No, this isn't meant to be Exploration or Fastbond (Which is 100X better than Exploration I might add) it's meant to be a cheap Enchantment you can sac for Mana when playing a certain Type1 deck I can't remember the name of.
kitsunewarlock
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(5 votes)
Actually a REALLY good card if your not running a lot of non-basic land. Brings out dual lands too. And since it can be sacc'd for mana that extra cost over Exploration is negated in mid-late game when you don't need the extra land again. Great for Storm too.
heenaheena
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I have a mono green deck that is not my best deck in terms of strategy but is my favorite one to play because it's so fun... so why have I never seen this card before?! Omnath and Rofellos would love it :)
kitsunewarlock, this can't bring out duals because it only brings out BASIC forests, i.e., forests and snow-covered forests (as noted in the card's rulings).
distinctactuality
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Is it just me, or has the name, mana cost, type and set symbol all been shifted to the left?
Lateralis0ne
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
haha Distinct, I noticed that as well...and the text is, too. How odd.
Kryptnyt
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
You can play a nonbasic, then play a basic forest, if that's what you want... Anyway, yeah, essentially gets land out faster, then replaces itself. fills a different niche than Exploration does, since that card works best with card draw or crucible of worlds shenanigans.
MarlinFlake
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Any card that pays for itself deserves at least some credit, and this one actually has a nifty ability too.
Atali
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
@distinctactuality All of the Gaea's Touchs I've seen have that identical misprint. Granted, I've only seen two, but I get the impression that it is a very common misprint.
SarcasmElemental
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
"this Marsh Gas rose from the ground, for example. On the other hand we have a tree."
Equinox523
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
An decent accelerator (especially for mono-green), and can pay for itself if you are running a storm deck. Definitely a playable card from The Dark, of which there are few. This is also useful in Verduran Enchantress decks, helping to generate an edge on lands and drawing you a card, and then later on can just be sacrificed for mana.
aboblyndsae
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
How common are printings of this card that DON'T have the misprint? I didn't even think they existed until I saw one a few weeks ago.
The_Murderauder
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@kitsunewarlock: No, you can't play dual lands with this, since it specifically says "basic forest." The only cards you can play with this are Forest and Snow-Covered Forest.
Interesting to note, a recent rules change means that this card's ability now puts a land from your hand onto the battlefield, rather than using the other possible wording, which would grant the ability to "play a land" one additional time per turn, or something like that. This is a subtle difference, but one that can matter for cards such as Horn of Greed or Burgeoning, which only count people playing lands (which is a specific game action), and not just lands entering the battlefield. This is functionally the same for abilities like landfall, though.
Why did Wizards change it? This certainly would NOT have been broken if it had that small extra bit of functionality. I know it often costs me a couple cards per game in my Azusa, Lost but Seeking EDH deck.
Aquillion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is extremely valuable in Enchantress decks:
The extra card draw from your enchantresses will fill your hand with lands, which this can bring out.
When you don't need it anymore, you can sacrifice it to play more enchantments and draw more cards.
Drawing one when you already have an enchantress out lets you basically play an extra land for free.
Drawing one with two (or more) enchantresses out is just a completely free extra draw.
Comments (14)
kitsunewarlock, this can't bring out duals because it only brings out BASIC forests, i.e., forests and snow-covered forests (as noted in the card's rulings).
Anyway, yeah, essentially gets land out faster, then replaces itself. fills a different niche than Exploration does, since that card works best with card draw or crucible of worlds shenanigans.
All of the Gaea's Touchs I've seen have that identical misprint. Granted, I've only seen two, but I get the impression that it is a very common misprint.
Interesting to note, a recent rules change means that this card's ability now puts a land from your hand onto the battlefield, rather than using the other possible wording, which would grant the ability to "play a land" one additional time per turn, or something like that. This is a subtle difference, but one that can matter for cards such as Horn of Greed or Burgeoning, which only count people playing lands (which is a specific game action), and not just lands entering the battlefield. This is functionally the same for abilities like landfall, though.
Why did Wizards change it? This certainly would NOT have been broken if it had that small extra bit of functionality. I know it often costs me a couple cards per game in my Azusa, Lost but Seeking EDH deck.
The extra card draw from your enchantresses will fill your hand with lands, which this can bring out.
When you don't need it anymore, you can sacrifice it to play more enchantments and draw more cards.
Drawing one when you already have an enchantress out lets you basically play an extra land for free.
Drawing one with two (or more) enchantresses out is just a completely free extra draw.