Tangle Kelp MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	1994-08-01
Set symbol
Set name	The Dark
Set code	DRK
Number	37
Frame	1993
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	Rob Alexander

Key Takeaways

Tangle Kelp is a dynamic card for controlling the battlefield and tipping games to your favor.
Instant speed and versatility make it a multifaceted tool in control and combo decks.
Despite its limitations, it finds its niche within blue control strategies in MTG.

Text of card

Target creature does not untap during its controller's untap phase if it attacked during its controller's last turn. Target creature becomes tapped when Tangle Kelp is cast.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tangle Kelp excels at providing players with an edge by manipulating the battlefield landscape. When you deploy Tangle Kelp, you’re setting the stage for future plays that can swing the tide in your favor. Effective board control often translates into card advantage as your opponent exhausts resources to deal with the threats you’ve laid out.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly a source of mana, Tangle Kelp can function indirectly as a resource accelerator. By stalling opposing threats, this card buys you time. Time, in many MTG strategies, is a resource as valuable as mana. With the space Tangle Kelp provides, you can develop your mana base and strategize without pressure, ideally accelerating your resources effectively in the long game.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Tangle Kelp at instant speed is a significant boon. It means you have the flexibility to respond at the most opportune moment, potentially disrupting your opponent’s strategy during their turn. Timing is everything, and instant speed spells like Tangle Kelp can provide opportunities to outmaneuver your opponents by making crucial plays outside the standard flow of your own turns.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Tangle Kelp necessitates discarding another card to utilize its effect, which can set you back if your hand is already depleted.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Tangle Kelp includes blue mana, potentially restricting its inclusion to decks aligned with blue’s strategies or mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Tangle Kelp has a higher mana cost for its utility compared to other options in the game, making it a less favorable choice when mana efficiency is crucial.

Reasons to Include Tangle Kelp in Your Collection

Versatility: Tangle Kelp shines in its ability to be a flexible control tool. It fits well into blue-based decks that look to manipulate the battlefield and tempo of the game. Its use is not strictly limited to one archetype, allowing for broad application across different strategies.

Combo Potential: This card has the innate ability to synergize with strategies emphasizing tapped creatures or benefiting from them staying that way. It can work in concert with effects that punish or capitalize on creatures not untapping during their controllers’ untap steps.

Meta-Relevance: Given its utility in slowing down aggressive opponents, Tangle Kelp is particularly relevant in metas where creature-based combat is prevalent. In such environments, it serves as an efficient method to stall the game, providing an edge to control and combo decks that require time to establish their game-winning conditions.

How to beat

Tangle Kelp enters the battlefield of Magic: The Gathering as a subtle yet potent enabler for blue-based control strategies. Efficient at locking down opponent’s threats, this card can easily become a nuisance if not dealt with promptly. Unlike other lockdown cards that might affect multiple targets, Tangle Kelp specializes in neutralizing a single troublesome creature.

To effectively navigate the quagmire that Tangle Kelp can create, players should look towards removal spells that can dispatch the enchanted creature, thus rendering the enchantment useless. Bounce spells that return permanents to their owner’s hand can also disrupt the Kelp’s grip without expending a removal spell on your own creature. Alternatively, one might consider employing counterspells to prevent the Kelp from ever taking root on the battlefield in the first place.

Employing card advantage also aids in mitigating the tempo loss Tangle Kelp aims to impose. Keeping a healthy hand size ensures that you have more options and resources to react and recover from the tempo swing. Ultimately, while Tangle Kelp presents a strategic hurdle, understanding its mechanics and preparing countermeasures in your deck can lead to a seamless play around its potentially game-swerving effect.

Cards like Tangle Kelp

In the depths of Magic: The Gathering’s vast sea of cards, Tangle Kelp emerges as an interesting tool for those who navigate the blue control archetype. It can be likened to other blue cards that tap and incapacitate creatures, such as Frost Breath, which can tap down two creatures and keep them from untapping during their controller’s next untap step. Tangle Kelp, with its ongoing effect, continuously restrains a single creature, a distinction that can be crucial in prolonged standoffs.

Ice Cage from the M12 set also shares similarities; it’s another enchantment that pins down creatures, nullifying their abilities until the enchanted creature becomes the target of a spell or ability. However, Tangle Kelp does not share this vulnerability. On the other hand, when comparing it to Claustrophobia, which not only taps a creature but also keeps it locked down indefinitely, Tangle Kelp’s utility seems more nuanced, offering repeat taps across multiple turns rather than a permanent solution.

Overall, while Tangle Kelp might not be as straightforward or powerful as some alternatives, its unique trait of periodic control carves out a specific role for it in the MTG card ecosystem, particularly in control strategies that favor subtlety over blunt force.

Cards similar to Tangle Kelp by color, type and mana cost

Cloak of Invisibility - MTG Card versions

Unstable Mutation - Ultimate Masters (UMA)

Mystic Remora - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)

Essence Flare - Masters Edition II (ME2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tangle Kelp 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 Tangle Kelp and other MTG cards: