Deep-Sea Terror MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Serpent
Released	2015-07-17
Set symbol
Set name	Magic Origins
Set code	ORI
Power	6
Toughness	6
Number	52
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Marco Nelor

Key Takeaways

Deep-Sea Terror can provide card advantage while disrupting opponent strategies through its abilities.
Its graveyard synergy accelerates resource availability, beneficial for specific deck archetypes.
The card’s high mana cost and specific mana requirements can limit its versatility in gameplay.

Text of card

Deep-Sea Terror can't attack unless there are seven or more cards in your graveyard.

After stripping the sunken ships, it rises to the surface for another helping.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Deep-Sea Terror’s ability to potentially draw cards or force discards from your opponent, this sea monster can tip the scales in your favor. It can give you the upper hand by bolstering your hand while potentially disrupting your adversary’s strategy.

Resource Acceleration: This card has synergy with graveyard mechanics, which can accelerate your resources by paving the way for other high-powered creatures to enter the battlefield sooner than expected. This can be a boon for decks that thrive on such dynamics.

Instant Speed: While Deep-Sea Terror itself isn’t an instant, it meshes well with strategies involving instant speed spells. Being able to flash in threats during an opponent’s turn before unleashing the Terror adds an element of surprise and resource optimization to your gameplay.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The spell demands a player to discard another card in order to fulfill its casting conditions. This can deplete your hand especially when you’re striving to maintain card advantage against your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: Deep-Sea Terror necessitates a precise blend of blue mana to cast. This could potentially restrict its integration in multi-color decks or make it challenging to summon if your mana sources are not optimally aligned.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a substantial mana cost needed to bring it onto the battlefield, the terror from the depths may arrive too late in the game. In situations where speed is crucial, you might find this card being overshadowed by lower-cost creatures with similar or more impactful abilities.

Reasons to Include Deep-Sea Terror in Your Collection

Versatility: Deep-Sea Terror is a card that can adapt to a variety of deck strategies, particularly in those that aim to fill the graveyard rapidly. Its ability to potentially be a large threat as early as turn six makes it a good fit for decks that capitalize on high-powered creatures.

Combo Potential: This sea monster synergizes well with decks that enable self-mill or reanimation tactics. With the right combination of cards, you can have Deep-Sea Terror attacking much earlier than usual, contributing to potent combo plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment that favors longer matches and big finishers, Deep-Sea Terror can be a game-changer. Its presence in your collection means you have access to a creature that can tip the scales in your favor, especially in metas that don’t heavily feature graveyard hate.

How to Beat Deep-Sea Terror

Diving into the depths of blue card strategies, Deep-Sea Terror is a creature recognised for its formidable size. Deploying this leviathan from the briny deep onto the battlefield requires a deft handling of your graveyard, since its summoning hinges on having six or more cards in that zone. Its substantial power and toughness make it a significant threat, often requiring opponents to cast removal spells or establish compelling board presences to keep it at bay.

To counteract this aquatic menace, players should prioritize maintaining graveyard control. Cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can effectively nullify Deep-Sea Terror’s ability to manifest by sanitizing the graveyard altogether. Furthermore, if it does reach the battlefield, you can rely on a diversity of removal spells—think Path to Exile or Terminate—to dispatch the creature before it can lead a charge into your life points.

Another tactic involves the use of counterspells to prevent the Terror from even entering the fray. A well-timed Counterspell or Mana Leak when your opponent attempts to summon Deep-Sea Terror can save you from its looming tidal wave of damage. In essence, while this sea creature can be daunting, a combination of graveyard disruption and spot removal can effectively keep it in check and secure your position at the helm of the game.

Cards like Deep-Sea Terror

Exploring the depths of blue’s menagerie in Magic: The Gathering, Deep-Sea Terror presents itself as a sizable creature that can dictate the pace of the underwater battle. With its parallels to Serpent of the Endless Sea, which also demands a certain amount of cards in the graveyard to attack, Deep-Sea Terror takes this prerequisite further by requiring a minimum of seven cards for it to swim into the offensive.

Diving deeper, we find Inkwell Leviathan from the same aquatic family, boasting not only immense power but also evasion through trample, shroud, and islandwalk. While the Leviathan requires more mana, it doesn’t share the graveyard dependency that shackles Deep-Sea Terror. Looking at Stormtide Leviathan, it’s evident that its ability to lock down the battlefield by turning all lands into Islands is distinct, although at a steeper mana cost and with a different set of strategic implications.

Assessing these underwater titans, Deep-Sea Terror offers a unique middle ground in terms of cost and power. It rewards players who can fill their graveyard efficiently, making it a potential behemoth in the right deck. Therefore, while not as standalone powerful as its kin, the Terror provides a distinctive option for strategic MTG deck builders.

Serpent of the Endless Sea - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Deep-Sea Terror by color, type and mana cost

Sun Quan, Lord of Wu - MTG Card versions

Arcanis the Omnipotent - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Deep-Sea Terror MTG card by a specific set like Magic Origins, 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 Deep-Sea Terror and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Deep-Sea Terror has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2015-06-22	Deep-Sea Terror’s ability only checks as attackers are declared. After Deep-Sea Terror legally attacks, reducing the number of cards in your graveyard won’t cause it to stop attacking.