Riptide MTG Card


Riptide - The Dark
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Released1994-08-01
Set symbol
Set nameThe Dark
Set codeDRK
Number35
Frame1993
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byRandy Asplund-Faith

Key Takeaways

  1. Riptide provides card advantage and instant-speed flexibility, crucial for tactical superiority in games.
  2. While offering resource acceleration, it requires strict blue mana and can strain your hand with discard costs.
  3. Its versatility and combo potential make it a powerful asset, meriting a spot in blue-focused MTG strategies.

Text of card

All blue creatures become tapped.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Riptide card shines when it comes to gaining an upper hand in card economy. Its abilities can draw you into your deck, potentially giving you access to more options and answers to outplay your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: This card can significantly speed up your gameplay by providing additional resources. Whether it’s through creating token creatures or ramping up mana, it helps you get ahead of your opponents by allowing faster deployment of your threats and strategies.

Instant Speed: The utility of Riptide at instant speed cannot be overstated. This key feature permits a flexible response to an opponent’s actions, disrupts their strategies, and keeps them guessing, providing tactical advantages that could pivot the game in your favor at critical moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Riptide card asks you to pitch another card from your hand, which might pinch your play options, especially if your hand is running low.

Specific Mana Cost: This spell hinges on blue mana exclusively, potentially straining your deck if it’s starved for islands or is splashing blue among other colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Riptide demands a substantial mana investment relative to its benefits, and there might be other choices out there that maximize mana efficiency and impact the board state more substantially.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Riptide can adapt to various deck themes, serving as an excellent enabler in decks that capitalize on spell-slinging or wizard tribal synergies.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to untap all your wizards gives it enormous combo potential, potentially leading to unexpected win conditions with the right mix of wizard creatures and instant or sorcery spells.

Meta-Relevance: Given its utility in disrupting opponent’s tempo and bolstering your board state, Riptide remains a relevant inclusion in many formats where wizard-centric strategies are prevalent or on the rise.


How to beat

Riptide is a card that can pose quite the challenge to opponents in Magic: The Gathering due to its ability to potentially create an insurmountable board presence. Combatting this threat typically requires an understanding of its mechanics and a well-thought-out strategy. One effective approach is to utilize removal spells that can handle multiple creatures at once, like Wrath of God or Damnation, which clear the board regardless of the creatures’ size. Additionally, counter spells play a crucial role when facing cards such as Riptide. Countering the spell before it even hits the board, through spells like Counterspell or Mana Leak, can prevent its effects from causing any issues.

It’s also worth considering the inclusion of cards that can exile or return the Riptide to the player’s hand, bypassing its protective abilities. Cards like Path to Exile or Unsummon are excellent choices. Another angle is to target the player’s resources with land destruction or discard mechanisms, which can undermine their ability to cast Riptide in the first place. By disrupting the core strategies that Riptide relies on, players can tilt the scales in their favor and sustain their position in the game.


Cards like Riptide

Riptide is an intriguing entry in the realm of creature-based strategy cards in Magic: The Gathering. It invites comparisons to cards like Merfolk Looter, which similarly engages the draw and discard mechanic. Riptide, however, brings a unique twist to the table – it allows you to look at the top card of your library anytime you could cast an instant. Merfolk Looter lacks this continuous insight into upcoming plays and also doesn’t allow for potential instant-speed interactions that Riptide could enable.

Delving into the theme of information advantage, Augury Owl is another creature that peeks into the future by letting you scry upon entering the battlefield. While this offers a one-time substantial look at the top cards of your library, it doesn’t match Riptide’s ongoing and potentially unlimited use throughout the game. Additionally, we can examine Surrakar Spellblade, which offers a payoff of drawing cards after casting spells that target it. Although Surrakar Spellblade has the potential to draw multiple cards, it doesn’t offer the consistent setup potential that Riptide provides with its look-and-see ability.

Assessing the strengths and strategic possibilities, Riptide secures a firm position for itself among creature cards that manipulate the draw and plan elements, standing out with its passive yet ongoing deck awareness capabilities in Magic: The Gathering.

Merfolk Looter - MTG Card versions
Augury Owl - MTG Card versions
Surrakar Spellblade - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Looter - Exodus (EXO)
Augury Owl - Magic 2011 (M11)
Surrakar Spellblade - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Cards similar to Riptide by color, type and mana cost

Ancestral Recall - MTG Card versions
Jump - MTG Card versions
Sleight of Mind - MTG Card versions
Twiddle - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Siren's Call - MTG Card versions
Power Sink - MTG Card versions
Blue Elemental Blast - MTG Card versions
Spell Blast - MTG Card versions
Magical Hack - MTG Card versions
Winter's Chill - MTG Card versions
Mind Bend - MTG Card versions
Denied! - MTG Card versions
Hydroblast - MTG Card versions
Whispers of the Muse - MTG Card versions
Ertai's Trickery - MTG Card versions
Force Spike - MTG Card versions
Opt - MTG Card versions
Envelop - MTG Card versions
Brainstorm - MTG Card versions
Ancestral Recall - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Jump - Magic 2010 (M10)
Sleight of Mind - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Twiddle - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Unsummon - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Siren's Call - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Power Sink - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Blue Elemental Blast - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Spell Blast - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Magical Hack - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Winter's Chill - Ice Age (ICE)
Mind Bend - Tenth Edition (10E)
Denied! - Unglued (UGL)
Hydroblast - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Whispers of the Muse - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Ertai's Trickery - Planeshift (PLS)
Force Spike - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Opt - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Envelop - Judgment (JUD)
Brainstorm - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Riptide MTG card by a specific set like The Dark, 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 Riptide and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Riptide has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks