Boilis not a bad card to combo with if you are sure you have board advantage.
DonRoyale
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(4 votes)
Blazing Archon in blue that kills them one turn earlier. Nice in Reanimator decks...
Belz_
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
If only it weren't so expensive...
mindguru
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(3 votes)
Considering you won't be playing this until late game anyway, this ability seems to lock down the board pretty well. Makes me wonder about the possibilities of an Islandwalk deck with Spreading Seas for early game and this for late game. Hard to get 5UUU, but that is not so different from other Leviathans. I can see this getting far more play than Kederekt Leviathan ever did.
Eved
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(4 votes)
He begs to have a deck built around him. An 8/8 Unblackable that locks down 70% of creatures for 8CMC seems nice to me. And eight lands isn't hard to get out in blue control, for me anyway. Casual of course.
Revelation666
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(4 votes)
Sure he's expensive but if you can get him out, he's amazing. Strictly better than Tidal Kraken haha.
Mark0z4
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
ula's temple can help put this in play
jumpenrun
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(6 votes)
Holy crap...A giant catfish.
MissingParts1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
With green mana makeing spells and creatures and drazzies spans with mass ploymorth WOW . of coarse blue has no why set cards up the way you want though Yea right . wheres the problem.
BantCaptain
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Wow, essentially an 8/8 unblockable, and it seriously limits opponent's attackers. And it makes all your other serpents unblockable to. I sense sea monster decks on the rise, especially with Ula's temple.
I was planning on making a big sea monster deck and then this came out, it's a sign! =D
Time to get 3 more Quests for Ula's Temple :P
A massive fire magnet, but beautiful when you have a couple of negates handy to keep it alive, not to mention the new Redirect.
Oh yeah, and when combined with Air Servant, you can create almost complete lockdown.
izzet_guild_mage
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(5 votes)
The flavor here is just awesome. He floods everything and swims around. He's very strong, and if you can't deal with it, that might be game, but, being a creature with no protective abilities, that's by no means impossible. All said, this is exactly what an 8 mana card should be doing: winning the game single-handedly if left unanswered.
UltimaCenturion
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(6 votes)
Synergizes with stormcrow! I wants one. (Not the stormcrow. This.)
EDIT: Yes, this card is fair. There are plenty of ways to sneak it out and hello people ITS A LEVIATHIN THAT IS ACTUALLY FAIR COSTED so stop whining about its cost. Wizards isn't here to print low cost cards so that games go so fast in standard that you spend more time shuffling between games then playing. AND YOU HAVE ULA'S TEMPLE. WHO CARES ABOUT THE MANA COST. And yes, this actually wants to cost 9.
sarroth
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(10 votes)
I agree with UltimaCenturion: Leviathans are supposed to cost a lot. Finally we have one that makes me want to actually play it. I love the flavor, love the art. The Timmy in me so wants this card, the Johnny in me wants to build a deck around it to make it work; it's a sweet addition to Magic.
WaffleCop
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Saves you from ground attacks, not so much from air attacks. At first I thought his second ability made all lands islands only, so when I read it more closely I was like :( Still a good card 4/5
Donovan_Fabian
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
I played with this creature this last weekend and I thought it was actually really good especially against green, however, some games it just never came out because of that mana cost. It might be better in blue and green, or some other color that can grab lands. Even in blue if you used armillary sphere, dreamstone hedron, overflowing chalice, or expedition maps, or sanctum plowbeast.
persecutor
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(4 votes)
Jeez, this kills people fast, I got eaten by one of these at the prerelease. Great Polymorph or Reanimate target.
4/5
spectermonger
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I just want to use him with Jhoira of the Ghitu so that I can say: a Storm is Coming.
nibelheim_valesti
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
That tower just never gets a break, does it? (Pretty sure it's the same one seen on Leviathan.)
vardaris
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(10 votes)
Hello stormtide leviathan! Let me introduce you to inkwell leviathan, your team mate. You will both live in Ula's Temple and together you are going to kick some serious a@@
This card is awesome. I'm tempted to make a "Horrors of the Deep" kind of deck with this and all kinds of Sea Serpents. And Quest for Ula's Temple, obviously.
n00bmag1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Awesome. A not just decent, but pretty badass sea-monster.
I only have 1 copy, but it and Quest for Ula's Temple are in my Merfolk deck.
