Wormfang Turtle MTG Card


Wormfang Turtle - Judgment
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Nightmare Turtle Beast
Released2002-05-27
Set symbol
Set nameJudgment
Set codeJUD
Power 2
Toughness 4
Number60
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJohn Avon

Key Takeaways

  1. The Wormfang Turtle can reuse creatures’ enter-the-battlefield effects, enabling powerful in-game advantages and combos.
  2. Its flash ability allows strategic plays at instant speed, making it unpredictable and tactically valuable.
  3. While versatile, it demands card discards and a specific mana type, possibly limiting its deck compatibility.

Text of card

When Wormfang Turtle comes into play, remove a land you control from the game. When Wormfang Turtle leaves play, return the removed card to play under its owner's control.

Chainer's admirers keep his dreams alive.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Wormfang Turtle offers an intriguing way for blue decks to maintain card flow. Upon entering the battlefield, this creature lets you temporarily exile another one of your creatures only to have it return during your next end step. This can be particularly beneficial if the exiled creature has a powerful ‘enters the battlefield’ effect, allowing you to leverage it multiple times.

Resource Acceleration: While the Wormfang Turtle itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it can facilitate powerful combos by reusing your other creatures that may provide mana or other forms of acceleration. This rebuy effect harnesses the potential to turn the tide by giving you an additional use of your most impactful permanents.

Instant Speed: One of the most tactical features of Wormfang Turtle is that you can play it at instant speed due to flash. This allows for strategic plays during your opponent’s turn or at the end of their turn, to ensure you’re making the most out of your mana each round and keeping your opponents guessing.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The play mechanics of Wormfang Turtle necessitate discarding a card as part of the casting cost, which can be detrimental if you’re already at a card deficit or holding onto key components for your game strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Wormfang Turtle requires both blue and generic mana for casting, which can restrict its integration into multicolored decks that may not consistently have the right mana available when needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that is considerable for its body and effect, players might reflect on the opportunity cost of including Wormfang Turtle in their decks, especially when other lower-cost creatures can offer similar or greater value.


Reasons to Include Wormfang Turtle in Your Collection

Versatility: Wormfang Turtle offers a flexible role in blue-based decks. Its ability to return another creature to its owner’s hand can be tactically used to retrigger enter-the-battlefield effects or save a key creature from removal.

Combo Potential: This card works well in combinations, particularly in flicker or bounce decks. It allows for repeated usage of powerful ETB abilities, providing an engine for both utility and combo plays.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where tempo plays are crucial, Wormfang Turtle can disrupt opponent strategies while building your board presence. Its unique ability can be a game-changer, especially in environments that favor highly interactive gameplay.


How to Beat

Wormfang Turtle is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering with its quirky exile ability that can catch players off guard. The card’s strength lies in its ability to temporarily remove another creature from the game, offering a pseudo-protection or evasion tactic for MTG strategists. Despite its utility, overcoming this card’s challenge is a matter of clever play and timing.

To effectively counteract the Wormfang Turtle, consider using instant-speed removal when the Turtle’s ability goes on the stack. This way, you can eliminate the Turtle before its ability resolves, saving your creature from exile and leaving your opponent without their Turtle. Moreover, employing graveyard manipulation can render the temporary exile irrelevant, as you can retrieve your creature upon its return. Lastly, keep in mind that the Wormfang Turtle’s ability is mandatory, providing an opportunity to exploit it with cards that have enter-the-battlefield triggers for additional benefits when they return.

In summary, although Wormfang Turtle presents a peculiar challenge, there are multiple strategies in MTG that allow players to not only neutralize its effect but also to turn its ability to their advantage, showcasing the depth and flexibility of gameplay inherent to Magic: The Gathering.


Cards like Wormfang Turtle

Wormfang Turtle, a peculiar creature in the MTG universe, invites comparisons with cards like Phantom Warrior. Both share the elusive trait of being unblockable, allowing them to slip past enemy defenses with ease. Yet, the Wormfang Turtle comes with an additional cost – exiling one of your lands until the Turtle leaves the battlefield. This unique mechanic demands strategic play, as opposed to Phantom Warrior, which offers straightforward unblockability with no drawbacks.

Similarly, Slipstream Eel has a related ability that allows it to be unblockable as long as it attacks alone, highlighting the value of creatures that can consistently deal damage to the opponent. Unlike the Turtle, though, the Eel requires a hefty cycling cost to get it onto the battlefield. The Wormfang Turtle emerges as a more cost-effective option for players seeking to apply steady pressure on opponents.

Considering these characteristics, Wormfang Turtle holds its own niche within the realm of evasive creatures in MTG, balancing a powerful ability with a trade-off that requires judicious deck planning and timing to maximize its potential for success.

Phantom Warrior - MTG Card versions
Slipstream Eel - MTG Card versions
Phantom Warrior - Portal (POR)
Slipstream Eel - Onslaught (ONS)

Cards similar to Wormfang Turtle by color, type and mana cost

Wall of Water - MTG Card versions
Prodigal Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Apprentice Wizard - MTG Card versions
Homarid - MTG Card versions
Daring Apprentice - MTG Card versions
Time Elemental - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Shaman - MTG Card versions
Wind Drake - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions
Stronghold Biologist - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Wall - MTG Card versions
Wall of Air - MTG Card versions
Phantom Warrior - MTG Card versions
Wormfang Drake - MTG Card versions
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - MTG Card versions
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - MTG Card versions
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - MTG Card versions
Mistform Warchief - MTG Card versions
Horned Turtle - MTG Card versions
Wall of Water - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Prodigal Sorcerer - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Apprentice Wizard - The Dark (DRK)
Homarid - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Daring Apprentice - Mirage (MIR)
Time Elemental - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Rootwater Shaman - Tempest (TMP)
Wind Drake - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Volrath's Shapeshifter - Stronghold (STH)
Stronghold Biologist - Nemesis (NEM)
Quicksilver Wall - Prophecy (PCY)
Wall of Air - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Phantom Warrior - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)
Wormfang Drake - Judgment (JUD)
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - Commander Legends (CMR)
Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Mistform Warchief - Scourge (SCG)
Horned Turtle - Eighth Edition (8ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wormfang Turtle MTG card by a specific set like Judgment, 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 Wormfang Turtle and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wormfang Turtle has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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