Pointed Discussion

good card!

A must have four-of for control decks.

"Good card" is one hell of an understatement...

A super powerful card in a mediocre set. I had a hell of a time trying to get a playset of these, because you had to in order to play type 2 at the time. 5/5 for all the pain it caused me.

Good old Port, on of the most powerful lands in MTG.

Just so people who didn't play back then can understand about this card...

This card was in every deck in Standard. You played Port to tap the opponent's Port, if nothing else. Control decks used it, Fires deck used it, Rebel decks used it.

It really punished multicolored decks, because during the opponent's upkeep you can tap a land they control - if that land is their only source of a color, your uncounterable land just screwed them over, big time. And if you had two (or more) Ports...

It was a very overpowered card, and not fun to play against at all.

This is the land of lands. I ran 4 of these in EVERY deck I built. It annoys my opponents just as if it were Strip Mines.

Yea, I'm still not sure why it's considered so good. I mean, aren't you essentially using two of your lands to lock down one of your opponent's lands? Is the idea that it gave you a fairly effective way to use any leftover mana you had after your turn was done?

@achilleselbow: The key is "lock down one of your opponent's lands". Think about it: if you use this during your oponents upkeep, it hurts them, but unless you're playing a deck with lots of instants, it doesn't hurt you. And it carries on: on your next turn, you get to untap everything, but that land on their side is still tapped. Rinse, lather and repeat to make for an annoying game. And as da-odd-templar said, in a time of Multicolour decks (from Invason/Masques standard era, at least), tapping down your opponents one Forest in a three-colour deck can devistate that turn, and having a Port yourself can mean the difference between a decisive win and being crippled by his.

There were four of it in every tourney deck of the time. Aggro, control, combo, you name it.

Something tells me it's worth playing.

Should have been printed as Legendary from a flavour and a balance perspective, although it'd probably still be too powerful.

The only land more annoying than Rishadan port is Maze of Ith. And Rishadan port shuts down Maze of Ith. For that, I am thankful.

To people saying its not worth tapping two of your lands to tap one of the opponent's lands, consider that Port also taps for a colorless, so its all up to you whether using your port is really interrupting your tempo or not.

A thought exercise for the naysayers: imagine this in Standard today. Imagine tapping a Kessig Wolf Run. Imagine tapping a Gavony Township. Imagine tapping an Inkmoth Nexus. Pretty good, no?

@Solarcanix. I don't know what Magic you've been playing, but I'm pretty sure than mana pools empty at the end of each step and phase. If your opponent taps their land in response to the Port during their upkeep, the mana is gone by the time they draw a card. This pretty much means that the only thing you could use that mana (colored or colorless) for would be an instant.

@deadapult
Thanks for the rule instruction. I only play casual games with friends, so I was unaware that unused mana empties during each phase rather than at the end of turn. Knowing this will change my rating of this card as well as my future tactics in the game. Thanks again.

The argument was made that this card was good because it was able to tap an opponents land during his upkeep, causing that land not to be available for his use which might hurt in a multicolored deck. Wouldn't the opponent be able to tap that land in response to the port trying to tap it? Sure, the opponent might not be able to use that color anyway, but he could use it to pay any colorless cost at least. At most, the opponent would be able to use the color to cast something. Even if he couldn't use that mana, now with mana burn gone, he isn't out anything because the land would've been tapped anyway. Still not getting why this land is considered good, other than of course it's effect on Maze of Ith, any creature lands, or lands with special abilities. Maybe I'm missing something here, so please forgive my ignorance.

I will gladly accept the honor of clearing up the confusion between jimbob (Rishadan Port is not impressive) and everyone else (Rishadan Port is awesome).

First off, there are important things to consider when examining this card. Jimbob expressed confusion as to why this card is worth upwards to $40. Well, tournaments offer prizes to winners- often booster packs- and as we all know booster packs cost real money. So cards that are involved in winning a tournament are real assets.

