Scuttletide MTG Card

Modern Horizons 2 (MH2)
2021-06-18 - Number 61

Scuttletide - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)

Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
2021-08-26 - Number 244

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment
Abilities	Delirium

Key Takeaways

Scuttletide creates Decayed tokens for board advantage by discarding cards, providing a constant threat.
The card’s instant speed adds tactical depth, allowing player reactions during any turn.
Its demand for specific mana and reliance on discards are notable drawbacks to consider.

Text of card

, Discard a card: Create a 0/3 blue Crab creature token. Delirium — Crabs you control get +1/+1 as long as there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard.

"We're going to need more butter." —Ghoulcaller Gisa

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Scuttletide generates incremental advantage by transforming excess cards into tangible threats on the battlefield. Each card discarded to Scuttletide’s ability bolsters your board presence with additional Decayed tokens, which can pressure opponents or bolster defenses.

Resource Acceleration: While Scuttletide itself doesn’t produce mana, its low casting cost and the ability to discard cards for value can lead to a quicker deployment of other threats in your deck. Stewarding your resources effectively with Scuttletide can build a formidable force rapidly.

Instant Speed: Scuttletide operates effectively on both your turn and your opponent’s, allowing you to create blockers at a moment’s notice. This capability gives you the flexibility to react swiftly to evolving board states, adding a layer of unpredictability and tactical depth to your gameplay.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Scuttletide demands you to discard a card to create a Tentacle token, making it a less attractive option when your hand is already dwindling or when each card in your hand holds significant strategic value.

Specific Mana Cost: To cast Scuttletide efficiently, your deck must have sufficient blue mana sources, which can complicate its inclusion in multicolored builds or those that favor mana flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost and activation in the mid-range, Scuttletide might contend with other impactful four-mana plays, potentially reducing its viability in fast-paced or mana-critical situations.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Scuttletide offers a significant benefit in decks focused on graveyard mechanics or those using self-mill strategies, making it an adaptable piece for various deck builds.

Combo Potential: With cards that allow you to discard for value, Scuttletide can turn each of those discards into a new creature, leveraging synergies and fueling powerful engine setups.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where blockers are in demand, Scuttletide ensures a steady stream of creatures that can deter opponents and protect your life total effectively.

How to Beat Scuttletide

In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Scuttletide presents a unique challenge with its ability to generate a swarm of Decayed tokens. Unlike other token-centric cards, Scuttletide leverages the graveyard, turning each discarded card into a potential creature. Despite its seemingly relentless tide of tokens, players can adopt strategies to stem its swell.

Graveyard management is key. Cards like Relic of Progenitus or Rest in Peace can halt Scuttletide’s interaction with the graveyard, preventing the accumulation of Decayed tokens. Efficient creature removal spells, preferably those that can handle multiple creatures at once, such as Wrath of God or Blasphemous Act, can clear the tokens from the board. Alternatively, employing enchantment removal such as Disenchant or Naturalize directly targets Scuttletide itself.

When faced with a horde of Decayed tokens, one must remember their limitations – they can’t block and are only a one-time use. Capitalize on this by using creatures that gain an advantage from attacking, such as those with Lifelink or prowess. Ultimately, managing your resources effectively and maintaining control of the board will help you navigate the infested waters that Scuttletide brings to the table.

Cards like Scuttletide

Scuttletide is an intriguing enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that uniquely interacts with the graveyard. It draws parallels to cards like Stitcher’s Supplier, which also populates the graveyard but through a creature’s death or milling effect. While Stitcher’s Supplier is a one-time use, Scuttletide’s ability can be activated multiple times, offering a more controlled and continuous stream of creature tokens for synergistic strategies.

Another analogous card is Cemetery Reaper, which also leverages the graveyard to strengthen your board presence. However, Cemetery Reaper focuses on buffing up your zombie creatures and offers an exiling effect to create tokens, contrasting with Scuttletide’s ability to produce a token with every discard. The scalability of Scuttletide thus creates diverse tactical advancements that Cemetery Reaper lacks.

Analyzing the similarities and differences, Scuttletide carves out its niche in graveyard-centric decks in Magic: The Gathering. It offers an enduring value and an army of Decayed tokens, which can be pivotal for overwhelming opponents or as fodder for various sacrificial effects.

Cards similar to Scuttletide by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Scuttletide MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons 2 and Jumpstart: Historic Horizons, 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 Scuttletide and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Scuttletide Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-06-18 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by Yeong-Hao Han.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2021-06-18	Modern Horizons 2	MH2		61	2015	Normal	Black	Yeong-Hao Han
2	2021-08-26	Jumpstart: Historic Horizons	J21		244	2015	Normal	Black	Yeong-Hao Han

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Scuttletide has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Commander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2021-06-18	Discarding a card is part of the cost of Scuttletide's first ability. There is no time for players to respond to the ability before the discarded card is in the graveyard.
2021-06-18	The card types that can appear in a graveyard are artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land, planeswalker, sorcery, and tribal. Legendary, basic, and snow are supertypes, not card types; Vedalken and Wizard are subtypes, not card types.
2021-06-18	The token is named Clue and has the artifact subtype Clue. Clue isn't a creature type.
2021-06-18	The tokens are normal artifacts. For example, one can be sacrificed to activate the ability of Breya's Apprentice and one can be the target of Break Ties.
2021-06-18	The triggered ability triggers when creatures are declared as attackers attacking you or a planeswalker you control. It will not trigger if an effect puts a creature onto the battlefield attacking you or a planeswalker you control.
2021-06-18	You can't sacrifice a Clue to activate its own ability and also to activate another ability that requires sacrificing a Clue (or any artifact) as a cost, such as that of Lonis, Cryptozoologist.