Wow, what a giant monster, and the coolest time shifted card in TS (Hi I'm a Timmy for this post). I mean, just look at him. He's HUGE, and that is almost enough to make me forget about his terrible, terrible draw-backs. But really, just destroy four of my own islands to attack? I've got nine of them out, and one swing should do really do it. One day, one day I'll get to hard-cast and untap a Leviathan to win a game...
stygimoloch
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(5 votes)
For me, sacrificing that many lands is just too much of a drawback. As you say he may end the game in one swing, but if he doesn't (which he often doesn't), you're in trouble and if he doesn't end it in two, you're basically dead.
Mikek
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(4 votes)
Haha. this card is pretty much usless. BUT it may be the coolest card ever printed and definatly the coolest ever timeshifted. I will honestly say that i have built a deck around this guy and...well... its actualy won a few times lol
macic666
★★★☆☆ (3.3/5.0)(3 votes)
"Haha. this card is pretty much usless. BUT it may be the coolest card ever printed and definatly the coolest ever timeshifted. I will honestly say that i have built a deck around this guy and...well... its actualy won a few times lol"
I completly agree with you, i gave a 3 besauce it is only useful for near-end game. And i have maany more creatures to finish...
DaaNz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.9/5.0)(6 votes)
looks like he would give good deep throat
PhantomdotEXE
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(7 votes)
It costs NINE. It's a 10/10 with trample that costs six lands.
But it is a leviathan- the ultimate Timmy card. I remember seeing this in my Beatdown box set, and thinking how amazingly cool it was. I've learned since then, but the sheer hilarity and hugeness has never left me.
Besides - the art looks cool.
drewcarey
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I have one of the from The Dark set and is one of the first cards I ever had. Considering how old the card is, it's a pretty nice design.
Joseph_Leito
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(3 votes)
Blue with trample kinda ruins the flavor for me.
EverLast04x
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(3 votes)
very cool artwork but thats about it
spoonish
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(3 votes)
i think the sacrificing lands can be offset by using crucible of worlds..
but this is a awesome creature..
RedHawk32
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(5 votes)
Won the game with this card once after I gave it Mountainwalk.
Silverware
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Its to bad its not a little cheaper to play or use..
Magasul
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I like the flavour that you have to sacrifice islands to make high tide for him to attack. Overall an easy target for any terminate or path to exile... Flavour: 5 Usability: 2
SwordSkill
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Only way to play this card in a deck is to know that your opponent hasn't any destroy/counter in his deck...
PS: Only in Side Board...
True_Smog
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(10 votes)
Leviathan is one of the most iconic creature in MTG, and he has one of the best art in history of MTG. Wohever, he is also one of the worst fatty in history of MTG.
Llandner
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
why does this card look so......special ed? -_-;;
thespectre
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
This card is what twiddle effects were meant for. a one mana twiddle means a leviathan untapped the turn he comes out and only two islands sacked to attack. Combine him with elvish piper in a blue green deck and you have a 5th turn leviathan.
JaxsonBateman
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
The problem with this guy is that he doesn't have any protection from removal. 9 mana to play him, effectively taking up a whole turn's worth of mana. 2 land sac to untap him. 2 more if you want to attack with him. At that point, the opponent can pay as little as one for something like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares to get rid of it (although you prob would hope for something less painful than Swords with a 10/10 ^^).
He could be a workable attacker if you're able to give him vig, or he'd make a somewhat decent defender (the only major benefit over a much cheaper wall being that he would kill a lot of attackers), but as a traditional attacker the drawbacks are just way too much.
Tommy9898
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(7 votes)
Just wait 'till I get my leviathan...
thelittleupsman
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
hey i just sacrificed 4 islands to untap then attack, TAKE 10 BABY, oh wait is that a terror?
TheSuperbloop
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(7 votes)
Not that useful, but I like how the art screams OM NOM NOM.
Turn 1 Play Forest, Play Birds of Paradise
Turn 2 Play Forest, Play Tinder Wall, Use Birds of Paradise to Play Orcish Lumberjack
Turn 3 Play Forest, Use 2 Forests plus Tinderwall to Play Call of the wild.
Turn 4 During your Upkeep play Worldly Tutor to put Leviathan on top of your Library, use the Orcish Lumberjack to sacrifice the tapped forest for 3 Green and tap one more forest to activate Call of the wild and put the Leviathan in to play
Draw, Play Forest, cast Berserk then use the Birds plus the last forest to play fling.
