Wavebreak Hippocamp MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment Creature — Horse Fish
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. It offers card draw, aligning with instant-speed strategies and reinforcing control playstyles.
  2. Restrictive mana cost and deck integration illustrate its primary fit within blue strategies.
  3. A consistent advantage engine, it’s integral in interactive and flash-focused deck archetypes.

Text of card

Whenever you cast your first spell during each opponent's turn, draw a card.

Tritons search for omens in its wake.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dive into deeper strategic plays with Wavebreak Hippocamp as it offers continuous opportunities to draw extra cards whenever you cast a spell during an opponent’s turn, keeping your hand filled with options.

Resource Acceleration: While this enchanting sea creature doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens, its synergy with instant-speed spells and abilities can effectively lead to resource acceleration by ensuring your draws give you the resources needed to stay ahead.

Instant Speed: Playing spells on an opponent’s turn not only disrupts their strategy, but paired with Wavebreak Hippocamp, it turns each of those spells into a potential draw engine. This elevates the importance of instant speed spells in your deck, providing dual utility and significantly bolstering your board position with a wealth of resources.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Wavebreak Hippocamp doesn’t have a discard requirement, but it lacks abilities that allow manipulation of your own hand which some synergistic cards might offer, potentially reducing its utility in certain strategic scenarios.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost of Wavebreak Hippocamp includes blue mana symbols. This specificity means it fits primarily into blue or blue-inclusive decks, which can be restrictive for deck-building outside those colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including two blue, Wavebreak Hippocamp is an investment in the early game. There are alternative creatures or spells at lower mana costs that could provide quicker board presence or immediate impact, which may be preferable in fast-paced games.


Reasons to Include Wavebreak Hippocamp in Your Collection

Versatility: Wavebreak Hippocamp’s ability to draw a card whenever you cast your first spell during each opponent’s turn lends itself to a variety of blue-based control or flash decks, enabling consistent card advantage.

Combo Potential: This enchanting sea creature synergizes well with strategies that focus on casting spells on the opponent’s turns, potentially setting off chains of draws and plays that can quickly tip the scales in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: Given its inherent synergy with instant-speed spells, Wavebreak Hippocamp shines in metas where interaction during opponents’ turns is crucial, keeping your hand full and your options open against various deck archetypes.


How to Beat Wavebreak Hippocamp

Wavebreak Hippocamp has certainly made a splash as a unique enchantment creature in Magic: The Gathering, promising substantial card advantage with its ability to draw a card every time you cast your first spell during an opponent’s turn. To undermine the Hippocamp’s strengths, consider utilizing instant-speed removal spells that can swiftly dispatch it, bypassing its card drawing capability.

Spot removal spells, like the efficient Fatal Push or Path to Exile, can be very effective to remove it before its ability triggers. In addition, counterspells can serve as both reactive and preemptive measures, preventing the hippocamp from hitting the board altogether. Cards like Negate and Mana Leak are excellent against it, specifically if you’re aiming to control the pace of the game.

Moreover, implementing enchantment exile cards like Banishing Light can provide a more permanent solution. It’s crucial to take action quickly against Wavebreak Hippocamp, as allowing your opponent to build card advantage with it on the field can lead to a slippery slope towards your defeat. Therefore, prioritizing the removal of the hippocamp can help maintain an even keel in card advantage and keep you ahead in the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG involves more than just understanding individual cards like Wavebreak Hippocamp; it encompasses deck building, strategy execution, and staying ahead of the meta. The Hippocamp offers card advantage and resource acceleration that can be crucial in blue-based control or flash decks. Embracing its potential for long-term value over flashier, immediate impacts makes it a strong contender in interactive play. Curating a deck with this enchanting sea creature at its core could greatly enhance your game. Delve further into Wavebreak Hippocamp’s world and discover how to optimize your deck with strategic insights. Enhance your MTG experience by joining our community and learning more.


Cards like Wavebreak Hippocamp

Wavebreak Hippocamp is an intriguing creature card that weaves its magic best when paired with spells that play on opponents’ turns in Magic: The Gathering. If we look at cards like Thassa’s Oracle, we find a different kind of sea creature that also values the strategic casting of spells, albeit focusing on the scry ability and a potential victory condition if your deck is heavily drawn. Wavebreak Hippocamp edges ahead by offering card draw each time you cast your first spell during an opponent’s turn, rather than a one-time effect.

Comparing it to the likes of Gadwick, the Wizened reveals another dimension. Gadwick lets you draw x cards and potentially taps down opposing creatures, a powerful versatility in control matches. Wavebreak Hippocamp, while less explosive than Gadwick’s entry onto the battlefield, promises ongoing value and synergizes with flash spells that fuel its draw ability. It’s a more subtle, but consistent engine. Lastly, Murmuring Mystic could be seen as a parallel for creating value on casting spells, this time generating bird tokens instead of card draw. While they both reward playing spells on your opponent’s turn, Wavebreak Hippocamp offers the tangible advantage of immediately expanding your hand size.

Wavebreak Hippocamp stabilizes its footing within such comparisons by offering consistent card advantage potential and staying power every turn it remains in play, making it a staple in decks that operate on interactive play during an opponent’s turn.

Thassa's Oracle - MTG Card versions
Gadwick, the Wizened - MTG Card versions
Murmuring Mystic - MTG Card versions
Thassa's Oracle - Theros Beyond Death Promos (PTHB)
Gadwick, the Wizened - Throne of Eldraine Promos (PELD)
Murmuring Mystic - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)

Where to buy

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

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Printings

The Wavebreak Hippocamp Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2020-01-24 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Caio Monteiro.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 799512015normalblackCaio Monteiro
22020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 802015normalblackCaio Monteiro
32020-01-24Theros Beyond Death PromosPTHB 80s2015normalblackCaio Monteiro
42020-01-24Theros Beyond Death PromosPTHB 80p2015normalblackCaio Monteiro
52020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 3102015normalblackCaio Monteiro
62022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 3712015normalblackCaio Monteiro

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wavebreak Hippocamp 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 Wavebreak Hippocamp 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 An ability that triggers when you cast a spell resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. It resolves even if that spell is countered.
2020-01-24 If you have more than one opponent, this ability can trigger once during each of those opponents’ turns.
2020-01-24 In a Two-Headed Giant game, this ability triggers no more than once during each opposing team’s turn.
2020-01-24 This ability triggers only on your very first spell during an opponent’s turn, not the first spell after the card is on the battlefield. If you cast a spell before it’s on the battlefield (including if you cast this card somehow during an opponent’s turn), the ability won’t trigger.

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