Mammoth Umbra MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant,Totem armor

Key Takeaways

  1. Enhances a creature’s power and survivability significantly, making it a strong defensive and offensive tool.
  2. Specific mana requirements and high casting cost limit its versatility in multi-colored or fast-paced decks.
  3. Can be countered with targeted removal or global sweepers that bypass its protective Totem Armor capability.
Vigilance card art

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +3/+3 and has vigilance. Totem armor (If enchanted creature would be destroyed, instead remove all damage from it and destroy this Aura.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mammoth Umbra provides significant value by offering your creature both an enhanced defense and offensive capabilities. The card grants a durable form of advantage through its totem armor ability, effectively countering the first instance of destruction that would befall the enchanted creature.

Resource Acceleration: By enhancing your creature with Mammoth Umbra, you increase your board presence, often allowing your fortified creature to take down bigger threats or survive what would otherwise be lethal combat. This strengthens your resources, maintaining your board state and saving mana that might be spent on recasting creatures.

Instant Speed: While Mammoth Umbra itself is cast at sorcery speed, the protection it offers can be a game-changer. The totem armor ability can be a surprise element against opponents not expecting the resilience provided by the Umbra, allowing you to plan plays akin to instant-speed responses by strategically dictating combat scenarios to your advantage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mammoth Umbra requires you to have a creature to attach it to; otherwise, it will sit in your hand waiting for a target, effectively like a card you’ve discarded.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes both generic and white mana, Mammoth Umbra may not be the best fit for multicolored decks that aren’t focused on heavy white mana production.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With five mana to cast (three generic, two white), some players might find Mammoth Umbra’s cost steep compared to other auras that buff creatures for less, potentially delaying pivotal plays.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mammoth Umbra provides a significant power boost along with the crucial Totem armor ability, making it a multi-purpose tool in decks that aim to protect and enhance their creatures.

Combo Potential: Paired with creatures that have tap abilities or those that benefit from power increases, this aura can be the key to unlocking powerful synergies and overwhelming your opponents.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where removal spells are prevalent, Mammoth Umbra can safeguard your pivotal creatures, allowing them to survive and thrive where others might fall, keeping you one step ahead in the meta-game.


How to beat

Mammoth Umbra is a robust Aura that can turn any creature into a formidable force in Magic: The Gathering, thanks to the totem armor and +3/+3 boost it provides. While seemingly daunting, the key to dismantling Mammoth Umbra’s advantage is to target the mechanics that support it. To effectively remove the Aura without triggering its totem armor protection, consider a two-fold strategy: Firstly, use enchantment removal spells that can dispatch Mammoth Umbra directly, such as Disenchant or Naturalize. These are cost-effective ways to handle the Aura without touching the creature it’s attached to.

Beyond direct removal, controlling the battlefield with universal sweepers that ignore totem armor, like Wrath of God or Damnation, can bypass Mammoth Umbra’s protection by removing the creature it’s enchanting altogether. Handling the threat before it’s amplified by Mammoth Umbra is also crucial. This can be achieved through efficient creature removal spells or counterspells that prevent the Umbra from hitting the board in the first place. By strategically navigating around the totem armor and targeting the enchantment itself or the creature it’s bound to, players can claw back the advantage and maintain dominance on the battlefield.


BurnMana Recommendations

With Mammoth Umbra in your MTG arsenal, you boost your gameplay with a potent layer of defense and attack power. As we’ve discussed, this card swings the balance in your favor, yet it’s essential to bear in mind its best use scenarios and potential alternatives. Whether it’s leveraging its totem armor in a tightly knit deck or assessing its inclusion over other auras, Mammoth Umbra can shield your key creatures against top-tier removals. Elevate your deck-building strategy and navigate the meta more effectively with insights on Mammoth Umbra and similar cards. Ready to solidify your board presence and outmaneuver opponents? Dive deeper with us and refine your collection for that decisive edge in your matches.


Cards like Mammoth Umbra

Mammoth Umbra is an intriguing aura in the vast landscape of Magic: The Gathering, closely resembling other cards in its protective abilities. The card stands out with its Totem Armor mechanic, shielding creatures from what would usually be a devastating blow. Notably, it can be compared to Bear Umbra, which also offers the Totem Armor. However, Bear Umbra includes an additional advantage – untapping all lands whenever the enchanted creature attacks, which Mammoth Umbra lacks.

