Boiling Seas MTG Card

Portal (POR)
1997-05-01 - Number 119

Ninth Edition (9ED)
2005-07-29 - Number 178★

Ninth Edition (9ED)
2005-07-29 - Number 178

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery

Key Takeaways

Targets Island-heavy decks, potentially flustering your opponent and shifting the game’s momentum in your favor.
Can be restrictive with its red mana cost, posing issues for non-monored decks and their strategic plays.
Despite some limitations, remains a strategic card for red players in the current blue-prevalent metagame.

Text of card

Destroy all islands. (This includes your islands.)

What burns the land, boils the seas.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Boiling Seas offers a unique way to disturb your opponent’s board state by targeting multiple islands, potentially turning the tide of a game. This can translate into indirect card advantage as you disrupt the components of your opponent’s strategy that rely on blue mana.

Resource Acceleration: While Boiling Seas itself doesn’t provide direct resource acceleration, the strategic depletion of an opponent’s mana resources can accelerate your position in the game relative to theirs, primarily if they play blue-heavy or mono-blue decks.

Instant Speed: As a sorcery, Boiling Seas doesn’t have the reactiveness of an instant-speed spell. However, its casting during your main phase can still be timed to maximum effect, particularly right before an opponent would capitalize on a substantial amount of blue mana. The key is utilising the sorcery during the precise window to disrupt their game plan.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike other spells that allow a straightforward casting, Boiling Seas demands that you discard another card to harness its power. When you’re clawing for an advantage, having to lose resources can put you at a deficit that’s hard to recover from during critical game junctures.

Specific Mana Cost: Boiling Seas comes with a mana cost tailored to red mana users. If your deck isn’t steeped in mountains and fire, you’ll find this card sitting idle in your hand, waiting for mana that doesn’t align with your strategy. This requirement can be a hurdle too high for multicolored decks with a tight mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The efficiency of your deck depends on the cost-benefit ratio of each card you play. With a mana cost demanding four red gems, Boiling Seas can be a steep investment, especially when you’re balancing your game plan against cards with a more manageable mana appetite. In the vast sea of choices, this cost may dive your potential for victory into troubled waters.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Boiling Seas is a powerful option for red-centric decks, offering a way to disrupt opponents who rely heavily on Islands. It can be a game-changer in matches where Island-based mana is a cornerstone.

Combo Potential: This card shines when paired with strategies that punish players for land destruction or benefit from opponents being mana-limited, setting up for a decisive win.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where blue decks and strategies focusing on Island lands are prevalent, Boiling Seas provides a competitive edge, effectively hindering opponent’s play and enhancing your position on the board.

How to beat

Boiling Seas is a spell of disruption, clearing the battlefield of pesky islands that could fuel an opponent’s blue-centric strategies in Magic: The Gathering. The impact of this card is specifically tailored to dismantle decks that heavily rely on islands for their mana base. If your deck falls prey to this disruptive force, there are a few tactics you can employ to turn the tides in your favor.

One effective strategy is diversifying your mana sources. By including non-island lands that can produce blue mana or investing in land cards with basic land types other than islands, you can safeguard your mana base against Boiling Seas. This ensures that even when your islands are wiped out, your deck can continue to function without missing a beat. Another countermeasure is to include counter spells that can negate Boiling Seas before it wreaks havoc. Quick action and a measured response can help preserve your lands and keep your deck’s strategy intact against such targeted removal.

Maintaining a proactive defense against Boiling Seas centers around anticipation and deck versatility. Employing a variety of lands, readying countermeasures, and adapting to the ebb and flow of the game can help any player overcome the potential setback posed by this potent red spell.

Cards like Boiling Seas

In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Boiling Seas stands out for its targeted disruption against decks that rely heavily on Islands. When comparing it to other cards, Pyroclasm comes to mind due to its board-affecting nature. However, Pyroclasm damages all creatures for two, while Boiling Seas specifically obliterates Island terrains without touching creatures. This pinpoint precision can be pivotal in games against mono-blue or blue-heavy decks.

Another card worth mentioning is Tsunami, which is green and broadcasts a similar message, utterly destroying all Islands, solidifying its status as a color-hosed staple. Despite sharing the same strategy, the difference lies in the color identity, providing a strategic asset for green mages over Boiling Seas. Finally, we see Boil, comparable to Boiling Seas, though possessing the advantage of being at instant speed. This allows players to maneuver around opponents’ actions, offering a critical timing advantage.

Evaluating Boiling Seas in contrast to its peers, it’s evident that this card holds a unique position, being more than capable of tipping the scales in the right circumstance, especially within Magic: The Gathering’s vast ocean of spells.

Cards similar to Boiling Seas by color, type and mana cost

Draconic Intervention - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Boiling Seas MTG card by a specific set like Portal and Ninth Edition, 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 Boiling Seas and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Boiling Seas Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1997-05-01 and 2005-07-29. Illustrated by Tom Wänerstrand.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1997-05-01	Portal	POR	119	1997	Normal	Black	Tom Wänerstrand
2	2005-07-29	Ninth Edition	9ED	178★	2003	Normal	Black	Tom Wänerstrand
3	2005-07-29	Ninth Edition	9ED	178	2003	Normal	White	Tom Wänerstrand