A person who doesn't play in tournaments has little reason to put a price tag on cards. Most of the time cards are either worthless or priceless (like my very first Islands)

So why is Rishadan Port so good in tournaments? I will have to explain two things to answer this question.
In Magic, especially in tournaments, the definition of "winner" and "loser" is 100% clear. Other games sometimes have multiple goals that players can reach. For instance, in Super Smash Bros. Melee (a fighting video game), the game keeps track of how many kills a player gets, what kinds of bonuses a player gets, and who is the last player standing. While the game does pick a winner based on what mode is being played, the title of "winner" can still be debated- somewhat (bear with me). In casual Magic games, some players are only concerned with executing a certain play (playing a certain good card or doing some high amount of damage) and not so much concerned with being the last player alive- and therefore being the winner.
One thing that turns people off about tournaments is that winning- according to Magic's definition- is the ONLY thing that matters PERIOD. This is a matter of very clear criteria: Which player's life total went below 1 first? Which player got more than 9 poison counters first? Which player was required to draw a card from an empty library first? Which player was affected by a spell or ability that forced them to win or lose the game? Yesterday I played a funny game against someone; both of us were using weird Proliferate decks. I won the game by poising my opponent to death. I was at 9 poison counters when I won. Had I not destroyed my opponent's Throne of Geth the turn before I won, then he could have sacrificed another artifact to the throne at the end of my turn and then the throne itself during his turn, which would've killed me. One tiny detail decided the game and you know what? In tournaments, most games are decided on the most small details. If you don't play in tournaments, then most games you see and experience are probably not close- at the point when the game is over, the winning player has 16 or more life with a full board of creatures and the losing player has only one creature. This leads me to my second point.
In tournaments, players do in fact LOSE because of the ONE TURN where that ONE PARTICULAR LAND they control was NOT UNTAPPED at the beginning of their precombat main phase. Also, in tournaments, a players chances of winning are HEAVILY affected by that player having exactly the mana they need precisely when they need it. Think about it: since when did you have 7 mana out and the Stormtide Leviathan in your hand spoke to you and said "Oh, well even though I cost 8 mana, I can spot you the 1 mana and come into play anyways", or, "Hey it's cool. I see you have 8 lands out even though only 7 of it is untapped right now because one of your land got tapped during your upkeep and, well, that one mana emptied from your pool.... it's cool dude. I understand your situation. That one mana is one the house".
This statement demonstrates two things: The more obvious point that tapping your opponent's lands can be useful, and the less obvious point that YOU need the mana you need when you need it. Rishadan Port contributes to both of these strategies. That is called versatility. You know what else? Rishadan Port does not cost any mana to play. As a matter of fact, it can produce a mana for you the very turn that it comes into play. It also can't be countered.

Lands are so important to 99% of every players' game plan. They are the back bone of our decks. Each land counts. Merely producing mana seems like an insignificant task. On the contrary, being able to make mana without using mana is broken as hell. So if a land makes mana for free AND does something else, then that land has gone far above and beyond the call of duty.

Not bad... not bad at all, especially early game.
But I still prefer the power of a good ol' Icy Manipulator once things really get going.

Keep in mind I'm talking about EDH/casual here,
not a deck made to deny the opponent mana, where this truly shines.

Banned in its own block, but legal everywhere else... oh mercadian masks...

@Enchantment_Removal: Okay, I get it, it's good in tournaments, but I still don't buy that argument for it being so expensive. Also, I PLAY IN TOURNAMENTS. In fact, I used to play in Masques tournaments, and I know it was good back then. But the argument of "it won tournaments" doesn't fly with me. Craw Giant used to win tournaments (trample and rampage 2!!). I've won tournaments with Ixidron, Sanctuary Cat, Trepanation Blade, Hellrider, Iona, Konda; and none of these cards are as expensive as Rishadan Port. People in my local card shops have tried to defend this too and I've always countered with either "I play a land" or "I destroy/exile/bounce Rishadan Port". If your deck relies so heavily on 1 land, it's time to rethink the deck. In my opinion, you've got to have more than 1 win condition and more than 1 way to achieve a win condition.
For example: I play a Forest and get a Sol Ring out on turn 1 (before you're able to activate Port). I then play a dual land (which you tap with the Port probably) and then I play a Lotus Cobra, effectively ending your plan. Or, if I'm playing green, I ramp way too fast for Port to matter. If I'm playing red, I blow it up. Blue? I Stifle/Squelch/Twiddle it. Black? Can't really do anything about it, but if I'm running mono-black I probably don't care (unless I'm running Cabal Coffers). White? O-Ring. Sure, I waste a card, but your "super-important land" is gone. If you want to bring up tournaments being won/lost by 1 land, maybe you shouldn't be making your land a target.
Sure, there are CERTAIN SITUATIONS where this is useful, but not enough to warrant a $40 price tag.


