Walker of the Wastes MTG Card

Walker of the Wastes - Oath of the Gatewatch

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Eldrazi
Abilities	Trample
Released	2016-01-22
Set symbol
Set name	Oath of the Gatewatch
Set code	OGW
Power	4
Toughness	4
Number	10
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Joseph Meehan

Key Takeaways

Thrives with Wastes, transforming every Wastes controlled into an increase in its own power.
Requires specific mana types and a heavy colorless mana investment, limiting its deck compatibility.
Offers a unique growth potential that stands out among mana-dependent creatures, making it worth collecting.

Text of card

( represents colorless mana.) Trample Walker of the Wastes gets +1/+1 for each land you control named Wastes.

In the absence of life, something yet grows.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Walker of the Wastes thrives in a deck teeming with Wastes, as it swells in power for each Wastes you control, creating a formidable board presence that encourages beneficial trades and can deter opponents from attacking.

Resource Acceleration: In decks designed around land types, especially those with a ramp strategy, this creature excels by effectively transforming each Wastes into a power booster. This turns your land drops into a resource that not only fuels your mana but also your creature’s dominance on the board.

Instant Speed: While Walker of the Wastes is a creature and not an instant, its synergy with instant-speed land tutors that fetch Wastes can result in surprise power increases. This can significantly alter combat calculations mid-battle, catching an opponent off guard and potentially swinging the tide of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While not directly requiring a discard, Walker of the Wastes demands a significant amount of specific mana types. This can lead to the equivalent of a discard scenario, as players might have to prioritize land drops or mana generation to cast it, potentially neglecting other plays.

Specific Mana Cost: This creature card requires a considerable amount of colorless mana, meaning its integration into a deck is heavily dependent on having sufficient colorless producing lands or artifacts. Without the proper set-up, this requirement can restrict its inclusion to specialized or dedicated decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in at a base cost that is immediately steep, Walker of the Wastes may come off as a costly investment in a game where tempo and efficient use of mana can be determining factors. Its usefulness can be overshadowed by other creatures or spells with lower mana requirements that can impact the board state more immediately.

Reasons to Include Walker of the Wastes in Your Collection

Versatility: Walker of the Wastes thrives in decks that manipulate the number of Wastes in play, offering flexibility to adapt to various board situations. Its strength grows in tandem with the land type, making it a formidable creature in the right setting.

Combo Potential: This creature’s synergy with land-based ramp spells or abilities that search for land types increases not only its own power but also could potentially pave the way for explosive turns with other powerful colorless creatures or spells.

Meta-Relevance: In a game format where colorless strategies are viable or even prominent, Walker of the Wastes can be an unexpected yet powerful inclusion, especially against opponents unprepared for substantial colorless threats.

How to beat

The Walker of the Wastes thrives in Magic: The Gathering environments rich in Wastes cards, growing in power with every Wastes on the field. Overcoming this colossal creature requires strategic intervention early in the game. The Walker’s power expansion is directly tied to the number of Wastes the opponent controls, so disrupting their land base can be key. Utilizing land destruction cards or effects that force players to sacrifice lands can significantly weaken the Walker’s threat.

Another tactic is to prevent the Walker from reaching the battlefield in the first place. Cards that counter creature spells or remove cards from the hand are highly effective here. In the event the Walker does hit the board, having ready answers like exile effects or inclusive removal spells that don’t discriminate on creature size can swiftly neutralize it.

It’s worth noting that the Walker’s requirement for a specific land type to power up makes it less flexible, offering a clever opponent opportunities to inhibit its growth and eventually control the tide of the game. By cutting off access to Wastes and keeping removal options at the ready, one can overcome the challenge posed by Walker of the Wastes.

Cards like Walker of the Wastes

Walker of the Wastes thrives in land-centric decks within Magic: The Gathering, gaining strength for each Wastes you control. This card resonates with the design of other mana-dependent creatures such as Kozilek’s Channeler. While the Channeler provides a substantial amount of colorless mana to your pool, it doesn’t scale up in power and toughness based on land types.

Meanwhile, Ruin in Their Wake presents another parallel, requiring Wastes for optimal usage but serving a different role as a ramp spell rather than a creature. Territorial Baloth, too, shares some similarity as it also gains strength from land presence—specifically when a land enters the battlefield under your control, providing potential for a significant power boost with the right landfall strategy.

In evaluating Walker of the Wastes, its unique capacity to grow as a threat with each Wastes card on the field certainly places it in a special category of formidable creatures that can potentially dominate the battlefield if the land base is tailored to support it.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Walker of the Wastes MTG card by a specific set like Oath of the Gatewatch, 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 Walker of the Wastes and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Walker of the Wastes has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal

Rules and information

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