Stormtide Leviathan MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost8
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Leviathan
Abilities Islandwalk,Landwalk
Power 8
Toughness 8

Key Takeaways

  1. Stormtide Leviathan offers board control by transforming all lands into Islands and restricting attacks.
  2. Its high mana cost requires strategic play, but it’s a game-changer once on the board.
  3. Leviathan’s impact on gameplay makes it a valuable addition to thematic blue-centric decks.

Text of card

Islandwalk (This creature is unblockable as long as defending player controls an Island.) All lands are Islands in addition to their other types. Creatures without flying or islandwalk can't attack.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Stormtide Leviathan presents a significant presence on the battlefield that often demands an answer from your opponent. Successfully resolving this leviathan can easily sway the tide of the game in your favor as it potentially shuts down a multitude of smaller ground-based creatures, thus preserving your hand and resources while diminishing your opponent’s options.

Resource Acceleration: Although Stormtide Leviathan is not a direct source of resource acceleration, it can indirectly contribute to a more stable board state. By locking down the battlefield with its ability, it ensures your other mana sources remain intact and unthreatened, giving you the opportunity to build up the necessary resources to cast potent spells or field other costly creatures with less opposition.

Instant Speed: While Stormtide Leviathan itself does not operate at instant speed, it has a profound impact on the tempo and dynamics of a game. Its sheer size and devastating abilities force opponents to think twice before tapping out, allowing you strategic advantages as you play the rest of your cards. The leviathan commands respect and influences the pace of gameplay, underlining its value in controlling the flow of the match.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: The Stormtide Leviathan demands a considerable amount of blue mana, to be precise, requiring seven generic and two blue mana to cast. This makes it less flexible in multicolored decks that might struggle to generate sufficient blue mana consistently.

Discard Requirement: While the Stormtide Leviathan itself does not have a discard requirement, its high mana cost implies that decks may need to incorporate discard strategies or other forms of card draw to sustain resources until it can be played, potentially compromising the player’s hand.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of nine mana, the Leviathan is a late-game play. There are cards available at a lower mana cost that can establish board presence earlier, providing either offensive or defensive benefits before the Leviathan can impact the game.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Stormtide Leviathan creates an environment on the battlefield that suits a variety of blue-centric control decks. Its ability to turn all lands into Islands is particularly powerful in decks that capitalize on sea-themed spells or cards that benefit from opponents having a certain land type.

Combo Potential: This card can be the lynchpin in a deck built around land-type manipulation or spells that gain strength from opponents owning Islands. With the right synergies, Stormtide Leviathan can not only be a formidable creature but can also enable high-impact plays across your oceanic empire.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames heavy with land-based strategies, Stormtide Leviathan’s ability to override terrain can disrupt opponents’ plans. Moreover, its passive ability that limits creatures to those with flying or Islandwalk ensures that you maintain control over which threats can engage you in battle.


How to beat

The Stormtide Leviathan makes a splash in the Magic: The Gathering scene as a formidable sea creature that commands the tides of battle. Its massive 8/8 presence on the battlefield not only embodies the strength of the oceans but also reshapes the playing field by only allowing creatures with flying or islandwalk to attack. Navigating through this sea monster’s wake requires strategic adjustment and the right counters.

To overcome this leviathan, one could look toward removal spells that don’t discriminate based on creature abilities, such as Path to Exile or Terminate. Enchantment-based strategies can be effective as well by using cards like Pacifism to nullify the creature’s power or Imprison in the Moon to neutralize it completely. Additionally, deploying flying creatures can turn the Leviathan’s ability into a strategic advantage for your aerial assault. As with any strong card, timing, and understanding of your deck’s capabilities are crucial in deciding when to hold back and when to take action to reclaim control of the seas.

Leveraging these techniques, players can keep their heads above water against the fearsome Stormtide Leviathan and ensure that their strategies aren’t swept away by its powerful tides.


BurnMana Recommendations

Stormtide Leviathan is not just a mere creature card; it’s a game-changer that can dictate the ebb and flow of a match. It is versatile, offering transformative effects that could shift entire strategies favorably in blue-centric decks. With this knowledge, MTG players should weigh the pros and cons provided in this analysis. If you have a penchant for control and enjoy watching your opponents struggle against the tides, consider adding Stormtide Leviathan to your collection. Interested in in-depth strategies and more tips on leveraging this powerful Leviathan? Dive deeper with BurnMana and emerge victorious in your next encounter.