I really don't get why people keep praising this card. You're tapping TWO mana to lock down ONE land. There are only a couple situations in which this would be good. First, if it's in set, because Masques was slow. Second, if it's a double land (ie: Orhzov Basillica). Third, if they are EXTREMELY mana starved. Now, what I don't get it that there are BETTER cards for all of these!

Early Frost taps 3 lands. Enervate taps a land and you draw a card. Icy Manipulator taps a land too, even if it's late game (oh wait, Sol Ring is so prevalent that it doesn't matter) and it can tap mana rocks, which are more prevalent nowadays. Mana Short taps all a player's lands. Mind Games taps a land. Mistbind Clique taps all lands and it's a creature. Mole Worms locks down a land. Opposition makes all your lands tap other lands. Reality Ripple phases out a land. Ring of Gix taps a land. Twiddle taps a land. Vedalken Certarch taps a land.

Basically, in the games I play, I don't see how a land like this is "so O.P." and is still $40. Mana rocks are more prevalent and this can't tap artifacts, so the "mana screw/colour screw" argument just doesn't work for me. Manalith, Signets, Sol Ring, Cameos, Diamonds (even though they're pretty bad), Moxes, Mana Myrs, Attendants, Ramos parts, Borderposts, Lotus parts (or Lotus itself), Mana/Milikin, Eggs, Obelisks, and Talismans are ALL commonly run in Extended/Vintage, so Rishadan port is pretty useless in my opinion. It WAS good, but it's not that great now.

There's so many expensive lands in the tournament scene, its not surprising that this costs allot. Plus this is an old card that only has one printing. If you don't like the price tag, then don't buy it and don't complain about it. And prove that its not worth the money by competing and beating them when they are running these things... Jimbob you sound like a little girl...

I'd use this with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and Spreading Algae. Hey, I'm running Sylvan Scrying or Expedition Map to fetch Urborg anyway, so I probably only need one of these bad boys.

jimbob123432-- here's the first and most important part of the argument: It's a LAND, not a spell. All the cards you named that are 'better' than this card are spells. This costs no mana whatsoever to put down, and you can choose whether or not to activate it. For some "Utility Lands", as they're called, like Maze of Ith, you never even have to activate them, you just have the threat of them and they're used as deterrence. That type of move is much more common in multi-player, but some cards (again, Maze of Ith) are so good that you can effectively use deterrence in a 2-player game.

The second most important part of this card is super closely related to the first- it hits lands. It IS a land. It is its own best counter. It costs 0 resources to put down initially, and once you do, you are safe if your opponent has it. In some ways, this is a lot like the relationship Jace Beleren has to Jace, the Mind Sculptor, except that you want to play your Port first before the other guy, and you want to be the second guy to play a Jace so you can destroy their Big Jace with your Little Jace. On top of that, Rishadan Port doesn't just say 'tap target Rishadan Port'- it hits ANY. LAND. Any Land. For example those Maze of Iths I keep banging about. Or maybe it's an Urzatron piece. Or maybe Tolarian Academy. Or maybe who knows what. Rishadan Port is second only to Strip Mine in land disruption.

The fact that all lands are 0-drops is something which can't be understated enough, and it's part of why I think every 0-drop artifact ever, even the outdated 'bad' ones are completely viable in Kitchen Table decks against more 'serious' cards. It's also why some of the most incredible cards IN THE GAME are lands. Utility Lands like Maze of Ith, Manaproducers like Tolarian Academy, even Damage Sources on Lands are not to be overlooked. Shivan Gorge is no Grim Lavamancer sure, but it's legitimately good enough for multiplayer to make the cut. A spell that costs 2R that hits each player for 1, even at Instant Speed and uncounterable, would NOT be good enough.

