Veiled Crocodile MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Released	1998-10-12
Set symbol
Set name	Urza's Saga
Set code	USG
Number	108
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Paolo Parente

Key Takeaways

Brings card advantage by transitioning from enchantment to formidable creature, enhancing your board presence.
Offers instant speed transformation, allowing for strategic reactionary play in a changing game state.
Requires a specific mana cost and card discard, which can limit deck compatibility and hand flexibility.

Text of card

When a player has no cards in hand, if Veiled Crocodile is an enchantment, Veiled Crocodile becomes a 4/4 creature that counts as a Crocodile.

Some roads are paved with bad intentions.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Veiled Crocodile’s ability to provide card advantage can’t be overstated. When it transforms from its enchantment form into a creature, you’re essentially getting two cards in one—first as a useful enchantment, and later as a powerful creature on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: As a green card, Veiled Crocodile often aligns with decks that focus on resource acceleration. Although it doesn’t directly produce mana, by contributing to board presence and possibly freeing up mana through its strategic deployment, it complements your overall strategy of outpacing opponents.

Instant Speed: One of the characteristics that makes Veiled Crocodile intriguing is its potential interaction with effects at instant speed. The ability to transform under specific conditions during any player’s turn adds an element of surprise and strategic depth, allowing you to adapt to the constantly changing game state.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When deploying Veiled Crocodile, you’re obliged to discard another card, which can be a sore point especially when your hand is already stretched thin. This setback can sometimes outweigh the benefits if you’re unable to maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Veiled Crocodile demands a specific green mana investment. This confines the card’s synergy to decks that can reliably produce green mana, potentially excluding it from various multi-colored strategies where mana flexibility is key.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana cost sitting on the higher side, the Veiled Crocodile can be a weighty commitment. In a game where tempo and efficiency are paramount, some players may find other creatures or spells that achieve similar or better impact for less of a mana commitment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Veiled Crocodile adjusts to a variety of deck builds, from those focused on adaptability to those geared towards creature-heavy strategies. This card can easily find a home in decks looking for resilient creatures.

Combo Potential: This card’s innate ability to grow in strength presents a unique opportunity to work in tandem with effects that benefit from high power creatures, potentially unlocking new synergies within your deck.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where creature-based tactics prevail, Veiled Crocodile’s scalable power makes it a formidable presence on the battlefield, capable of swiftly altering the pace of the game.

How to beat

Veiled Crocodile stands out in the world of Magic: The Gathering due to its unique ability to grow in power as it remains unblocked. Its initial form may seem like a modest creature, but its potential to become an overwhelming force cannot be overlooked. Players facing this reptilian threat must strategize carefully to mitigate its impact on the game.

To effectively combat the Veiled Crocodile, it’s crucial to maintain control of the board. Utilizing removal spells or abilities that can directly target the creature before it becomes too large is a sound approach. Additionally, employing creatures with deathtouch or those that can block multiple creatures, like Guardian of the Guildpact, can prove to be a formidable line of defense against the stealthy predator. Another effective strategy is to take advantage of the Crocodile’s lack of evasion—implementing flying or reach creatures can be an efficient way to ensure it never connects with a player and starts accumulating those perilous +1/+1 counters.

Ultimately, the key to triumphing over Veiled Crocodile lies in early threat recognition and employing the right countermeasures. A vigilant player who can manage the battlefield and deploy strategic defenses will be well-equipped to nullify this latent threat.

Cards like Veiled Crocodile

The Veiled Crocodile introduces a unique twist to creature cards in Magic: The Gathering. Its kinship is seen with cards like Hooting Mandrills, both of which capitalize on the delve mechanic, allowing players to shave off mana cost by exiling cards from the graveyard. However, the Veiled Crocodile brings additional flexibility. Unlike Hooting Mandrills, the Veiled Crocodile can mutate, offering a versatile approach to gameplay as it can enhance an existing creature on the battlefield.

Another peer in this space is Gurmag Angler, a creature that also leverages the delve mechanic to potentially lower its casting cost. While Gurmag Angler prides itself on being a hefty creature for a low cost, it lacks the mutation ability that can give Veiled Crocodile an edge in adaptability during a match. Then there is Lotleth Troll, which offers a different take on utilizing the graveyard by allowing the player to discard a creature card to place a +1/+1 counter on it, thereby growing stronger over time, but again, mutation is not part of its arsenal.

Assessing these creatures alongside the Veiled Crocodile, it becomes evident that the ability to mutate could present a strategic advantage in MTG, making the Crocodile a card worth considering for decks that value graveyard interaction and creature versatility.

Cards similar to Veiled Crocodile by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Veiled Crocodile 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 Veiled Crocodile and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Veiled Crocodile has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2004-10-04	It can trigger even if a player’s hand is empty momentarily during the middle of the resolution of a spell or ability.
2004-10-04	When it turns into a creature, it is no longer an enchantment.
2008-08-01	A noncreature permanent that turns into a creature can attack, and its abilities can be activated, only if its controller has continuously controlled that permanent since the beginning of their most recent turn. It doesn’t matter how long the permanent has been a creature.