Moat Piranhas MTG Card

Doesn’t offer card advantage but can indirectly preserve board and hand by deterring attacks. Low casting cost aids early-game tempo, though requires dedicated blue mana, limiting deck flexibility. While it isn’t a traditional combo card, its synergy with sacrifice effects can enhance play strategies.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Fish
Abilities Defender
Power 3
Toughness 3

Text of card

Defender (This creature can't attack.)

"Come on, it's not even that deep!" —Gorin the Brazen

Cards like Moat Piranhas

Moat Piranhas is a distinctive creature within Magic: The Gathering, bringing its own flavor to the pool of defenders. Sitting alongside guards like Wall of Runes, both cards share the defender mechanic, yet Wall of Runes offers a strategic scry when entering the battlefield, unlike the Piranhas. Moat Piranhas, on the other hand, swim ahead with a greater power, posing a stronger defensive threat.

Another card in the same waters is Wall of Mist, which also stands as a reliable two-mana defender. However, Moat Piranhas edge it out in terms of power, showing that it can bite back harder against oncoming threats. Where Wall of Mist holds back, the Piranhas strike, making it an aggressive option in a defensive lineup. Then there’s Suspicious Bookcase – it may be less formidable in power but offers a unique utility by turning other creatures unblockable, unlike the direct combat approach of Moat Piranhas.

Assessing the underwater terrain, Moat Piranhas proves itself a valuable guardian in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to deal damage while effectively blocking enemies reinforces the balance between attack and defense, particularly in decks designed to withstand early game onslaughts.

Wall of Runes - MTG Card versions
Wall of Mist - MTG Card versions
Suspicious Bookcase - MTG Card versions
Wall of Runes - MTG Card versions
Wall of Mist - MTG Card versions
Suspicious Bookcase - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Moat Piranhas doesn’t directly offer card advantage in the traditional sense of drawing cards or forcing discards. However, its potential as a defender can deter opponents from attacking, indirectly preserving your hand and board state.

Resource Acceleration: While Moat Piranhas doesn’t provide resource acceleration in terms of mana production, its low casting cost can help you deploy other spells sooner, making it a strategic early-game play for maintaining tempo.

Instant Speed: Although Moat Piranhas must be cast at sorcery speed, its presence on the battlefield can influence the timing and casting decisions of instant-speed actions. It can affect opposition strategies, especially if they rely on creatures with lesser power to conduct their maneuvers.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The playability of Moat Piranhas can suffer in tight situations where maintaining card advantage is crucial, as it does not offer any mechanism to offset the potential card loss when engaged in combat.

Specific Mana Cost: Moat Piranhas demands a dedicated blue mana in its casting cost, which can potentially restrict deck-building options, particularly in multicolored decks that are mana-sensitive or that prioritize early board presence with color-flexible spells.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a creature that is primarily defensive, the mana investment needed to field Moat Piranhas is significant when contrasted with other creatures in MTG that might provide a stronger presence or additional abilities at a similar or lower cost threshold.

Reasons to Include Moat Piranhas in Your Collection

Versatility: Moat Piranhas provides a reliable early game defense in decks focused on control strategies, working as an efficient blocker against aggressive creatures. Its ability to slot into various blue-based decks ensures it’s a valuable tool in different situations.

Combo Potential: While not a combo piece traditionally, Moat Piranhas synergizes well with effects that care about the number of creatures you have or that require sacrificing creatures to activate abilities, offering strategic layering for your plays.

Meta-Relevance: As aggro strategies often populate the MTG landscape, having Moat Piranhas as a low-cost defender can be crucial in stabilizing early onslaughts, keeping you in the game long enough to deploy your heavier win conditions.

How to beat

Moat Piranhas is a creature card that can be quite tricky to navigate around in MTG. It’s a card known for its defensive capabilities with the ability to thwart opponents’ attacks. Unlike other creatures, Moat Piranhas can’t attack. This creature reinforces your defense by blocking incoming threats due to its decent toughness. Playing against Moat Piranhas, your strategy should focus on circumventing its defensive wall.

One effective method is to use flying creatures, as Moat Piranhas lacks the reach to block fliers. Utilize abilities or spells that grant evasion to your creatures to get past the Piranhas’ blockade. Another approach is to disable Moat Piranhas using removal spells or abilities that can bypass its defense, such as those that require a target creature to be tapped. Since Moat Piranhas is always ready to block, it’s rarely tapped, making it susceptible to such spells.

Overall, beating Moat Piranhas requires altering your tactics. Reflect on your deck’s strengths and find ways to negate the Piranhas’ defensive advantage, whether through flight, removal, or evasion strategies. Always be prepared to adapt and overcome obstacles, including the seemingly impenetrable Moat Piranhas.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Moat Piranhas MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020 and Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate, 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 Moat Piranhas and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Moat Piranhas Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-07-12 and 2022-07-07. Illustrated by Rudy Siswanto.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-07-12Core Set 2020M20 672015NormalBlackRudy Siswanto
22022-07-07Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's GateHBG 9042015NormalBlackRudy Siswanto

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Moat Piranhas has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal