of Vapor the more secure choice in certain situations.

Assessing these comparisons helps underscore Wall of Vapor’s role as a formidable obstacle. Its synergy with blue’s control playstyle and resistance to conventional removal offers a distinctive edge over other defensive units, making it a card worth considering for any player looking to fortify their defenses in Magic: The Gathering.

Wall of Air - MTG Card versions
Fog Bank - MTG Card versions
Wall of Air - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Fog Bank - Urza's Saga (USG)

Cards similar to Wall of Vapor by color, type and mana cost

Phantasmal Forces - MTG Card versions
Phantom Monster - MTG Card versions
Tradewind Rider - MTG Card versions
Archivist - MTG Card versions
Thieving Magpie - MTG Card versions
Inga Rune-Eyes - MTG Card versions
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces - MTG Card versions
Laboratory Drudge - MTG Card versions
Johnny, Combo Player - MTG Card versions
Dream Prowler - MTG Card versions
Clone - MTG Card versions
Cytoplast Manipulator - MTG Card versions
Crookclaw Transmuter - MTG Card versions
Dreamborn Muse - MTG Card versions
Turtleshell Changeling - MTG Card versions
Glen Elendra Archmage - MTG Card versions
Fatestitcher - MTG Card versions
Argent Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Lumengrid Drake - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Infuser - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Forces - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Phantom Monster - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Tradewind Rider - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Archivist - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Thieving Magpie - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Inga Rune-Eyes - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Laboratory Drudge - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Johnny, Combo Player - Unhinged (UNH)
Dream Prowler - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Clone - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Cytoplast Manipulator - Dissension (DIS)
Crookclaw Transmuter - Time Spiral (TSP)
Dreamborn Muse - Tenth Edition (10E)
Turtleshell Changeling - Lorwyn (LRW)
Glen Elendra Archmage - Eventide (EVE)
Fatestitcher - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Argent Sphinx - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Lumengrid Drake - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Vedalken Infuser - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wall of Vapor MTG card by a specific set like Legends and Chronicles, 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 Wall of Vapor and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Wall of Vapor Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1994-06-01 and 1995-07-01. Illustrated by Richard Thomas.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11994-06-01LegendsLEG 841993normalblackRichard Thomas
21995-07-01ChroniclesCHR 271993normalwhiteRichard Thomas

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wall of Vapor has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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