Shivan Wurm MTG Card

Planeshift (PLS)
2001-02-05 - Number 124

Vintage Masters (VMA)
2014-06-16 - Number 261

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Wurm
Abilities	Trample
Power	7
Toughness	7

Key Takeaways

Shivan Wurm offers unique reuse of enter-the-battlefield abilities, enhancing creature-based deck strategies.
The card’s mana requirements may restrict deck-building flexibility, demanding specific color combinations.
Despite its power, with careful play, there are effective strategies to neutralize Shivan Wurm’s in-game impact.

Text of card

Trample When Shivan Wurm comes into play, return a red or green creature you control to its owner's hand.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Shivan Wurm enters the battlefield, you return a red or green creature you control to its owner’s hand, potentially reusing powerful enter-the-battlefield effects and getting more value from your creatures.

Resource Acceleration: Although Shivan Wurm itself does not directly accelerate your resources, the action of returning a creature to your hand can be synergistically paired with cards that capitalize on creature casts or ETB effects, thus indirectly accelerating your game plan.

Instant Speed: While Shivan Wurm is not an instant, its ability to bounce creatures back to your hand can help you keep mana open for instant-speed interactions during your opponent’s turn by replaying creatures with flash or by setting up your hand for the next round of play.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When you bring Shivan Wurm onto the battlefield, you’ll find that it comes with the extra cost of bouncing another red or green creature you control to your hand. This can lead to a loss of board presence, as you must retract a valuable creature likely pivotal to your strategic setup.

Specific Mana Cost: To cast Shivan Wurm, you need to tap into a mix of both red and green mana, specifically three generic, one red, and one green. This mana requirement can make it difficult to include in decks that don’t consistently generate both types of mana, thereby limiting its utility across various archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a five-mana cost, Shivan Wurm is somewhat weighty on your mana resources. While its stats are formidable, you could potentially cast other creatures or combinations of spells that deliver equal or greater impact for the same or lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Shivan Wurm’s power to immediately make an impact on the board by returning a red or green creature to your hand caters to a variety of deck strategies. This allows for re-utilization of enter-the-battlefield effects or even saving your creatures from removal.

Combo Potential: With Shivan Wurm, players can orchestrate powerful combos, taking advantage of its entrance and exit mechanic. By pairing it with creatures that have beneficial entry or exit effects, one can create a symbiotic relationship on the battlefield that opponents will find challenging to disrupt.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state that favors quick and impactful plays, Shivan Wurm stands out by offering a sizeable body that can swing the momentum in your favor. Its inherent trample ability ensures that even when blocked, it can deal substantial damage to an opponent, making it a force to be reckoned with in various MTG matchups.

How to beat

Shivan Wurm is a potent force on the battlefield, commanding attention with its strength in the Magic: The Gathering arena. This formidable card combines a hulking presence with an ability that can return a red or green creature you control back to your hand. To effectively counter this formidable card, smart play and strategic deck building are paramount. Control decks that can counter creatures or spells are particularly effective, as they prevent the Wurm from hitting the board in the first place.

Removal spells, such as Path to Exile or Doom Blade, are also key in taking down this creature once it has landed. Midrange decks can leverage efficient creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects to maintain board presence even when the Wurm resolves. Lastly, playing around the potential card advantage that Shivan Wurm offers by bouncing your own creatures is crucial. Cards that nullify enter-the-battlefield abilities, like Torpor Orb, or ones that punish creatures for entering or leaving the battlefield, like Tormod’s Crypt, can turn the tide against Shivan Wurm.

In essence, while Shivan Wurm presents a challenge, a well-prepared arsenal of spells and strategies can ensure your victory remains unthreatened by its prowess.

Cards like Shivan Wurm

Shivan Wurm provides an interesting dynamic to creature-based strategies in Magic: The Gathering. Its similarities with cards like Avalanche Riders are evident in terms of a significant entering the battlefield effect; however, Shivan Wurm requires you to return a red or green creature you control to your hand, as opposed to Avalanche Riders’ land destruction ability upon entry.

Exploring the ecosystem of red and green creatures, Flametongue Kavu comes to mind. It also offers an immediate impact by allowing you to deal damage to a target creature when it enters the battlefield. Unlike Shivan Wurm, it doesn’t have the requirement to return a creature but provides a similar board presence. On the flippier side, there’s the lesser-known Caldera Hellion, which can drastically alter the board by providing a sweeper effect for smaller creatures when it arrives, at the cost of a significant mana investment and sacrificing a creature.

Evaluating these alternatives, Shivan Wurm stands out among its peers with a balanced mix of sizeable stats and strategic flexibility. Its rebound capability offers multiple uses of enter-the-battlefield abilities within creature-heavy decks, cementing its place as a unique choice in red and green Magic: The Gathering decks.

Cards similar to Shivan Wurm by color, type and mana cost

Harbinger of the Hunt - MTG Card versions

Stonebrow, Krosan Hero - MTG Card versions

Thromok the Insatiable - MTG Card versions

Ulrich of the Krallenhorde // Ulrich, Uncontested Alpha - MTG Card versions

Nikya of the Old Ways - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Shivan Wurm MTG card by a specific set like Planeshift and Vintage Masters, 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 Shivan Wurm and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Shivan Wurm Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2001-02-05 and 2014-06-16. Illustrated by Scott M. Fischer.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2001-02-05	Planeshift	PLS		124	1997	Normal	Black	Scott M. Fischer
2	2014-06-16	Vintage Masters	VMA		261	2015	Normal	Black	Scott M. Fischer

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Shivan Wurm 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 Shivan Wurm card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.