Crab Umbra MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant,Totem armor
Released	2010-04-23
Set symbol
Set name	Rise of the Eldrazi
Set code	ROE
Number	58
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Christopher Moeller

Key Takeaways

Crab Umbra maximizes board control through its creature untapping and Totem Armor abilities.
Its instant speed use offsets high mana cost by offering protection and repeated ability use.
Clever strategies like sacrificial or exile spells can overcome Crab Umbra’s defenses.

Text of card

Enchant creature : Untap enchanted creature. Totem armor (If enchanted creature would be destroyed, instead remove all damage from it and destroy this Aura.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Crab Umbra’s ability to untap the enchanted creature ensures that you can leverage your creature’s abilities multiple times, effectively giving you an advantage in board control and in leveraging any abilities tied to tapping.

Resource Acceleration: By allowing repeated use of tap abilities, Crab Umbra can accelerate your resource generation, especially if the enchanted creature has abilities that produce mana or draw cards.

Instant Speed: The Totem Armor ability of Crab Umbra can be activated at instant speed, offering protection from destruction at critical moments and preserving your key creatures during surprise interactions on the battlefield.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Crab Umbra necessitates the player to sacrifice a creature, which can be a detrimental play if your board presence is weak or the creature possessed a high-value effect on gameplay.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires blue mana, making it a less versatile option for decks that are not blue-heavy or those that operate with a more diverse mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana for a totem armor effect, there are alternatives within the same mana range that may offer broader protection or additional abilities.

Reasons to Include Crab Umbra in Your Collection

Versatility: Crab Umbra’s ability to shield a creature from harm adds a layer of protection in any deck that relies on key creatures staying on the board. Its Totem armor is invaluable for maintaining board state against removal-heavy matches.

Combo Potential: With its untap ability, Crab Umbra can be a crucial part of combos that tap creatures for benefits. It works particularly well in decks that exploit tapping and untapping creatures for infinite combos or for generating a large number of activations.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where control decks with a lot of creature removal dominate, Crab Umbra can ensure the longevity of impactful creatures. Moreover, its low mana cost makes it a fit in various tempo plays, allowing for agile responses within competitive scenes.

How to beat

Crab Umbra is a unique aura in the world of MTG that lends resilience to the enchanted creature, with its Totem armor ability shielding the adorned minion from what would otherwise be certain destruction. Yet, defeating this seemingly impenetrable defense is not outside the realm of possibility. Focus on utilizing spells that bypass Totem armor, such as those that force a player to sacrifice creatures or exile them directly from play, steering clear of traditional destruction.

Cards such as Path to Exile or Diabolic Edict become crucial tools in your arsenal when faced with a creature protected by Crab Umbra. It’s vital to understand that effects circumventing the battlefield, such as giving a creature -X/-X, will not trigger the Totem armor, potentially clearing the path for a victorious strike. Evidently, incorporating these strategic elements into your gameplay can effectively neutralize the defensive prowess of Crab Umbra, allowing you to emerge from the depths of battle unscathed.

Ultimately, crafting a deck with a thoughtful inclusion of such versatile responses will not only prepare you for encounters with Crab Umbra but also enhance your adaptive tactics against a multifaceted array of MTG threats.

BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring MTG’s vast card library, Crab Umbra stands as a notable spell for its protective and flexible nature. If your strategy leans towards safeguarding pivotal creatures or executing tap-based combos, this card might be the perfect addition to your deck collection. It’s not just about finding fitting cards; it’s about understanding their synergies and potential. Dive deeper into the realms of MTG with us, examine card interactions, and refine your deck-building skills. Discover how Crab Umbra can shift the tides in your favor, and master the art of resilience in your gameplay. Elevate your MTG experience by learning more today.

Cards like Crab Umbra

Crab Umbra stands out among protective auras in Magic: The Gathering due to its unique Totem Armor ability. This card shares similarities with other Totem Armor enchantments, such as Eel Umbra, also a recipient of the ability to save creatures from destruction. Nonetheless, Crab Umbra has a distinct advantage with its second ability, allowing you to untap the enchanted creature for just three mana. This can be crucial for not only protecting your valuable creatures but also for enabling them to block additional attacks or activate tap abilities multiple times within a single turn cycle.

