Sandbar Serpent MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Serpent |
| Abilities | Cycling |
| Released | 1998-10-12 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Urza's Saga |
| Set code | USG |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | 95 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Jim Nelson |
Key Takeaways
- Cycling Sandbar Serpent assists in deck filtering and maintaining a steady flow of game resources.
- Its instant speed cycling ability adds flexibility, allowing for reactionary plays during an opponent’s turn.
- Despite its strengths, the serpent’s discard requirement and specific mana cost could pose strategic limitations.
Text of card
Cycling (You may pay and discard this card from your hand to draw a card. Play this ability as an instant.)
Treacherous and unpredictable currents around Tolaria earned the nickname "serpent wakes."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Sandbar Serpent lets you cycle it from your hand, aiding in filtering through your deck to find more useful cards at a crucial moment, effectively maintaining the flow of your resources.
Resource Acceleration: Although Sandbar Serpent does not directly accelerate resources, its cycling ability could indirectly lead to drawing into ramp spells or lands that boost your mana base.
Instant Speed: Cycling is an ability that you can activate at instant speed, providing flexibility in your plays. You can choose to cycle Sandbar Serpent during your opponent’s turn, keeping your options open until you need to react.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: A pivotal drawback of Sandbar Serpent is that it requires discarding a card to access its cycling ability. This means sacrificing valuable hand presence, which could hinder strategy execution, particularly when having a diminished reserve of cards.
Specific Mana Cost: This aquatic behemoth demands a specific blend of mana — one blue and four colorless — to tap into its full potential. This particular mana composition necessitates a committed resource allocation, which could be cumbersome for multicolored decks that thrive on flexibility and variety.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that sits on the higher end of the spectrum, Sandbar Serpent could be perceived as a less appealing option when juxtaposed with other creatures in its class. MTG players may find more strategic or cost-efficient alternatives when looking to fill their deck with powerhouses capable of swinging the tide of battle in their favor.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Sandbar Serpent offers a unique blend of offensive and defensive capabilities, allowing it to adapt to a variety of game states. Its ability to act as a late-game threat or an early-game blocker makes it a flexible pick for blue-based decks.
Combo Potential: With its cycling feature, Sandbar Serpent can be a key component in strategies that profit from card cycling or graveyard synergy. It easily slots into decks designed around drawing cards or discarding for value.
Meta-Relevance: As the game environment shifts, having cards that can confront an array of threats is crucial. The serpent’s sizable body can be crucial in a meta that favors ground-based tactics, making it a contender for inclusion in decks that need to hold the line against aggressive opponents.
How to beat
The Sandbar Serpent is an intriguing creature card in Magic: The Gathering. It has the potential to swing the tide with its formidable presence on the battlefield. As a blue creature, it often comes with the upside of unblockability for a turn, making it a looming threat against opponents. Nevertheless, overcoming this serpent is not as daunting as it appears.
To effectively neutralize Sandbar Serpent, consider utilizing removal spells that can bypass its unblockability. Spells like Doom Blade or Murder are straightforward options that can dispatch the serpent regardless of its abilities. Counterspells also work wonders, preventing the Serpent from ever touching the field. Cards such as Essence Scatter or Negate are potent tools to keep in your arsenal. Additionally, playing creatures with reach or flying can create a defense that stands tall against the Serpent’s assaults. By also optimizing your deck to handle creatures of this nature, you can keep this slithering threat in check and maintain control of the game.
In summary, dealing with a Sandbar Serpent requires strategic use of removal, counterspells, and aerial defenses. With proper planning and execution, the tide the Serpent brings can be calmed, keeping your board safe and your victory within reach.
Cards like Sandbar Serpent
The Sandbar Serpent emerges as a noteworthy addition to the realm of blue creature cards in MTG. Its kinship to other creatures such as Spined Megalodon is apparent, as they both boast the titanic creature type Serpent. However, the Sandbar Serpent offers a sturdy body with cycling ability, allowing for deck filtration and a smoother play cycle.
Comparable as well is the River Serpent, which can often be unblockable under the right conditions, specifically when there are five or more cards in an opponent’s graveyard. However, unlike the Sandbar Serpent, it lacks the cycling ability, which restricts flexibility. Moreover, when assessing cards like Greater Sandwurm, one can see similarities through the cycling ability, yet the Sandwurm distinguishes itself with a land-based unblockability feature.
In examining the attributes of these creatures, the Sandbar Serpent is positioned distinctively within the MTG universe, it balances a large creature presence with the adaptability afforded by the cycling mechanic. This makes it a versatile card that can serve multiple roles depending on the flow of the game.
Cards similar to Sandbar Serpent by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sandbar Serpent MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga, 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 Sandbar Serpent 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 Sandbar Serpent has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sandbar Serpent card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-10-01 | Cycling is an activated ability. Effects that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle or Rings of Brighthearth) will interact with cycling. Effects that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul or Faerie Tauntings) will not. |