RealTurn One Stop daydreaming about a fantastic 8 Card four turn combo, draw your card and play already
Omenchild
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Just use Arena guys. Plus its not that hard to untap him, theres literally like a hundred blue untap cards, going all the way back to Twiddle. Attacking can be a pain, but which blue deck needs 9 Islands anyways.
SleetFox
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
God this card is awful. It costs nine mana to get out and burns lands that you could be using to protect it. No one should be this desperate for a finisher.
Aun
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
Should get reprinted as a 20/20
Saxophonist
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(4 votes)
It's firin' its lazar! BLAAAAAAGH!!!!
BlackAlbino
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
How about... Artisan of Kozilek, nah thats too much mana.
WhiteyMcFly
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The reason it has this outrageous land cost is that
a. you can untap him via other means
b. by the time you get him out and start wrecking face, you wont NEED lands
InternetNinjacy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Stormtide Leviathan - less crappy, a little less Timmy, but not much. Actually worth playing.
Zulp
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I never really got how it seems to be flying. That's some kind of building with lights on right there, right? ... Underwater?
dragonking987
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
ha ha ha fail...
dberry02
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You see, MY pet fish drinks oceans.
Laguz
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Instill Energy gets rid of most of the problem for a measly one mana. Sure, you'll easily get two-for-oned, but if you're playing a game with this card in your deck you're probably not taking things too seriously. Instill Energy doesn't remove the penalty for attacking though.
Since my current leviathan deck already runs Instill Energies, I might throw this dude in for shats and gaggles. Actually, no I won't. This guy sucks. My current lineup of Inkwell Leviathan, Stormtide Leviathan and Simic Sky Swallower would take it as a sign of disrespect if I brought the Old Blue Turd in.
The card that got me into blue in the first place. Bribery and Treachery kept me there back in the day. Now I can't bring myself to play blue despite my roots.
This isn't wotc being unfair, its them being totally fair. "Blue, you got every single colored power nine card. Enjoy your leviathan."
Radagast
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
As poor as this card is, nobody can deny that its sheer size was incredible back in the day. Oh, sure, this poor monster is basically unplayable and its drawbacks sadly make it nearly useless even in reanimation decks (unlike Polar Kraken), but the old-school "wow, that's HUGE!" feeling will stay with us. After all, this fella did inspire later, useful Leviathans, such as its Inkwell and Stormtide cousins. So, the legacy lives on, even though nobody can really use a Leviathan.
thewalkingdead
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
man what a loser
Shadoflaam
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Just a running mouth, Poison words you throw about! Drag you to your end, The number six! LEVIATHAN!
kiseki
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I was destroyed by this the other day. My friend has a deck that accelerates into expensive bad creatures and then uses Homarid Spawning Bed to turn them in to lots of 1/1s. I was assuming he would be sacrificing it on his next turn, and the turn after that I would have to deal with an army. I forgot that he could also sac four islands to attack immediately, and I died a horrible death.
midnightvenom
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
WotC is so unfair. Blue is always getting the short of the stick.
Edit: Really? People thought I was serious? The fact that Force of Will exists single-handily proves that is pretty much the supreme color.
Yeah, he's a classic big creature, but God DAMN is that a huge drawback.
blazestudios23
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I find it funny how people are comparing him to modern creatures. When he came out he was the most powerful creature, and unless someone had a way to kill it, they where dead. This is from an era of Magic where creatures where very weak while spells where very powerful. WOTC has reversed this for modern cards. So before you critcize this card realize that, Shivan Dragon and Serra Angels where cansidered very powerful and highly sought after when this guy came out.
Aquillion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@blazestudios23:
No, even when he came out he was overcosted and useless. His biggest disadvantage isn't the land sacrifice, it's the high mana cost, which makes him worthless for playing from your hand; the land sacrifices just make him useless for reanimation decks or other decks that cheat him into play, too (since usually those decks revolve around getting a fatty out quickly, before they have the eight or, at a bare minimum, four islands they'd need to attack with him twice.)
In fact, it's a myth that early sets were underpowered. They had weaker creatures, yes, but that just meant that the vast majority of all creatures never saw use outside of casual play -- people still used Hypnotic Specters and Royal Assassins and Will-O-the-Wisps. More to the point, in the really early days, competitive Magic was often a much much much faster game -- you'd see games end by the fourth turn, if not before, due to things like Channel, Fastbond, Dark Ritual, etc. This card was actually even worse back in that environment.
Even in casual play this card is terrible, and was terrible all the way back when he was first printed.
RAT666
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Either way like "island fish jasconius" the artwork is cool!!
