Wurm's Tooth MTG Card


Provides card advantage through life gain, crucial for maintaining hand resources during gameplay. Encourages resource acceleration indirectly by increasing land draws and mana ramp spells. Compatible with instant-speed life gain for flexibility and unexpected card draws.
Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeArtifact

Text of card

Whenever a player plays a green spell, you may gain 1 life.

A wurm knows nothing of deception. If it opens its mouth, it plans to eat you.


Cards like Wurm's Tooth

Wurm’s Tooth adds a unique dynamic to Magic: The Gathering’s selection of artifact cards that cater to life gain strategies. This card bears a resemblance to its kin in the “Tooth” cycle, like Dragon’s Claw for red spells or Kraken’s Eye for blue spells. Each offers incremental life gain every time a spell of the corresponding color is played, sustaining players through longer matches. Yet, Wurm’s Tooth specifically caters to green magic users, providing a steadier lifeline amidst their creature-heavy decks.

Looking towards the broader horizon of life gain artifacts, there’s also Sun Droplet which provides a steadier, albeit smaller, amount of life gain across each upkeep. Unlike Wurm’s Tooth, Sun Droplet isn’t contingent on spell color, giving it versatility in multicolored decks. However, Wurm’s Tooth can potentially outpace Sun Droplet in mono-green decks heavy on green spell casts. Another counterpart, Pristine Talisman, affords life gain while also ramping up mana, although at the cost of using the artifact itself.

In essence, while Wurm’s Tooth aligns well within the niche of colored spell life gain counterparts, its efficiency shines in dedicated green spell decks, setting itself as a cornerstone in such builds for players aiming to leverage every green spell cast.

Dragon's Claw - MTG Card versions
Kraken's Eye - MTG Card versions
Sun Droplet - MTG Card versions
Pristine Talisman - MTG Card versions
Dragon's Claw - MTG Card versions
Kraken's Eye - MTG Card versions
Sun Droplet - MTG Card versions
Pristine Talisman - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Wurm's Tooth by color, type and mana cost

Chaos Orb - MTG Card versions
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Perilous Myr - MTG Card versions
Shrine of Burning Rage - MTG Card versions
Chaos Orb - MTG Card versions
Winter Orb - MTG Card versions
Amulet of Kroog - MTG Card versions
Nacre Talisman - MTG Card versions
Howling Mine - MTG Card versions
Essence Bottle - MTG Card versions
Emerald Medallion - MTG Card versions
Scrying Glass - MTG Card versions
Cursed Totem - MTG Card versions
Tsabo's Web - MTG Card versions
Millikin - MTG Card versions
Ark of Blight - MTG Card versions
Surestrike Trident - MTG Card versions
Energy Chamber - MTG Card versions
Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions
Angel's Feather - MTG Card versions
Steel Overseer - MTG Card versions
Liquimetal Coating - MTG Card versions
Perilous Myr - MTG Card versions
Shrine of Burning Rage - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Wurm’s Tooth provides a steady stream of card advantage, especially in decks designed to capitalize on life gain. Each time you gain life, it triggers its ability, converting life gain occurrences into potential draws and ensuring your hand stays replenished during the match.

Resource Acceleration: While Wurm’s Tooth itself does not directly accelerate resources, the card advantage it provides can lead to a sequence of plays that culminate in resource acceleration. This is achieved by placing more land cards in your hand or drawing into spells that can ramp up your mana production.

Instant Speed: While Wurm’s Tooth is an artifact and not played at instant speed, it derives benefits from instant-speed life gain spells. This interaction allows you to potentially draw cards on your opponent’s turn, keeping pace with their strategy and granting you the flexibility to respond with more options in your hand.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Wurm’s Tooth doesn’t directly require you to discard, but it does little to help if you’re forced to pitch cards by other means. In such situations, the artifact provides no value or card advantage to counterbalance the loss.

Specific Mana Cost: Wurm’s Tooth demands two generic mana, making it easier to cast in multi-colored decks. However, the benefit it provides is specifically tied to casting green spells, which may not align with every strategy or mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite a cost of just two, similar cards or effects in MTG could be more impactful for the same or less investment. In a game where efficiency is key, Wurm’s Tooth might not measure up to the alternatives available.


Reasons to Include Wurm’s Tooth in Your Collection

Versatility: Wurm’s Tooth can be a valuable asset in almost any deck that sees frequent creature spells cast, consistently providing life gain turn after turn.

Combo Potential: This card shines in life gain strategies, pairing well with cards that trigger effects each time you gain life, or for boosting the effects of cards reliant on high life totals.

Meta-Relevance: With creature-heavy decks commonly in play, Wurm’s Tooth keeps you ahead in the life total race, a factor that often tips the scales in prolonged matches.


How to beat

Wurm’s Tooth is a card that can be a thorn in your side if you’re not prepared. This artifact rewards its controller with life gain whenever a player casts a green spell, which can add up to significant advantages over time. Beating Wurm’s Tooth requires a bit of planning, and one of the most straightforward strategies is to remove it from play. Artifact destruction spells like Naturalize or shatter effects can easily do the job, dismantling the life gain engine before it causes too much trouble.

Another angle to consider is limiting the ways in which your opponent can capitalize on the life gains. This involves controlling the board and keeping green spells to a minimum. For a more proactive approach, cards that negate life gain such as Tainted Remedy can turn Wurm’s Tooth’s ability against its controller, making them think twice before casting their spells. Strategic planning and timing are crucial when managing artifacts with consistent benefits like Wurm’s Tooth, ensuring they don’t tip the scales too far in your opponent’s favor.

In essence, keep a cool head and remember your removal and control options when up against Wurm’s Tooth. Outmaneuver its effects and you’ll ensure it’s more of a toothache than a bite in your game.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wurm's Tooth MTG card by a specific set like Darksteel and Ninth Edition, 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 Wurm's Tooth and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Wurm's Tooth Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2004-02-06 and 2011-07-15. Illustrated by Alan Pollack.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12004-02-06DarksteelDST 1622003NormalBlackAlan Pollack
22005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 3162003NormalWhiteAlan Pollack
32005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 316★2003NormalBlackAlan Pollack
42007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 3462003NormalBlackAlan Pollack
52009-07-17Magic 2010M10 2222003NormalBlackAlan Pollack
62010-06-04Duels of the PlaneswalkersDPA 972003NormalBlackAlan Pollack
72010-07-16Magic 2011M11 2222003NormalBlackAlan Pollack
82011-07-15Magic 2012M12 2232003NormalBlackAlan Pollack

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wurm's Tooth has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2009-10-01 If a player casts a green spell, Wurm’s Tooth’s ability triggers and is put on the stack on top of that spell. Wurm’s Tooth’s ability will resolve (causing you to gain 1 life) before the spell does.
2009-10-01 The ability triggers whenever any player, not just you, casts a green spell.