As you might expect, given the set’s name, Tarkir: Dragonstorm has a pretty strong typal theme. Within the set, there’s no shortage of Dragons, and even Druids are getting some compelling support after many long years. As if that wasn’t enough, now Turtles are getting in on the action with a brand new typal-focused card.
Unlike many of the cards that Dragons and Druids are getting, Ambling Stormshell isn’t exactly game-breaking. Despite this, this new card does have some compelling potential that could be worth watching out for. If you’re a fan of big butts and drawing cards, then Ambling Stormshell might just be for you.
Ambling Stormshell
Technically, we’ve known that Ambling Stormshell was coming for quite some time. This was one of the cards hinted at by Mark Rosewater’s pre-spoiler season teaser. The promise of a card that “Whenever you cast a Turtle spell, untap this creature.” Unsurprisingly raised a few eyebrows; however, it does make some sense.
Ambling Stormshell actually continues a super cycle that started ten years ago in Khans of Tarkir. Back in that set, we got Meandering Towershell, which was followed up by Wandering Tombshell in Dragons of Tarkir. Now, Stormshell is here to continue this long-running cycle, and it’s easily the best of the lot.
At the very least, Ambling Stormshell nets you three cards, so long as you can attack with it once. While it doesn’t have Haste to ensure this happens, Ward 2 should at least keep it protected until your next turn. Sadly, after attacking Ambling Stormshell will get three Stun Counters, but that’s not the end of the world.
Should the game go on for long enough, Stormshell should eventually untap properly and be usable again. Obviously, within a Turtle Typal shell, this will happen a lot faster, potentially becoming a somewhat reliable source of card draw. Unfortunately, as we’ll get to shortly, this isn’t exactly the strongest archetype…
While the strength of Turtle Typal might be lacking, Ambling Stormshell can still be made into an absolute monster. Giving this card Vigilance will stop it tapping in the first place, letting you attack and draw three every turn. Setting up this synergy is fairly simple, too, as you only really need something like Kor Halberd.
Finding Its Shell
Obviously, Ambling Stormshell is a card that’s perfect for any Turtle Typal decks. Sadly, this archetype isn’t exactly strong, as it lacks meaningful support. According to EDHREC, the most popular Commander option is Archelos, Lagoon Mystic, who’s only there for thematic reasons. Alternatively, The Pride of Hull Clade does offer an actual big butts gameplan, but the color identity is rather limiting.
In total, Wizards of the Coast has only printed 41 Commander playable Turtles. While you can technically build a deck around these cards, it’d definitely fall into tier one within the Commander Bracket System. Thankfully, as we alluded to before, there is an alternative game plan where Ambling Stormshell could see decent play.
Within a Toughness Matters Commander deck, Ambling Stormshell can do a lot of work. Not only will High Alert essentially turn Stormshell into a 9/9, but these decks often run Brave the Sands and similar effects. If you can get both of these support cards into play at the same time, then Stormshell is a true powerhouse.
Sadly, while this is a very effective strategy, Stormshell doesn’t fit within a Doran, the Siege Tower deck. Subsequently, you may have to use Arcades, the Stratigist, which doesn’t have as much raw synergy.
Sadly, while Ambling Stormshell should be a potent addition to Toughness Matters decks, it’s not going to see play anywhere else. Unless we get a ton of Walls and support cards in Standard, Stormshell is far too slow. As usual, this means that Pioneer, Modern, and beyond are completely out of the question.
In Limited, however, Ambling Stormshell could be pretty useful. Playable as either a big defensive body or an occasional draw three, this card could put in work. Just don’t expect to be using the Turtle-based untapping ability a lot since there are no other Turtles in Tarkir: Dragonstorm.