Pointed Discussion

Cards like this seem to return, I wonder why?

Because WotC wants people to have access to mana-fixing.

Aaron’s Random Card Comment of the Day #63, 2/10/11

The common any-color mana-fixer is a relatively new development. While artifact- and multicolored-themed sets certainly have always had them, it wasn’t until Time Spiral’s Chromatic Star, Terramorphic Expanse, and Prismatic Lens that we started putting them into every block, sometimes multiple per set and sometimes in multiple sets in the block.

Other examples include Elsewhere Flask, Expedition Map, Shimmering Grotto, Springleaf Drum, Pilgrim's Eye, and Prophetic Prism.

The reason we make cards like these are twofold: One, we want people to be able to experiment in limited play. To do so, you might need to stretch your mana a bit, and these cards are often easy to pick up in draft if you prioritize them. Two, many of these cards are good enough mana-fixers for people whose collections don’t include playsets of rare dual lands. Most notably, Terramorphic Expanse has been at or near the top of the list of most-played cards in the Casual Room on Magic Online since the card debuted.

My favorite card of this type has to be Wayfarer's Bauble from Fifth Dawn, although that card has big-time constructed ramifications so we haven’t reprinted it. As for Wanderer’s Twig, it did its job at the time, but I think Expedition Map is just a better-executed card from both a flavor and gameplay perspective.

To read more on my thoughts about common fixers in limited, check out my old article “The State of Limited” from 2006: http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/af140

Obviously this is a magical wand used to summon up the mighty Panglacial Wurm.

@ Aaron:

As I've already said elsewhere, I am a big fan of mana acceleration/fixing for every color, since it feels natural that any color should have the same chances to play their most expensive, most iconic creature cards. But I don't really like any artifact solution, since colorless versions are less specific and therefore less flavorful than colored versions.

I am also not a big fan of multicolor strategies, since this is often used as an argument, why mono-colored solutions don't exist (see red disenchant). It should be your gameplay that leads you to a off-color cards and not the lack of in-color solutions.

So as a first step, I would make all colors be able to handle any type of permanent. Then I would distribute to each color some sort of lifegain, card advantage or mana acceleration, to increase the options in-color. You should be able to play each color either faster and war-focused or more "durable" and with a multiplayer focus.

Then, I would also include some ways to combine a color with off-color strategies to widen the overall card choices. As the last step, I would design artifacts that can be shared among any color that stabilize the previous steps. These artifacts should achieve the goal in a simple way.

For lifegain or life-acceleration, artifacts like the Demon's Horn fit quite well. For card acceleration, the old Jayemdae Tome is a good option too (also this card is far from being competetive next to a Phyrexian Arena). So mana-fixing or mana-acceleration should be done by pure mana-artifacts or card draw as well. So I don't see a real "need" for artificial land search here, since "search" doesn't really feel red at all.

In result, I don't like any of these land-search artifacts and still prefer Mana Cylix, Prophetic Prism, Coldsteel Heart, Star Compass and Darksteel Ingot.

@Cheza why have colors at all if we're just going to hom(ogenize) them?

Nice filter. :<

"As for Wanderer’s Twig, it did its job at the time, but I think Expedition Map is just a better-executed card from both a flavor and gameplay perspective."

Too bad you weren't on any of the Innistrad teams, then... :/

Hello Wanderer's Twig. I heard you were getting a reprint in Innistrad and changing your name to Traveler's Amulet. I hope you enjoy your stay in standard again.

Now we can run 8 of these cards now in a deck.

I like that it says "For every tree WHO falls"... People forget that trees are people too, man.

While this card is fine and sort of playable in the formats it's used in (Cube, Old draft formats, and commander), I also see better cards with more options like landcyclers that fill the exact same role for pretty much the same mana.

It doesnt accelerate at all, and it eats up turn 1 and 1/2 of turn 2. Good for decks who run multiple colors and keep getting color screwed. I dont think this sees much play outside of limited.