Towering-Wave Mystic MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Merfolk Wizard
Abilities Mill
Power 2
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers graveyard filling strategy, enhancing game options and providing card advantage through synergy.
  2. Can accelerate board state effects like delve, although requires a balanced hand to avoid disadvantages.
  3. The versatility of Towering-Wave Mystic supports various blue-centric deck strategies and meta relevance.

Text of card

Whenever Towering-Wave Mystic deals damage, target player puts that many cards from the top of their library into their graveyard.

Thassa's favor followed him to the Underworld. Even the waves of Nerono obeyed his will.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Towering-Wave Mystic offers a fresh tactic to fill your graveyard with potential options that can be accessed through various game mechanics, effectively increasing your resources beyond what’s available in hand.

Resource Acceleration: When synergized with cards that interact with the graveyard, the Mystic can accelerate your board state by enabling mechanics like delve or threshold, thus allowing quicker access to powerful spells or creatures.

Instant Speed: Its ability to transform discarded cards into an advantage can occur at instant speed, providing flexibility for strategic play and response to opponents’ actions without committing resources prematurely during your own turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Towering-Wave Mystic has the potential to be a useful card in certain MTG decks, it has a significant downside. The card mandates a discard, which can lead to a depleted hand. If you’re running low on cards, this requirement can be more of a liability than a strategic asset.

Specific Mana Cost: Another consideration is the specific mana cost attached to Towering-Wave Mystic. The card requires blue mana, making it a less versatile pick. It can’t just slot into any deck, particularly in formats that are heavy on multi-colored decks where mana flexibility is key.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Delving further into the mana aspect, the mana cost to power ratio of Towering-Wave Mystic is worth noting. With numerous other options available across the MTG card pool, players might find the mana investment for its effects on the higher side, given that other cards might provide more immediate or impactful benefits for the same or lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Towering-Wave Mystic offers flexibility across various blue-centric strategies, such as mill or draw-focused decks. Its ability to contribute to graveyard filling is an asset in enabling synergies that capitalize on that aspect of gameplay.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with cards that benefit from the number of cards in your opponents’ graveyards, or that grant benefits each time a card is drawn. Whether it’s fueling delve costs or powering up spells that count cards in the graveyard, Towering-Wave Mystic can be a key cog in complex combo machines.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where graveyard manipulation is prevalent or where slowing down aggressive decks is crucial, Towering-Wave Mystic can serve as a useful tool. It can disrupt opponent strategies while advancing your own game plan, making it a relevant choice for players looking to stay competitive.


How to beat

The Towering-Wave Mystic has carved a niche for itself in Magic: The Gathering as a creature card that thrives on milling strategies. When this Mystic deals damage, both the player and their opponent are compelled to mill cards, which can feed into the strategy of decks looking to exploit opponents’ graveyard content. But how do you stop this card from being the lynchpin in your opponent’s plans? Removal spells are an obvious choice. Efficient and timely removal like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can dispatch the Mystic before it begins to erode your library.

Graveyard hate cards are another effective method. With cards like Tormod’s Crypt or Leyline of the Void, you can preemptively shut down any advantage your opponent might gain from milling. Controlling the combat phase also works. Cards that can tap the Mystic or prevent it from attacking, such as Frost Lynx, ensure that it never gets the chance to trigger its milling ability. Additionally, utilizing high-toughness blockers will discourage attacks from the Mystic, helping to keep your library intact. Remember, disrupting your opponent’s game plan is key to victory when facing a card like Towering-Wave Mystic.


Cards like Towering-Wave Mystic

Towering-Wave Mystic presents an intriguing dynamic in the MTG gameplay, offering a blend of damage and card milling upon dealing combat damage. This card finds its parallels in creatures like Merfolk Secretkeeper. The Secretkeeper shares the milling capability, but it’s a little different as the bulk of its utility comes from the adventure spell rather than combat.

Comparatively, Drowner Initiate is another creature with a similar mill ability that triggers upon spell casting. While both Towering-Wave Mystic and Drowner Initiate revolve around the mill strategy, Towering-Wave Mystic requires combat interaction and scales with inflicted damage, offering potentially increased milling as damage escalates.

Moreover, Hedron Crab is a renowned card that mingles landfall with milling, allowing players to chunk cards from the opponent’s library with each land drop. Although Hedron Crab doesn’t partake directly in combat, its consistent milling mechanism can often outpace Towering-Wave Mystic’s combat-reliant approach. Each of these comparisons highlights distinguishable strategies, showcasing the diversification of mill cards within MTG, while affirming Towering-Wave Mystic’s unique role in bespoke deckbuilding scenarios.

Drowner Initiate - MTG Card versions
Hedron Crab - MTG Card versions
Drowner Initiate - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Hedron Crab - Zendikar (ZEN)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Towering-Wave Mystic MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death and Jumpstart, 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 Towering-Wave Mystic and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Towering-Wave Mystic Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-01-24 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by Jason Rainville.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 772015normalblackJason Rainville
22020-07-17JumpstartJMP 1862015normalblackJason Rainville

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Towering-Wave Mystic has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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