The 18 Best Fish in Magic Ranked

Eluge, the Shoreless Sea | Illustration by Antonio José Manzanedo

As of the release of Avatar: The Last Airbender, we’re starting to see some really cool fish creatures show up—from majestic koi to some downright unusual designs. That got me thinking: Which ones stand out as the best fish in Magic: The Gathering?

Today, we cast out some lines and lures, and you’ll be surprised how many good catches are out there that can actually shake up entire boards.

Intrigued? Let’s dive in and find out.

What Are Fish in MTG?

Tidal Barracuda | Illustration by Uriah Voth

In Magic: The Gathering, fish is a creature type that represents aquatic and ocean-themed beings. They appear most often in blue, though other colors occasionally dip into the theme. Their abilities range from island-based mechanics to card draw, tempo plays like tapping or untapping permanents, and even niche combo roles. While the tribe isn’t large, fish cards have carved out unique spots across formats, which gives creative players plenty of room to explore.

#18. Dandân

Dandân is a quirky 4/1 from Arabian Nights that costs just 2 blue mana. It can only attack if your opponent controls an island, and you have to sacrifice it if you lose your own. Players often pair it with Spreading Seas or Quicksilver Fountain to guarantee it sticks around. Its dreamy Drew Tucker art and odd restrictions made it a cult classic, even it inspired the “Dandân/Forgetful Fish” format, where games revolve entirely around this iconic fish.

#17. Giant Koi

One of the newest cards from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Giant Koi brings a big 5/7 body to the table with islandcycling and a flavorful waterbend ability. Six mana might feel steep, but the size makes it a reliable blocker in Limited, and the ability to become unblockable when needed gives it real finishing potential in slower blue decks.

The best part is how well it ties into strategies that use discarding or land tutoring. Islandcycling doesn’t just fix your mana, it fuels extra value with cards like Astral Drift or Drake Haven. Toss in some mana rocks or artifact synergies, and the waterbend cost becomes even easier to pay, which makes this fish a surprisingly flexible tool.

#16. Skyswimmer Koi

Flying creatures that reward artifacts are always welcome, and Skyswimmer Koi fits perfectly into that role. As a 3/3 in the air, it brings steady pressure while quietly acting as a hidden filter engine—each artifact that enters lets you draw and discard to smooth your hand while still advancing your board.

The real strength of Skyswimmer Koi comes when it’s surrounded by consistent artifact producers like Sai, Master Thopterist or Treasure Map. Pair it with tokens like Food, Clues, or Treasures, and it turns into a steady stream of card filtering that keeps your deck running seamlessly.

#15. Scrounging Skyray

At first glance, this flier looks unimposing, but it quickly scales when you pair it with discard effects. Each card you pitch translates into lasting strength as it builds up +1/+1 counters, and the built-in cycling ensures it never clogs your hand when you need to dig for answers.

The beauty of Scrounging Skyray is how well it connects with engines like Faithless Looting or Artist's Talent. Every rummage or loot becomes a permanent upgrade, and mechanics like madness or cycling push it into a long-term threat that steadily takes over the skies.

#14. Wormfang Behemoth

At first glance, Wormfang Behemoth looks like a risky 5/5 for 5 mana: You exile your whole hand when it enters, and only get it back when the creature leaves the battlefield. That drawback can be brutal if timed wrong, but in the right setup it doubles as protection that keeps your cards safe from hand disruption.

In Commander, it sees play under commanders like Eluge, the Shoreless Sea or Flubs, the Fool, where hand size manipulation or quirky interactions make the risk worthwhile. Pairing it with blink spells like Momentary Blink or Ephemerate can turn the exile into a temporary vault, while sacrifice outlets like Altar of Dementia give you precise control over when your cards come back.

#13. Wormfang Manta

This 6/1 flier creates one of the strangest tempo swings in the game. When it enters, you skip your next turn, but you instead take an extra turn once it leaves the battlefield. On its own it can feel risky, but in the right shell it becomes a way to bend the rules entirely.

The real payoff shows up in combo setups. With Hushwing Gryff to shut down the enter-the-battlefield drawback and Conjurer's Closet to blink the creature every end step, Wormfang Manta turns into an infinite-turn engine.

#12. Stinging Lionfish

A small enchantment creature with a big impact, Stinging Lionfish gives you the ability to tap or untap nonland permanents whenever you cast your first spell on an opponent’s turn. It's a purely reactive play that subtly shifts control of the battlefield in your favor.

Its real strength comes with cheap instants like Opt or Spell Pierce. With those in hand, you can disrupt key creatures, lock down attackers, or even untap your own mana rocks for extra value. It’s a natural fit for any tempo-driven blue strategy.

#11. Bounding Krasis

With flash and a tap/untap trigger on entry, Bounding Krasis is more than just a flexible 3/3. It can ambush attackers, neutralize a key blocker, or open the way for your own strike. It’s a neat tool on both offense and defense.

The real spice comes from its combo potential. In Temur () shells, pairing Bounding Krasis with Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker or Splinter Twin creates an infinite loop of untaps and makes infinite tokens for a game-ending finish. It also plays well with blink engines like Soulherder or value pieces like Panharmonicon to ensure it never feels like a dead draw.

#10. Fleet Swallower

Few cards put opponents on a shorter clock than Fleet Swallower. A 6/6 for 7 mana, it mills half of an opponent’s library every time it attacks, which makes it a devastating finisher for any deck built around mill.

It’s most often seen in Commander decks with a dedicated mill theme, especially under leaders like Bruvac the Grandiloquent or Phenax, God of Deception. You can pair it with Fraying Sanity to end games outright, while evasion tools like Whispersilk Cloak ensure your big fish gets the chance to swing.

#9. Wavebreak Hippocamp

This 2/2 enchantment creature rewards you for playing at instant speed by letting you draw a card the first time you cast a spell during each opponent’s turn. It fits right into reactive strategies, where every counter, bounce, or trick you cast not only disrupts the board but also keeps your hand full.

In EDH, Wavebreak Hippocamp is a natural companion for commanders like Alela, Cunning Conqueror or Baral, Chief of Compliance. Both thrive by playing during opponents’ turns, and with multiplayer games to offer more triggers, this fish can quietly become one of the best engines in the format.

#8. Frost Fair Lure Fish

Frost Fair Lure Fish enters with some Fish tokens and Treasures, while it also gives all fish haste and unblockable against humans. On top of that, it has foretell, which gives you flexibility on when to cast it. Five mana's more than fair for this set of stats, especially with haste.

#7. Gurmag Angler

What makes Gurmag Angler so terrifying in Pauper isn’t just that it’s a 5/5, it’s that it can reliably hit the battlefield for a single black mana. That efficiency lets it dodge some of the best removal spells in the format, including Lightning Bolt and Snuff Out, while it forces opponents to deal with a massive threat much earlier than they expect.

The card becomes even scarier when you add in tricks like Unexpected Fangs. Gaining lifelink and a +1/+1 counter on a 5/5 for just 2 mana can completely swing the game and turn what looks like a risky delve investment into a devastating, stabilizing play.

#6. Jace’s Mindseeker

A 4/4 flier with a splash of chaos, Jace's Mindseeker mills five cards when it enters and then lets you cast one of their instants or sorceries for free. That mix of disruption and value makes it a fun curve-topper in midrange or control decks, where you’re already playing a slower game.

The real payoff comes with blink effects like Flickerwisp or Thassa, Deep-Dwelling, which let you repeatedly roll the dice for extra spells. In mill-themed builds, it does double duty by advancing your strategy while pressuring opponents from the skies.

#5. Fearless Swashbuckler

One of the very few cards that bridges pirates and vehicles, Fearless Swashbuckler comes in as a hasty 3/3 that also grants haste to your vehicles. Its unique loot trigger, which requires both a pirate and a vehicle to attack, makes it a strong enabler for discard strategies while it keeps the pressure high.

It pairs especially well with classics like Smuggler's Copter or Fleetwheel Cruiser to give you repeatable ways to trigger the loot effect. In pirate typal builds, support from cards like Dire Fleet Captain ensures it stays active to turn every attack step into both damage and card.

#4. Deepglow Skate

Doubling counters across the board for just 5 mana, Deepglow Skate is one of those creatures that can completely change the pace of a game. Whether it’s loyalty counters on planeswalkers, +1/+1 counters on creatures, or anything else that stacks, this fish brings instant value the moment it hits the battlefield.

In multiplayer formats like Commander, it’s especially deadly in decks led by commanders like Kilo, Apogee Mind or Atraxa, Praetors' Voice, both of which thrive on counter-based strategies. Pair it with Doubling Season or proliferate effects and you’re looking at explosive board states that can quickly snowball into game-ending scenarios.

#3. Tidal Barracuda

Mostly seen in group hug decks, Tidal Barracuda is a 3/4 that reshapes the table by letting everyone cast spells as though they had flash, while it prevents opponents from casting on your turn. This makes the game more interactive for the group, but it still keeps your plays safe from disruption.

In EDH, it’s a natural fit under commanders like Phelddagrif or Kwain, Itinerant Meddler, which lean into politics and shared benefits. Paired with counterspells or synergistic pieces like Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir, Tidal Barracuda becomes both a support tool and a way to earn goodwill at a multiplayer table.

#2. Morska, Undersea Sleuth

Morska, Undersea Sleuth might look unassuming as a 2/3, but this vedalken fish detective brings a lot to the table. No maximum hand size, free Clues every upkeep, and a body that grows whenever you draw your second card in a turn makes it a steady source of value. It’s the kind of engine that slowly snowballs until your opponents realize you’ve taken over the game.

In Commander, this card really shines with pieces like Academy Manufactor and Tireless Tracker, which turn Clue generation into an avalanche of tokens and card advantage. Pair it with other commanders like Tatyova, Benthic Druid or Chulane, Teller of Tales, and you’ll chain extra draws, grow Morska, and generate absurd value in no time.

#1. Eluge, the Shoreless Sea

Discounting mana is powerful, but reducing colored costs takes things to another level. This mythic elemental fish grows as big as the number of islands you control, while it also spreads flood counters to turn other lands into islands and shave the cost off your instants and sorceries. That combination makes it both a massive threat and an enabler for spell-heavy decks.

In the right build, Eluge, the Shoreless Sea turns into an engine of absurd value. Cards like High Tide or Extraplanar Lens amplify the mana boost, while finishers like Stormtide Leviathan take advantage of opponents being forced into islands.

Best Fish Payoffs

Some fish cards double as both enablers and finishers. Frost Fair Lure Fish is a prime example that makes Fish tokens and Treasures while it grants haste and evasion to your entire school. Then there’s Fisher's Talent, which steadily churns out value at level 1 and upgrades those fish into sharks or even octopuses at higher levels.

Aside from these two, Unagi's Spray is the only other card that references fish with upside, though it also works with an assortment of other sea creatures.

What Cards Make Fish Tokens?

Fish tokens might not be the most common in Magic, but there are some neat ways to create them. In Streets of New Capenna, both Expendable Lackey and Exotic Pets can churn out 1/1 blue fish creature tokens, and the New Capenna fish tend to be unblockable.

Beyond New Capenna, other designs keep the token-making going. Beza, the Bounding Spring can help you catch up when you’re behind on creatures, while repeatable engines like Fishing Gear or Fountainport let you build your own school of Fish over time. Between one-shots and ongoing sources, there are more token makers out there than you might expect.

What Does “Gift a Tapped Fish” Mean?

Gift is a mechanic that lets you offer an opponent an additional resource as part of casting your spell. When a card says “Gift a tapped Fish”, it means that you may choose an opponent, and if you do, that player creates a tapped 1/1 blue Fish creature token once the spell resolves. Doing so gives your spell an extra benefit. The gift is optional—you can still cast the spell without giving it. And no, it doesn’t mean that you slap someone with a fish!

Are There Any Fish Commanders?

When it comes to Commander, there are only a couple of fish that can actually serve as your general, like Morska, Undersea Sleuth and Eluge, the Shoreless Sea. The catch is that neither of them really supports a true fish typal build. Instead, they lean into other themes—card draw and artifacts in Morska’s case, and islands plus spellcasting for Eluge. While they’re cool options to build around, you won’t find much typal support if your plan is to rally a whole school of fish.

What Is the “Fish” Archetype?

“Fish” is a tempo archetype associated with merfolk decks. The strategy revolves around cheap, efficient creatures and disruptive spells, and it aims to win by applying pressure while it slows opponents down with counters or bounce effects. What makes these decks tick are the iconic 2-mana merfolk lords like Master of the Pearl Trident and Lord of Atlantis, which pump the whole team and give the deck its aggressive edge.

What Is “Forgetful Fish” in Magic: The Gathering?

Forgetful Fish, or Dandân, is a fan-made format built around the card Dandân. Instead of each player bringing their own deck, both players share a single 80-card library packed with Dandâns, card draw, and control spells. “Forgetful” comes from the eight copies of Memory Lapse.

The rules are simple but unique. Both players use the same library and the same graveyard. Dandân is the only creature that deals damage, so controlling when it can attack is key. The real strategy comes from managing the shared resources, deciding when to play spells, and keeping track of the library so you don’t accidentally hand your opponent the tools they need.

Forgetful Fish plays like a mix between Magic and a board game. Because the resources are communal, you always weigh short-term gains against what you leave behind for your opponent. That’s part of why it has become such a cult favorite: It turns one quirky fish into a surprisingly deep, skill-testing format.

Wrap Up

Fish | Illustration by Rhonda Libbey

Fish in Magic range from simple blockers and quirky enablers to wild combo pieces and full-blown finishers. Some shine in Commander as value engines, others dominate Pauper or casual tables with efficiency, and a few are just plain fun to build around.

Did we miss a favorite fish of yours, or do you have a spicy synergy worth sharing? Let us know in the comments or the Draftsim Discord!

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