Halimar Wavewatch MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Merfolk Soldier
Abilities	Islandwalk,Landwalk,Level Up
Released	2010-04-23
Set symbol
Set name	Rise of the Eldrazi
Set code	ROE
Power	0
Toughness	3
Number	72
Frame	2003
Layout	Leveler
Border	Black
Illustred by	Matt Stewart

Key Takeaways

Level up mechanic allows Halimar Wavewatch to transition from a defender to a potent attacker throughout gameplay.
Instant speed activation offers surprise plays and depth, enhancing its role as a strategic asset.
Despite high mana costs, it offers versatility and combo potential for diverse deck strategies.

Text of card

Level up (: Put a level counter on this. Level up only as a sorcery.) LEVEL 1-4 0/6 LEVEL 5+ 6/6 Islandwalk

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Halimar Wavewatch features a level up mechanic, offering a scalable benefit as the game progresses. Initially a 0/3 creature, it can evolve into a significant offensive and defensive asset, rewarding strategic planning and resource allocation.

Resource Acceleration: While Halimar Wavewatch does not directly accelerate resources, it provides a flexible utility on the battlefield. As you level it up, it becomes a more robust obstacle for your opponent, potentially demanding multiple resources from them to deal with.

Instant Speed: Halimar Wavewatch’s Level up ability can be activated at instant speed, giving an element of surprise and allowing players to adapt and respond to threats efficiently during the opponent’s turn. This playstyle keeps opponents guessing and allows for strategic depth in gameplay.

Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Halimar Wavewatch requires a precise combination of one blue and one generic mana to cast. Its requirement for blue mana could restrict deck-building options, especially for players who prefer not to commit to blue’s mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To fully leverage Halimar Wavewatch’s level up ability, a player must invest a total of seven mana. This cost, spread across separate turns, makes the card an expensive investment relative to other creatures that provide immediate benefits on the battlefield.

Discard Requirement: While Halimar Wavewatch does not have a direct discard requirement, its level up mechanic competes for resources in your hand, potentially forcing you to choose between developing your board or keeping key spells in hand.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Halimar Wavewatch offers dynamic role adaptation in a game, transitioning from an effective blocker to a sizeable beater. This allows it to fit seamlessly into various blue-centric control or midrange decks that can take full advantage of board state changes.

Combo Potential: With its level up ability, it can become a key piece in decks that capitalize on creature abilities or those that benefit from having creatures with five or more power, thereby complementing strategies like proliferate or +1/+1 counter synergies.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where ground attacks are common, its ability to become a 6/6 creature makes it a formidable defensive option. When the board is stable, you can level it up to apply pressure against the opponent, adapting to the ebb and flow of the current metagame.

How to beat

Dealing with Halimar Wavewatch in MTG can be a tactical challenge. This creature card, known for its level up ability, begins as a simple 0/3 creature, but can quickly become a substantial 6/6 threat when fully leveled. The key to countering Halimar Wavewatch is to disrupt the level up process or remove it before it becomes too powerful. Utilizing instant speed removal spells such as Path to Exile or Fatal Push can efficiently deal with the Wavewatch before your opponent invests significant mana. Additionally, counter spells are effective during the level up phase, preventing your opponent from reaching that critical mass.

Another strategy focuses on board control cards that don’t rely on the power or toughness of a creature. Cards like Wrath of God or Damnation can clear the board, including a fully leveled Wavewatch, which bypasses its substantial size. Paying attention to the mana your opponent leaves untapped is also crucial, as it may signal their intention to level up Halimar Wavewatch, thus allowing you to plan your response accordingly.

Ultimately, understanding and responding to the pace of your opponent’s playstyle while maintaining direct and flexible removal in your deck is essential to overcome the potential tide that Halimar Wavewatch aims to bring to the gameplay arena.

Cards like Halimar Wavewatch

Halimar Wavewatch’s position within the Magic: The Gathering creature lineup presents an intriguing comparison to other level-up creatures like Knight of Cliffhaven. Both share the level-up mechanic, allowing them to evolve as a game progresses. Halimar Wavewatch starts as a modest 0/3 and can morph into a potent 6/6 Islandwalk creature, presenting a potential game-ending threat to an opponent without islandwalk prevention. Knight of Cliffhaven, in comparison, begins as a 2/2 that can level up to become a 2/3 flyer, then a 4/4 flyer with vigilance.

Another card worth considering in relation to Halimar Wavewatch is Skywatcher Adept, which also benefits from the level-up ability. The Adept is smaller at the onset but can quickly become a 2/3 flyer with additional levels, requiring less overall mana investment for full development and providing a faster aerial threat.

Notably, Halimar Wavewatch offers a unique adaptability due to its potential size shift and conditional unblockability. When assessing cards with the level-up feature, it’s essential to weigh these strategic modulations that can significantly shape the flow of the game, making Halimar Wavewatch a sleeper hit in scenarios against blue deck strategies.

Knight of Cliffhaven - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Halimar Wavewatch 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 Halimar Wavewatch and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Halimar Wavewatch has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Halimar Wavewatch 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	A creature’s level is based on how many level counters it has on it, not how many times its level up ability has been activated or has resolved. If a leveler gets level counters due to some other effect (such as Clockspinning) or loses level counters for some reason (such as Vampire Hexmage), its level is changed accordingly.
2010-06-15	Effects that modify a leveler’s power or toughness, such as the effects of Giant Growth or Glorious Anthem, will apply to it no matter when they started to take effect. The same is true for counters that change the creature’s power or toughness (such as +1/+1 counters) and effects that switch its power and toughness.
2010-06-15	Effects that set a leveler’s power or toughness to a specific value, including the effects from a level symbol’s ability, apply in timestamp order. The timestamp of each level symbol’s ability is the same as the timestamp of the leveler itself, regardless of when the most recent level counter was put on it.
2010-06-15	If another creature becomes a copy of a leveler, all of the leveler’s printed abilities — including those represented by level symbols — are copied. The current characteristics of the leveler, and the number of level counters on it, are not. The abilities, power, and toughness of the copy will be determined based on how many level counters are on the copy.
2010-06-15	The abilities a leveler grants to itself don’t overwrite any other abilities it may have. In particular, they don’t overwrite the creature’s level up ability; it always has that.