Halimar Tidecaller MTG Card

Halimar Tidecaller - Battle for Zendikar

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human Wizard Ally
Released	2015-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Battle for Zendikar
Set code	BFZ
Power	2
Toughness	3
Number	79
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Magali Villeneuve

Key Takeaways

Facilitates card advantage by reviving ‘awaken’ spells from your graveyard, important in protracted matches.
Contributes to resource acceleration, allowing faster execution of game-winning strategies and mana plays.
Renders land creatures airborne, potentially tipping the scales of battle in landfall-centric decks.

Text of card

When Halimar Tidecaller enters the battlefield, you may return target card with awaken from your graveyard to your hand. Land creatures you control have flying.

"Quiet the waves? Why would I want to do that?"

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Halimar Tidecaller card enables you to return a target card with awaken from your graveyard to your hand. This can potentially translate into a powerful card advantage, especially in long-drawn matches where every card counts.

Resource Acceleration: By reclaiming land cards with awaken, the Halimar Tidecaller can be a catalyst for resource acceleration. This can be particularly useful when you’re setting up for a game-winning play and need that extra push in terms of available mana.

Instant Speed: Although the Halimar Tidecaller is a creature card and not cast at instant speed, its ability to interact with instants in your graveyard that possess awaken grants you a strategic advantage. Through its abilities, you can set the stage for instant-speed surprises that can disrupt your opponent’s strategy at critical moments.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Halimar Tidecaller allows for the retrieval of land cards with Awaken from your graveyard, it requires you to have these cards in your graveyard first, which can often necessitate discarding valuable cards earlier on or relying on other cards to do this for you.

Specific Mana Cost: Halimar Tidecaller demands a blend of generic and blue mana, the latter of which anchors it firmly in blue-centric or at least blue-compatible decks, potentially restricting the range of decks where it can be utilized effectively.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With the casting cost of three mana, including two that are color-specific, Halimar Tidecaller is more expensive compared to other cards with similar effects, which might be a downside when planning your mana curve or aiming to keep mana open for counterspells or other responses during your opponent’s turn.

Reasons to Include Halimar Tidecaller in Your Collection

Versatility: Halimar Tidecaller offers flexibility in various deck builds, providing both creature presence and utility. Its ability to give land creatures flying can turn the tide in battle, especially in decks with a landfall focus.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with decks that play with the graveyard, as it allows you to return an instant or sorcery card with Awaken back to your hand, setting up for repeatable plays and combos.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where control and landfall strategies are effective, Halimar Tidecaller’s dual utility as a tactician and a lifter of land creatures makes it a relevant addition to adaptive and interactive gameplay.

How to beat

Overcoming a card like Halimar Tidecaller can be a tactical challenge in MTG. This card becomes a powerhouse when combined with a deck that leverages land cards in the graveyard, particularly through the Landfall mechanic. To strategically outplay an opponent using this, players should consider disruption tactics. Interrupting the graveyard synergy by exiling key land cards before Halimar Tidecaller can utilize them is a solid plan.

Another effective strategy is to remove the Tidecaller itself from the board. Use spot removal spells as soon as it hits the battlefield to prevent your opponent from benefiting from its abilities. Control decks excel in this manner, keeping the battle in your favor by denying the opponent’s crucial plays. Prioritize cards that can handle multiple threats at once to maintain a clean board.

Bearing this in mind, deck building should include contingency plans for such scenarios. Incorporate answers to graveyard strategies and versatile removal options. That way, Halimar Tidecaller’s influence becomes significantly less impactful, and you can keep the tides of battle flowing in your direction.

Cards like Halimar Tidecaller

Halimar Tidecaller is an intriguing role player within the realm of land-focused decks in Magic: The Gathering. Comparable to cards like Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper, the Tidecaller thrives in a deck with a lands theme, but instead of turning lands into creatures, it brings back value from the graveyard. Touting the ability to return a card with Awaken from the graveyard to your hand, Halimar Tidecaller allows for repeated value, much like Pulmonary Krasis, which also recycles spells, but from an entirely different angle—focusing on spells with Jump-start.

Exploring further parallels, we stumble upon Tamiyo’s Journal. While it delves into the library searching for clues to uncover specific cards, Halimar Tidecaller prefers to breathe new life into previously played spells. Similarly, both cards enhance long-term strategies by generating value over time. Of course, we cannot overlook the Tidecaller’s secondary benefit of giving all land creatures flying, offering a tactical advantage that Tamiyo’s Journal lacks. It’s an asset that can unexpectedly shift the dynamics of a match, paving the way for aerial offensives that opponents might not be prepared to counter.

Ultimately, in the space of resource reappearance and strategic depth, Halimar Tidecaller shines as a card that can repeatedly leverage past plays, ensuring its valuable spot among cards that interact particularly well with land-based synergies.

Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

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