Locust Swarm MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Insect |
| Abilities | Flying |
| Released | 1996-10-08 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Mirage |
| Set code | MIR |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 226 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | William Donohoe |
Text of card
Flying oo G Regenerate oo G Untap Locust Swarm. Use this ability only once each turn.
Better a fierce thunderhead than a sky filled with locusts.
Cards like Locust Swarm
The Locust Swarm card is an intriguing creature card in Magic: The Gathering that brings a unique presence to the battlefield. When evaluating cards akin to Locust Swarm, Hornet Queen is a creature that comes to mind. Both summon multiple insect tokens, yet Hornet Queen generates flyers with deathtouch, offering both an offensive and defensive advantage. By contrast, Locust Swarm doesn’t offer deathtouch but leans on its sheer numbers and synergy with swarm strategies.
Ant Queen is another card that shares the insect-creation theme, allowing you to create ant tokens at will. While Ant Queen tokens lack flying, the repeatable nature of token creation at any time provides a constant threat. Comparatively, Locust Swarm’s strength lies in its potential to grow and compound advantages over time, particularly in decks designed around token proliferation strategies.
To sum up, in the diverse ecosystem of Magic: The Gathering, Locust Swarm finds its niche among similar cards by offering a tactical option for players who value the incremental advantage of amassing an insect army over time, providing a sustained path to overwhelm opponents.
Cards similar to Locust Swarm by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Locust Swarm card excels at generating a multitude of flying insect tokens, which can quickly outnumber your opponent’s defenses. By doing so, this card ensures that you stay ahead in terms of available offensive and defensive options, providing a substantial card advantage as the game progresses.
Resource Acceleration: The ability of this card to spawn several creatures at once can be a form of indirect resource acceleration. It enables the potential for various synergies within your deck, such as powering up other cards whose strength depends on the number of creatures you control or utilizing sacrifice mechanics for additional benefits, all without expending additional mana for summoning multiple creatures.
Instant Speed: Being able to deploy Locust Swarm at instant speed adds an element of surprise and flexibility to your gameplay. This allows you to wait until the most opportune moment, maybe at the end of your opponent’s turn, to maximize the impact of overwhelming the board with flying locusts, while keeping mana available for other strategic plays.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: To unleash the swarm, you’ll have to part with another card from your hand, a steep price when your arsenal is dwindling.
Specific Mana Cost: Deploying this insectile onslaught demands a precise blend of mana, potentially limiting its integration into decks not aligned with its color.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Commanding six mana to take flight, the locust brigade’s cost may inhibit your tempo, especially juxtaposed with other cards offering similar board presence for less.
Reasons to Include Locust Swarm in Your Collection
Versatility: Locust Swarm is a flexible card that adapts well to various deck builds. It’s particularly suited for strategies involving creature tokens, enabling diverse playstyles and tactical maneuvers during gameplay.
Combo Potential: With its ability to create multiple insect tokens, Locust Swarm can synergize with cards that capitalize on creature counts or those that benefit from sacrificing creatures for greater effects.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment that emphasizes creature-based strategies or swarming tactics, having Locust Swarm in your arsenal can be a significant advantage, potentially altering the battlefield dynamics in your favor.
How to beat
The Locust Swarm card ushers a unique challenge onto the battlefield, often overwhelming opponents with a rapidly proliferating insect army. To effectively counter this relentless tide, it’s crucial to incorporate board wipes or mass removal spells in your deck, enabling the clearance of multiple creatures at once. Cards such as Wrath of God or Blasphemous Act offer a decisive response, sweeping away the swarming tokens before they can inflict lethal damage.
Focusing on prevention, cards that hinder token generation altogether, like Illness in the Ranks or Virulent Plague, serve as efficient preventive measures. Similarly, spot removal and instant-speed interaction should be part of your strategic arsenal, giving you the ability to remove key enablers or buffed up insects before they can capitalize on their numeric advantage. Furthermore, strategies that limit your opponent’s ability to draw cards or play multiple spells in a single turn also mitigate the potency of the Locust Swarm’s gameplay, thereby blunting its impact.
Equipped with these tactics, players can navigate the swarming threat posed by the Locust Swarm card, maintaining control and steering the game towards victory despite the initial daunting outlook of facing such a swarm-focused opponent.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Locust Swarm MTG card by a specific set like Mirage, 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 Locust Swarm and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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 MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Locust Swarm has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |