Scoria Wurm MTG Card

Urza's Saga (USG)
1998-10-12 - Number 212

Tenth Edition (10E)
2007-07-13 - Number 227

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Wurm
Power	7
Toughness	7

Key Takeaways

Scoria Wurm offers strong board presence and potential card advantage, demanding opponent resources.
While lacking mana acceleration, its intimidating presence can deter attacks, granting strategic respite.
Requires strategic casting due to sorcery speed, accentuating the need for thoughtful gameplay planning.

Text of card

During your upkeep, flip a coin. If you lose the flip, return Scoria Wurm to owner's hand.

Late at night, ululations echo from deep under Shiv, as the wurms sing of times older than humanity.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Scoria Wurm presents an opportunity for substantial board presence, making it a potential source of card advantage. Engaging with the battlefield by deploying high-impact creatures can skew the game’s momentum in your favor. This creature’s sheer size can command your opponent’s attention, tangibly divesting them of resources as they deal with the threat.

Resource Acceleration: While Scoria Wurm doesn’t directly provide mana acceleration, its formidable presence can dissuade opponents from attacking, effectively buying you time to develop your resources. This indirect form of acceleration ensures you can deploy your hand more freely, without the constant pressure of defending against incoming attacks.

Instant Speed: Scoria Wurm commands the game at sorcery speed, creating a pivotal shift when it enters the battlefield. Even though it lacks the flexibility of instant speed, the timing of casting this creature can be as crucial as the cast of any instant, demanding strategic acumen to maximize its impact.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: With Scoria Wurm, the player faces a significant hurdle as there’s often an element of randomness when it comes to the card’s ability to stay on the battlefield. This unpredictability can disrupt well-laid plans and remove an otherwise strong creature from play without any guarantees.

Specific Mana Cost: Scoria Wurm’s cost includes double red mana, which can be challenging for multicolored decks to consistently produce, especially early enough in the game to take full advantage of its power on the field.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its hefty mana cost, Scoria Wurm competes with other high-impact cards in the same mana range. Players might find themselves prioritizing other plays that offer more control or immediate board impact, potentially relegating Scoria Wurm to a lesser role in the deck construction process.

Reasons to Include Scoria Wurm in Your Collection

Versatility: Scoria Wurm is a creature that fits well in decks that can manipulate the top of the library or value high-power creatures. Its substantial body can be a game-changer on the battlefield, capable of making a significant impact the moment it arrives.

Combo Potential: The Wurm’s ability to return to the top of the owner’s library when it attacks represents unique synergies, particularly with deck stacking or graveyard retrieval strategies. This recurrence offers potential combos in reanimator or “top of deck” control decks.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where games may go long and large creatures dominate, Scoria Wurm serves as a reusable threat that requires an answer. As players seek impactful late-game plays, its presence can turn the tide in a prolonged match.

How to beat

Scoria Wurm is a notable creature in MTG, carving its niche within red decks for its considerable power. Its ability to potentially deal substantial damage during your upkeep can be a formidable threat on the board. However, despite its strengths, there are strategies to efficiently mitigate its impact in the game and maintain control of the battlefield.

Removal spells are your first line of defense, making cards like Murder a clear solution to dealing with the Wurm directly, bypassing its trample ability altogether. Counter spells also serve as an effective preemptive measure when the Wurm is cast. For a more subtle approach, enchantments that pacify the creature or those that prevent it from attacking, such as Pacifism, can render it harmless. Moreover, leveraging your blocking strategy by assigning creatures with high toughness to absorb the attack can reduce the Wurm’s potential damage output significantly.

Lastly, keeping the Wurm tapped with spells or abilities that control the opponent’s creatures can also prevent the upkeep trigger from resolving, all the while ensuring it never swings for damage. With these tactics in place, a seemingly threatening Scoria Wurm can be controlled, allowing players to continue their game plan without disruption.

Cards like Scoria Wurm

Scoria Wurm is a formidable creature card in Magic: The Gathering, catching the attention of players who aim to dominate with powerful, high-cost creatures. The Wurm stands out with a 7/7 stat line, trample, and a unique ability to potentially untap during each of the player’s upkeeps. Its nearest comparison might be to cards like Colossal Dreadmaw, which also offers trample but with slightly lower stats of 6/6. Where Dreadmaw does not possess any additional abilities, Scoria Wurm’s potential to untap gives it an exciting element of unpredictability and added value during long games.

Another creature with similar impact is Thundering Spineback. Although it doesn’t boast the same power level with a 5/5 baseline, it supports other Dinosaurs by providing a stat bonus and the ability to create new Dinosaur tokens. This can lead to overwhelming board presence, a strategy that differs from the hit-or-miss potential of Scoria Wurm activating multiple times in a match.

Lastly, it’s important to note the existence of cards like Pelakka Wurm. With a functional 7/7 body, trample, and life gain when entering the battlefield, it offers a more consistent benefit compared to Scoria Wurm’s high-risk-high-reward gameplay style.

Thundering Spineback - MTG Card versions

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Volatile Arsonist // Dire-Strain Anarchist - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Scoria Wurm MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and Tenth 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 Scoria Wurm and other MTG cards: