Wormfang Crab MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Nightmare Crab |
| Released | 2002-05-27 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Judgment |
| Set code | JUD |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 6 |
| Number | 56 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Glen Angus |
Text of card
Wormfang Crab is unblockable. When Wormfang Crab comes into play, an opponent chooses a permanent you control and removes it from the game. When Wormfang Crab leaves play, return the removed card to play under its owner's control.
Cards like Wormfang Crab
Within the intricate ecosystem of blue control creatures in Magic: The Gathering, Wormfang Crab offers a unique experience. Comparable to its eerie counterparts like Phantom Warrior, Wormfang Crab carves a niche through its unblockability feature. Where Phantom Warrior shines with straightforward damage delivery, Wormfang Crab introduces a tactical bend, expelling another permanent you control until it leaves the battlefield.
Looking to Wavebreak Hippocamp, a card that draws upon casting a spell during an opponent’s turn, it offers a different value by fueling card advantage rather than focusing on combat. Even so, Wormfang Crab’s ability to avoid being blocked without the need for spellcasting keeps it in a class of its own. Then there’s Mistblade Shinobi, which bounces creatures back to opponents’ hands but lacks the persistent evasion Wormfang Crab embodies.
Ultimately, weighing their abilities and gameplay implications, Wormfang Crab stands out among MTG’s myriad of creatures. It balances risk with its removal clause and offers a stealthy form of pressure that can evade defenders and control the tide of battle in its singular way.
Cards similar to Wormfang Crab by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Wormfang Crab stands out as an intriguing option for casual decks focusing on hand manipulation. Once it phases out, it essentially ‘exiles’ another one of your cards temporarily, offering a unique form of card advantage as your other card will return to you, presenting possibilities for reusing enter-the-battlefield effects or saving a key card from removal.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly serving as a ramp card, the phasing ability of Wormfang Crab can be creatively employed to protect or recur your mana sources, such as lands or creatures that tap for mana. This can help maintain or even accelerate your resource production in the long game.
Instant Speed: One of the valuable traits of this card comes from the instant speed actions it can trigger. By phasing out creatures that have tap abilities or those with effects that occur at the beginning or end of a turn, Wormfang Crab offers a reactive tool that can be capitalized on during the last moments of your opponent’s turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Wormfang Crab can be a setback when you’re asked to remove another card from your hand. This puts you at a potential card disadvantage and could hinder your strategy, especially if your hand is already thin on resources.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both blue and a generic mana, Wormfang Crab’s mana cost might not mesh well with multicolor decks. It limits its inclusion to mainly blue-centric decks, potentially reducing its versatility in a broad range of strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value of four, this creature comes at a stage in the game where players typically look for impactful plays that can swing the board in their favor. There are creatures with lower mana costs or ones providing better value that might take precedence over Wormfang Crab in the competitive environment.
Reasons to Include Wormfang Crab in Your Collection
Versatility: Wormfang Crab’s unique ability to phase out a single blue permanent upon entry creates opportunities for various tactical plays. Its blue affiliation also harmonizes well with control-centric and bounce strategies, allowing for diverse deck integration.
Combo Potential: The Crab’s phasing ability can be leveraged to reuse enter-the-battlefield (ETB) effects or dodge removal spells. Synergies with cards that benefit from permanents leaving or entering the battlefield can lead to powerful combinations and unexpected plays.
Meta-Relevance: As the MTG landscape shifts, decks that excel at manipulating the state of the board can gain an edge. Wormfang Crab fits well in metas with a high volume of blue-based control or combo decks, providing an additional layer of strategy to your gameplay.
How to beat
The Wormfang Crab is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering, hailing from the Judgment expansion. This blue creature arrives on the scene with a powerful ability to remove another permanent from the game until Wormfang Crab leaves the battlefield. With that in mind, facing this sea beast requires a strategic approach.
To effectively counter Wormfang Crab, players should aim to exploit its downside. Removing essential permanents can backfire on the Crab’s controller if they are not careful. Employ removal spells or effects that specifically target creatures, such as Path to Exile or Murder, which will not only get rid of the Crab but also return your exiled permanent. Alternately, manipulating the battlefield by forcing the opponent to sacrifice creatures can bypass Wormfang Crab’s protections. Edict effects like Diabolic Edict or Liliana’s Triumph can prove useful. Finally, you can preemptively protect your valuable permanents with hexproof or indestructible effects to mitigate the Crab’s impact upon entering the battlefield.
Consequently, while the Wormfang Crab poses a significant tactical challenge, efficient removal and savvy battlefield control can neutralize this threat and turn the tide in your favor in an MTG matchup.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Wormfang Crab MTG card by a specific set like Judgment, 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 Wormfang Crab 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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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Wormfang Crab has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |