Riptide Biologist MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Wizard
Abilities	Morph,Protection
Released	2002-10-07
Set symbol
Set name	Onslaught
Set code	ONS
Power	1
Toughness	2
Number	106
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Justin Sweet

Key Takeaways

Riptide Biologist boosts card advantage and tactical flexibility with its instant speed and special abilities.
It requires careful play; discarding cards and specific mana costs may limit its appeal in some decks.
Highly effective in certain metas, Riptide Biologist’s utility against activated abilities can alter gameplay dynamics.

Text of card

Protection from Beasts Morph o U (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for o3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

"I gave it two choices: life in the lab or death in the hunt."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Riptide Biologist offers an edge in card advantage by potentially removing a threat and drawing a card simultaneously, streamlining your deck performance.

Resource Acceleration: This card smoothens your late-game resource curve by untapping key lands or artifacts, bolstering your mana availability during critical turns.

Instant Speed: With its ability activatable at instant speed, Riptide Biologist provides flexibility in response to an opponent’s actions, allowing for strategic plays even outside your own turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Riptide Biologist requires players to discard a card to utilize its abilities, making it potentially unfavorable when card advantage is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that demands both blue and generic mana, this card may be challenging to play in multicolored decks that struggle to produce the right mana combination consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Given the specialized nature of the Riptide Biologist’s skill set, its casting cost might be seen as steep, especially when there are lower cost creatures that provide similar or superior effects on the battlefield.

Reasons to Include Riptide Biologist in Your Collection

Versatility: Riptide Biologist can be a smart inclusion in decks that need to protect themselves against creatures with activated abilities. With the ability to lock down potential threats, this card can adapt to various board states effectively.

Combo Potential: The card’s ability to place study counters on target creatures creates opportunities to synergize with mechanics that benefit from counters or tap strategies. It can also work well in decks that manipulate counters for various effects.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where creature abilities dominate, Riptide Biologist holds relevance. It can disrupt opponents’ strategies and act as a form of control, making this card a tactful choice against decks that heavily rely on such creatures.

How to beat

When facing off against the Riptide Biologist in Magic: The Gathering, players need to adopt a strategic approach. This creature, known for its proficiency in thwarting opponent’s strategies involving creatures with activated abilities, can be a tough hurdle to overcome. However, consider employing removal spells to quickly dispatch the Biologist before it can lock down your key players. Instant speed spells like Murder or Fatal Push work well, as they can be executed on your opponent’s turn, limiting the time they have to utilize the Biologist’s ability.

Another effective strategy is to manage threats preemptively by deploying your own creatures or spells that can operate under the radar of the Riptide Biologist’s abilities. Creatures with passive abilities or those that do not rely heavily on being activated can withstand the Biologist’s influence. Lastly, don’t overlook the power of counterspells. In a format full of powerful creature spells, a timely Counterspell or Negate can save you from having to face this formidable foe in the first place.

Ultimately, while the Riptide Biologist poses certain challenges, tailoring your deck with a diverse array of spells and creatures can ensure you’re prepared to navigate around this obstacle and maintain control over the match.

Cards like Riptide Biologist

Riptide Biologist has carved its own niche within Magic: The Gathering’s library of creature spells. This character offers a unique defensive capability against the Leviathan creature type. Comparatively, cards like Crafty Cutpurse also provide a very specialized role, disrupting token strategies rather than targeting specific creature types.

Much like Riptide Biologist, Man-o’-War is designed to impact the board upon entering the battlefield. Although Man-o’-War lacks the same focus on a singular creature type, it instead offers flexibility by returning any creature to its owner’s hand, proving more universally applicable. Similarly, Tidebinder Mage also provides creature-based control, specifically locking down red or green creatures which can be pivotal in certain matchups.

When weighing these options, Riptide Biologist shines in metagames where Leviathans are prevalent. It’s a prime example of how specialized creature spells can single-handedly shift tide in those particular encounters, much like its counterparts offer situational advantages in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Riptide Biologist by color, type and mana cost

Soratami Cloudskater - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Riptide Biologist MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, 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 Riptide Biologist and other MTG cards: