Nadir Kraken MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Kraken
Power 2
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Nadir Kraken excels in providing persistent card advantage through its token-generating ability.
  2. The Kraken’s synergy with card draw mechanics offers multiple strategies for overwhelming opponents.
  3. Efficient removal spells and hand disruption are effective strategies against Nadir Kraken.

Text of card

Whenever you draw a card, you may pay . If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on Nadir Kraken and create a 1/1 blue Tentacle creature token.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Nadir Kraken offers a built-in mechanic to draw extra cards, fostering substantial card advantage as the game progresses. Every time you draw a card, you can choose to grow your army, which can quickly overwhelm your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing traditional mana acceleration, Nadir Kraken’s ability to generate a 1/1 Tentacle creature token with each card you draw effectively builds your board presence without further investment of cards from your hand, thus accelerating your resource deployment on the battlefield.

Instant Speed: Although Nadir Kraken itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its triggered ability does. This allows you to synchronize the Kraken’s token-generating ability with instant-speed draw spells during your opponent’s turn, ensuring a surprise swell of creatures ready by your next turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Nadir Kraken requires a continuous flow of cards to fully utilize its ability. This can be a key setback if your hand size dwindles and you’re left without options to draw more, making it challenging to both grow the Kraken and maintain a strong hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Being a blue creature, the Kraken demands a dedicated source of blue mana. For players running multicolor decks that aren’t heavy on islands or blue mana sources, consistently casting and leveraging Nadir Kraken can become a stumbling block.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including two blue, Nadir Kraken might not hit the battlefield as quickly as some players would like. Additionally, its growth mechanism is tied to investing more mana into it, which could compete with other mana-hungry spells or creatures in your arsenal.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Nadir Kraken offers flexibility in deck building, lending itself well to blue-based control or midrange strategies. Its ability to produce 1/1 Tentacle creature tokens makes it a scalable threat that can impact the board in the late game.

Combo Potential: This sea monster synergizes well with draw effects, allowing you to capitalize on card draw actions by growing the Kraken and flooding the battlefield with tentacles. This can create overwhelming board states in tandem with other synergistic cards.

Meta-Relevance: In a format where board presence and incremental advantage are key, Nadir Kraken can continuously generate value, making it a relevant contender in various matchups and an asset in adapting to ever-shifting metagames.


How to Beat Nadir Kraken

Nadir Kraken is one of those MTG cards that can spiral out of control if left unchecked. The key to countering this formidable creature lies in its growing mechanic which requires an additional mana investment during your draw step. To effectively beat a Nadir Kraken, consider using instant removal spells prior to the trigger window for the tentacle creation. Options like Murderous Rider or Heartless Act are efficient ways to handle the Kraken before it has a chance to dominate the board.

Disruption also plays a significant role. Cards like Thoughtseize or Duress can preemptively remove Nadir Kraken from the opponent’s hand before it ever touches the battlefield. If the Kraken does hit the board, enchantment-based removal like Banishing Light provides a clean answer, sidelining it indefinitely. Remember that countering the creature spell as it’s cast, with counterspells such as Cancel or Negate, is the best way to prevent it from generating value. Moreover, board wipes are a solid backup plan because they can handle multiple threats at once, including an already burgeoning kraken.

Ultimately, staying proactive and not letting Nadir Kraken establish a presence is fundamental. With right removal or disruption, the tide of the game will remain in your favor, and Nadir Kraken will be but a myth of the deep.


BurnMana Recommendations

Delving into the depths of MTG introduces you to unique cards like Nadir Kraken, a powerhouse of token generation and card advantage that can tilt the tides in your favor. Adapting to the meta and elevating your deck requires cunning and the right card choices. Whether you aim to control the board or build sheer numbers, Nadir Kraken slots into diverse strategies, ensuring your arsenal adapts and thrives. Enhance your collection and your gameplay; explore Nadir Kraken’s potential to make waves in your matches. Dive deeper and join us to discover how this formidable sea creature can anchor your victory.


Cards like Nadir Kraken

Nadir Kraken stands as a unique creature in the Magic: The Gathering universe with its potential for overwhelming the board. Comparable to creatures like Chasm Skulker, Nadir Kraken thrives upon drawing cards, allowing it to accumulate +1/+1 counters. While Chasm Skulker bursts into a flurry of Squid tokens upon dying, Nadir Kraken proactively creates Tentacle tokens with every draw, fortifying your battlefield presence turn after turn.

In the realm of token generators, Murmuring Mystic could be seen as a relative, generating Bird Illusion tokens with each instant or sorcery spell cast. Unlike Nadir Kraken, however, it doesn’t grow itself and its tokens don’t benefit from the synergy with card draw. Another creature echoing the Kraken’s strength is Ominous Seas, an enchantment that capitalizes on card draw to create large 8/8 Kraken tokens. Ominous Seas requires a higher investment in card draw to pay off, whereas Nadir Kraken provides immediate, incremental value.

To sum up, while there are other similar creatures and enchantments, Nadir Kraken’s consistent token generation and self-buffing capability set it apart as a formidable threat in player decks desiring to leverage card draw mechanics for board advantage.

Chasm Skulker - MTG Card versions
Murmuring Mystic - MTG Card versions
Ominous Seas - MTG Card versions
Chasm Skulker - Magic 2015 Promos (PM15)
Murmuring Mystic - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
Ominous Seas - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)

Cards similar to Nadir Kraken by color, type and mana cost

Wall of Water - MTG Card versions
Prodigal Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Apprentice Wizard - MTG Card versions
Homarid - MTG Card versions
Wall of Air - MTG Card versions
Daring Apprentice - MTG Card versions
Time Elemental - MTG Card versions
Reef Pirates - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Shaman - MTG Card versions
Wind Drake - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions
Clam Session - MTG Card versions
Stronghold Biologist - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Wall - MTG Card versions
Phantom Warrior - MTG Card versions
Wormfang Drake - MTG Card versions
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - MTG Card versions
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - MTG Card versions
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - MTG Card versions
Wall of Water - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Prodigal Sorcerer - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Apprentice Wizard - The Dark (DRK)
Homarid - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Wall of Air - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Daring Apprentice - Mirage (MIR)
Time Elemental - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Reef Pirates - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Rootwater Shaman - Tempest (TMP)
Wind Drake - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Volrath's Shapeshifter - Stronghold (STH)
Clam Session - Unglued (UGL)
Stronghold Biologist - Nemesis (NEM)
Quicksilver Wall - Prophecy (PCY)
Phantom Warrior - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)
Wormfang Drake - Judgment (JUD)
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - Commander Legends (CMR)
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Nadir Kraken MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Theros Beyond Death Promos, 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 Nadir Kraken and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Nadir Kraken Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2020-01-24 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 799132015normalblackDan Scott
22020-01-24Theros Beyond Death PromosPTHB 55s2015normalblackDan Scott
32020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 3052015normalblackDan Scott
42020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 552015normalblackDan Scott
52020-01-24Theros Beyond Death PromosPTHB 55p2015normalblackDan Scott
62022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 2282015normalblackDan Scott
72022-07-07Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's GateHBG 9062015normalblackDan Scott
82023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 2282015normalblackDan Scott
92024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 1122015normalblackDan Murayama Scott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Nadir Kraken has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Nadir Kraken card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2020-01-24 If Nadir Kraken leaves the battlefield after its ability has triggered, you can still pay and get a Tentacle, even though you won't put a +1/+1 counter on Nadir Kraken.
2020-01-24 While resolving Nadir Kraken's ability, you can't pay multiple times to create multiple Tentacles or to give it multiple +1/+1 counters.
2020-01-24 You choose whether to pay after drawing the card and seeing what it is. If you draw multiple cards, you see them all before deciding how many of the resulting triggers you'll pay for.

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