Timbermaw Larva Print Run Speculation Across Sets

Timbermaw Larva Print Run Speculation Across Sets

In TCG ·

Timbermaw Larva artwork in Zendikar, a green Forest-beast that grows with your forests

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Print Run Speculation for a Green Zendikar Behemoth Across Sets

Green has always loved forests, and Timbermaw Larva embodies that love with a quiet, stompy swagger. This 4-mana Beasts creature from Zendikar—{3}{G} for a 2/2—might not turn heads with a raw stats line, but its real power hides in plain sight: whenever it attacks, it gets +1/+1 for each Forest you control until end of turn. In a forest-rich list, that buff can snowball faster than a rolling boulder going down a tribal slope 🧙‍♂️🔥. The card’s flavor text underscores the deception of appearances: “You can't trust your eyes. A tree might look healthy, but its insides tell a different tale.” It’s a perfect microcosm of Zendikar’s dangerous beauty and the lurking green resilience that keeps players coming back for more 🎨⚔️.

Timbermaw Larva hails from Zendikar’s early days, released on 2009-10-02. In that era, the set pulsed with landfall and terrain-shifting themes—lands mattered, and creatures that could leverage multiple forests stood to scale in the right deck. The card’s rarity is common, which means Wizards printed a lot of copies. That abundance is a double-edged sword: it makes Larva approachable for newer players chasing a green ramp or combat-centric build, while also tempering its value in the secondary market. A quick look at price data—even in nonfoil form—reflects the reality of many Commons from the era: affordable, yet beloved for the trickle-down synergy they enable in longer play patterns 🧩💎.

From a gameplay perspective, the card rewards patience and board development. If you can stack multiple Forests by the time Timbermaw Larva swings, you’re delivering a potentially devastating pump that scales with your mana base. Think of it as a built-in “pulse” for green's long-game strategy: drop forests, drop more forests, then unleash a single attack that can wipe away a couple of blockers and swing the door wide open for a follow-up blast with pump spells or Overrun-style finishers. In a multiplayer environment, the threat scales not merely with carrots but with multiple opponents who might race to exploit your ramp—or try to outpace it with blockers of their own 🧙‍♂️🎲.

So where does the “print run speculation across sets” angle land? As a common from Zendikar, Timbermaw Larva likely enjoyed substantial initial print runs. If Wizards ever pursued a deliberate reprint strategy for evergreen green creatures that reward land-heavy strategies, Larva would be a strong candidate for inclusion in a future set focused on forest-synergy or landfall mechanics. It’s not a flashy top-tier commander staple, but its utility in green’s core strategies—ramping into big threats, fueling token swarms, or enabling late-game combat surprises—gives it staying power in format staples lists. A hypothetical reprint in a Masters-style set or a modern reprint cycle could introduce a fresh foil variant or showcase a new art treatment, bringing this quiet giant back into the conversation with new collectors and new players alike 🧭⭐.

“You can't trust your eyes. A tree might look healthy, but its insides tell a different tale.” — Zahr Gada, Halimar expedition leader

Flavor and mechanics align beautifully here. The artwork by Matt Cavotta captures the primal honesty of a forest-dwelling creature that hides its true strength beneath a calm exterior. The dual prints (foil and nonfoil) ensure that collectors and players have a budget-friendly entry point while still offering the opportunity to chase a glossy version if they want something a little more eye-catching on the battlefield. The Zendikar frame and black border give the card a classic look that still slots nicely into contemporary green themes—the kind of nostalgia that MTG fans savor while still feeling the pulse of modern gameplay 🧙‍♂️💎.

For deck-builders, Timbermaw Larva invites a practical line of thought: lean into a forest-counted build with a focus on terrain acceleration. Cards that fetch or untap forests, or effects that untap or enter the battlefield as additional forests, can push the Larva into a turn-1 punch on a late-game swing, especially when you have multiple forests out. Don’t be afraid to pair it with anthem effects or combat tricks to maximize the per-attack buff. In older formats, the card’s green identity gives it a sturdy home in ramp or midrange shells, and in casual play, you’ll often see it used as a reliable threat that scales up as the board develops 🧙‍♂️⚔️.

From a collector’s perspective, the rarity, set position, and price point tell a familiar story: Timbermaw Larva is not a price-flashcard—but it’s a durable piece of the Zendikar era. Its nonfoil foil distinction and steady price hover reflect the card’s popularity among players who love land-centric strategies and the charm of early 2009-2010 green-power. If a future print run reprint lands, it’s a safe bet that this card would accompany other evergreen green staples, offering another pathway for players to pilot a forest-forward build without breaking the bank 🧡🔥.

Aesthetic and accessibility notes

The card’s design is elegantly simple: a cost of {3}{G}, a reasonable body for 4 mana, and a text box that invites player creativity rather than welding a locked combo. The flavor text adds a layer of lore that resonates with Halimar expedition lore—trees with secrets, forests with stories, and the thrill of exploring Zendikar’s untamed wilds. This balance between strategy and story is what makes a card like Timbermaw Larva a staple in the minds of many MTG fans, even as it quietly sits at the edges of the market’s radar 🧙‍♂️🎨.

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Timbermaw Larva

Timbermaw Larva

{3}{G}
Creature — Beast

Whenever this creature attacks, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each Forest you control.

"You can't trust your eyes. A tree might look healthy, but its insides tell a different tale." —Zahr Gada, Halimar expedition leader

ID: d68fc3bc-eb3b-4504-93a3-8943d07b23f8

Oracle ID: e53532db-5b14-429e-8437-a369c5b8632b

Multiverse IDs: 180458

TCGPlayer ID: 33452

Cardmarket ID: 21960

Colors: G

Color Identity: G

Keywords:

Rarity: Common

Released: 2009-10-02

Artist: Matt Cavotta

Frame: 2003

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 23535

Penny Rank: 15282

Set: Zendikar (zen)

Collector #: 189

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — not_legal
  • Timeless — not_legal
  • Gladiator — not_legal
  • Pioneer — not_legal
  • Modern — legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — not_legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — legal

Prices

  • USD: 0.09
  • USD_FOIL: 0.50
  • EUR: 0.09
  • EUR_FOIL: 0.20
  • TIX: 0.03
Last updated: 2025-11-16