{"product_id":"great-whale","title":"Great Whale (Original Art)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGreat Whale\u003c\/em\u003e is a seven-mana blue 5\/5 Whale creature, and when it comes into play, you may untap up to seven lands. At face value, it just looks like a big blue creature ¬– but the power lies entirely in its enter-the-battlefield ability: untapping seven lands. That ability meant that once it resolved, you effectively got all your mana back, and could often recast or reanimate it again. In the \u003cem\u003eUrza’s Saga\u003c\/em\u003e (1998) era, \u003cem\u003eGreat Whale\u003c\/em\u003e was played to generate infinite mana, draw your entire deck, or win on the spot with a loop. \u003cem\u003eGreat Whale’s\u003c\/em\u003e ability to untap lands equal to its casting cost allowed degenerate loops with cards like \u003cem\u003eRecurring Nightmare\u003c\/em\u003e – repeatedly sacrificing and recurring \u003cem\u003eGreat Whale\u003c\/em\u003e, untapping lands each time. \u003cem\u003ePalinchron\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTreachery\u003c\/em\u003e – both part of the same cycle of “free mana” creatures and enchantments, also worked extremely well with \u003cem\u003eGreat Whale\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eHigh Tide\u003c\/em\u003e decks ¬– with \u003cem\u003eGreat Whale\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eCloud of Faeries\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eFrantic Search\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eTime Spiral\u003c\/em\u003e, allowed players to generate a massive amount of mana and storm count in a single turn. During Pro Tour Rome 1999, and in the months surrounding it, decks using \u003cem\u003eRecurring Nightmare\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGreat Whale\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003ePalinchron\u003c\/em\u003e – “\u003cem\u003eRecurring Nightmare\u003c\/em\u003e Combo” –were dominating the competitive scene. These decks could repeatedly untap lands and loop creatures, generate infinite mana and cast spells like \u003cem\u003eStroke of Genius\u003c\/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003eDrain Life\u003c\/em\u003e for lethal. In Premodern, \u003cem\u003eGreat Whale\u003c\/em\u003e is also played in “Nightmare Whale”, together with \u003cem\u003ePalinchron\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eCloud of Faeries\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eCity of Traitors\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eRecurring Nightmare\u003c\/em\u003e, to set up an infinite mana combo. Once you have generated infinite mana, you can use another creature with some kind of draw or look through your deck effect like \u003cem\u003eVodalian Merchant\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMerfolk Traders\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eRaven Familiar\u003c\/em\u003e – and use that to completely draw your deck. Then you can kill your opponent with \u003cem\u003eHighway Robber\u003c\/em\u003e by recurring it with \u003cem\u003eRecurring Nightmare\u003c\/em\u003e over and over again, draining your opponent for 2 life each time it comes into play. \u003cem\u003eGreat Whale\u003c\/em\u003e has also found a home in cEDH\/Commander, where it’s used in decks that exploit blink\/flicker effects, reanimation loops and infinite mana combos (e.g. \u003cem\u003eUrza, Lord High Artificer\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eMuldrotha, the Gravetide\u003c\/em\u003e). \u003cem\u003eGreat Whale\u003c\/em\u003e is on the Reserved List, it cannot be reprinted.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"artwhirled","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44762016546861,"sku":null,"price":0.01,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0721\/8000\/6957\/files\/Great_Whale_Original_Art_front_a_white.jpg?v=1775126693","url":"https:\/\/artwhirled.com\/products\/great-whale","provider":"Art Whirled","version":"1.0","type":"link"}