Riptide Mangler MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Beast |
| Released | 2003-02-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Legions |
| Set code | LGN |
| Power | 0 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 51 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Arnie Swekel |
Key Takeaways
- Riptide Mangler can escalate in power based on graveyard creatures, threatening opponents with significant damage.
- It uniquely enhances the board state, accelerating the game’s pace without directly offering resources.
- Compatibility with instant speed strategies ensures flexibility, making it a formidable and unpredictable card.
Text of card
: Change Riptide Mangler's power to target creature's power. (It doesn't change back at end of turn.)
It wants you to be its chum.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Riptide Mangler has the potential to become a major threat if you have a number of creatures in your graveyard. By leveraging the creatures you’ve already played, this card translates past plays into present power, often requiring your opponent to deal with it or face considerable damage.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing resources, Riptide Mangler can function as a form of resource acceleration. It can turn an otherwise unimpressive board state into a high-pressure situation for your opponent, potentially accelerating the game in your favor.
Instant Speed: Although Riptide Mangler itself isn’t an instant, it synergizes well with strategies involving instant speed interaction. You can keep mana up for other spells and then rebuild or repurpose your battlefield at a moment’s notice, keeping your opponents guessing and making it difficult for them to commit to a single line of play.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: When deploying Riptide Mangler to the battlefield, you are confronted with an activation cost that demands the discarding of a card. This additional cost can be quite taxing, particularly during the late game when your hand might be depleted, leaving you with fewer resources and options to combat your opponent’s threats.
Specific Mana Cost: Another aspect to consider is the specific mana cost associated with Riptide Mangler. The card requires blue mana, and while it may seamlessly fit into a blue-centric or blue-companion deck, it lacks the flexibility for decks that are not aligned with blue mana, potentially restricting its playability across various deck types.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment needed for Riptide Mangler is something players should weigh carefully. With a relatively high mana cost for what it contributes in terms of power, there are alternative creatures or spells available within the same mana range that may provide greater board impact or versatility, potentially leading some players to overlook Riptide Mangler in favor of more cost-efficient options.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Riptide Mangler finds a place in decks that crave adaptability. Its power manipulation ability allows it to scale according to the creatures on the board, making it a dynamic threat at any stage of the game.
Combo Potential: This card can be a key piece in decks that focus on +1/+1 counters or those that have numerous creatures on the battlefield. It can exponentially increase its power, turning it into a formidable force when synergized with other abilities or spells.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where board states can be cluttered with creatures, Riptide Mangler can be especially powerful. Its ability to leverage the size of other creatures makes it a relevant choice in creature-heavy metas.
How to beat
Riptide Mangler presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. Its power lies in its ability to grow substantially, leveraging the accumulated size of creatures lying dormant in graveyards. To counteract its strength, keep a few things in mind. First, manage graveyards effectively, utilizing cards that exile creatures or entire graveyards, diminishing the Mangler’s potential power surge. Secondly, prioritize removal spells that can tackle the Mangler regardless of its size, such as those with ‘destroy’ effects or ones that assign -X/-X values, so that growth in strength won’t protect it.
Players should also consider the importance of timing when dealing with Riptide Mangler. Instant-speed interaction lets you respond adaptively, preventing opponents from capitalizing on a surprise growth in power. Utilize counterspells when the Mangler is cast or employ instant-speed removal when it attempts to modify its power. Keeping a versatile arsenal of answers ready ensures that Riptide Mangler won’t dominate the game.
Effective interaction is key, and by strategically planning your responses, preserving versatile removal options, and minimizing graveyard resources, you can contain the threat posed by Riptide Mangler and maintain control over the game’s flow.
Cards like Riptide Mangler
Riptide Mangler brings unique dynamics to the power manipulation of creatures in the game. As a creature itself, it can be grouped with the likes of Cytoplast Manipulator and Simic Manipulator, both of which allow the control of other creatures’ power and/or counters. Cytoplast Manipulator offers the ability to gain control of creatures with +1/+1 counters on them, while Simic Manipulator requires the removal of such counters from itself to take control of target creatures.
While Cytoplast and Simic shift the board’s power balance by transferring or utilizing counters, Riptide Mangler is distinct in its ability to swell its own power based on the highest power among creatures you control. However, unlike the others, it doesn’t change the power of other creatures or provide a lasting board control ability. On the other hand, Riptide Mangler’s power boost can happen instantly with its activated ability, making it unpredictably dangerous during the combat phase.
When considering strategic flexibility and the potential to create a formidable threat, Riptide Mangler holds a unique position. It’s particularly potent in decks that can readily increase the power of creatures, allowing it to become a substantial aggressor on the battlefield.
Cards similar to Riptide Mangler by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Riptide Mangler MTG card by a specific set like Legions, 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 Riptide Mangler and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Riptide Mangler has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Riptide Mangler card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-02-25 | Effects that modify Riptide Mangler’s power, such as the effect of Giant Growth or Glorious Anthem, will apply to Riptide Mangler no matter when they started applying. The same is true for counters that affect Riptide Mangler’s power and effects that switch its power and toughness. |
| 2015-02-25 | The activated ability overwrites all previous effects that set Riptide Mangler’s base power to specific a value (such as previous activations of the ability). Other effects that set its base power that start to apply after Riptide Mangler’s ability resolves will overwrite this effect. |
