Tideforce Elemental MTG Card


Strategic versatility from untapping creatures enhances tap abilities and can be activated at instant speed. Requires returning a land to hand and specific mana, which can limit its inclusion in various decks. Strengthens strategies with tap/untap synergies, making it a utility player despite its higher mana cost.
Tideforce Elemental - Worldwake
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Elemental
Abilities Landfall
Released2010-02-05
Set symbol
Set nameWorldwake
Set codeWWK
Power 2
Toughness 1
Number41
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byDonato Giancola

Text of card

, : You may tap or untap another target creature. Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may untap Tideforce Elemental.

Ebb and flow, high tide and low, quick as sand and just as slow.


Cards like Tideforce Elemental

In the vast seas of Magic: The Gathering, Tideforce Elemental stands out with its unique ability to manipulate the battlefield’s tides, untapping another target creature for each blue mana you ply into it. This specific characteristic shares some similarities with cards like Aphetto Alchemist, which also boasts untapping potential. However, Aphetto Alchemist is versatile in that it can untap any permanent, not just creatures, providing a broader application.

Looking at Puppeteer next, it showcases a simpler form of Tideforce Elemental’s ability, enabling the untapping of creatures without the incremental investment. Yet, it lacks the repeated use capacity due to its once per turn restriction. Then there’s Kiora’s Follower, a multipurpose untapper like Aphetto Alchemist, but with the strength to untap as soon as it lands on the field, offering immediate value despite being restricted to a single untap per turn.

While each card has its own strategic niche, Tideforce Elemental allows for persistent untapping within a turn, presenting players with an opportunity to create continual combos or surprise blocking tactics that its counterparts simply cannot deliver on their own.

Aphetto Alchemist - MTG Card versions
Puppeteer - MTG Card versions
Kiora's Follower - MTG Card versions
Aphetto Alchemist - MTG Card versions
Puppeteer - MTG Card versions
Kiora's Follower - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Tideforce Elemental by color, type and mana cost

Wall of Water - MTG Card versions
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Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions
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Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - MTG Card versions
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - MTG Card versions
Mistform Warchief - MTG Card versions
Blind Phantasm - MTG Card versions
Academy Researchers - MTG Card versions
Wall of Water - MTG Card versions
Prodigal Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Apprentice Wizard - MTG Card versions
Homarid - MTG Card versions
Daring Apprentice - MTG Card versions
Time Elemental - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Shaman - MTG Card versions
Wind Drake - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions
Stronghold Biologist - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Wall - MTG Card versions
Wall of Air - MTG Card versions
Phantom Warrior - 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
Mistform Warchief - MTG Card versions
Blind Phantasm - MTG Card versions
Academy Researchers - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tideforce Elemental offers strategic versatility, allowing players to untap another target creature. This can be particularly useful when aiming to reuse powerful tap abilities multiple times within a single turn.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly producing mana or Treasure tokens, Tideforce Elemental can indirectly accelerate your resources. By untapping a creature like a mana dork, which taps for mana, players gain the potential for increased mana production within a turn cycle.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate Tideforce Elemental at instant speed provides players with reactive options during the course of the game. This flexibility means you can wait until the most opportune moment to untap a creature, be it for defensive maneuvers or to enable combo plays after your opponents have committed to their strategies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Activating the ability of Tideforce Elemental requires you to return a land you control to your hand. This condition can set you back in land drops, hindering your progress and potentially costing you the tempo against faster decks.

Specific Mana Cost: Tideforce Elemental has a blue mana requirement in its casting cost, which could restrict it to blue-centric or multicolor decks that can accommodate such a specific mana need, thus possibly excluding it from various other deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To leverage Tideforce Elemental’s untap ability continuously, a substantial investment of mana is needed. This could be considered expensive when you compare it to other cards that untap creatures or lands for less mana, which might be a more efficient use of resources in a game where mana efficiency can be a determining factor for victory.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Tideforce Elemental’s ability to untap another target creature presents a wide array of strategic options in game play. This capacity allows it to synergize with creatures that have tap abilities or to facilitate vigilance-like scenarios, thereby making it a utility player in various blue-centric or multi-color decks.

Combo Potential: When paired with permanents that tap for more than one mana or generate value when tapped, Tideforce Elemental shines. It can help create infinite combos or simply provide the extra push needed to pull off a game-winning play, supporting strategies that capitalize on creature tapping and untapping.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that favors control and tempo plays, Tideforce Elemental can be surprisingly effective. It can disrupt opponent’s combat plans or enhance your own by providing instant-speed flexibility—making it a subtle but potent tool against many popular strategies.


How to beat

Tideforce Elemental is a unique card that has the ability to repeatedly untap creatures, a trait that can be leveraged for a variety of synergistic plays in Magic: The Gathering. To effectively counteract this elemental’s influence, focusing on removal spells that can target it before its controller gets a chance to utilize its ability is key. Cards like Fatal Push, Path to Exile, or even instant-speed removal like Lightning Bolt provide an efficient solution to eliminate Tideforce Elemental from the board quickly and with minimal cost.

In addition to direct removal, utilizing counter spells, such as Negate or Mana Leak, can ensure Tideforce Elemental never hits the battlefield in the first place. These counter spells are particularly useful in blue-based control decks. If the Tideforce Elemental is already in play, applying pressure with aggressive creatures can force an opponent to use their mana to untap defensive creatures, potentially leaving Tideforce Elemental vulnerable. Lastly, remembering the elemental’s reliance on islandwalk, ensuring you manage your island count or use cards that change land types can negate one of its evasive advantages.

Overall, while Tideforce Elemental presents a strategic tool for controlling the flow of the game, timely removal and strategic deck building are key to overcoming the card’s potential impact on the board.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the ebb and flow of MTG is a rewarding challenge, especially with intricate cards like Tideforce Elemental. This card offers a tidal wave of opportunities for players savvy enough to harness its potential. It bolsters strategic depth in your deck, adding layers to your gameplay through precise timing and resource manipulation. From turning the tide in combat to orchestrating winning combos, this elemental could be the missing puzzle piece in your blue-centric or multi-color deck. Eager to discover more strategies and expand your collection with versatile cards like Tideforce Elemental? Dive into our resources for in-depth guides, optimal deck builds, and actionable insights catered to both newcomers and seasoned players alike.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tideforce Elemental MTG card by a specific set like Worldwake, 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 Tideforce Elemental and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tideforce Elemental has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2010-03-01 The landfall ability triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. It triggers whenever you play a land, as well as whenever a spell or ability (such as Rampant Growth) causes you to put a land onto the battlefield under your control. It will even trigger when a spell or ability causes another player to put a land onto the battlefield under your control (as can happen with Yavimaya Dryad’s ability, for example).
2010-03-01 When a land enters the battlefield under your control, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one that resolves.