Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Strategies for Dealing with Unblockable Threats
Blue has long excelled at bending combat math to its will, and the Frilled Sea Serpent is a textbook example of a creature that thrives when your opponent overcommits to the board. With a 4/6 body and a potent activated ability—{5}{U}{U}: This creature can't be blocked this turn.—Blue players can push through damage in surprising ways, especially when the board stalls or counterspell tempo tips swing in their favor. If you’re drafting, playing, or brewing against Core Set 2020’s serpentine surprise, you’ll want to keep a few counterplay ideas in your back pocket 🧙♂️🔥💎⚔️. Let’s break down the practical steps you can take to neutralize this threat while staying true to your game plan 🎲🎨.
Know the card inside and out
Frilled Sea Serpent costs 4UU for a respectable 4/6 frame, a big body that can pressure life totals in a hurry. Its real power, though, lies in the activated ability that makes it unblockable for a turn. That turn can swing the tempo of a game, forcing you to allocate blockers you may not want to commit or to overextend in response. Flavor text aside, this card rewards patience and precise disruption. When you recognize the moment the ability resolves, you know exactly which tools to pull from your sideboard or hand to blunt the threat 🧙♂️.
“Reel it in. No, wait! Throw it back!” —Gertrude, deep-sea angler
Direct removal and exile: hit it where it hurts
- Exile is often the cleanest answer. When Frilled Sea Serpent becomes unblockable, removing it from the battlefield entirely prevents any subsequent turns from the Serpent reappearing. Consider spells that exile on a 1-for-1 basis orI n general, blue-black and white removal options shine here, as they bypass various forms of temporary protection.
- Destruction effects can still be valuable if they’re efficient and on-curve. A well-timed removal spell can answer not only the Serpent but any follow-up threats you’re worried about. Remember that damage-based removal won’t help if the Serpent is already on the board with its unblockable power ready to swing.
Counter and disrupt the activation
- Stifle and other activated-ability counters are your secret weapons. If your opponent taps for {5}{U}{U} to grant unblockability, you can counter the activation on the stack and prevent the ability from resolving. This buys you a full turn to stabilize or to set up a more favorable sequence without taking a big block-specific hit 🔎⚔️.
- Counterspells that target non-creature spells can protect you from the edge cases, but Stifle is the more precise answer here because the ability itself is an activated ability, not a spell you cast. If you’ve built a more comprehensive control shell, consider how infinite or finite permission cards can slow down the blue deck enough to answer a broader strategy.
Block with purpose: plan for post-ability turns
- Even if you can’t stop the unblockable moment, you can plan for the very next combat step. Card choices that create resilient blockers, such as creatures with high power or those that mitigate multi-turn pressure, can keep you in the game after the Serpent’s turn of glory ends.
- Consider creatures with abilities that help you regain card parity or tempo. Bounce spells or tempo-preserving blue tools can reset a volatile situation, letting you re-evaluate your plan without falling behind to a big unblockable swing.
Tempo and protection: leaning into blue’s weaknesses
Blue decks often win on the front edge of tempo—efficient countermagic, card drawing, and selective removal. Frilled Sea Serpent rewards a tempo-conscious response: you don’t need to answer every threat with a big, expensive answer; you just need to answer the moment that changes the math in your opponent’s favor. In practice, this means pairing unblockable threats with pressure that you can sustain while keeping enough resources for disruption. The result is a game where you hold your life total steady, draw newer tools, and eventually outvalue your opponent 🔥💎🧙♂️.
Sideboard and deck-building notes
- Against a blue-heavy meta, include versatile removal that can exile or bounce Frilled Sea Serpent without stalling your own plan.
- Include at least a couple of activated-ability counters or counterspells that can handle non-creature spells and activated effects you expect to see on turns you’re not prepared for.
- Remember that the Serpent’s downside is that it can be punished by tempo plays that end with you applying pressure before the turn ends. A well-timed play can swing the game in your favor even if you can’t stop the turn its ability is activated on.
Flavor, art, and the culture of the card
Beyond the math, Frilled Sea Serpent embodies the blue’s love for the long game: a daunting, oceanic leviathan that arrives with a plan to overwhelm unless you react decisively. Artist Steven Belledin captured a sense of looming depth and calculated menace that mirrors the strategic approach it invites: study the field, identify the moment to strike, and capitalize when your opponent slips for even a moment. The flavor text captures the tension of a deep-sea moment turned chaotic, a reminder that in MTG, patience and timing are as sharp as a gaff-rigged hook 🧙♂️🎨⚔️.
Practical takeaways for players of all levels
- Always evaluate the board state before undercommitting to combat. If your opponent has a Frilled Sea Serpent on the field, you may want to hold a few removal options in hand for the turn you expect the unblockable trigger to resolve.
- Keep a few tech choices ready for stifling or countering its activation. Stifle is a deceptively powerful tool in the right deck, letting you pause a potential blow and reconfigure your plan on the fly.
- When you can, pivot to a plan that uses the Serpent’s own moment of vulnerability against it—you don’t need to gather a giant board; you need the right two or three forces to hold the line and tilt the game in your favor.
For readers who love the tactile side of gaming—the collect-and-battle thrill, the art, and the shared strategy at the table—Frilled Sea Serpent is a reminder of how a single card can shape a game’s narrative. And if you’re off to a weekend tournament, a reliable, rugged phone case can keep your gear safe as you ferry decks, sleeves, and snacks to the next table. After all, a little protection goes a long way when your fingers are flying and your mind is racing 🧙♂️🎲🔥.