Sironos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Cannot help but think that this is some kind of disguised global warming thing, the whole flooding the world flavour. 8 mana is a lot in blue, get Ula if you want to use this. Still, an effectively unblockable 8/8 couldn't cost less than 8CMC or it would be broken.
RoboRick
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have just started using Stormtide Leviathan in my U/W control and he has been more of a force than I thought he would have. Play Him then hit him with Rite of Replication the next turn... the poop hits the fan.
Diachronos
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
It's an 8/8 that Islandwalks, makes all lands on the field count as Islands and their original type, and stops anything that can't fly or Islandwalk from attacking. For 5UUU.
8/8 is extremely powerful for a creature, especially a blue creature. There are creatures that have both a higher CMC and lower P/T.
Islandwalking is kinda "meh" normally, but when Stormtide makes every Land on the field into an Island, it's another way of saying "Nobody can block my s#it."
Making it so only Islandwalkers and Flyers can attack? Doesn't that mean that you've effectively shut down any deck that relies on attacking with creatures that don't have either of those abilities?
In the begining there was Leviathan , then wotc reliesed instead of giving fatties drawbacks you give them advantages then they actualy get played.
stormtide if i was a big leviathan i would want your babies ......
psyklone
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Direct quote from the rules on this card "Islandwalk cares".
This card is better than most politicians.
Fumi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
CMC of 8 for an 8/8 unblockable that prevents your opponents from attacking? It would be pretty good as a mono-blue control finisher, but I prefer Guile for that.
Would also be good in an Ula's Temple deck methinks. I'd rather it had a CMC of 9 and shroud though ;)
OpeeFomenom
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's a card that comes with its own ocean! That's awesome in itself.
This works great with my stormcrow deck. No other creatures can attack but him and stormcrow... you best believe that I'm only going to attack with stormcrow until you die.
esc97
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this card is grate becouse ilandwalk works on all colores with this card is on the battlefield
Dilbot
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Does anyone find it annoying that you can't attack creature with this card? Other than that it absolutely pwns :D
Tiggurix
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Complete global lockdown with Mystic Decree in play. Could be fun in multiplayer.
nic56
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Turn 4: Drop a High Tide, play down Great Whale (2 mana from each of the 3 islands, plus 1 leftover from the land used for High Tide). Islands untap, then you have 8 to play this guy!
IshubarashI
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
"If Stormtide Leviathan loses its abilities, all lands on the battlefield (including those that enter the battlefield later on) will still be Islands in addition to their other types and will still be able to tap to produce {U}. The way continuous effects work, Stormtide Leviathan's type-changing ability is applied before the effect that removes that ability is applied."
Don't really know if I agree with that ruling, I mean as far as his ability's effect on the game, what's the difference between doom blading it and lignifying it? It seems pretty dumb to me.
On to the card, I hate it. My friend has 3 of them, and they're always a bane to me. They demand an answer and don't care if you don't have one at the moment, they'll swim all over your life total and wont think twice. And none of my green decks have any kind of answer, the only thing I can do against them is put it some street savvy in before game 2. I'm sure this thing has caused countless groans in play groups from all around.
On another note, the leviathan itself looks like a big catfish.
rinoh20
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
blue players finally get to scream rawr as they crush thier opponent beneath thier heel.
okfs87_7
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Say hello to Storm Crow Leviathan
Nighthawk42
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The living Moat greatly slows down most weenie attacks and shuts down big stompy ground creatures. Against mono-green it is nearly a single-card "game over" condition (River Boa can still attack).
There is enough green locally that alone would be enoug to earn it a space in my U/R sideboard. While it costs 8 to cast, U/R control can hold off the opponent for a while and plays a land nearly every turn. Once in play, it only takes 3 attacks to do 24 damage to your opponent, while preventing many counterattacks and avoiding nearly all blockers.
Black and white have plenty of removal options, but it's large enough that except for X spells, red needs to hit it at least twice to take it out (9 mana with a X spell. Basilisk Collar plus Cunning Sparkmage will do it easily though).
Because it shuts down so much of an opponent's deck, it leaves counters available to protect it.
RyanACE
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(2 votes)
A friend of mine has this card and he's almost impossible to beat... I wouldn't care so much If it's power was closer to say 3 or 4 but 8 is way to over powered...
I think it's really cool how most leviathans have a lighthouse in the art to pay homage to the original leviathan. Even simic sky swallower has a lighthouse-shaped building in it.
divine_exodus
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(4 votes)
8 for an 8/8 islandwalk lock-down leviathan.
It just doesn't get much better.
made4ipod
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
May I say that this is one of the most powerful blue cards ever made and the most powerful blue cards in Magic 2011 next to Frost Titan?
Zulp
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
It's a seabeast so big that it floods the entire world. A nigh-unblockable 8/8 that brings the beats and washes out the opponent at the same time? Too irresistible for me not to run it. Welcome to my control deck, Mr. Stormtide, you will make friends here.
ROBRAM89
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(19 votes)
The proper procedure for casting this involves shouting "BEHOLD!" and quoting passages from Job every time it attacks.
Condor_96
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Oh God, this card is so amazing.
8/8 unblockable lockdown for 8 mana? This is especially overpowered in a mono-blue deck. The only card I have I like more than this is my Eldrazi Con***ion
szakipus
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
i am really surprised that this card works in my u/b control deck. I have 26 lands so if i have it in hand i usually have Stormtide Leviathan on board. if so - i win. :)
Superllama12
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Unblockable blue 8/8 for 8 cmc that acts as a mana fixer in multicolored decks, that also functions as a moat...but it dies to Doom Blade, so .5/5
LOL JK 903493892OU46589329467/5
This would go great in my blue/black control with a win condition of that creature that can give everyone flying for 8 until end of turn, then Gravity Shift
One of my sole reasons for ever even thinking about buying M11, I hope he comes back in 2012, cuz I hate M11
DacenOctavio
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
Stop being cooler than mythic rare Hellkite Overlord. Stop it. Grrrr.
land_comment
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(5 votes)
An 8/8 catfish?
GTGMaximo
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
This card may not come into play often, but when it does, it cleans house. The fact that all lands are Islands and it stops anything but Flying and Islandwalk based creatures from attacking is pretty amazing.
ICEFANG13
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I'm not going to jump into oncoming traffic here, but I gotta say:
"lock down card"? I may be missing something but the fact it says "Each land is an island, in addition to its other types" doesn't scream lock to me.
However, if you mean "creatures without islandwalk/flying yadda yadda" and it creates a moat effects, a mini lock, I guess I get that.
Heck, this card is boss. I rate it a five, its a good card for any heavy blue deck. If you have heavy blue, you should really consider running this fella.
Just saying, I don't see "Lock Down" here
bassok
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
this is perhaps the most underratted card in the whole game...i run a prismatic deck and with the green accelerating my mana production(plus a few gilded lotus) i can get him out relitivly easily(i know that may not be the case with others) and he elicits multiple groans and curses (plus a threat to eat the card...?) when i play him and he basically stops MOST green creatures in the game...so yes i love this card
LEW21
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(5 votes)
- I attack with my army of soldiers, you die. - Read the Stormtide's text.
- You can't tap that Mountain for U. - Read the Stormtide's text.
Both in a single game :>
Kaizeischi
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
I liked this card until I realized that thing on the cliff wasn't a person, it was a LIGHTHOUSE.
Now I love it.
WotC_ErikL
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(14 votes)
Erik's Random card 7/2/2011
Magic 2011 design handed over a cool Leviathan, but it wasn't this one. Theirs was:
Whelmwater Leviathan 5UUU Trample Whenever Whelmwater Leviathan attacks, up to three target permanents become Island lands. 9/9
But we were doing a hole submission, and I heard that someone had a better Leviathan so I asked for hole submissions.
Ryan Dhuse submitted the Leviathan So Big (it raised the sea level); we voted and, after tweaking the numbers, put it in the file. I sent Ryan a note congratulating him on the awesome design.
We played with it. I thought it was pretty awesome. We debated raising it to 9 mana, but in the end left it at 8.
On top of everything else he does, Tom LaPille writes the development column every week. That is really tough. People can be critical in the forums, and people can be critical at work. He takes care to present the accurate facts, but occasionally a mistake slips through. Tom was on both the design and development teams for Magic 2011 (Tom is also on a lot of teams!); in fact he was the only person to be on both of those teams. When Tom wrote about the design of this card, he may have conflated his experience with the design Leviathan (presumably designed by Greg Marques, who was on that design team), with the development Leviathan (designed by Ryan Dhuse).
