Fishliver Oil MTG Card

Arabian Nights (ARN)
1993-12-17 - Number 13

Arabian Nights (ARN)
1993-12-17 - Number 13†

Chronicles (CHR)
1995-07-01 - Number 20

Rinascimento (RIN)
1995-08-01 - Number 26

Ninth Edition (9ED)
2005-07-29 - Number 77

Ninth Edition (9ED)
2005-07-29 - Number 77★

Card sets	Released in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant

Key Takeaways

Fishliver Oil grants creatures islandwalk, turning them into significant threats and control tools.
Low-cost and efficiency make it a tactical choice for quick board development in blue-based decks.
Its value is situation-dependent, excelling in metas with prevalent Island cards and evasion strategies.

Text of card

Target creature gains islandwalk ability.

Then the maiden bade him cast off his robes and cover his body with fishliver oil, that he might safely follow her into the sea.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Fishliver Oil, while not directly allowing you to draw more cards, can tip the scales in your favor by effectively turning any of your creatures into a major threat. This incremental advantage often forces your opponent to deal with the enchanted creature, potentially wasting their removal spells.

Resource Acceleration: This enchantment is low-cost, needing only a single island among your mana resources. This efficiency helps you develop your board presence quickly without setting you back in your mana curve.

Instant Speed: Although Fishliver Oil isn’t an instant itself, giving one of your creatures the ability to block as though it had flying at instant speed can be compared to having a trick up your sleeve. You can enchant a creature during your turn to stay defensive and flexible for whatever comes next in the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Fishliver Oil provides a consistent boost, the card does not find itself in hand readily without some strategy to manage your draw or recourse to tutors that could supplement the effect it provides on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring blue mana, Fishliver Oil is naturally aligned with blue-centric or blue-supporting decks. This intrinsic requirement may pose integration challenges in a deck that leans heavily into other colors or has a demanding mana curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For an enchantment that provides only a singular effect — granting islandwalk — Fishliver Oil competes for a slot in your 60 with other utility buffs. This slot competition is even more pressing considering other options that may offer broader functionality or enhance multiple creatures at a similar or lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Fishliver Oil, while unassuming, is a card that offers a straightforward buff with its ability to grant an important evasion ability, islandwalk. This can be particularly useful in decks that capitalize on unblockable creature strategies or in metas that feature abundant Island-based decks.

Combo Potential: Although not the flashiest of cards, Fishliver Oil can be a component in niche combos, especially in synergistic builds that benefit from enhanced creatures. It’s also an interesting option for decks emphasizing historic spells or looking to take advantage of aura-focused strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In specific scenarios where playing around barriers crafted by Island-heavy opponents is crucial, having Fishliver Oil can be unexpectedly advantageous. It’s especially relevant in casual formats or those with a particular set of rules where older cards can shine.

How to beat Fishliver Oil

Fishliver Oil is a classic aura from Magic: The Gathering, granting enchanted creatures the ability to evade blockers by virtue of islandwalk. This can present a unique challenge if the defending player controls islands, making the enchanted creature essentially unblockable. However, there are several strategies to counter Fishliver Oil’s effect.

An effective way to handle Fishliver Oil is by removing the enchantment itself. Cards like Disenchant or Naturalize target enchantments directly, bypassing the need to deal with the creature. This approach can disrupt the opponent’s strategy without needing to counter the spell when it is cast. Another tactic is changing the enchanted creature’s landwalk ability with cards like Blood Moon or Spreading Seas, which can alter the land type in play, rendering the islandwalk ability useless.

Lastly, if you’re unable to remove Fishliver Oil or change land types, having creatures with reach or ones that can block flying creatures can be beneficial. Since islandwalk only makes the creature unblockable by creatures without reach or flying, having these defensive options can mitigate the advantage granted by Fishliver Oil.

Cards like Fishliver Oil

Fishliver Oil is a classic aura in Magic the Gathering, often compared to other spells that provide creatures with added abilities. It shares a kinship with Flight, as both grant the flying ability to the enchanted creature. However, Fishliver Oil grants this power with a slight cost advantage and an additional cantrip effect in some of its printed versions, allowing the player to draw a card upon its entry to the battlefield.

Alongside these, Unstable Mutation is another related spell, offering a temporary boost in power and toughness to a creature, but without the advantage of flight. While it initially seems more aggressive than Fishliver Oil, it does not offer the long-term evasion flying provides. Invisibility is another aura that gives a creature unblockable by creatures without walls, a form of evasion that’s parallel to flying but with a different defensive edge.

Understanding the intricate balance of cost, ability, and effect dynamics among various auras makes Fishliver Oil a notable option for deck builders seeking to craft aerial strategies on a budget. While not a powerhouse, its subtleties can be appreciated when dissected alongside these fellow spells.

Cards similar to Fishliver Oil by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Fishliver Oil MTG card by a specific set like Arabian Nights and Arabian Nights, 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 Fishliver Oil and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Fishliver Oil Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1993-12-17 and 2005-07-29. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1993-12-17	Arabian Nights	ARN	13	1993	Normal	Black	Anson Maddocks
2	1993-12-17	Arabian Nights	ARN	13†	1993	Normal	Black	Anson Maddocks
3	1995-07-01	Chronicles	CHR	20	1993	Normal	White	Anson Maddocks
4	1995-08-01	Rinascimento	RIN	26	1993	Normal	Black	Anson Maddocks
5	2005-07-29	Ninth Edition	9ED	77	2003	Normal	White	Ralph Horsley
6	2005-07-29	Ninth Edition	9ED	77★	2003	Normal	Black	Ralph Horsley