my least favorite hideaway creature. if your opponents library is below twenty, why are you going to want an 8/16 creature as you are probably milling with control support. Why shroud, and not some evasion?
Th3_Dark_On3
★☆☆☆☆ (1.1/5.0)(9 votes)
flavor text is retarded.
DarthExecutor
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(5 votes)
Why evasion for an obviously defensive creature? shroud works just fine if you want a nearly impenetrable mountain.
Arachibutyrophobia
★★☆☆☆ (2.1/5.0)(11 votes)
The same way that every red deck needs a Lightning Bolt, every blue deck needs an Isleback Spawn. Whether you're drawing cards, milling, or you just want to crush your opponents with krakens and leviathans, this card is great. The shroud is sometimes beneficial and sometimes annoying, but who doesn't love an 8/16?
The reason why mill decks need this is because all mill decks have the same weakspot - defense. You could pile up on Wall of Frosts and still get overrun. A pumped Isleback Spawn, however, will hold back almost any creature.
liir007
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(11 votes)
!!!
You will be dead before this card leaves your hand, every time, every game!
Dark_Raider
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(4 votes)
I just noticed something..... It's a shadowmoor'ed Cloudthresher! :O
A3Kitsune
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
While this guy is a massive finisher/defensive blocker for a mill deck, I wanna see him in a crazy-awesome deck which reduces its own library to under 20 cards, and then wins, because remaining cards are selected for the situation. Cascade, Pull from Eternity, and Feldon's Cane are all likely to end up in such a deck.
HairlessThoctar
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(5 votes)
What would be more practical would be if it could block a whole bunch of creatures.
EvilCleavage
★☆☆☆☆ (1.2/5.0)(2 votes)
The only way this card can be good is if it's used with a nemesis of reason, which is actually a really freaking awesome card. But I'd probably always just use the nemesis. Anyone agree?
Belz_
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
@liir007:
A good bounce deck can usually play whatever amount of mana they want.
Absolutely not! Lightning Bolt is good because it's cheap and efficient, and pretty much always useful. Isleback Spawn is... expensive. Really expensive. Saying that every blue deck should have one of these is silly- it's far too slow, and it doesn't even have any useful abilities. If you even get up to 7 mana (and in my experience, most games are done by then), you should put out something scarier than a shroudy blocker, something game ending. If you're milling your opponent, that would be something like Oona, Queen of the Fae .
Eved
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
Cool card.
Only thing stopping me from playing it is deathtouch.
I don't feel like first strike would have broken this.
With such a high toughness it would feel almost pointless giving it first strike.
But it would have survived deathtouchers then.
@Dark_Raider No. It's a Shadownoor'ed Shelldock Isle.
Blackworm_Bloodworm
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
The whole idea is to get it out with Shelldock Isle, and by that point it will already get its boost. In the mill deck this will probably be used in, it's better as a blocker since you'll most likely be much closer to decking them than killing them by damage. (Dedicated mill should not be doing life damage)
Dr.Pingas
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
A 4/8 with shroud for 7 is more than enough incentive for me to play this in , since the mana cost would be almost irrelivant. Use rites of flourishing/heartbeat of spring if it's that big a deal, and the best part is when you're opponent is pooping themselves because they think you're running mill.
@Dark raider, no its shelldock isle. This is what was under there.
@liir, in my games, people have hardcast Ulamog with no accel.
This thing could survive Emmy. Its amazeing!!!
OpenSeasonNoobs
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
A lot of people use him in mill, and I don't really see him doing that... You use him in a recursion deck, you mill yourself, grab Necrotic Ooze out of your graveyard with any of many graverobbers and leave the other activated ability creatures in there. If you get yourself below 20 cards with this guy in there, use you Dread Return to pop him out.
The issue with this is if you're milling opponents, it's better to play mill spells than to try to kill them with damage, because you're in the home stretch. So this is best against mill decks, except there are still much easier answers.
Szentekkel
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
nice with arc-slogger unless youre being milled
Templar314
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(11 votes)
The flavor text is pretty accurate. Case in point: "Once there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died. The end!"
Rikiaz
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Alt win condition for my Blue Black Mill Control. Works really well against people with decks that are hard to mill.
Drewsel
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
What's with the top comment currently rated? Some Mr.Sciccorslizard guy, who thinks Magic is all about one on one duels? Pfft, Magic's about having fun, and summoning giant damn creatures on turn 11 and sometimes 12.
Like all of the Hideaway creatures, dropping this thing from it's land is hilarious and satisfying. And as a creature itself, terrifying. Potentially an 8/16 with shroud. That's...difficult to kill. Makes me wanna make a Kraken deck. Moreso than any other Kraken.
WarioMan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Why couldn't Doran, the Siege Tower be blue? I know trees shouldn't be blue, but the ability SCREAMS using it with blue creatures. Between this, Kraken Hatchling, and especially Wall of Denial, Doran would have rocked HARD if treefolk were blue instead of black.
Aquillion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The problem with this card is that if you're playing a mill deck, you don't need a huge beatstick. Sure he can block, but so can Fog Bank.
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Anything that can get in a battle with Emrakul and live gets my respect.
The only problem is that he tends to be worse than most all of those creatures except specific cases (such as an opponent with tons of removal, consistent gravehate, etc..), but that's why running 2 of this guy in a deck would be powerful; It's a backup plan to a deck that's quite easy to hate on these days (due to all of the gravehate.)
I think a creature like this could really use a weird ability such as "Can always choose to block any creature (For example, this creature can block creatures that are unblockable, creatures with shadow, creatures with flying, etc..)"
Something like that would make this card nearly impossible to bypass on the D; given that it's the highest non-counter/buffed toughness in the game when activated (I think..)
Kryptnyt
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Wish it had reach to enhance its blocking potential. Plated Slagwurm is probably a better pick, but this card has its charm.
Three_Toe
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Phenax, God of Deception gives this guy a possible reason to make the cut in casual mill. Considering him for my Phenax EDH deck.
Continue
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Perhaps best when it's accidentally played on turn 2.
Comments (37)
The reason why mill decks need this is because all mill decks have the same weakspot - defense. You could pile up on Wall of Frosts and still get overrun. A pumped Isleback Spawn, however, will hold back almost any creature.
You will be dead before this card leaves your hand, every time, every game!
A good bounce deck can usually play whatever amount of mana they want.
Absolutely not! Lightning Bolt is good because it's cheap and efficient, and pretty much always useful. Isleback Spawn is... expensive. Really expensive. Saying that every blue deck should have one of these is silly- it's far too slow, and it doesn't even have any useful abilities. If you even get up to 7 mana (and in my experience, most games are done by then), you should put out something scarier than a shroudy blocker, something game ending. If you're milling your opponent, that would be something like Oona, Queen of the Fae .
Only thing stopping me from playing it is deathtouch.
I don't feel like first strike would have broken this.
With such a high toughness it would feel almost pointless giving it first strike.
But it would have survived deathtouchers then.
Stupid Vampire Nighthawk.
In the mill deck this will probably be used in, it's better as a blocker since you'll most likely be much closer to decking them than killing them by damage. (Dedicated mill should not be doing life damage)
hollowborn barghest for howltooth hollow.
isleback spawn for shelldock isle.
knollspine dragon for spinerock knoll.
mossbridge troll for mosswort bridge.
windbrisk raptor for windbrisk heights.
@liir, in my games, people have hardcast Ulamog with no accel.
This thing could survive Emmy. Its amazeing!!!
"Once there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died. The end!"
Hollowborn Barghest >> Howltooth Hollow
Mossbridge Troll >> Mosswort Bridge
Knollspine Dragon >> Spinerock Knoll
Windbrisk Raptor >> Windbrisk Heights
And as a creature itself, terrifying. Potentially an 8/16 with shroud. That's...difficult to kill.
Makes me wanna make a Kraken deck. Moreso than any other Kraken.
The only problem is that he tends to be worse than most all of those creatures except specific cases (such as an opponent with tons of removal, consistent gravehate, etc..), but that's why running 2 of this guy in a deck would be powerful; It's a backup plan to a deck that's quite easy to hate on these days (due to all of the gravehate.)
I think a creature like this could really use a weird ability such as "Can always choose to block any creature (For example, this creature can block creatures that are unblockable, creatures with shadow, creatures with flying, etc..)"
Something like that would make this card nearly impossible to bypass on the D; given that it's the highest non-counter/buffed toughness in the game when activated (I think..)
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/gpbru08/blog1#12
I guess Nemesis of Reason is the deadliest lake monster out there, then.