Tropical Storm MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Released	1996-10-08
Set symbol
Set name	Mirage
Set code	MIR
Number	246
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Richard Kane Ferguson

Key Takeaways

Instant speed and tactical play make Tropical Storm a formidable disruption tool.
Discarding for its effect can be harmful, weighing against its board impact.
Strategic inclusion in blue/green decks could give an edge in specific metas.

Text of card

Tropical Storm deals X damage to each creature with flying and 1 damage to each blue creature.

"After the storm, I found a sea turtle dying on the sands, a blade of grass driven through its shell." —*Travelogue of Najat*

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tropical Storm presents an opportunity to disrupt opponents by returning multiple creatures to their owner’s hands. This not only sets your adversary’s board development back a few turns but also replenishes your hand if you fulfill the spell’s conditions, ensuring you don’t fall behind in the card count.

Resource Acceleration: In the right deck, playing Tropical Storm effectively can be tantamount to ramping up your resources. By clearing the board of multiple creatures, you reduce the pressure on yourself, allowing you to deploy your resources more effectively in subsequent turns without the fear of immediate reprisals.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Tropical Storm at instant speed adds tactical depth to the card. You can wait until the most impactful moment, such as in response to an opponent’s attack or end of turn, to swing the game’s momentum in your favor, making this card a versatile tool in any MTG player’s arsenal.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Tropical Storm necessitates the player to part with a card from their hand, which can be detrimental during game states where hand size is critical.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Tropical Storm includes blue mana, which might not seamlessly fit into every player’s mana base, particularly in multicolored decks not focusing on blue.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card’s mana cost might be viewed as steep when evaluating its impact on the board state against other spells that players could cast with the same or fewer resources.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Tropical Storm is a multifaceted card that adapts well to various deck themes, lending a unique edge in green and blue decks with its potential to disrupt flying creatures.

Combo Potential: This card excels in combinations with cards designed to fill the skies with creatures. Players can exploit this by controlling when and how many birds their opponents have in play, turning Tropical Storm into a tailored board wipe.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where flying creatures dominate the battlefield, having Tropical Storm in your arsenal ensures you hold a strategic answer, making it a timely inclusion that can swing games in your favor.

How to beat

Overcoming the power of Tropical Storm in the MTG arena hinges on understanding its limitations and deploying the right strategies at the optimal moment. This blue spell is known for its ability to cause widespread damage to creatures with flying, proportional to the number of Islands you control. Diving into its mechanics, the card’s inherent strength is the potential for massive damage, particularly in a Mono-Blue or heavily blue-tinted deck.

To outplay an opponent wielding Tropical Storm, consider adjusting your deck to minimize the impact. This could involve reducing the number of flying creatures or incorporating cards that offer hexproof or protection from blue to shield your aerial assets. Another pivotal tactic is to capitalize on Tropical Storm’s dependency on Islands. Disrupting your opponent’s land base through land destruction or land type alteration can drastically reduce the effectiveness of the spell. Furthermore, having instant-speed removal or creature buffs can help you navigate and mitigate the damage during a tightly contested match by saving your key creatures from the storm’s wrath.

Ultimately, the key lies in anticipating the play and having a proactive defense strategy in place, securing a better position against this particular threat on the board.

Cards like Tropical Storm

The allure of Tropical Storm in Magic: The Gathering lies in its ability to deal damage to each creature with flying and each blue creature on the battlefield. Its similarity to cards like Hurricane is apparent as both can be instrumental in swinging the game’s momentum by affecting multiple creatures simultaneously. Hurricane, however, inflicts damage to each creature with flying and each player, which can escalate the stakes when life points are low.

Another card akin to Tropical Storm is Windstorm, which zeroes in on creatures with flying for a scalable damage output. Unlike Tropical Storm, Windstorm doesn’t have the reach to damage blue creatures but offers customizable control over aerial threats. Squall Line is also worth mentioning; it shares Hurricane’s dual-threat by dealing damage to flying creatures and players while giving the flexibility of instant-speed execution.

Evaluating these options, Tropical Storm emerges as a valuable and niche pick for strategies targeting flying and blue threats. While it may not have the universal applicability of some alternatives, its targeted nature can create tactical advantages in the right deck setup.

Cards similar to Tropical Storm by color, type and mana cost

Chatter of the Squirrel - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tropical Storm 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 Tropical Storm and other MTG cards: