High Tide MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. High Tide generates a significant mana boost, crucial for casting expensive spells or rapid sequences.
  2. Instant cast timing offers tactical flexibility, often giving players a surprise advantage.
  3. Excels in decks rich with Islands, providing a temporary yet powerful increase in mana resources.

Text of card

Until end of turn, all islands produce an additional o U when tapped for mana.

"May Svyelun and her tides favor you." —Traditional Merfolk blessing


Card Pros

Card Advantage: High Tide is a potent spell for blue decks that enables you to generate massive card advantage. Casting High Tide before using card draw spells results in significantly more resources, allowing you to pull ahead in the game.

Resource Acceleration: This card is all about amplifying your mana pool. By doubling the mana produced by Islands for a turn, High Tide acts as a powerful accelerator for casting expensive spells or executing high-impact turns with multiple spells in a row.

Instant Speed: As an instant, High Tide provides flexibility in timing which is critical in MTG. You can cast it right before you need that mana surge, potentially catching an opponent off-guard or just before your big turn, giving you a strategic edge.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although High Tide doesn’t ask players to discard, it does require careful consideration of hand resources. The card shines in decks with a density of Islands and spells but constrains your strategy by demanding a hand that can capitalize on the temporary mana boost. Failure to use the mana effectively often leads to a critical loss of momentum.

Specific Mana Cost: High Tide’s mana cost is specific: a single blue. This restricts the card’s inclusion to blue-oriented decks. While this is not overly limiting, it does require dedication to blue mana sources to ensure it is playable when needed, which can deter multi-colored deck flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its low casting cost, it’s important to understand High Tide’s real cost. It’s not just about the one blue mana; it’s about the setup and timing. While it’s cheap, it requires a game state where you can utilize a lot of blue mana in one turn. High Tide’s effectiveness is directly proportional to the number of Islands you control, which could lead to underwhelming performances in low-Island-count situations or too early in the game.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: High Tide provides an instant boost to mana generation in blue decks. Its ability to double the mana from Islands can accelerate your gameplay significantly, fitting seamlessly into monoblue or multicolor decks that require a splash of blue.

Combo Potential: The card shines in combination with spells that untap lands or facilitate additional draws. This allows for massive mana generation in a single turn, fueling game-winning plays or enabling you to cast multiple high-cost cards at once.

Meta-Relevance: In metas that favor blue-based control or combo decks, High Tide consistently proves its worth. Whether you are facing down slower control decks or need to match pace with aggressive decks, High Tide offers a strategic edge by ramping up your resources at a pivotal moment.


How to beat High Tide

High Tide is a key instigator in powerful combo decks within the Magic: The Gathering realm, celebrated for its ability to temporarily double the mana potency of Islands. To effectively counter this blue instant, disrupting the strategic timing is crucial. Hand disruption methods can preemptively remove High Tide or key combo pieces. In addition, proactive counterspells like Counterspell or Mana Leak can neutralize it before the cascade of mana multiplication begins.

Control decks often hold an upper hand with their suite of countermeasures that maintain the balance of play. An adept tactic involves targeting the combo’s cantrips such as Brainstorm or Ponder, thereby throttling the card advantage and sculpting required for a stormy victory. Not to forget, continuous pressure with creatures or direct damage can force the High Tide strategist on the defensive, inhibiting the set-up of a winning tide. A well-timed creature removal or bounce spell to reset an inflated board state can be pivotal.

Understanding the hinges and timings of this potent spell can empower players to weather its surge. Therefore, players should prioritize hand information, countermagic, and pressuring strategies to prevail against High Tide.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the world of MTG strategy with High Tide as a powerful asset in your arsenal. Mastering its potential requires a fine-tuned deck and precise timing, ensuring that when the tides surge in your favor, your opponents are left in awe. If you seek to overwhelm with a wave of blue mana or concoct unstoppable combos, the intricate dynamics of High Tide are worth exploring. Cultivate your strategic play by incorporating this card into your collection and adapting your gameplay to harness its full power. Eager to make a splash in your next MTG confrontation? Connect with us to sharpen your skills and ride the High Tide to victory.


Cards like High Tide

High Tide is a pivotal card in MTG famed for its ability to temporarily boost blue mana production. In the realm of mana acceleration spells, Turnabout stands out as a relative, offering a surprising versatility by untapping all artifacts, creatures, or lands, albeit for a higher mana cost. Frantic Search also operates in the same sphere of influence, providing both untapping of lands and card draw, yet it does so at the cost of discarding two cards – a price not demanded by High Tide.

Peering into High Tide’s relationship with Bubbling Muck, another similarity surfaces. Bubbling Muck amps up black mana instead of blue, displaying the universality of such effects across different colors. However, High Tide boasts an exclusive kinship with islands, enhancing its value in mono-blue decks. Candelabra of Tawnos, an artifact, echoes High Tide’s theme of untapping lands, yet the artifact’s scarcity and price point make High Tide a more accessible option for players seeking to capitalize on manifold mana during their turn.

Thus, High Tide’s specialized nature makes it a standout tool in strategies that seek to harness vast quantities of blue mana in a single turn, securing its esteemed position among its peers in MTG.

Turnabout - MTG Card versions
Frantic Search - MTG Card versions
Bubbling Muck - MTG Card versions
Candelabra of Tawnos - MTG Card versions
Turnabout - Urza's Saga (USG)
Frantic Search - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Bubbling Muck - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Candelabra of Tawnos - Antiquities (ATQ)

Cards similar to High Tide by color, type and mana cost

Ancestral Recall - MTG Card versions
Jump - MTG Card versions
Sleight of Mind - MTG Card versions
Twiddle - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Siren's Call - MTG Card versions
Power Sink - MTG Card versions
Blue Elemental Blast - MTG Card versions
Spell Blast - MTG Card versions
Magical Hack - MTG Card versions
Riptide - MTG Card versions
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Denied! - MTG Card versions
Hydroblast - MTG Card versions
Whispers of the Muse - MTG Card versions
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Force Spike - MTG Card versions
Opt - MTG Card versions
Envelop - MTG Card versions
Ancestral Recall - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Jump - Magic 2010 (M10)
Sleight of Mind - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Twiddle - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Unsummon - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Siren's Call - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Power Sink - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Blue Elemental Blast - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Spell Blast - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Magical Hack - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Riptide - The Dark (DRK)
Winter's Chill - Ice Age (ICE)
Mind Bend - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Denied! - Unglued (UGL)
Hydroblast - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Whispers of the Muse - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Ertai's Trickery - Planeshift (PLS)
Force Spike - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Opt - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Envelop - Judgment (JUD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase High Tide MTG card by a specific set like Fallen Empires and Fallen Empires, 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 High Tide and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The High Tide Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 1994-11-01 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by 6 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11994-11-01Fallen EmpiresFEM 18b1993normalblackAnson Maddocks
21994-11-01Fallen EmpiresFEM 18c1993normalblackAmy Weber
31994-11-01Fallen EmpiresFEM 18a1993normalblackDrew Tucker
42007-09-10Masters EditionME1 351997normalblackAnson Maddocks
52012-01-01IDW Comics InsertsPIDW 132003normalblackEric Deschamps
62014-06-16Vintage MastersVMA 732015normalblackEric Deschamps
72023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 542015normalblackMarc Simonetti
82023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 4192015normalborderlessJeff Miracola
92023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 2861997normalblackMarc Simonetti

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where High Tide has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerBanned
PauperBanned
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2022-12-08 The delayed triggered ability refers to any land with the land type Island, not just those named Island.
2022-12-08 The effect applies even if the Island in question entered the battlefield after High Tide resolved.

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