Wild Nacatl MTG Card
2008-10-03 - Number 152
2011-09-02 - Number 4
2019-11-07 - Number 1373
2023-07-18 - Number 13
2002-06-24 - Number 37851
2020-09-26 - Number ALA-152
| Card sets | Released in 6 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Cat Warrior |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Text of card
Wild Nacatl gets +1/+1 as long as you control a Mountain. Wild Nacatl gets +1/+1 as long as you control a Plains.
"The Cloud Nacatl sit and think, a bunch of soft paws. We are the Claws of Marisi, stalking, pouncing, drawing blood."
Cards like Wild Nacatl
Wild Nacatl is a notable creature in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, belonging to the powerful category of efficient beaters. Its direct comparable includes creatures like Kird Ape, which also gets a boost in power contingent on the presence of a land type. Kird Ape gains strength from holding a Forest in play, while Wild Nacatl harnesses both Mountains and Plains to become a formidable 3/3 for just one mana investment.
Loam Lion is another creature that shares a kinship with Wild Nacatl, as it too depends on land types to increase its potency — in this case, just a Plains. However, Loam Lion’s power ceiling is limited to a 2/3, making Wild Nacatl the superior option in terms of maximum power growth. Steppe Lynx also mirrors the land synergy but in a different style; it gains a temporary power boost with each land played, offering potential for larger attacks but less consistency than the perennial strength of Wild Nacatl.
Evaluating these parallels in utility and cost, Wild Nacatl stands out in decks that seamlessly incorporate multiple land types, ensuring it consistently hits the battlefield as a substantial threat, underlining its value in MTG’s creature-centric strategies.
Cards similar to Wild Nacatl by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Wild Nacatl. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Domain Zoo | Modern | Domain Zoo | Modern Challenge 32 2024-05-06 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Wild Nacatl shines by offering a robust board presence early in the game. While it doesn’t grant additional card draws directly, it can pressure opponents into using their removal resources prematurely, potentially leading to a card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: This creature can signify a leap in the resource game, even if it doesn’t produce mana itself. With the right land types on the battlefield, the Wild Nacatl quickly accelerates to a formidable 3/3 creature—potentially on turn two—allowing players to advance their board state rapidly while using mana for other strategic plays.
Instant Speed: Although Wild Nacatl doesn’t operate at instant speed, its merits lie in its synergy with instant-speed plays. Being a one-mana threat that can grow, it allows you to keep mana open for other instant-speed interactions, maintaining versatility in your game strategy.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: A pivotal hindrance for many players when leveraging Wild Nacatl is the potential necessity to discard cards to optimize its prowess. Though not directly a discard demand from the card itself, creating a deck environment where Wild Nacatl flourishes often requires a setup that might lead to hand depletion.
Specific Mana Cost: Wild Nacatl’s efficiency is closely tied to its mana cost demands. Requiring a precise combination of mana to enhance its ability, it confines the card to specific deck archetypes, predominantly those capable of generating green mana with ease, and further limiting its universal application in multicolored decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its initial low cost, the true potential of Wild Nacatl is unlocked only when additional mana investments are made into lands that produce red or white mana. This necessity of a diverse mana base to achieve the card’s maximum effect can be restrictive and may compare unfavorably in terms of cost-benefit against other creatures in the same mana range.
Reasons to Include Wild Nacatl in Your Collection
Versatility: Wild Nacatl shines in its ability to adapt to various aggressive strategies. With the simple requirement of controlling lands of specific types, this card quickly becomes a powerhouse, scaling efficiently as your mana base evolves.
Combo Potential: This card has inherent synergy with decks that revolve around land types and landfall mechanics, boosting its power for each corresponding land you possess. Its straightforward nature pairs well with buffs and enhancements, making it an ideal component for explosive combos.
Meta-Relevance: As a card with a significant power level proportional to its mana cost, Wild Nacatl has a history of influencing the competitive scene. In formats where the meta favors aggressive plays, having a one-mana creature that can potentially swing for three damage is incredibly potent and should not be underestimated.
How to beat
Wild Nacatl stands out as a powerful one-drop creature in Magic: The Gathering, particularly in decks with a strong land base. As a 1/1 creature that potentially becomes a 3/3 for just one green mana, Wild Nacatl rewards players for building a deck with a variety of lands. However, its strength is contingent on the presence of those lands, specifically, Plains or Mountains, on the battlefield.
To effectively counter Wild Nacatl, one strategy involves eliminating its land-based power boost. Land destruction or disruption spells can be potent tools against a Nacatl-focused deck. Without access to the necessary Plains or Mountains, Wild Nacatl remains a mere 1/1 creature. Additionally, since Wild Nacatl thrives in an environment where it can attack early and grow stronger quickly, efficient removal spells that can be cast for a low mana cost are also highly effective. Keeping your removal spells for the Nacatl or swiftly dealing with it before it gets buffed can sway the game in your favor.
Employing cards that restrict the types of lands your opponent can control is another tactic. By shaping the battlefield environment and limiting your opponent’s land options, you can manage Wild Nacatl’s potential and keep it as a non-threatening creature, securing your path to victory against a card that is formidable when fully unleashed.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Wild Nacatl MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Shards of Alara, 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 Wild Nacatl and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Printings
The Wild Nacatl Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2008-10-03 and 2023-07-18. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 37851 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Kev Walker | ||
| 2 | 2008-10-03 | Shards of Alara | ALA | 152 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Wayne Reynolds | |
| 3 | 2011-09-02 | Duel Decks: Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas | DDH | 4 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Wayne Reynolds | |
| 4 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1373 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Wayne Reynolds | |
| 5 | The List | PLST | ALA-152 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Wayne Reynolds | ||
| 6 | 2023-07-18 | Historic Anthology 7 | HA7 | 13 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Wayne Reynolds |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Wild Nacatl has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Wild Nacatl 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 | Wild Nacatl’s abilities check for lands with the subtypes Mountain and Plains. Those lands don’t need to be named Mountain and Plains. Wild Nacatl will get both bonuses if those two subtypes are contained among the lands you control, even if they’re from the same land (such as Plateau or Sacred Foundry). |