Another comparable aura is Spider Umbra, which ensures survivability with Totem Armor but also bestows reach, allowing creatures to block flying threats. Spider Umbra is less expensive in mana cost but doesn’t offer the significant power and toughness boost that Mammoth Umbra provides. Hyena Umbra, is a further option within this family of auras, offering the first strike ability and a lesser, yet affordable boost to a creature’s combat presence.

Evaluating these comparisons underlines Mammoth Umbra’s unique role in enhancing creature size dramatically, while giving it a safeguard against destruction. Even amid a suite of versatile auras, Mammoth Umbra secures its place as a solid choice for players seeking to fortify their creatures on the battlefield.

Bear Umbra - MTG Card versions
Spider Umbra - MTG Card versions
Hyena Umbra - MTG Card versions
Bear Umbra - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Spider Umbra - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Hyena Umbra - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mammoth Umbra MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi and Planechase 2012, 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 Mammoth Umbra and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mammoth Umbra Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2018-12-07. Illustrated by Howard Lyon.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-04-23Rise of the EldraziROE 372003normalblackHoward Lyon
22012-06-01Planechase 2012PC2 102003normalblackHoward Lyon
32016-11-25Planechase AnthologyPCA 102015normalblackHoward Lyon
42018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 242015normalblackHoward Lyon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mammoth Umbra has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2010-06-15 If a creature enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor would be destroyed by multiple state-based actions at the same time the totem armor’s effect will replace all of them and save the creature.
2010-06-15 If a permanent you control is enchanted with multiple Auras that have totem armor, and the enchanted permanent would be destroyed, one of those Auras is destroyed instead — but only one of them. You choose which one because you control the enchanted permanent.
2010-06-15 If a spell or ability (such as Planar Cleansing) would destroy both an Aura with totem armor and the permanent it’s enchanting at the same time, totem armor’s effect will save the enchanted permanent from being destroyed. Instead, the spell or ability will destroy the Aura in two different ways at the same time, but the result is the same as destroying it once.
2010-06-15 If a spell or ability says that it would “destroy” a permanent enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, that spell or ability causes the Aura to be destroyed instead. (This matters for cards such as Karmic Justice.) Totem armor doesn’t destroy the Aura; rather, it changes the effects of the spell or ability. On the other hand, if a spell or ability deals lethal damage to a creature enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, the game rules regarding lethal damage cause the Aura to be destroyed, not that spell or ability.
2010-06-15 Say you control a permanent enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, and the enchanted permanent has gained a regeneration shield. The next time it would be destroyed, you choose whether to apply the regeneration effect or the totem armor effect. The other effect is unused and remains, in case the permanent would be destroyed again.
2010-06-15 Totem armor’s effect is applied no matter why the enchanted permanent would be destroyed: because it’s been dealt lethal damage, or because it’s being affected by an effect that says to “destroy” it (such as Doom Blade). In either case, all damage is removed from the permanent and the Aura is destroyed instead.
2010-06-15 Totem armor’s effect is mandatory. If the enchanted permanent would be destroyed, you must remove all damage from it and destroy the Aura that has totem armor instead.
2010-06-15 Totem armor’s effect is not regeneration. Specifically, if totem armor’s effect is applied, the enchanted permanent does not become tapped and is not removed from combat as a result. Effects that say the enchanted permanent can’t be regenerated (as Vendetta does) won’t prevent totem armor’s effect from being applied.
2013-07-01 If a creature enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor has indestructible, lethal damage and effects that try to destroy it simply have no effect. Totem armor won’t do anything because it won’t have to.
2013-07-01 Say you control a permanent enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, and that Aura has gained a regeneration shield. The next time the enchanted permanent would be destroyed, the Aura would be destroyed instead — but it regenerates, so nothing is destroyed at all. Alternately, if that Aura somehow gains indestructible, the enchanted permanent is effectively indestructible as well.
2013-07-01 Totem armor has no effect if the enchanted permanent is put into a graveyard for any other reason, such as if it’s sacrificed, if it’s legendary and another legendary permanent with the same name is controlled by the same player, or if its toughness is 0 or less.

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