Lands are not only 0-drops, they are REUSEABLE (most of the time). Let me think of the most powerful spells I can think of....Ancestral Recall and Time Walk. Devastating effects, insanely undercosted. You really want to counter these spells if you can. If you don't, your opponent gets something absolutely nuts...once. Then the cards go to the graveyard. Sure, they might have recursion in their deck, but the cards don't actually have flashback or buyback printed on them. Lands are spells that have buyback/flashback forever, at no further cost other than untapping, and they continue to do what you what them to do until they're destroyed. The activation cost on a land should be thought of as the buyback cost on a spell.

Being a 0-drop is good, and every 0-drop non-land card in the Modern frame is just awesome. So there is never going to be a comparison between a spell and a land over a similar effect. Put it on a land and the card becomes much stronger. Now yes, you should never ever EVER base your deck on being 'all about one great card'- but that doesn't mean 'don't put a great card in your deck'. If a card is great, use it.

Now evaluating the ability itself: well, everyone else does that all through the comments section here. I wanted to emphasize, for people that didn't think about it yet, how significant the difference is between lands and spells. It all boils down to this:

A) Lands are important
B) Utility Lands are GREAT
C) This is one of the best things to mess with both A and B, AND one of the best things to mess with ITSELF, which is a crucial point for metagaming. Pretty much targetting anything other than a Basic Land ought to yield good results, and targetting Island is, of course, always worth it. ;)

The artwork is so nice, it almost makes me forget how broken this card is.

Like many great cards, Rishadan Port is a hidden gem till people realized how powerful it is, so much so that cards in the set after it came out has to make new cards to hose it.

- If you play aggro and faces control, you can tap opponent's blue mana at the end of their turn, ensure they don't have the mana to counter your spell.
- You can tap man-land.
- You can tap any utility land your opponent plays such as Library of Alexandria, Maze of Ith, etc, to prevent them from being used freely.
- Cheaper than Icy Manipulator with Winter Orb combo.
- Being a land (hence non-spell), there's very few way to hinter the Port.
- Many, many more.

Best against Sorrow's Path.

They work in many decks, but none better than blue control. General strategy is, always reserve mana for counterspells in your hand, then play important cards if you have them, then lock down opponent's lands during their turn with ports. Why use a counterspell on their card this turn if you can prevent them from casting it entirely and save the counter for another turn?

"Hey, I've got an idea! We're trying to lower the power level of the game after the overpowered Urza's block, right? So let's do this. Let's reprint strip mine, but make it cost a mana each turn to keep the target land locked. What can possibly go wrong? One mana will make strip mine balanced, right?"

Here's a flow chart for how to use this:
-Are you ahead?
-> Yes -> Tap their land on their upkeep
-> No -> Why not?

From Mark Rosewaters Blogatog, September 08, 2013:

agahin asked: is Rishadan Port too strong to be reprinted?

Let me start by reminding you that I am not a developer and thus power level is not my area of expertise.

That said, yes.

Works really well with Æther Vial because you won't needing the mana anyway. Especially when you Wasteland them then vial in Thalia, Guardian of Thraben.

Really you just have to be smart with this card; Weigh the benefits of tapping out a certain land of opponent's at a certain time against using two less mana on your turn to cast spells, whether that be on your next turn or holding out from your last turn and using the Port on your opponent's turn. There are a lot of situations it'll be worth the slow-down in tempo, but obviously you don't use it every turn on just any land.

Seems like the 2-for-1 only really matters if you are behind. If you make your land drops every turn and happen to be on the play (and your opponent isn't ramping you) then it will always be more profitable to tap them down. Not to mention if they are playing Urzatron, Academy/cradle/Nykthos or wastelands this pretty much levels out the game.
I can't truly appreciate how annoying this card actually is since I haven't played it. I remember playing against a white weenie deck at my first FNM, where the other guy was playing Gideon's lawkeeper and I had virtually no removal spells to cope with them. I can imagine a format where this is legal at 4 to be kinda like that only worse.

This card is so good. I wish I would have never sold both of my playsets. When masques block was in standard city of brass was played heavy. Yeah I will keep tapping your city and ping you to death with it. I alway ran 4 in my land destruction and left the city of brass on the table for damage. Complete control and it won me plenty of tournaments.

I hate these kind of cards. They can be used in pretty much any deck, and you don't have much reason not to. It gives every deck a "if you can't beat 'em join 'em" attitude, and those that can't fork over the cash are left in the dust.