Calming Licid MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Licid
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Calming Licid delivers card advantage by hindering opponents’ creatures without card loss, shifting game dynamics.
  2. Enacting control at instant speed, it offers tactical surprises and makes efficient use of mana.
  3. Pivotal for decks that exploit enchantment dynamics, enhancing combo potential and adapting to meta threats.

Text of card

o W, oc T: Calming Licid loses this ability and becomes a creature enchantment that reads "Enchanted creature cannot attack" instead of a creature. Move Calming Licid onto target creature. You may pay o W to end this effect.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Calming Licid can offer card advantage by allowing you to effectively neutralize an opposing creature without losing a card yourself. This exchange can tip the scales in your favor over the course of a game.

Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t explicitly accelerate resources, Calming Licid’s ability to latch onto an opponent’s creature and essentially remove it from combat can save you the mana and cards you would otherwise spend on removing threats, indirectly accelerating your game plan.

Instant Speed: One of Calming Licid’s strengths is its ability to become an enchantment at instant speed. This feature allows you to react swiftly to threats or unexpected moves from your opponent, using your mana efficiently and maintaining the element of surprise.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Calming Licid may be a setback for your strategy, necessitating you to surrender another permanent to maintain its effect. This could potentially strip valuable resources from your hand, impairing your ability to respond to opponents’ moves.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a blend of white mana, which could restrict its application to only those decks that can reliably produce white mana, diminishing its flexibility across various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring three mana, Calming Licid is an investment that might not line up with the tempo of your game plan, especially when considering alternatives that could lock down opposing creatures for a lower cost or offer additional benefits.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Calming Licid can adapt to various suite of strategies, offering a unique control element over creatures that it attaches to. Its ability to become an Aura and back to a creature on demand, allows for flexible use in both offensive and defensive situations.

Combo Potential: This card can be a linchpin in combos, especially in decks that manipulate enchantments or those that capitalize on tapping and untapping mechanics. The capacity to repeatedly switch Calming Licid from creature to Aura enhances synergy with cards that respond to such transitions.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state dominated by creature-heavy decks, Calming Licid becomes an asset by pacifying potential threats. It serves as a tool to neutralize key creatures and can be a tactful addition to a deck aiming to maintain board control against creature-centric opponents.


How to beat

Calming Licid offers a unique control dynamic in MTG, as it has the ability to become an Aura, attaching to opponent’s creatures and effectively neutralizing them. This switchable qualities present a strategic hurdle. If you face this card across the battlefield, there are a couple of angles to consider.

Removal spells that can target either enchantments or creatures are particularly useful, as they offer flexibility regardless of Calming Licid’s state. Cards with split-second can disrupt the Licid’s ability to attach or detach, locking it in a less favorable position. Board wipes also serve as a clean answer, clearing the board regardless of Licid’s presence.

It’s vital to manage your threats wisely, recognizing Calming Licid’s ability to shut down your most potent creature. Preemptive measures such as playing creatures with hexproof can safeguard against direct targeting, while instant-speed responses can ensure you regain control. Ultimately, understanding and anticipating Calming Licid’s uses and preparing versatile answers will keep your gameplay steady and your creatures free.


Cards like Calming Licid

Calming Licid holds a unique position among the enchant creature cards in Magic: The Gathering. It shares similarities with its brethren like Spirit Link, granting the attached creature an additional effect during combat. While Spirit Link focuses on life gain, Calming Licid’s strength lies in its versatility to “calm” or pacify opposing creatures, preventing them from attacking or blocking.

Another card that comes to mind is Arrest, which offers a permanent solution to neutralize threats by not allowing the enchanted creature to attack, block, or use abilities. Though Calming Licid requires mana investment to attach and detach to creatures, its flexible control over multiple creatures during a game can outshine Arrest’s one-time use. Finally, we can look at Faith’s Fetters, which shares the ability to incapacitate any permanent, not just creatures, while also providing life gain. However, Calming Licid stands out due to its ability to repeatedly move between targets, providing ongoing tactical advantages.

In assessing the value and tactical uses of enchant creature spells, Calming Licid demonstrates unique versatility in creature control, making it a distinct and noteworthy option within Magic: The Gathering gameplay for those looking to manage the battlefield actively.

Spirit Link - MTG Card versions
Arrest - MTG Card versions
Faith's Fetters - MTG Card versions
Spirit Link - Legends (LEG)
Arrest - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Faith's Fetters - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)

Cards similar to Calming Licid by color, type and mana cost

Argivian Blacksmith - MTG Card versions
Jamuraan Lion - MTG Card versions
Snow Hound - MTG Card versions
Femeref Knight - MTG Card versions
Border Guard - MTG Card versions
Benalish Knight - MTG Card versions
Regal Unicorn - MTG Card versions
Wild Griffin - MTG Card versions
Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions
Dogged Hunter - MTG Card versions
Diving Griffin - MTG Card versions
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - MTG Card versions
Kitsune Palliator - MTG Card versions
Freewind Equenaut - MTG Card versions
Sanctum Guardian - MTG Card versions
Field Marshal - MTG Card versions
Kithkin Healer - MTG Card versions
Kor Hookmaster - MTG Card versions
Zhalfirin Commander - MTG Card versions
Silverblade Paladin - MTG Card versions
Argivian Blacksmith - Antiquities (ATQ)
Jamuraan Lion - Media Inserts (PMEI)
Snow Hound - Ice Age (ICE)
Femeref Knight - Mirage (MIR)
Border Guard - Portal (POR)
Benalish Knight - Anthologies (ATH)
Regal Unicorn - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Wild Griffin - Starter 2000 (S00)
Pianna, Nomad Captain - Odyssey (ODY)
Dogged Hunter - Odyssey (ODY)
Diving Griffin - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Kitsune Palliator - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Freewind Equenaut - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Sanctum Guardian - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Field Marshal - Coldsnap (CSP)
Kithkin Healer - Lorwyn (LRW)
Kor Hookmaster - Zendikar (ZEN)
Zhalfirin Commander - Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)
Silverblade Paladin - Avacyn Restored (AVR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Calming Licid MTG card by a specific set like Stronghold and The List, 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 Calming Licid and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Calming Licid Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1998-03-02 and 1998-03-02. Illustrated by D. Alexander Gregory.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-03-02StrongholdSTH 21997normalblackD. Alexander Gregory
22020-09-26The ListPLST STH-21997normalblackD. Alexander Gregory

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Calming Licid has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-04-15 If a spell that can target enchantments but not creatures (such as Clear) is cast targeting the Licid after it has become an enchantment, but the Licid’s controller pays the cost, the Licid will no longer be an enchantment. This will result in the spell failing to resolve for having no legal targets.
2013-04-15 Paying the cost to end the effect is a special action and can’t be responded to.

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