Tidal Force MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 8 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Elemental |
| Released | 2013-11-01 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Commander 2013 |
| Set code | C13 |
| Power | 7 |
| Toughness | 7 |
| Number | 62 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Phill Simmer |
Key Takeaways
- Each upkeep, Tidal Force can untap permanents, aiding in card advantage and board control.
- It accelerates resources by untapping mana sources, giving players a consistent mana boost.
- Allows instant speed plays by untapping creatures or lands with tap-to-activate abilities.
Text of card
At the beginning of each upkeep, you may tap or untap target permanent.
"Do not speak the name of the sea, for if it should hear you and rise up, no fortress in the world could hide you." —Gimara of Halimar
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Tidal Force shines when it comes to maintaining and building a card advantage. At each upkeep, not just your own, it enables the untapping of a permanent. This persistent ability can be leveraged to untap your own lands or creatures, allowing repeated utilization and potentially leading to drawing additional cards if the untapped permanents have abilities that provide card draw.
Resource Acceleration: By consistently untapping a key mana source such as a powerful land or mana dork, Tidal Force offers a form of resource acceleration. This is particularly potent during both your and your opponents’ turns, effectively giving you access to more mana over the course of each full rotation of the table.
Instant Speed: While Tidal Force itself isn’t an instant, it permits instant speed interactions by untapping permanents with tap abilities that can be used as instants. This can include untapping a creature with a tap-to-counter ability, thereby enabling instantaneous strategic plays during any upkeep, which can significantly disrupt opponents’ strategies.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Tidal Force’s presence in your deck may sometimes demand a strategic discard, especially during games where you’re pressed for cards in hand. This need to discard can hinder your gameplay, particularly when you are striving to maintain a full grip of options.
Specific Mana Cost: The casting requirement for Tidal Force is rather niche, needing a commitment to blue mana. This can make it difficult to fit into a multicolor deck that doesn’t heavily focus on blue or doesn’t generate enough blue mana reliably.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that is on the higher end, this card’s impact on the board may not align with its mana investment. Although the repeated effect to tap or untap a permanent each upkeep is useful, the initial seven mana might be prohibitively expensive, especially when other cards could enact similar effects for less.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Tidal Force can be incorporated into various control or combo decks, providing consistent value as it can trigger abilities or influence the battlefield each upkeep.
Combo Potential: As a card that activates every upkeep, not just your own, Tidal Force holds the potential to create synergies with cards that capitalize on tapping or untapping permanents.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where controlling the board state is crucial, the consistent effect of Tidal Force can continuously disrupt opponents’ plans or fortify your own board presence.
How to beat
Tidal Force is one such card in the landscape of MTG that can shift the tide of the game with each upkeep. With the ability to tap or untap a permanent on not just your upkeep but each player’s, it provides a recurring advantage or disruption. Engaging with this blue creature card effectively is critical for any player looking to maintain control of the board.
To successfully navigate the challenges posed by Tidal Force, consider employing removal spells that can bypass its 7/7 frame, such as Path to Exile or Rapid Hybridization. Counter spells are also an excellent preemptive measure against Tidal Force, ensuring it never hits the field. Moreover, employing cards that strip away abilities or tap down creatures, like Turn to Frog or Encase in Ice, can also dampen the impact of this forceful card, allowing for a strategic advantage.
Ultimately, maintaining a deck with versatile responses or focusing on a strategy that limits your opponent’s ability to benefit from Tidal Force’s upkeep-triggered ability becomes key. By doing so, you can retain equilibrium on the battlefield and keep the currents of the game flowing in your favor.
Cards like Tidal Force
Tidal Force stands out in MTG as a compelling choice for controlling the board through consistent effects. It can be compared to other cards like Capsize which also lets players repeatedly disrupt opponents’ strategies. What sets Tidal Force apart is its recurring ability to tap or untap a permanent at the beginning of each upkeep, offering a rhythm of control others can’t match. Capsize, for example, has buyback, but it requires a significant mana investment each turn.
Conversely, Frost Titan is another comparable card with a similar control ethos. While Frost Titan taps a single permanent upon entering the battlefield or attacking, Tidal Force offers a more extensive influence by impacting the game state on every player’s upkeep. Even though Frost Titan’s abilities can be more immediate and imposing, Tidal Force provides a predictable and steady form of manipulation which could be more beneficial over the course of a longer game.
After drawing parallels, it’s evident that Tidal Force holds its own within control-oriented decks in MTG, offering an unrivaled frequency in its controlling abilities, though each card shines in its unique way depending on the situation and deck it’s played in.
Cards similar to Tidal Force by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Tidal Force MTG card by a specific set like Commander 2013, 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 Tidal Force and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Tidal Force has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |