Tidewater Minion MTG Card


Tidewater Minion - Ravnica: City of Guilds
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Elemental Minion
Abilities Defender
Released2005-10-07
Set symbol
Set nameRavnica: City of Guilds
Set codeRAV
Power 4
Toughness 4
Number71
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byTomas Giorello

Key Takeaways

  1. Untapping ability of Tidewater Minion presents card advantage and strategic flexibility during gameplay.
  2. It provides resource acceleration, enabling mana ramp and facilitating complex spell casting earlier.
  3. Instant speed activation offers adaptability in response to opponents’ moves for competitive edge.

Text of card

Defender (This creature can't attack.) : Tidewater Minion loses defender until end of turn. : Untap target permanent.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tidewater Minion may not directly increase your hand size, but it definitely allows you to get more out of the cards you already have. By untapping another permanent, it opens avenues for repeated use of abilities or lands, equating to drawing into more options without depleting your deck.

Resource Acceleration: The ability to untap a land each turn with Tidewater Minion means a significant uptick in your mana availability. It acts as a force multiplier for your mana resources, which can be critical in casting higher cost spells ahead of schedule or enabling multi-spell turns.

Instant Speed: Although Tidewater Minion itself is not an instant-speed spell, its untap ability can be used at instant speed. This flexibility lets players adapt to the flow of the game, potentially untapping key lands or permanents in response to an opponent’s actions or at the end of their turn for maximum efficiency.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Tidewater Minion doesn’t require a discard per se, but its need to tap itself can inhibit players from using their mana or other permanents, akin to a resource discard, which might limit its effectiveness in fast-paced games.

Specific Mana Cost: Casting Tidewater Minion demands both blue and generic mana, meaning it isn’t as flexible in colorless or multi-colored mana bases and fits primarily in blue-inclined decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of five, including two blue, Tidewater Minion is considered to have a high investment for setting up board presence or utilizing its untapping ability, which may deter players from including it over lower-cost options providing similar or better utility.


Reasons to Include Tidewater Minion in Your Collection

Versatility: Tidewater Minion offers exceptional flexibility, easily integrating into control or combo decks. Its ability to untap cards, including itself, provides strategic options whether you’re unlocking mana sources or refreshing other permanents for repeated use.

Combo Potential: The tapping ability of Tidewater Minion shines in conjunction with cards that thrive on being tapped and untapped repeatedly. It becomes part of intricate combos, potentially enabling infinite loops that can lead to a game-winning scenario.

Meta-Relevance: While Tidewater Minion may not be a staple in the current competitive scene, its unique abilities make it a smart choice for players looking to counter or outmaneuver popular on-meta strategies. A clever player can leverage its utility to disrupt opponents and capitalize on the element of surprise.


How to Beat Tidewater Minion

Tidewater Minion is a unique creature card in MTG. Its ability to untap another target permanent or to become a 4/4 attacker or blocker until end of turn makes it a versatile tool in a player’s arsenal. To effectively overcome this minion, you can consider several strategies. Counteracting its untapping ability by targeting it with removal spells like “Murder” or “Path to Exile” before it activates is effective. Cards like “Frost Breath” can neutralize it for multiple turns, providing a window to advance your board position. Applying continuous pressure on your opponent also limits the effectiveness of the Minion’s defensive capabilities.

Additionally, utilize creatures with effects that trigger when they become tapped or untapped to exploit the Minion’s abilities against your opponent. Lastly, taking advantage of its lack of vigilance can create opportunities to outmaneuver it in combat. Planning ahead and adapting to the situation on the battlefield will ensure that this seemingly formidable foe becomes manageable.


Cards like Tidewater Minion

Tidewater Minion is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering, reminiscent of other tap/untap utility creatures. Its closest kin might be Puppeteer, which also can tap or untap another creature at the cost of one blue mana and tapping itself. Tidewater Minion, however, wields greater versatility, being able to untap not just creatures but also lands or artifacts, bypassing color restrictions and providing broader utility.

Seeking similarities, we stumble upon Kiora’s Follower, a creature with an identical untapping ability. Both cards can serve to untap a permanent, but the Follower does it at a lower mana cost and with a more aggressive body. Contrast that with the Minion’s higher cost but with the capacity to act as a defender thanks to its four toughness. There’s also Vizier of Tumbling Sands, which carries cycling – a useful ability that Tidewater Minion lacks, offering card draw flexibility.

While analyzing these cards, it becomes clear that Tidewater Minion may shine in decks that greatly benefit from untapping permanents repeatedly. Despite not having the raw speed or added functionalities of others, its defensive capabilities and untap potential make it a card worth considering in various MTG strategies.

Puppeteer - MTG Card versions
Kiora's Follower - MTG Card versions
Vizier of Tumbling Sands - MTG Card versions
Puppeteer - Odyssey (ODY)
Kiora's Follower - Born of the Gods Promos (PBNG)
Vizier of Tumbling Sands - Amonkhet (AKH)

Cards similar to Tidewater Minion by color, type and mana cost

Vesuvan Doppelganger - MTG Card versions
Water Elemental - MTG Card versions
Air Elemental - MTG Card versions
Pirate Ship - MTG Card versions
Sandbar Crocodile - MTG Card versions
Segovian Leviathan - MTG Card versions
Sun Ce, Young Conquerer - MTG Card versions
Wu Admiral - MTG Card versions
Mawcor - MTG Card versions
Timin, Youthful Geist - MTG Card versions
Geology Enthusiast - MTG Card versions
Coastal Hornclaw - MTG Card versions
Meloku the Clouded Mirror - MTG Card versions
Azami, Lady of Scrolls - MTG Card versions
Richard Garfield, Ph.D. - MTG Card versions
Cloudhoof Kirin - MTG Card versions
Drelnoch - MTG Card versions
Adarkar Windform - MTG Card versions
Infiltrator il-Kor - MTG Card versions
Mulldrifter - MTG Card versions
Vesuvan Doppelganger - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Water Elemental - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Air Elemental - Core Set 2020 (M20)
Pirate Ship - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Sandbar Crocodile - Media Inserts (PMEI)
Segovian Leviathan - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Sun Ce, Young Conquerer - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Wu Admiral - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Mawcor - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Timin, Youthful Geist - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Geology Enthusiast - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Coastal Hornclaw - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Meloku the Clouded Mirror - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Azami, Lady of Scrolls - Commander Masters (CMM)
Richard Garfield, Ph.D. - Unhinged (UNH)
Cloudhoof Kirin - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Drelnoch - Coldsnap (CSP)
Adarkar Windform - Coldsnap (CSP)
Infiltrator il-Kor - Future Sight (FUT)
Mulldrifter - The List (PLST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tidewater Minion MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica: City of Guilds, 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 Tidewater Minion and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tidewater Minion has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks