Coiling Woodworm MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Insect Worm
Released	2000-02-14
Set symbol
Set name	Nemesis
Set code	NEM
Power	*
Toughness	1
Number	103
Frame	1997
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	David Martin

Key Takeaways

Coiling Woodworm’s strength grows with the number of forests you control, a key deck-building factor.
It embodies efficient land utilization, enhancing gameplay without additional mana costs.
Lands with instant manipulation can unexpectedly increase the Woodworm’s power, adding a tactical layer.

Text of card

Coiling Woodworm's power is equal to the number of forests in play.

Only the elves know where the woods end and the woodworm begins.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Coiling Woodworm’s strength relies on forest lands you control, encouraging a deck build-around for consistent power increases. While it doesn’t directly influence the number of cards in hand, it maximizes the utility of each forest, potentially turning them into a threat and deterring opponents from attacking.

Resource Acceleration: In decks abundant with forest lands, the Coiling Woodworm can quickly become a formidable creature. This natural synergy allows you to develop a significant board presence, effectively using your land base as a resource to accelerate your gameplay without the necessity of additional mana investment.

Instant Speed: The Coiling Woodworm itself may not have instant speed capabilities; however, it harmonizes well with instant speed spells that manipulate land count, such as those enabling land drops on an opponent’s turn. This synergy can surprise opponents by bolstering the Woodworm’s stats reactively, bolstering both your defensive and offensive strategies.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Coiling Woodworm requires you to have a specific environment setup or card interactions to reach its full potential. This can be disadvantageous in games where you have not yet established a substantial board presence or are unable to manipulate the top of your deck, making its effectiveness inconsistent and dependent on other factors.

Specific Mana Cost: With its mana cost including a specific color requirement, this card fits primarily into green-based decks. Players running multicolored decks or those that do not heavily feature forests might find the Woodworm less accessible and harder to cast on curve, potentially slowing down their game plan.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its intriguing ability to potentially grow in power, the initial three mana investment for a creature that may only enter the battlefield as a 1/1 can be a steep price. Many other cards at a similar cost have guaranteed effects or provide immediate value upon entering the battlefield, making them more appealing alternatives in competitive gameplay.

Reasons to Include Coiling Woodworm in Your Collection

Versatility: Coiling Woodworm’s power can vary tremendously, which allows it to adapt in a deck with a heavy emphasis on land types. The more forests you control, the stronger it becomes, fitting perfectly within green-based ramp decks or land-focused strategies.

Combo Potential: This creature can become a surprise force when combined with cards that increase land count or change land types, making it an unpredictable threat. Pairing it with land animation spells can significantly boost its power in a single turn.

Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of land-interaction themes in various meta environments, Coiling Woodworm can serve as a sleeper hit in matches where opponents are less likely to expect land-based power scaling, giving it a niche yet effective role.

How to beat

Coiling Woodworm is one of those intriguing MTG cards that draws its strength from the lands that are on the battlefield. Its attack power is directly tied to the number of forests on your side of the board, which can make it appear quite formidable as the game progresses. To effectively counter this crawling threat, one strategy is to control the number of forests in play. Land destruction cards or those that alter land types can prove to be useful.

Remember that Coiling Woodworm depends on forests to be a significant threat, so an alternative approach is to remove it before it has the chance to grow stronger with enchantment removal spells or by forcing your opponent to sacrifice it. Since the Woodworm requires a significant forest presence, cards that swap the forest for another land type can also be key, negating its advantage altogether. Timing is essential in these situations — taking action before the Woodworm becomes an oversized problem will most definitely swing the game in your favor.

In summary, tackling the challenge that Coiling Woodworm presents requires you to control the battlefield and prevent or undo the card’s forest-based empowerment. Quick removal or altering your opponent’s land types can ensure this creature doesn’t take root and become an overwhelming force during the match.

Exploring the Depths of Coiling Woodworm

Coiling Woodworm is a unique green creature card that finds its niche in midrange green decks, standing out with its ability to potentially become stronger depending on the number of forests in play. While MTG hosts a plethora of creature cards with variable power and toughness, Coiling Woodworm presents as a situational threat that can challenge an opponent’s strategic planning.

Cards like Coiling Woodworm

Coiling Woodworm shares its forest-dependent strength with Nessian Game Warden, a creature that also thrives on the number of forests you control. However, the Game Warden brings an additional benefit to the table by allowing you to look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the number of forests you control, and pick a creature card from among them. This allows not only for potential board strength but also for card advantage.

Another relative in green’s massive arsenal is Dungrove Elder. This hexproof creature’s power and toughness are each equal to the number of forests you control. Unlike Coiling Woodworm, Dungrove Elder offers consistent resilience against targeted removal, which compensates for its lack of immediate impact upon entering the battlefield.

When evaluating these forest-fueled powers, Coiling Woodworm holds its ground by providing a potential immediate attack punch, depending on the current board state. The strategic value of a card like Coiling Woodworm can be substantial in decks designed to capitalize on forest count, striking a fine balance between power potential and situational advantage.

Nessian Game Warden - Journey into Nyx (JOU)

Cards similar to Coiling Woodworm by color, type and mana cost

Hungry Hungry Heifer - MTG Card versions

Territorial Scythecat - MTG Card versions

Reki, the History of Kamigawa - MTG Card versions

Taoist Mystic - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)

Steel Leaf Champion - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Realmwalker - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)

Topiary Stomper - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Territorial Scythecat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Reki, the History of Kamigawa - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)

Wood Elves - New Capenna Commander (NCC)

Rot Wolf - Duel Decks: Mirrodin Pure vs. New Phyrexia (TD2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Coiling Woodworm MTG card by a specific set like Nemesis, 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 Coiling Woodworm and other MTG cards: