Calcite Snapper MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Turtle |
| Abilities | Landfall,Shroud |
| Released | 2010-02-05 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Worldwake |
| Set code | WWK |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | 25 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | David Palumbo |
Key Takeaways
- Calcite Snapper’s shroud can lead to card advantage by outlasting targeted removal spells.
- Level Up mechanic grows battlefield presence, turning Calcite Snapper into a formidable threat.
- Instant Speed interaction enables robust defense, enhancing turn efficiency with Calcite Snapper.
Text of card
Shroud (This creature can't be the target of spells or abilities.) Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may switch Calcite Snapper's power and toughness until end of turn.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Calcite Snapper’s shroud ability ensures its longevity on the battlefield, which can indirectly lead to card advantage as opponents may waste removal spells or avoid casting them altogether.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting your mana pool, Calcite Snapper’s Level Up mechanic allows you to invest mana over multiple turns, effectively accelerating your board presence by turning it into a more powerful threat without the need for additional cards.
Instant Speed: The shroud ability of Calcite Snapper lends itself well to instant-speed interactions. You can safely level it up during your turn and still have a creature that’s resistant to instant-speed removal, allowing you to maximize turn efficiency and maintain a robust defense.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Calcite Snapper does not require an outright discard to play, it lacks card draw or cycling that could mitigate topdeck situations where a player may have to discard valuable cards due to hand size limits.
Specific Mana Cost: Calcite Snapper requires a precise mana setup of one blue and two other colors to cast, which might not synergize well with decks that have a greedy mana base or those that are not predominantly blue.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At three mana for a 1/4 creature, the Calcite Snapper may seem efficient on defense, but in a meta that values tempo and board presence, there are creatures or spells at similar cost brackets that could offer more immediate impact on the game state.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Calcite Snapper can adapt to various battlefield situations, thanks to its shroud ability, which protects it from targeted spells. It also fits into decks focused on landfall mechanics, enhancing its utility every time a land enters play under your control.
Combo Potential: This card interacts well with deck mechanics that change the land count rapidly or reset lands to your hand. The shell defense ability to switch power and toughness adds another layer of synergy with strategies that leverage defensive creatures in unexpected ways.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where control and high-value creatures reign, Calcite Snapper can serve as a resilient blocker or a surprise attacker. Its low casting cost makes it a timely play against aggressive opponents, while its defensive capabilities can stall opponents long enough for you to establish your game plan.
How to beat
Calcite Snapper is a versatile card in MTG known for its ability to shift between a potent defensive blocker and an offensive threat. With the Shroud ability, it isn’t easily targeted by spells or abilities, making it a sturdy presence on the battlefield. However, this card’s strength in defense can also be its downfall. Since it cannot be targeted by your spells either, buffs and combat tricks are out of the question.
Dealing with Calcite Snapper effectively often requires bypassing its defensive capabilities. This can be achieved through board sweeps like ‘Day of Judgment’ or ‘Damnation’ which don’t target individual creatures and thus circumvent Shroud. Alternatively, you can pressure your opponent by escalating threats that demand answers or go over the top with flying creatures that Calcite Snapper can’t block. Another strategy is simply changing the pace of the game by focusing on non-creature win conditions, rendering Calcite Snapper irrelevant.
Understanding the dynamic nature of this card and preparing with the right answers or strategies is key. Cards like Calcite Snapper challenge you to think creatively about how to neutralize its defensive posture and drive your strategy forward.
Cards like Calcite Snapper
Calcite Snapper is a unique card in Magic: The Gathering that provides a blend of defense and tactical flexibility. When considering cards that share traits with Calcite Snapper, we can look at creatures like Wall of Omens. While Wall of Omens doesn’t offer the Shroud ability or the power to switch to a formidable attacker, it does provide a solid defensive option along with immediate card draw, which can be advantageous.
Another card worth comparing is the Plated Seastrider. This creature shares the same cost and has a similar defensive nature, but lacks the Calcite Snapper’s Shroud ability and landfall-triggered potential to become an offensive threat. The differences highlight Calcite Snapper’s dual-role capabilities, a feature less emphasized in Plated Seastrider.
The strategic utility of Calcite Snapper is reflected in its capacity to pivot roles depending on the game state, which is less inherently present in creatures like Wall of Omens and Plated Seastrider. Recognizing these nuances helps players appreciate the varied approaches to creature design in Magic: The Gathering, showcasing the depth of choice within the game’s defensive card options.
Cards similar to Calcite Snapper by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Calcite Snapper MTG card by a specific set like Worldwake, 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 Calcite Snapper and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Calcite Snapper 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 Calcite Snapper card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2010-03-01 | The 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 (such as Rampant Growth) causes you to put a land onto the battlefield under your control. It will even trigger when a spell or ability causes another player to put a land onto the battlefield under your control (as can happen with Yavimaya Dryad’s ability, for example). |
| 2010-03-01 | 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 that resolves. |
| 2021-03-19 | Because damage remains marked on a creature until the damage is removed as the turn ends, nonlethal damage dealt to a creature may become lethal if you switch its power and toughness during that turn. |
| 2021-03-19 | Effects that switch a creature’s power and toughness apply after all other effects, regardless of when those effects began to apply. For instance, if you target a 1/2 creature then give it +2/+0 later in the turn, it’s a 2/3 creature, not a 4/1 creature. |
| 2021-03-19 | Switching a creature’s power and toughness twice (or any even number of times) effectively returns the creature to the power and toughness it had before any switches. |
