Flooded Shoreline MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Released	1997-02-03
Set symbol
Set name	Visions
Set code	VIS
Number	32
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Romas Kukalis

Key Takeaways

Gives you a significant card advantage by repeatedly clearing opponent’s creatures at instant speed.
Even though it requires discarding cards, it provides strategic versatility and combo potential in blue decks.
Despite mana intensity, it shores up defenses against creature-heavy strategies, proving its metagame relevance.

Text of card

o Uo U, Return two islands you control to owner's hand: Return target creature to owner's hand.

"Some say the sea is jealous of the land and wishes to climb its heights to meet the sky." —Afari, *Tales*

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Flooded Shoreline offers the ability to return numerous creatures to an opponent’s hand, effectively setting back their board and providing you with a significant card advantage. This can tip the scales in your favor during a match.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly increasing mana resources, it can free up your mana by dealing with multiple threats at once. This lets you more efficiently allocate resources elsewhere, such as deploying your own creatures or casting additional spells.

Instant Speed: This card’s instant speed functionality adds a layer of strategic depth, allowing you to disrupt your opponent’s plays on their turn. You can wait until the last possible moment before deciding whether to bounce creatures back, preserving the element of surprise. This flexibility offers the opportunity to make the most informed decision with your mana and resources.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Flooded Shoreline necessitates the discard of two cards as part of its activation cost. This can be a hefty price to pay, particularly in game states where your hand size is already depleted, potentially stifling your flexibility and future plays.

Specific Mana Cost: Activating Flooded Shoreline’s ability requires a commitment of two blue mana. This specificity can be restrictive as it may not seamlessly fit into multi-colored decks, thereby limiting its inclusion to primarily blue-centric strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With the need to pay not just two blue mana but also return two islands to your hand, Flooded Shoreline can be mana-intensive. In comparison to other bounce spells or creature control options, this can be seen as inefficient, especially since it might set back your own mana development in the process.

Reasons to Include Flooded Shoreline in Your Collection

Versatility: Flooded Shoreline offers a unique form of board control that can be utilized in a variety of blue-based control decks. Its ability to return creatures to an opponent’s hand using islands ensures that you can adapt to numerous situations, keeping your battlefield clear and your opponents on their toes.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combos, enabling you to return your own creatures to hand to re-trigger enter-the-battlefield effects or to protect them from removal. It can also disrupt opponent’s synergies by bouncing key creatures at crucial moments.

Meta-Relevance: Given the fluctuating nature of the MTG meta, Flooded Shoreline can be particularly potent in environments heavy with creature-based strategies. Being able to consistently manage the pace of the game and stave off aggressive tactics makes it a worthwhile addition to decks seeking to maintain control.

How to beat

Flooded Shoreline is an intriguing card that poses a unique challenge on the battlefield. In the realm of MTG, the card’s ability to return two target lands to their owner’s hand can become a repeated nuisance if not addressed correctly. This can disrupt an opponent’s mana base significantly, so the key is to limit its impact on the game.

To counter the Flooded Shoreline effect, focus on maintaining a minimal land presence on the battlefield or consider using land cards that are less valuable to your strategy when needed. Employ tactics that do not rely heavily on lands, or include cards that can be played at instant speed to respond effectively to any activation of Flooded Shoreline’s ability. You can also utilize land destruction or strategies that can rapidly refill your own hand to mitigate the setback caused by this card.

Ultimately, adapting your play to the potential threat of Flooded Shoreline is essential. Either move towards a low-land strategy or incorporate instant-speed spells and abilities to keep up the pace and render Flooded Shoreline’s influence manageable within your matches. Being flexible and proactive in your approach will mitigate Flooded Shoreline’s potential to sway the tide of the game.

Cards like Flooded Shoreline

Flooded Shoreline is a distinct blue enchantment in Magic: The Gathering offering players a unique approach to board control. In the same sphere of influence, we see cards like Capsize, which also lets you return permanents to their owner’s hand. However, Capsize comes with the added flexibility of the buyback mechanic, allowing for repeated use at the cost of additional mana.

Evacuation is another similar card, it clears the battlefield of creatures all at once, offering a more immediate reset button as opposed to Flooded Shoreline’s targeted, slower tactic. Moreover, Tradewind Rider presents a related concept, permitting the return of permanents to hand, but this requires tapping two other creatures to activate, creating a tempo-based synergy within creature-heavy decks.

In the end, while each of these cards carries the potential to disrupt opponent strategies, Flooded Shoreline stands out for its ability to be used multiple times in a single turn, assuming you have the necessary lands to return to hand. This makes it a powerful tool for players who want precise control over the ebb and flow of the game’s tide.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Flooded Shoreline MTG card by a specific set like Visions, 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 Flooded Shoreline and other MTG cards: