Commander 2018 release date is just a few days away, are you excited? I know I am.

Just like any other release of a new product, there would be new cards that’s really worth delving into. You gotta admit during spoiler season, some of your friends have already asked you how does a certain card work?

L2 judge Chuanjie Seow will help us know more about a certain slumbering Kraken known as Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle.

Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle is a special card.
Is it a land or not a land?

Let’s refer to the release notes for further confirmation.

Oracle Text
Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle enters the battlefield tapped with five slumber counters on it.
As long as Arixmethes has a slumber counter on it, it’s a land. (It’s not a creature.)
Whenever you cast a spell, you may remove a slumber counter from Arixmethes.
T: Add GU.

Note:
1. The 1st ability is a static ability that generates a replacement effect as it enters the battlefield.
2. The 2nd ability generates a continuous effect that works on layer 4 which changes the characteristics of the object.
3. The 3rd ability is a triggered ability that triggers on spells you cast.
4. The 4th ability is a mana ability.

Gatherer Reminder Rulings

* Arixmethes can’t be played as a land.
* Arixmethes isn’t a land until after it has entered the battlefield. Effects such as that of Blood Moon won’t affect its enters-the-battlefield ability. Similarly, replacement effects that modify how creatures you control enter the battlefield will see Arixmethes entering as a creature rather than a land. However, triggered abilities [such as landfall abilities] will see that a land entered the battlefield and not a creature.
* Arixmethes can tap for mana the turn it enters the battlefield as long as it has slumber counters on it. If you can figure out how to untap it, that is.
* Arixmethes’s effect causing it to be a land overwrites any earlier effects that gave it additional types. For example, a Phyrexian Metamorph that copies Arixmethes will be a land, not an artifact land, until its slumber counters are removed.
* Arixmethes’s triggered ability resolves before the spell that causes it to trigger, but after targets have been chosen for that spell. It resolves even if that spell is countered.
* Once Arixmethes is a creature again, it can attack on the same turn as long as you’ve controlled it since your most recent turn began.

So let’s go through the rulings associated with Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle 1 by 1 via its reminder rulings.

Arixmethes can’t be played as a land
Arixmethes is played as a creature, not as a land. Playing Arixmethes does not use the special action of playing a land. It however uses the stack as if you cast a creature spell where it moves from your hand to the stack then into the battlefield. You still follow the steps of casting a spell when playing Arixmethes.

Arixmethes can tap for mana the turn it enters the battlefield as long as it has slumber counters on it. If you can figure out how to untap it, that is.

This is how you untap Arixmethes

Arixmethes enters the battlefield with 5 slumber counters and its 2nd ability turns it from a creature to a land. As it is a land, it is not affected by summoning sickness, and if you are able to untap it when it enters the battlefield (For example, with the aforementioned Amulet of Vigor), you can tap Arixmethes for UG on the turn it enters the battlefield.

Arixmethes’s effect causing it to be a land overwrites any earlier effects that gave it additional types. For example, a Phyrexian Metamorph that copies Arixmethes will be a land, not an artifact land, until its slumber counters are removed.

Copies counter-less Arixmethes only

The reminder ruling in Gatherer can be confusing. Note that you choose Phyrexian Metamorph to come into play as Arixmethes only when the Arixmethes in play has no slumber counters as you can only copy a creature or artifact with Metamorph!
So when you copy Arixmethes without any slumber counters with Metamorph, Phyrexian Metamorph will ETB tapped with 5 slumber counters and is a land, not an artifact land. It will regain its artifact type only when it has no slumber counters on it.

Arixmethes land? Can copy!

On the other hand, if Arixmethes has any slumber counters on it, it is a land. When it is a land, Vesuva can copy Arixmethes. Vesuva will enter the battlefield tapped with 5 slumber counters, and will be named Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle.

Arixmethes’s triggered ability resolves before the spell that causes it to trigger, but after targets have been chosen for that spell. The triggered ability resolves even if that spell is countered.

When you cast a spell, Arixmethes’s triggered ability triggers and is placed on the stack above that spell. The triggered ability resolves first and is independent from the spell which caused it to trigger.

Once Arixmethes is a creature again, it can attack on the same turn as long as you’ve controlled it since your most recent turn began.

Arixmethes, when awake, will follow the Summoning Sickness Rule. That is to say, it won’t be able to attack, and you can’t activate its abilities that include the tap symbol or the untap symbol, unless Arixmethes [as an awoken Kraken] has been under your control since the beginning of your most recent turn.

Arixmethes isn’t a land until after it has entered the battlefield. Effects such as that of Blood Moon won’t affect its enters-the-battlefield ability. Similarly, replacement effects that modify how creatures you control enter the battlefield will see Arixmethes entering as a creature rather than a land. However, triggered abilities (such as landfall abilities) will see that a land entered the battlefield and not a creature.

So we have saved the best part for the last. As you can recall Arixmethes’s 2nd ability generates a continuous effect that works on layer 4 which changes the characteristics of it. So what happens when Arixmethes interacts with some cards which confuses the bulk of us?

Only bothers the Kraken when it is a mobile Kraken.

Humility works in Layer 6 for losing all abilities and setting of P/T in Layer 7b. Arixmethes’s 2nd ability changes it to a land in Layer 4.
When Arixmethes has slumber counters on it, it stays a land and being a land, it is unaffected by Humility.
When Arixmethes has no slumber counters on it:
* It is now a creature [Layer4]
* It loses all abilities [Layer 6]
* Its P/T is set as 1/1 [Layer 7b]
* Arixmethes is a UG Creature with cmc of 4, is Legendary Kraken with no abilities and 1/1.

Dependency
We cannot go through these articles without escaping from dependencies. So let’s recap what is dependency.

Sometimes, an effect can influence on other, changing:

* the existence of the first effect,
* what it applies to,
* what it does to any of the things it applies to.

If both effects apply in the same layer, the second effect depends on the first and neither is a characteristic-defining ability or both effects are from characterestic-defining abilities. We ignore timestamp in cases with dependencies.

Originator of dependency now depends on the great Kraken

Blood Moon affects in Layer 4 to change all non-basic lands into Mountains. However Arixmethes is not a land until it has slumber counters!

Just because of Arixmethes 2nd ability which also applies in Layer 4, Arixmethes is only a land when it is on the battlefield with slumber counters. This creates a dependency with Blood Moon where Blood Moon is dependent on Arixmethes to have slumber counters before it can apply its effect on it.

So no matter the timestamp, Arixmethes will always ETB with 5 slumber counters which makes it into land [we apply Arixmethes 2nd ability first as it is a dependency] then we apply Blood Moon to have Arixmethes a Legendary Mountain that can tap only for R, has a CMC of 4, is blue and green, but without any P/T. Note that it loses its Kraken creature type.

However if Arixmethes has awoken from its slumber before the Blood Moon arrives, it will be unaffected by the Blood Moon. Wondering why such weak power used to affect it when it slumbers.

Unlike Blood Moon, Blood Sun affects in Layer 6 to cause all lands to lose all abilities except Mana Abilities.

Arixmethes 2nd ability applies in Layer 4, Arixmethes is not a land at anytime but a creature unless it is on the battlefield with slumber counters. There is no dependency with Blood Sun as both effects are affected in different layers.

So no matter the timestamp, Arixmethes will always ETB with 5 slumber counters which makes it into a land [we apply Arixmethes 2nd ability first as it is in an earlier layer] then we apply Blood Sun to have Arixmethes a Legendary Land that can tap only for UG, has a CMC of 2UG, is Blue and Green without any P/T as it is only a land. Note that it loses its Kraken creature type.

However if Arixmethes has awoken from its slumber before the Blood Sun arrives, it will be unaffected by the Blood Sun. Wondering why such weak power used to affect it when it slumbers.

Weakens the Kraken
Similar to Blood Moon, Living Plane affects in Layer 4 to cause all lands to become creatures which are still lands and Layer 7b to set their P/T to 1/1.

Just because of Arixmethes 2nd ability which also applies in Layer 4, Arixmethes is not a land at anytime but a creature unless it is on the battlefield with slumber counters, this creates a dependency with Living Plane where Living Plane is dependent on Arixmethes to have slumbering counters before it can apply its effect on it.

So no matter the timestamp, with slumbering counters, Arixmethes will be a 1/1 Legendary Land Kraken, with CMC of 4, is a Blue and Green creature and can tap for UG.

However if Arixmethes has awoken from its slumber before the Living Plane arrives, it will be unaffected by Living Plane. Wondering why such weak power used to affect it when it slumbers.

Arixmethes will be awoken from its slumber!

However if external forces like an Aether Snap or Vampire Hexmage decides to remove all slumbering counters on Arixmethes while being affected by either Blood Moon or Blood Sun or Living Plane, Arixmethes will awake and be a 12/12 Kraken monster that can tap for UG.

This is because removing all slumber counters will cause Arixmethes’s second ability to revert it back to a creature ending the dependency both Blood Moon and Blood Sun had on it.

Bonus

Do not insult the Legendary Kraken Arixmethes

Arixmethes is a LEGENDARY KRAKEN MONSTER! How dare you pathetic mortal decide to call it a mere land! What that slumbers in the depths does not mean it stays asleep for eternity.
Naming Arixmethes with Alpine Moon is illegal. Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle is a creature not a land.

Post Verified by: L3 Salvatore La Terra and L3 Smith Lo