I actually don't mind this card myself. It can't really be reanimated, but if it sticks on the board you're not going to be needing your Islands anyway.
3/5
EGarrett01
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love the artwork, but the flavor drives me nuts. If it's flying above water, then it should have flying or at least not have islandhome. If it's eating a house that's underwater, why is the house lit up?
O0oze
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
you know what does "leviathan" mean in hebrew?
whale. just a whale.
it's not that i have something against whales, really...
they are beautiful and magnificent animals.
i just don't think they are supposed to be presented as sea monsters.
thats all.
SirLibraryEater
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ah, Leviathan and Doubling Season. Because Timmies can play blue and Johnnies can play green.
Comments (57)
I completly agree with you, i gave a 3 besauce it is only useful for near-end game. And i have maany more creatures to finish...
But it is a leviathan- the ultimate Timmy card. I remember seeing this in my Beatdown box set, and thinking how amazingly cool it was. I've learned since then, but the sheer hilarity and hugeness has never left me.
Besides - the art looks cool.
but this is a awesome creature..
Flavour: 5
Usability: 2
PS: Only in Side Board...
He could be a workable attacker if you're able to give him vig, or he'd make a somewhat decent defender (the only major benefit over a much cheaper wall being that he would kill a lot of attackers), but as a traditional attacker the drawbacks are just way too much.
First build a Red- Green deck that also includes:
Berserk
Worldly Tutor
Call of the Wild
Tinder Wall
Fling
Birds of Paradise
Orcish Lumberjack
Turn 1 Play Forest, Play Birds of Paradise
Turn 2 Play Forest, Play Tinder Wall, Use Birds of Paradise to Play Orcish Lumberjack
Turn 3 Play Forest, Use 2 Forests plus Tinderwall to Play Call of the wild.
Turn 4 During your Upkeep play Worldly Tutor to put Leviathan on top of your Library, use the Orcish Lumberjack to sacrifice the tapped forest for 3 Green and tap one more forest to activate Call of the wild and put the Leviathan in to play
Draw, Play Forest, cast Berserk then use the Birds plus the last forest to play fling.
RealTurn One Stop daydreaming about a fantastic 8 Card four turn combo, draw your card and play already
a. you can untap him via other means
b. by the time you get him out and start wrecking face, you wont NEED lands
Since my current leviathan deck already runs Instill Energies, I might throw this dude in for shats and gaggles. Actually, no I won't. This guy sucks. My current lineup of Inkwell Leviathan, Stormtide Leviathan and Simic Sky Swallower would take it as a sign of disrespect if I brought the Old Blue Turd in.
Tidewater Minion
Corrupted Conscience
Surestrike Trident
Poison words you throw about!
Drag you to your end,
The number six!
LEVIATHAN!
My friend has a deck that accelerates into expensive bad creatures and then uses Homarid Spawning Bed to turn them in to lots of 1/1s.
I was assuming he would be sacrificing it on his next turn, and the turn after that I would have to deal with an army. I forgot that he could also sac four islands to attack immediately, and I died a horrible death.
Edit: Really? People thought I was serious? The fact that Force of Will exists single-handily proves that
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEACb5_qinA
No, even when he came out he was overcosted and useless. His biggest disadvantage isn't the land sacrifice, it's the high mana cost, which makes him worthless for playing from your hand; the land sacrifices just make him useless for reanimation decks or other decks that cheat him into play, too (since usually those decks revolve around getting a fatty out quickly, before they have the eight or, at a bare minimum, four islands they'd need to attack with him twice.)
In fact, it's a myth that early sets were underpowered. They had weaker creatures, yes, but that just meant that the vast majority of all creatures never saw use outside of casual play -- people still used Hypnotic Specters and Royal Assassins and Will-O-the-Wisps. More to the point, in the really early days, competitive Magic was often a much much much faster game -- you'd see games end by the fourth turn, if not before, due to things like Channel, Fastbond, Dark Ritual, etc. This card was actually even worse back in that environment.
Even in casual play this card is terrible, and was terrible all the way back when he was first printed.
If you're lookin' at old school biggies, Polar Kraken, Thing From The Deep and Lord of Tresserhorn outshine it mightily (Lord of Tresserhorn being even more horrifying before the Regeneration nerf.)
3/5
whale. just a whale.
it's not that i have something against whales, really...
they are beautiful and magnificent animals.
i just don't think they are supposed to be presented as sea monsters.
thats all.
Because Timmies can play blue and Johnnies can play green.