Sea's Claim MTG Card
2002-10-07 - Number 113
2005-07-29 - Number 97
2005-07-29 - Number 97★
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Enchant |
Text of card
Enchanted land is an island.
"My vengeance will drown my enemies as my storms drown the desert." —Ixidor, reality sculptor
Cards like Sea's Claim
Sea’s Claim stands as an intriguing utility in the realm of land control within Magic: The Gathering. It shares its primary function with cards like Spreading Seas, which also transforms a target land into an Island. Sea’s Claim does this for a mere one blue mana, maintaining a low cost for early game strategic plays. Spreading Seas, though it costs two mana, sweetens the deal by allowing the controller to draw a card.
Tidebinder Mage can also disrupt land strategy but deviates as it primarily serves as a creature that taps down opposing red or green creatures. Despite the different approach, it compliments Sea’s Claim’s goal of controlling the battlefield’s tempo. Convincing Mirage is another reshaper of lands, but requires two mana and lacks the extra utility that drawing a card with Spreading Seas offers.
Ultimately, while evaluating cards with the ability to manipulate lands, Sea’s Claim shines in its efficiency and cost-effectiveness, giving players a tactical edge in the early stages of a match without sacrificing card advantage or mana economy.
Cards similar to Sea's Claim by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Sea’s Claim comes into play with immediate effect on the board state, essentially allowing you to control additional land with a single card. This can lead to a disadvantage for your opponent while you maintain your original hand size, effectively providing you an edge in card efficiency.
Resource Acceleration: By turning your opponent’s land into an Island, you potentially disrupt their mana base, and if you are running cards that benefit from the number of Islands you control, like those with islandwalk or effects that count your Islands, this can accelerate your resource availability significantly.
Instant Speed: Although Sea’s Claim is not an instant, its impact on the game can be as immediate as an instant-speed interaction. It can be played just before your turn to ensure that the transformed land is unusable by your opponent for their entire turn, similar to the tactical deployment of instant-speed actions.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Sea’s Claim doesn’t directly demand discarding, having it in hand instead of a more immediate response card can be a subtle liability in fast-paced games.
Specific Mana Cost: Sea’s Claim requires a blue mana to cast, which restricts its playability strictly to blue decks or those that can afford a mana base diverse enough to include blue mana sources.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its low absolute cost, when considering the spectrum of one-mana plays available in Magic, Sea’s Claim competes with powerhouse cards that can influence the board state more significantly upon resolution.
Reasons to Include Sea’s Claim in Your Collection
Versatility: Sea’s Claim offers a straightforward way to disrupt your opponent’s mana base that can be included in a variety of blue decks. Its ability to convert any land into an Island makes it a simple yet effective tool for mana strategy and control decks alike.
Combo Potential: It pairs excellently with cards that have land-type dependent abilities, like those that get bonuses for each Island an opponent controls. This synergy can turn Sea’s Claim into a powerful component of a winning combo, increasing both its value and your control over the game.
Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves and land-based strategies become more common, Sea’s Claim remains relevant by serving as a counter to land utility and mana flexibility. Its inclusion in your deck ensures that you’re equipped to tackle strategies that rely heavily on non-basic lands.
How to beat
Sea’s Claim is a unique enchantment that has the tactical ability to turn an opponent’s land into an Island. One effective strategy to counter this card is to include non-basic lands in your deck that have multiple land types or land cards that can’t be targeted by abilities. This could involve cards like Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, which has all land types, or a card like Cavern of Souls, which offers protection from being targeted by enchantments like Sea’s Claim.
Another approach is to employ land destruction or enchantment removal spells, such as Ghost Quarter or Disenchant, to directly address the impacted land or remove Sea’s Claim itself. Players could also consider running cards that benefit from having islands or that neutralize island-related bonuses, thereby minimizing Sea’s Claim’s disruptive impact while pivoting to their advantage. Utilizing such strategies can substantially diminish the control that Sea’s Claim attempts to exert and maintain the tempo of your gameplay.
Understanding your deck’s vulnerabilities and foreseeing potential counters are crucial in Magic the Gathering. Strategically preparing for cards like Sea’s Claim can ensure that its controlling effect on the battlefield is short-lived and ultimately inconsequential to your path to victory.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sea's Claim MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught 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 Sea's Claim and other MTG cards:
BUY NOW BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- eBay
- 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
Printings
The Sea's Claim Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2002-10-07 and 2005-07-29. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2002-10-07 | Onslaught | ONS | 113 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Alan Pollack | |
| 2 | 2005-07-29 | Ninth Edition | 9ED | 97 | 2003 | Normal | White | Thomas Gianni | |
| 3 | 2005-07-29 | Ninth Edition | 9ED | 97★ | 2003 | Normal | Black | Thomas Gianni |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Sea's Claim has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |