Riptide Island MTG Card
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Plane — Dominaria |
| Released | 2023-04-21 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | March of the Machine Commander |
| Set code | MOC |
| Number | 64 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Planar |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Jesper Ejsing |
Key Takeaways
- Riptide Island enables card advantage and resource acceleration, critical aspects for maintaining gameplay momentum.
- Activating its effects at instant speed provides flexibility and potential to disrupt opponent strategies.
- Despite its strengths, its specific mana requirement and discard cost are notable limitations to consider.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Riptide Island MTG card by a specific set like March of the Machine Commander, 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 Island and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Text of card
When you planeswalk to Riptide Island and at the beginning of your upkeep, create two 1/1 colorless Sliver creature tokens. Whenever chaos ensues, Slivers you control gain haste and get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of Slivers you control.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Riptide Island offers a strategic edge by providing access to additional cards. This can be crucial for outpacing opponents by ensuring you have a steady flow of options each turn.
Resource Acceleration: This card acts as a catalyst for your plays, offering resource acceleration which is essential for executing high-cost spells earlier in the match or for triggering powerful abilities that could turn the tide of the game.
Instant Speed: The ability to activate Riptide Island’s effects at instant speed gives players the flexibility to adapt to an evolving game state, allowing for reactionary plays or end-of-turn efficiencies that can disrupt opponent strategies.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Riptide Island demands that you discard a card, which can be a significant downside when you’re already at a hand disadvantage or need to maintain card advantage to execute your strategy effectively.
Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost of this card comprises of blue mana, which might restrict its inclusion strictly to blue-oriented decks or multi-color decks that can efficiently accommodate blue mana in their mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Bearing a higher mana cost can be less favorable in a fast-paced game where lower-cost cards could provide quicker solutions or board presence. In such cases, Riptide Island might not be the optimal choice when tempo is crucial.
Reasons to Include Riptide Island in Your Collection
Versatility: Riptide Island offers flexibility in deck building, seamlessly integrating into various strategies that require specific land types for mana fixing or that benefit from the Island land type for synergy with other cards.
Combo Potential: This land can be a cornerstone in combinations with cards that care about the number of Islands you control or that have abilities triggered by playing an Island, thus enabling powerful plays and enhancing deck performance.
Meta-Relevance: Riptide Island holds a place in the competitive scene, aiding blue-focused decks to maintain pace with the demands of current top-tier play. Its presence can be especially pivotal in matchups where land type matters or when playing against strategies that target nonbasic lands.
How to beat
Riptide Island in MTG introduces a strategic element to control decks with its unique ability to untap a Wizard on command. Facing off against this land card compels players to rethink their battle strategy. When it comes down to countering Riptide Island, applying land destruction or creature removal tools can disrupt your opponent’s board. Cards like Ghost Quarter can help you directly target problematic lands, eliminating the island’s advantage from the equation.
Additionally, keeping a close eye on your adversary’s Wizard count is prudent. Spells that specifically target creatures, like Fatal Push or Path to Exile, can ensure that Riptide Island’s untap ability lacks a suitable target, rendering it ineffectual. Prioritizing the removal of their Wizards could be a game-changer and a straightforward path to victory.
Ensuring that your gameplay is fast-paced and pressuring opponent’s resources early on might force them to tap out, leaving Riptide Island less impactful. Staying strategic and adaptable in your approach while hindering your opponent’s land and creature assets is key in overcoming the tide that Riptide Island might bring to the game.
Cards like Riptide Island
Riptide Island is an intriguing land card in Magic: The Gathering that offers players a unique strategic advantage. It’s somewhat akin to cards like Tolarian Academy, which taps for blue mana for each artifact you control. However, Riptide Island is specifically tuned for decks featuring Wizards. When activated, it can turn a single blue mana into untapped potential for tapping or untapping your Wizards, offering a versatile tool for both offensive and defensive maneuvers during gameplay.
Another land card worth comparing is Minamo, School at Water’s Edge. Similarly, Minamo can untap target legendary permanent. While this can include a wider range of cards beyond Wizards, it lacks the specificity and synergy found with Riptide Island in a dedicated Wizard deck. Minamo’s utility is broader but can be less impactful in focused Wizard strategies.
Conclusively, Riptide Island stands out in MTG for its niche role within Wizard-centric builds, enabling intricate combos and unparalleled control over your creatures at crucial moments. Its specialty in interacting with Wizard type creatures makes it a compelling choice for any deck looking to maximize the potential of this particular tribe.
Cards similar to Riptide Island by color, type and mana cost
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Riptide Island card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-04-14 | Count the number of Slivers you control as the chaos ability resolves to determine the value of X. |