Soulbearer
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(3 votes)
i got this card with my toolkit deck box. simply amazing. wins games
Dr.Pingas
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
I wish it also let creatures with islandhome/pseudoislandhome attack. It's rather annoying to not be able to swing with obvious sea-creatures just because they can't "walk" the islands. Even a clause like "Serpents you control gain islandwalk" would be cool. Otherwise, beautiful card
Arachibutyrophobia
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(4 votes)
ula's temple deck ftw
dingophone
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I miss this big guy :(
Shadoflaam
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(3 votes)
We're gonna need a bigger boat...
DytjeSaurr
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Has won me many, many games. He's also a prime Reanimate target.
This is one great Bigger Fish. 8/8 unblockable, holy clap!!
umumwhatshisname
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
strickly better than tidal krakken. 8/8 unblockable plus moat
KokoshoForPresident
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I've always wanted to play something like boil or boiling seas or tsunami just for the heck of it when this comes out. It could be very nice as well with carpet of flowers.
The-Earth-Dragon
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's cards like this that get me wandering what people want for 8 mana? What would the people rating it less then a 5 want added to make it a 5? This card replaced a myriad of older blue mammoths, but to some apparently still needs more.
Trygon_Predator
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Probably the best Leviathan yet. An islandwalker that makes its own islands and acts as a moat? Insane. And it costs 8 for 8!
Lash_of_Dragonbreath
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's a continent-gorging mythological creature. It's an unblockable 8/8. It's a Moat. It's a goddamn mana fixer! If I'm ever asked how "perfect design" is spelled, I'll answer Stormtide Leviathan.
BongRipper420
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"The water ain't safe The lands made of water" - Aesop Rock
Happyface1515
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This big bad boy is getting reprinted in m13.
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I recently had a game with my Flailing Comet Urzatron deck. Our third player was killed by my other opponent helping me with the mana to finish him off, me being left with very little health and my opponent confident with his hand; which apparently had two Stormtides in it.
He played the first, and my mere 12 or so mana could only do 9 to Stormtide and 9 to him; then of course I attacked for a big 2 or so damage :D. He laid down a second Leviathan; after all He had used up my comet storm. There was no way I had two (just as I had figured about his Stormtide!)
Comments (77)
Ponder/brainstorm/etc
Grozoth!!!
-then-
Inkwell Leviathans
This wants to cost 9!
Time to get 3 more Quests for Ula's Temple :P
A massive fire magnet, but beautiful when you have a couple of negates handy to keep it alive, not to mention the new Redirect.
Oh yeah, and when combined with Air Servant, you can create almost complete lockdown.
I wants one. (Not the stormcrow. This.)
EDIT: Yes, this card is fair. There are plenty of ways to sneak it out and hello people ITS A LEVIATHIN THAT IS ACTUALLY FAIR COSTED so stop whining about its cost. Wizards isn't here to print low cost cards so that games go so fast in standard that you spend more time shuffling between games then playing.
AND YOU HAVE ULA'S TEMPLE. WHO CARES ABOUT THE MANA COST. And yes, this actually wants to cost 9.
Still a good card 4/5
4/5
Carpet of Flowers for mana, Choke for lockdown, Typhoon for massive damage, and Hurricane to get rid of flyers (and for damage).
And Halimar Wavewatch.
I only have 1 copy, but it and Quest for Ula's Temple are in my Merfolk deck.
8/8 is extremely powerful for a creature, especially a blue creature. There are creatures that have both a higher CMC and lower P/T.
Islandwalking is kinda "meh" normally, but when Stormtide makes every Land on the field into an Island, it's another way of saying "Nobody can block my s#it."
Making it so only Islandwalkers and Flyers can attack? Doesn't that mean that you've effectively shut down any deck that relies on attacking with creatures that don't have either of those abilities?
And people think he's "too expensive" at 8CMC?
stormtide if i was a big leviathan i would want your babies ......
This card is better than most politicians.
Would also be good in an Ula's Temple deck methinks. I'd rather it had a CMC of 9 and shroud though ;)
This works great with my stormcrow deck. No other creatures can attack but him and stormcrow... you best believe that I'm only going to attack with stormcrow until you die.