In comparison, we find cards like Spider Umbra which bolsters a creature’s defense by granting reach and Totem Armor. Although Spider Umbra provides a defensive edge against flying creatures, it lacks the flexibility offered by Crab Umbra’s untap feature. On the other hand, Boar Umbra enhances a creature’s offensive power by giving it a significant cost-effective boost along with Totem Armor. While this can swiftly turn the tides in your favor during combat, it doesn’t offer the same dynamic defensive capabilities or the versatile utility that comes with Crab Umbra.

Assessing these enchantments side by side, Crab Umbra appeals strongly to MTG players who value the combination of creature preservation and utility, making it a potential game-changer on the battlefield among Magic: The Gathering cards that aim to safeguard your cherished creatures.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Crab Umbra MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi, 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 Crab Umbra and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Crab Umbra has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Crab Umbra card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2010-06-15	If a creature enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor would be destroyed by multiple state-based actions at the same time the totem armor’s effect will replace all of them and save the creature.
2010-06-15	If a permanent you control is enchanted with multiple Auras that have totem armor, and the enchanted permanent would be destroyed, one of those Auras is destroyed instead — but only one of them. You choose which one because you control the enchanted permanent.
2010-06-15	If a spell or ability (such as Planar Cleansing) would destroy both an Aura with totem armor and the permanent it’s enchanting at the same time, totem armor’s effect will save the enchanted permanent from being destroyed. Instead, the spell or ability will destroy the Aura in two different ways at the same time, but the result is the same as destroying it once.
2010-06-15	If a spell or ability says that it would “destroy” a permanent enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, that spell or ability causes the Aura to be destroyed instead. (This matters for cards such as Karmic Justice.) Totem armor doesn’t destroy the Aura; rather, it changes the effects of the spell or ability. On the other hand, if a spell or ability deals lethal damage to a creature enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, the game rules regarding lethal damage cause the Aura to be destroyed, not that spell or ability.
2010-06-15	Only Crab Umbra’s controller (who is not necessarily the enchanted creature’s controller) can activate its activated ability.
2010-06-15	Say you control a permanent enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, and the enchanted permanent has gained a regeneration shield. The next time it would be destroyed, you choose whether to apply the regeneration effect or the totem armor effect. The other effect is unused and remains, in case the permanent would be destroyed again.
2010-06-15	Totem armor’s effect is applied no matter why the enchanted permanent would be destroyed: because it’s been dealt lethal damage, or because it’s being affected by an effect that says to “destroy” it (such as Doom Blade). In either case, all damage is removed from the permanent and the Aura is destroyed instead.
2010-06-15	Totem armor’s effect is mandatory. If the enchanted permanent would be destroyed, you must remove all damage from it and destroy the Aura that has totem armor instead.
2010-06-15	Totem armor’s effect is not regeneration. Specifically, if totem armor’s effect is applied, the enchanted permanent does not become tapped and is not removed from combat as a result. Effects that say the enchanted permanent can’t be regenerated (as Vendetta does) won’t prevent totem armor’s effect from being applied.
2010-06-15	When Crab Umbra’s activated ability resolves, it will untap the creature Crab Umbra is enchanting at that time (regardless of what creature Crab Umbra was enchanting when the ability was activated). If Crab Umbra has left the battlefield by then, the ability will untap the creature it was enchanting at the time it left the battlefield.
2013-07-01	If a creature enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor has indestructible, lethal damage and effects that try to destroy it simply have no effect. Totem armor won’t do anything because it won’t have to.
2013-07-01	Say you control a permanent enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, and that Aura has gained a regeneration shield. The next time the enchanted permanent would be destroyed, the Aura would be destroyed instead — but it regenerates, so nothing is destroyed at all. Alternately, if that Aura somehow gains indestructible, the enchanted permanent is effectively indestructible as well.
2013-07-01	Totem armor has no effect if the enchanted permanent is put into a graveyard for any other reason, such as if it’s sacrificed, if it’s legendary and another legendary permanent with the same name is controlled by the same player, or if its toughness is 0 or less.