Jokulmorder MTG Card

Coldsnap (CSP)
2006-07-21 - Number 37

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number CSP-37

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	7
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Leviathan
Abilities	Trample
Power	12
Toughness	12

Key Takeaways

Despite high costs, Jokulmorder can dominate games by pressuring opponents into depleting their resources.
Jokulmorder’s specific mana and land requirements may hinder its inclusion in certain decks.
With proper land management and targeted removal, Jokulmorder’s impact can be effectively neutralized.

Text of card

Trample Jokulmorder comes into play tapped. When Jokulmorder comes into play, sacrifice it unless you sacrifice five lands. Jokulmorder doesn't untap during your untap step. Whenever you play an Island, you may untap Jokulmorder.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Despite its unique requirement to sacrifice all Islands you control, Jokulmorder can provide significant card advantage by presenting an overwhelming threat that demands multiple cards from your opponent to handle. This massive creature often requires a combination of removal spells or a combination of blockers to take down, making it a potential source of card advantage as your opponent exhausts more resources to deal with it.

Resource Acceleration: While Jokulmorder itself does not directly contribute to resource acceleration, its sheer size can accelerate the game towards a conclusion. Having a potent threat like Jokulmorder on the battlefield can pressure opponents to use their resources inefficiently or to dig through their deck more quickly for an answer, indirectly affecting the pace at which resources are utilized.

Instant Speed: Jokulmorder is a creature that, unfortunately, does not interact with the stack at instant speed. However, its imposing presence can influence when and how an opponent plays their instants and other speed-sensitive cards, as they must constantly be prepared for the moment when this leviathan thaws and becomes active, potentially demanding immediate response.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Players must sacrifice an untapped island to cast Jokulmorder. This requirement can set back your land development, making it difficult to recover especially in the crucial early game.

Specific Mana Cost: Jokulmorder demands a strict combination of mana to cast, including triple blue mana, which might not be easily achievable in multicolored decks or those with a shaky mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana cost totaling six, Jokulmorder is on the higher end of the mana curve. In a game where tempo and efficiency are key, devoting a turn to casting it may leave you vulnerable to quicker strategies.

Reasons to Include Jokulmorder in Your Collection

Versatility: Jokulmorder offers a unique angle of attack in larger, mana-intensive decks. This Leviathan thrives in environments where you can manipulate untapped lands, allowing it to become a powerful force on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card’s requirement to untap lands can synergize with effects that benefit from land tapping and untapping, such as those that generate mana or draw cards. These synergies can lead to powerful turns and potentially game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a slower-paced meta, Jokulmorder can serve as a massive threat that requires an immediate answer. Its sheer size makes it difficult for opponents to deal with once it’s activated, commanding attention and often diverting resources away from other aspects of your strategy.

How to beat Jokulmorder

Jokulmorder presents a colossal challenge on the battlefield with its immense power and toughness. To effectively counter this leviathan, understanding its weaknesses is crucial. Key to overcoming Jokulmorder is disrupting its attack cycle. This formidable creature only untaps when an opponent has no lands in play, so your strategy should focus on maintaining land presence. Utilizing instant-speed land generation like Crop Rotation or keeping land cards in hand to play after a land wipe can be effective.

Removal spells are also an ace in the hole. Considering its substantial casting cost and the downside it brings upon entering the battlefield, removing Jokulmorder before it attacks can leave your opponent at a significant disadvantage. In this case, cards that can exile creatures or force sacrifices regardless of size, like Path to Exile or Diabolic Edict, can be particularly potent against it. It’s also worth noting that keeping counterspells ready for when your opponent attempts to cast this giant can prevent its overwhelming presence on the board entirely.

Ultimately, while Jokulmorder can be a game-ending threat, a mixture of maintaining lands on the field, targeted removal, and strategic counterplay can neutralize this Arctic behemoth, ensuring your victory in the icy face-off.

Cards like Jokulmorder

Jokulmorder stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a leviathan with an immense presence on the battlefield, demanding an acknowledgement of its power rivaling that of other colossal creatures. Colossus of Sardia, sharing its titan-size 9/9 stats, also awakens as a formidable force. Although both require a substantial investment in mana, Jokulmorder carries a unique requirement – sacrificing untapped lands you control when it enters the battlefield, a significant distinction that highlights the thematic ties to its icy domain and the groundbreaking impact it makes upon arrival.

In resonance with Jokulmorder’s impact, Devastating Summons is another card where land sacrifice is central, albeit with a different approach. Rather than summoning a single beast, it creates an army based on the number of lands sacrificed. This exemplifies Magic’s thematic diversity in how land interacts with the creatures you summon. Lastly, though not a creature, the card Scapeshift vividly illustrates the transformational power of land sacrifice by searching for any number of lands to replace those you’ve given up, echoing the tactical land play intrinsic to Jokulmorder’s strategy.

When evaluating such monumental cards, Jokulmorder sits at a confluence of risk and reward, presenting a unique balance that asks players to weigh immediate dominion against long-term battlefield presence within the rich strategic fabric of Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Jokulmorder by color, type and mana cost

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Alhammarret, High Arbiter - MTG Card versions

Quicksilver Behemoth - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Jokulmorder MTG card by a specific set like Coldsnap and The List, 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 Jokulmorder and other MTG cards: