From Ben Bleiweiss' "The 100 Worst Magic Cards of All Time":
Why it's bad: Your initial investment into Warping Wurm costs four mana. In exchange for this, you get a 1/1 creature with no discernable special ability. Then, every other turn, Warping Wurm leaves play. The turn it returns, it becomes larger. That's right, on the third turn of Warping Wurm, it becomes 2/2. The next turn, you have to pay GU2 or it leaves play again. Once you do decide to pay four mana as an upkeep cost to keep Warping Wurm around, it will simply phase out your next turn. Warping Wurm gives a new definition to the term"slow growth." Between the phasing, upkeep costs and small size to mana ratio, Warping Wurm is definitely one of Magic's great losers.
He places it as 15th worst card in Magic, and the 5th worst creature.
Waluy
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(4 votes)
How could you possibly call this a slow card. Turn 4: you cast it Turn 5: It phases out Turn 6-15: It phases in gains a +1/+1 counter, you don't pay the upkeep it phases out. Turn 16: It phases in gains a +1/+1 counter, you pay the upkeep and know have a 12/12 wurm to attack with.
ClockworkSwordfish
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(3 votes)
This is a masterpiece. This is the English as She Is Spoke of Magic creatures.
achilleselbow
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
It's an interesting mechanic and could have possibly been good as a 1 or 2-drop. Also would be good if there were any cards that could cause multiple instances of phasing in and out in one turn. Unfortunately neither of these is the case.
Havens
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(4 votes)
I dont think its that bad, used in EDH its actually amazing, if you manage to get it out turn 3-4, you have an almost untouchable growing creature throughout the entire game. The only time they have a chance to deal with it is on your upkeep.
think if you have a doubling season, 2 +1/+1 counters per turn. And dont forget its UG, you know what else is UG? Gilder Bairn. This phases in, then you double its counters with a gilder bairn... everyturn it gets a counter then doubles it... or quads it with doubling season
assume it phases in and gets its first counter (mid-game), with the doubling season, it becomes a 3/3, and then if you use the gilder bairn, it becomes a 5/5, next turn, DS makes it a 7/7, GB makes it 13/13....
justicarphaeton
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Amazing art, terrible card. If its CC and upkeep cost were only UG it would be a very interesting one.
Well hello....
Now this is a very interesting card here.
It would be very good in a stall deck. You keep your opponents from hitting you while this thing just builds up. Considering that you would be using green, you could get it out by turn three, and then ignore it.
Your opponent would most likely only have one chance to easily kill it, and anytime afterwards they'd have to waste instant-speed removal on it. You really need to only play it once, and then it just gets bigger, out of sight. Even then, considering the attitudes about the card seen here, they will probably ignore it themselves, untill you start trying to hit them with a 10/10, that is.
I should try and find a few copies...
Noobma45
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The problem with Ben Bleiweiss' 100 worst MTG cards of all times, is that a lot of the cards fill in niche places in casual formats.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Combine it with Pandemonium type cards. Interesting way to win, and you can pay mana to swing with your growing creature if you need to.
Kirbster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The picture is amazing, and all cards with the old Gold border look great.
However, I'm not keen on paying eight mana, half of which is coloured, for the privilege of attacking with a 2/2 who wasn't even there to block last turn.
Grumman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Scute Mob laughs at this and takes its lunch money.
Clawbeast
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
With the release of Gatecrash and the Evolve mechanic in U/G, Warping Wurm has surely been elevated beyond the list of worst cards ever!
This assumes that, when a creatures phases in, evolve is triggered?
If so, Warping Wurm will very quickly reach a size at which it triggers evolve on all of your creatures with the ability every turn.
Pretty cool for one of the worst cards ever!
orisiti
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Phasing in does not trigger ETB effects, oddly this is one of the few phasing creatures that doesn't list this fact in the rulings section. so no pandemonium, and no evolve. if phasing was really etb/ltb, then all of the counters would fall off every turn too, making this all the worse.
Rancid_Raptor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Does Phasing work with evolve?
MirageMonkey
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Pretty bad honestly. What this card would have benefited from was three things. 1. The casting mana cost should have been GU instead of 2GU in order to help it progress faster. 2. The cost to keep it from phasing is also very clunky at 2GU and would also benefit as GU or 2. 3. It's trigger should have been whenever it Phases Out or Phases In to put a +1/+1 counter on it rather than just Phasing In, because you want it to Phase Out.
Comments (17)
Why it's bad: Your initial investment into Warping Wurm costs four mana. In exchange for this, you get a 1/1 creature with no discernable special ability. Then, every other turn, Warping Wurm leaves play. The turn it returns, it becomes larger. That's right, on the third turn of Warping Wurm, it becomes 2/2. The next turn, you have to pay GU2 or it leaves play again. Once you do decide to pay four mana as an upkeep cost to keep Warping Wurm around, it will simply phase out your next turn. Warping Wurm gives a new definition to the term"slow growth." Between the phasing, upkeep costs and small size to mana ratio, Warping Wurm is definitely one of Magic's great losers.
He places it as 15th worst card in Magic, and the 5th worst creature.
Turn 4: you cast it
Turn 5: It phases out
Turn 6-15: It phases in gains a +1/+1 counter, you don't pay the upkeep it phases out.
Turn 16: It phases in gains a +1/+1 counter, you pay the upkeep and know have a 12/12 wurm to attack with.
think if you have a doubling season, 2 +1/+1 counters per turn. And dont forget its UG, you know what else is UG? Gilder Bairn. This phases in, then you double its counters with a gilder bairn... everyturn it gets a counter then doubles it... or quads it with doubling season
assume it phases in and gets its first counter (mid-game), with the doubling season, it becomes a 3/3, and then if you use the gilder bairn, it becomes a 5/5, next turn, DS makes it a 7/7, GB makes it 13/13....
Now this is a very interesting card here.
It would be very good in a stall deck. You keep your opponents from hitting you while this thing just builds up. Considering that you would be using green, you could get it out by turn three, and then ignore it.
Your opponent would most likely only have one chance to easily kill it, and anytime afterwards they'd have to waste instant-speed removal on it. You really need to only play it once, and then it just gets bigger, out of sight. Even then, considering the attitudes about the card seen here, they will probably ignore it themselves, untill you start trying to hit them with a 10/10, that is.
I should try and find a few copies...
However, I'm not keen on paying eight mana, half of which is coloured, for the privilege of attacking with a 2/2 who wasn't even there to block last turn.
This assumes that, when a creatures phases in, evolve is triggered?
If so, Warping Wurm will very quickly reach a size at which it triggers evolve on all of your creatures with the ability every turn.
Pretty cool for one of the worst cards ever!
1. The casting mana cost should have been GU instead of 2GU in order to help it progress faster.
2. The cost to keep it from phasing is also very clunky at 2GU and would also benefit as GU or 2.
3. It's trigger should have been whenever it Phases Out or Phases In to put a +1/+1 counter on it rather than just Phasing In, because you want it to Phase Out.