Akoum Stonewaker MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human Shaman
Abilities	Landfall
Released	2015-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Battle for Zendikar
Set code	BFZ
Power	2
Toughness	1
Number	140
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Victor Adame Minguez

Key Takeaways

Akoum Stonewaker’s token generation pressures opponents, boosting board presence each turn.
Creating tokens at instant speed with Stonewaker adds combat flexibility and strategic depth.
Despite power, mana costs and resource management are considerations for using Stonewaker.

Text of card

Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may pay . If you do, put a 3/1 red Elemental creature token with trample and haste onto the battlefield. Exile that token at the beginning of the next end step.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The beauty of Akoum Stonewaker lies in its potential to consistently generate 3/1 Elemental creature tokens with trample. This ability to expand your board presence every turn can put persistent pressure on your opponent, transforming the card into a relentless threat that demands an answer.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing mana, Akoum Stonewaker’s ability to create tokens can indirectly accelerate your resources. By applying pressure, it can force the opponent to react, potentially disrupting their mana usage and thus giving you the tempo advantage. Additionally, these tokens could be used in conjunction with sacrifice mechanics for further benefit.

Instant Speed: The ability to create a token at instant speed gives you the flexibility to wait until the end of your opponent’s turn before deciding to activate the Stonewaker’s ability. This option can lead to advantageous combat situations or allow you to better gauge the most opportune moment to enhance your board state, keeping your opponents guessing.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One drawback of Akoum Stonewaker is that it comes with no discard demands, yet its ability to create a token each time may pressurize the user’s land resources instead, ultimately reducing hand size as the game goes on.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s landfall ability requires both red and generic mana, potentially constraining deck building options to those that can consistently generate the necessary mana types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a launch cost of two mana and an activation cost for its landfall ability, Akoum Stonewaker can be mana-intensive in the early game where players may prefer getting more board presence or keeping mana open for instant-speed interaction.

Reasons to Include Akoum Stonewaker in Your Collection

Versatility: Akoum Stonewaker has the ability to create a 3/1 Elemental creature token with trample and haste every time you landfall, making it a flexible addition to aggressive decks or those that emphasize land play.

Combo Potential: This creature can synergize with decks that focus on landfall triggers, potentially setting off a chain of powerful combos. Akoum Stonewaker’s tokens can also fuel sacrifice mechanics or bolster elemental tribal themes.

Meta-Relevance: With a landscape that often fluctuates, having a card that can respond quickly to opponent’s threats is crucial. Akoum Stonewaker provides immediate board presence and pressure, making it a viable option in various meta scenarios where speed and aggression are rewarded.

How to beat

The Akoum Stonewaker is a creature that brings a unique dynamic to the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. With its ability to generate 3/1 elemental creature tokens with trample and haste every time a land enters the battlefield under your control, it can rapidly apply pressure on opponents. To effectively counter this strategy, controlling the pace of land drops is crucial. Land destruction cards or effects that restrict land play can inhibit the Stonewaker’s token-generating capability.

Additionally, instant-speed removal spells are highly effective against the elemental tokens, considering their temporary existence; they vanish at the beginning of the next end step. Efficient removal such as Fatal Push or Lightning Bolt can easily handle the tokens, and in the case of Akoum Stonewaker itself, creature-specific spells like Path to Exile or Murderous Rider can permanently remove the threat from the game.

Ultimately, the key to outmaneuvering the Akoum Stonewaker lies in managing the landfall triggers and timely removal of tokens and the creature itself. By doing so, you can turn this quick-paced threat into a manageable aspect of your opponent’s strategy.

Cards like Akoum Stonewaker

Akoum Stonewaker has its niche within the landscape of creature spells in MTG. Its likeness to cards such as Spark Elemental is striking– both share the trait of eliciting an immediate impact once they hit the battlefield. Akoum Stonewaker, much like Spark Elemental, can provide a sudden and potentially game-ending burst of damage. Nevertheless, the Stonewaker extends its utility by creating a 3/1 Elemental creature token with trample and haste whenever you landfall, unlike Spark Elemental which vanishes after a single use.

Ball Lightning is another card that echoes the elemental fury of the Stonewaker. It too dashes onto the battlefield with haste to deal substantial damage, but then it sacrifices consistency for power, sporting a higher damage potential at once but not offering the recurring aspect of Akoum Stonewaker’s token generation. Zo-Zu the Punisher is also a card worth considering, as it applies pressure on opponents through passive damage, which diversifies the approach compared to the direct combat strength of Akoum Stonewaker.

Ultimately, Akoum Stonewaker finds its place among the aggressive red creatures in MTG that excel at closing games quickly, yet it provides repeated value every turn in the right deck, distinguishing it from similar cards.

Cards similar to Akoum Stonewaker by color, type and mana cost

Goblin Elite Infantry - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Akoum Stonewaker MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar, 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 Akoum Stonewaker and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Akoum Stonewaker has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2015-08-25	A landfall ability triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. It triggers whenever you play a land, as well as whenever a spell or ability puts a land onto the battlefield under your control.
2015-08-25	If the ability has an additional or replacement effect that depends on the land having a certain basic land type, the ability will check that land’s type as the ability resolves. If, at that time, the land that entered the battlefield is no longer on the battlefield, use its types when it left the battlefield to determine what happens.
2015-08-25	When a land enters the battlefield under your control, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one to resolve.