Other than that it absolutely pwns :D
Don't really know if I agree with that ruling, I mean as far as his ability's effect on the game, what's the difference between doom blading it and lignifying it? It seems pretty dumb to me.
On to the card, I hate it. My friend has 3 of them, and they're always a bane to me. They demand an answer and don't care if you don't have one at the moment, they'll swim all over your life total and wont think twice. And none of my green decks have any kind of answer, the only thing I can do against them is put it some street savvy in before game 2. I'm sure this thing has caused countless groans in play groups from all around.
On another note, the leviathan itself looks like a big catfish.
There is enough green locally that alone would be enoug to earn it a space in my U/R sideboard. While it costs 8 to cast, U/R control can hold off the opponent for a while and plays a land nearly every turn. Once in play, it only takes 3 attacks to do 24 damage to your opponent, while preventing many counterattacks and avoiding nearly all blockers.
Black and white have plenty of removal options, but it's large enough that except for X spells, red needs to hit it at least twice to take it out (9 mana with a X spell. Basilisk Collar plus Cunning Sparkmage will do it easily though).
It leaves Gaea's Revenge and Vengevine standing around uselessly and severely limits how much land Primeval Titan can grab (I recommend combining with Spreading Seas for Valakut).
Because it shuts down so much of an opponent's deck, it leaves counters available to protect it.
I wouldn't care so much If it's power was closer to say 3 or 4
but 8 is way to over powered...
I think it's really cool how most leviathans have a lighthouse in the art to pay homage to the original leviathan. Even simic sky swallower has a lighthouse-shaped building in it.
It just doesn't get much better.
8/8 unblockable lockdown for 8 mana? This is especially overpowered in a mono-blue deck. The only card I have I like more than this is my Eldrazi Con***ion
LOL JK 903493892OU46589329467/5
This would go great in my blue/black control with a win condition of that creature that can give everyone flying for 8 until end of turn, then Gravity Shift
One of my sole reasons for ever even thinking about buying M11, I hope he comes back in 2012, cuz I hate M11
"lock down card"? I may be missing something but the fact it says "Each land is an island, in addition to its other types" doesn't scream lock to me.
However, if you mean "creatures without islandwalk/flying yadda yadda" and it creates a moat effects, a mini lock, I guess I get that.
Heck, this card is boss. I rate it a five, its a good card for any heavy blue deck. If you have heavy blue, you should really consider running this fella.
Just saying, I don't see "Lock Down" here
- Read the Stormtide's text.
- You can't tap that Mountain for U.
- Read the Stormtide's text.
Both in a single game :>
Now I love it.
Magic 2011 design handed over a cool Leviathan, but it wasn't this one. Theirs was:
Whelmwater Leviathan
5UUU
Trample
Whenever Whelmwater Leviathan attacks, up to three target permanents become Island lands.
9/9
But we were doing a hole submission, and I heard that someone had a better Leviathan so I asked for hole submissions.
Ryan Dhuse submitted the Leviathan So Big (it raised the sea level); we voted and, after tweaking the numbers, put it in the file. I sent Ryan a note congratulating him on the awesome design.
We played with it. I thought it was pretty awesome. We debated raising it to 9 mana, but in the end left it at 8.
On top of everything else he does, Tom LaPille writes the development column every week. That is really tough. People can be critical in the forums, and people can be critical at work. He takes care to present the accurate facts, but occasionally a mistake slips through. Tom was on both the design and development teams for Magic 2011 (Tom is also on a lot of teams!); in fact he was the only person to be on both of those teams. When Tom wrote about the design of this card, he may have conflated his experience with the design Leviathan (presumably designed by Greg Marques, who was on that design team), with the development Leviathan (designed by Ryan Dhuse).
Otherwise, beautiful card
- Qui-Gon Jinn
This is one great Bigger Fish. 8/8 unblockable, holy clap!!
If I'm ever asked how "perfect design" is spelled, I'll answer Stormtide Leviathan.
The lands made of water" - Aesop Rock
He played the first, and my mere 12 or so mana could only do 9 to Stormtide and 9 to him; then of course I attacked for a big 2 or so damage :D. He laid down a second Leviathan; after all He had used up my comet storm. There was no way I had two (just as I had figured about his Stormtide!)
Well.. I had two.
9 more to your face and leviathan, for the win.