Pollywog Symbiote MTG Card


Provides card advantage by letting players draw when casting a creature with mutate. Reduces mutate costs, enabling quicker and more effective creature deployments. Synergizes with instant-speed creatures, allowing for unexpected combat tricks.
Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Frog
Power 1
Toughness 3

Text of card

Each creature spell you cast costs less to cast if it has mutate. Whenever you cast a creature spell, if it has mutate, draw a card, then discard a card.


Cards like Pollywog Symbiote

Pollywog Symbiote holds a unique position in the vast library of Magic: The Gathering creature cards. It bears similarities to cards like Sea Gate Oracle for providing a card advantage. Unlike the Oracle, which lets you look at the top two cards of your library upon entry, Pollywog Symbiote focuses on synergy with mutate, a mechanic introduced in the Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths set. While the Oracle provides an immediate effect, the Symbiote requires a more strategic approach, relying on the player’s ability to mutate effectively.

Another card that comes to mind is Beast Whisperer, which allows you to draw a card whenever you cast a creature spell. In contrast, Pollywog Symbiote specifically reduces the cost of mutating creatures and rewards you with card draw when you cast a creature spell with mutate. The sustainable advantage provided by Symbiote’s cost-reduction makes it a favorable choice for decks centered around mutate mechanics, whereas Beast Whisperer finds its place in a broader range of creature-based strategies.

Comparing it to its peers, Pollywog Symbiote uniquely encourages and enhances mutate-centric gameplay in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to not only make your creatures more affordable but also replacing them in your hand as they hit the field places it as a cornerstone in any mutate deck.

Sea Gate Oracle - MTG Card versions
Beast Whisperer - MTG Card versions
Sea Gate Oracle - MTG Card versions
Beast Whisperer - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Pollywog Symbiote. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
All Other DecklistsAll Other Decklists ModernModern $10K Trial - SCG CON Hartford - Saturday - 4:00 pm (Silver)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Pollywog Symbiote enhances your hand by allowing you to draw a card whenever you cast a creature spell with a mutate ability, efficiently cycling through your deck for more options.

Resource Acceleration: This creature reduces the cost of casting creature spells with mutate, enabling a swifter deployment of your powerful mutations and effectively accelerating your resource utilization.

Instant Speed: While Pollywog Symbiote itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it synergizes with creatures that do. This card allows you to streamline your strategy, mutating at instant speed for unexpected plays and maintaining a dynamic board presence.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When taking advantage of the mutagenic growth benefits Pollywog Symbiote offers, you’re obliged to discard a card. This can become a significant setback, particularly when your hand is already dwindling, and conserving every card is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Pollywog Symbiote’s cost is pivoted specifically around blue mana, necessitating a firm commitment to that color. This can restrict deck-building options and is often not optimal for strategies that require a more diverse mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its unique abilities, Pollywog Symbiote comes with a two-mana cost. Within the game’s vast card pool, this investment might be seen as steep for the role it fulfills, especially when evaluated against other creatures that might provide a more immediate board presence or impact for a similar mana investment.


Reasons to Include Pollywog Symbiote in Your Collection

Versatility: Pollywog Symbiote is a flexible card that can slot into a variety of blue and green decks, enhancing those that focus on mutating creatures or drawing cards. Its low casting cost makes it an early game asset.

Combo Potential: The card’s ability to reduce the cost of mutating and allow you to draw and discard cards can create strong synergies with mutate strategies, ensuring a constant flux of resources and enabling powerful combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where creature-based strategies can dominate, Pollywog Symbiote not only accelerates your plans but also keeps your hand refreshed, making it a card that can adapt to shifting metas and maintain its utility.


How to beat

Pollywog Symbiote steadfastly supports mutate strategies in the deep gameplay layers of Magic: The Gathering. As a component that diminishes mutate costs, this creature can become a lynchpin in a swiftly evolving battlefield. Thwarting it requires a well-timed removal. Immediate answers such as Shock or Fatal Push can preemptively disrupt your opponent’s mutate chain before it gains traction.

Should the Symbiote nest into a more fortified state, board wipes like Shatter the Sky or Extinction Event can reset the playing field. It’s also pivotal to exploit the window of opportunity when Pollywog Symbiote’s controller is tapped out, leaving the creature vulnerable to removal without the prospect of a counterspell. Denying the card draw ability by prioritizing threats or applying pressure forces the Symbiote’s controller to reconsider their mutate plans.

Methodical play is key. This means continually assessing the board and keeping up mana for interaction. By maintaining pressure and staying one step ahead, you can navigate around the advantages Pollywog Symbiote offers and keep the tide in your favor during Magic: The Gathering duels.


BurnMana Recommendations

MTG is a game where knowledge is power, and understanding the intricacies of cards like Pollywog Symbiote can offer distinct advantages. Recognizing this card’s strengths and potential drawbacks allows players to build around it or prepare counterstrategies effectively. If mutate mechanics appeal to you, adding Pollywog Symbiote to your collection could unlock new levels of play and fresh tactical possibilities. Interested in optimizing your mutate strategies or learning how to keep deck creativity flowing? Dive deeper into the world of MTG with us, and discover ways to harness the full potential of your cards and outmaneuver opponents in your next battle.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Pollywog Symbiote MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, 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 Pollywog Symbiote and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Pollywog Symbiote Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-04-24 and 2020-04-24. Illustrated by Simon Dominic.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 809312015NormalBlackSimon Dominic
22020-04-24Ikoria: Lair of BehemothsIKO 3722015NormalBorderlessSimon Dominic
32020-04-24Ikoria: Lair of BehemothsIKO 632015NormalBlackSimon Dominic

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Pollywog Symbiote has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Pollywog Symbiote card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2020-04-17 An ability that triggers when a player casts a spell resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. It resolves even if that spell is countered.
2020-04-17 Effects that reduce the generic mana cost of a spell (such as that of Pollywog Symbiote) can’t reduce that spell’s colored mana requirements.
2020-04-17 Players can cast spells and activate abilities after the triggered ability resolves but before the spell that caused it to trigger does.
2020-04-17 Pollywog Symbiote’s first ability applies to creature spells you cast that have mutate even if you don’t cast them for their mutate cost. Similarly, its second ability triggers even if the creature spell with mutate was cast for a cost other than its mutate cost.
2020-04-17 You draw a card and discard a card all while Pollywog Symbiote’s ability is resolving. Nothing can happen between the two, and no player may choose to take actions.