Thriving Turtle MTG Card

Thriving Turtle provides persistent defense, growing stronger with energy counters over time. Requires careful resource management and a supportive deck to maximize energy synergy. When facing this card, use removal or evasion tactics to mitigate its defensive strength.

Kaladesh (KLD)
2016-09-30 - Number 66

Thriving Turtle - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)

Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)
2020-11-12 - Number 69

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Turtle
Power	0
Toughness	3

Text of card

When Thriving Turtle enters the battlefield, you get (two energy counters). Whenever Thriving Turtle attacks, you may pay . If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on it.

Aether shapes everything on Kaladesh, from the sky to the sea.

Cards like Thriving Turtle

Thriving Turtle is an interesting entry in the collection of low-cost creatures within the realms of Magic: The Gathering. This card compares to others like Raging Goblin, both serving as early-game pieces. However, Thriving Turtle stands out with its resilience, presenting a built-in mechanism to accumulate +1/+1 counters whenever you get energy. This makes it different since Raging Goblin focuses on immediate impact, trading staying power for the ability to attack the turn it comes into play.

Analogous to Thriving Turtle, Sage of Shaila’s Claim is another creature that has an affinity with energy. It offers a one-time energy boost, which is immediately available upon entering the battlefield, unlike the incremental growth that Thriving Turtle provides. Additionally, we come across Aether Theorist, a card that shares the energy-gathering theme but leans towards manipulating the game by scrying. Here, the Theorist is less about gaining strength over time and more about controlling your upcoming draws.

Ultimately, while each of these cards play a part in energy-themed decks, Thriving Turtle uniquely combines the potential for continuous growth with defensive capabilities, providing value in matches that stretch over several turns.

Sage of Shaila's Claim - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Thriving Turtle by color, type and mana cost

Merfolk of the Pearl Trident - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thriving Turtle offers a persistent board presence which indirectly contributes to card advantage. Its ability to grow via energy counters often requires an opponent to use multiple resources to deal with it.

Resource Acceleration: While Thriving Turtle in itself does not directly accelerate resources, it can be pivotal in decks that utilize energy. Its low-cost and energy yield can quickly snowball into larger benefits as the game progresses.

Instant Speed: Although Thriving Turtle is a creature and not an instant, the strategic deployment of this card could result in favorable blocks or the thoughtful expenditure of energy counters at critical moments, similar to how one would utilize instant speed capabilities.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the hurdles when playing Thriving Turtle is the potential need to give up another card from your hand to fuel its ability or synergize with its strategy. This becomes particularly problematic when your hand is running low and sacrificing resources can stunt your gameplay.

Specific Mana Cost: Thriving Turtle asks for a precise blend of mana to cast. If you’re weaving it into a multi-color deck, it may not always synchronize smoothly with your mana base, especially if the deck is strained on blue mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering the cost to benefit ratio, Thriving Turtle’s mana investment might outweigh its on-board impact. In a game where tempo and efficiency are key, other creatures or spells could deliver greater value or more immediate effects on the game state for the same, or even less, mana.

Reasons to Include Thriving Turtle in Your Collection

Versatility: Thriving Turtle is a reliable addition to any deck that focuses on defensive strategies or energy counters. Its ability to gain +1/+1 counters makes it more than just a simple blocker as the game progresses.

Combo Potential: With its energy counter generation, Thriving Turtle can synergize with other energy-based cards, setting up plays that can significantly impact the board. It’s a small piece that fits well within a larger energy-themed combo.

Meta-Relevance: As aggro decks frequently dominate the scene, having an early blocker that can scale up in power can be instrumental in stalling your opponent’s early threats, making Thriving Turtle a sneaky good inclusion in some metas.

How to beat

The Thriving Turtle can be a strategic choice for those players who aim to strengthen their early game defense in Magic: The Gathering. Its energy counter gain mechanic allows it to become more than just a simple blocker over time. When facing this card, the best strategy is to employ swift removal spells. Direct damage spells or those that allow you to bypass the creature’s defense altogether can effectively neutralize the Thriving Turtle before it accumulates too many energy counters and becomes more of a threat.

Another effective approach includes using flying or unblockable creatures as the Thriving Turtle can only block creatures without those abilities. This tactic allows you to keep applying pressure while the opponent’s defenses are focused on the ground. Additionally, board wipes or global removal effects can clear multiple creatures including an enhanced Thriving Turtle, nullifying the incremental advantages it provides over multiple turns.

Ultimately, overcoming the Thriving Turtle is about employing removal at decisive moments or crafting a strategy that deftly avoids the strengths of this deceptively sturdy creature, ensuring it doesn’t become an obstacle to your victory in Magic: The Gathering.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thriving Turtle MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh and Kaladesh Remastered, 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 Thriving Turtle and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Thriving Turtle Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-09-30 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by Jeff Simpson.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2016-09-30	Kaladesh	KLD		66	2015	Normal	Black	Jeff Simpson
2	2020-11-12	Kaladesh Remastered	KLR		69	2015	Normal	Black	Jeff Simpson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Thriving Turtle has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2017-02-09	Energy counters are a kind of counter that a player may have. They're not associated with specific permanents. (Other kinds of counters that players may have include poison and experience.)
2017-02-09	Energy counters aren't mana. They don't go away as steps, phases, and turns end, and effects that add mana “of any type” to your mana pool can't give you energy counters.
2017-02-09	If an effect says you get one or more , you get that many energy counters. To pay one or more , you lose that many energy counters. Any effects that interact with counters a player gets, has, or loses can interact with energy counters.
2017-02-09	Keep careful track of how many energy counters each player has. You may do so by keeping a running count on paper, by using a die, or by any other clear and mutually agreeable method.
2017-02-09	Some triggered abilities state that you “may pay” a certain amount of . You can't pay that amount multiple times to multiply the effect. You simply choose whether or not to pay that amount of as the ability resolves, and no player may take actions to try to stop the ability's effect after you make your choice.
2017-02-09	You can't pay more energy counters than you have.
2017-02-09	is the energy symbol. It represents one energy counter.