Cards like Stormtide Leviathan

In the vast seas of Magic: The Gathering, Stormtide Leviathan makes waves with its sheer size and game-altering abilities. It shares the space with other leviathans such as Lorthos, the Tidemaker, which also boasts a commanding presence on the board. While Lorthos brings the ability to lock down opposing permanents, Stormtide Leviathan stakes its claim with its land-locking effect, only permitting creatures with islandwalk to attack.

Another behemoth of the deep is Inkwell Leviathan. Unlike Stormtide Leviathan, which affects all land types, Inkwell Leviathan focuses on an offensive strategy with evasion through trample and islandwalk. Its shroud also protects it from targeted spells, setting it apart from Stormtide’s imposing but more vulnerable stance.

Then we have the Whale creature, Breaching Leviathan. When it enters the battlefield, it provides a temporary but widespread lockdown by tapping all nonblue creatures. However, it doesn’t continually impose battlefield conditions like the permanence of Stormtide Leviathan’s land conversion.

Stormtide Leviathan earns its place among these titans with a unique combination of defensive and offensive capabilities. It changes the very fabric of the game, a hallmark of a compelling and formidable Magic: The Gathering card.

Lorthos, the Tidemaker - MTG Card versions
Inkwell Leviathan - MTG Card versions
Breaching Leviathan - MTG Card versions
Lorthos, the Tidemaker - Zendikar (ZEN)
Inkwell Leviathan - Conflux (CON)
Breaching Leviathan - Commander 2014 (C14)

Cards similar to Stormtide Leviathan by color, type and mana cost

Deep Spawn - MTG Card versions
Benthic Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Denizen of the Deep - MTG Card versions
Tidal Kraken - MTG Card versions
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Sphinx of the Second Sun - MTG Card versions
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Kederekt Leviathan - MTG Card versions
Lorthos, the Tidemaker - MTG Card versions
Trench Gorger - MTG Card versions
Tidal Force - MTG Card versions
Elder Deep-Fiend - MTG Card versions
Deep Spawn - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Benthic Behemoth - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Denizen of the Deep - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Tidal Kraken - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Avatar of Will - Prophecy (PCY)
Cognivore - Odyssey (ODY)
Brinelin, the Moon Kraken - Commander Masters (CMM)
Sphinx of the Second Sun - Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)
Scornful Egotist - Scourge (SCG)
Qumulox - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Hoverguard Sweepers - Commander 2014 (C14)
Greater Morphling - Unhinged (UNH)
Tidespout Tyrant - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Slipstream Serpent - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)
Maelstrom Djinn - Future Sight (FUT)
Kederekt Leviathan - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Lorthos, the Tidemaker - Commander Masters (CMM)
Trench Gorger - The List (PLST)
Tidal Force - Commander 2013 (C13)
Elder Deep-Fiend - Shadows over Innistrad Remastered (SIR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Stormtide Leviathan MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2011 and Magic 2013, 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 Stormtide Leviathan and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Stormtide Leviathan Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2010-07-16 and 2020-11-20. Illustrated by Karl Kopinski.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-07-16Magic 2011M11 742003normalblackKarl Kopinski
22012-07-13Magic 2013M13 702003normalblackKarl Kopinski
32014-07-18Magic 2015M15 802015normalblackKarl Kopinski
42020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 4072015normalblackKarl Kopinski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Stormtide Leviathan has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2014-07-18 If Stormtide Leviathan loses its abilities, all lands on the battlefield (including those that enter the battlefield later on) will still be Islands in addition to their other types and will still be able to tap to produce . The way continuous effects work, Stormtide Leviathan's type-changing ability is applied before the effect that removes that ability is applied.
2014-07-18 Islandwalk cares about lands with the land type Island, not necessarily lands named Island.
2014-07-18 Stormtide Leviathan's second ability causes each land on the battlefield to have the land type Island. Each land thus has the ability ": Add ." Nothing else changes about those lands, including their names, other subtypes, other abilities, and whether they're legendary or basic.
2014-07-18 Stormtide Leviathan's third ability affects all creatures with neither flying nor islandwalk, regardless of who controls them. They can't attack any player or planeswalker.

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