I feel sorry for Serra's Sanctum, living in the shadow of Gaea's Cradle and Tolarian Academy. It's still a fine card, even if it's not as ridiculously powerful as its siblings.
SlackWareWolf
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(11 votes)
Pffft. Tolarian with no Artifacts or a Shatterstorm casted isn't even worth an Island. Cradle after Wrath? Not even a Forest. who plays with Tranquility anymore though? Enchantress decks make this work better than Tolarian.
MasterOfEtherium
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(9 votes)
The Art Is Beautiful Totally Unique And Arcane Sanctum Looks Much Like This Which Is Also Very Stunning
DeviousPie
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(12 votes)
Serra's Sanctum is the Ringo Starr of Magic.
mrredhatter
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(4 votes)
U-B-E-R I run four of these along side four Deserted Temples in my Enchantment/Pegasus deck.
jilting_joker
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Awesome land card. Throw in Enchanted Evening and it becomes godly. I personally use this in an Angel/Enchantments Deck that I play just for fun. The deck consists of 4 Sigil of the Empty Thrones with some cheap cost enchants such as Serra's Hymn , Serra's Blessing , Angelic Renewal , and Aura of Silence. Works great thanks to Serra's Sanctum I can pay the heavy cost of Sigil of the Empty Throne during early game.
Great card. I rate a 5.
Ajani_is_da_man
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(7 votes)
terrible .5 stars
Belz_
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
@ jilting_joker
I also have an Angel/Enchantment deck although I also run Luminarch Ascension in addition to the Sigils. Serra's Sanctum would be awesome in that deck, if only I could find some...
storm_crow4presidnt
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Many an akroma have been cast with this land
izzet_guild_mage
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
-_- MasterOfEtherium, if the art is totally unique, how can another card look like it? Anywho, it may be the worst of the 3 busted lands, but it's still insanely good. It's too bad that any deck running it tends to look more or less the same :/
kronos539
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
open a new tab/window and search for "opal". no, seriously, do it RIGHT NOW! then click on this link for Replenish. god, what a pain in the bum deck. then there's green/white enchantress decks, ugh! just because it's not Tolarian Academy or Gaea's Cradle doesn't mean it's not insanely overpowered.
Kirbster
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(9 votes)
"Hey, Wizards development team, let's make another colour-cycle!"
"Yeah!"
"...but not finish it!"
"BRILLIANT!"
It's okay, though. Black later got Cabal Coffers, and red... well, red has some very nice direct damage spells.
*cough, cough*
TheSwarm
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(5 votes)
Yeah, enchanted evening anybody? Enchanted Evening plus Opalescense plus some other cards that my fairly young johnny mind doesn't know yet. Oh, greater auramancy... thatd be disgusting...
A3Kitsune
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Can power a first-turn win with Leylines and Opalescence.
dacow
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
Of the urza add x mana legendary lands, this is probably the worst one in terms of playability. But this card is just bursting from the seams with flavor and since almost every white deck i use is generally semi/heavy in enchantments this card is good is most decks i incorporate it in, while not integral. I love using it with the glorious anthem/crusade type cards and start ramping nuts
jsttu
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(8 votes)
A fun but unpractical deck uses this, opalescences, and 4 of every leyline but the first blue one in order to have an occasional turn 0 kill. If it works, nice, if it doesn't, the deck cannot do anything until it does. Awful deck, but when it works the expressions are priceless.
bijart_dauth
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
@AvatarOfHOE: yes they could attack, its irrelevant weather or not they were creatures at the start of your turn, just that they did exist. Other wise man lands would never be able to attack.
Hoonster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I've got a great idea for red version! : Add to your mana pool for each 1 damage your opponent took. I rigorously play tested it so that it is almost exactly powerful as Tolarian Academy.
Mystical_Tutor
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
In a Pegesis/enchantment deck a nice companion to this is Gaea's Cradle. Really helps run the Sacred Mesa and with no mana burn.... pump those babies out.
infernox10
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
@TheSwarm
Just be careful, have something like Honor of the Pure,
Or all your lands are toast.
AvatarOfHOE
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Yep, thanks guys, I see it now.
Still, in a 60 card deck containing 4 Serra's Sanctum, 4 Opalescence, and 33 Leylines (seems risky to have 4 of the singularity one in light of the legend rule), the probability of drawing that chicken dinner of an opening hand is about .000234 or a little more than 1 every 5 thousand hands, if my math is right. And what you'd do with those other 19 cards of constructed space is beyond me. So, it works, but it's extremely inefficient. And, as someone said, the deck would be trash without the perfect hand or a favorable 1st or second turn draw.
sarroth
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
@Kirbster: They did finish the cycle. Phyrexian Tower and Shivan Gorge are both rare, Legendary Lands in Urza's Saga, and those 5 lands are the only Legendary Lands in that set. Just because they don't read "{T} add X to your mana pool for each __________" doesn't mean they're not part of the cycle.
I don't even care about the power level of this card, I love the art. It's going in my Rafiq of the Many Commander deck only because it fits the Enchantment theme the deck has, not because of how powerful it is. Hopefully I don't get hated out too much for that building decision; the card was too expensive to have bought to not be able to play it.
TheMurderousKitten
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Good times in my Zur the Enchanter EDH deck. Basically ramping my mana by an extra every turn. And if I'm also casting enchantments from my hand (which I frequently do, since the deck is about 50% enchantments), the speed of the mana ramp increases. Just a shame I can only run one of these in EDH.
tavaritz
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Am I the only one who thinks that WotC should have changed what to count between this and Gaea's Cradle?
Think about it. Green enchanterss decks would love to get muchos mana per enchantments and white weenie would do the same with creatures.
OmegaSerris
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Sorry, tavaritz, I think you are alone in that. Green is known WAY more for it's creatures than it's enchantments. Green is also the color to splash for enchantment hate (as it typically works on artifacts too, where white only hates on enchantments.) But I can see your point about white's soldiers and tokens. It's just that green is more creature based than white.
zenitramleirdag
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i run 1 in my parfait deck...
CorkBulb
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Wow! A card that rewards me for playing all those Oblivion Rings! It's not as useful as the other lands in the set, like Tolarian Academy, because it takes awhile to play a bunch of enchantments. They are also plenty of 0-drop creatures and artifacts so the other lands benefit much more much faster, and enchantments are generally more limited. Still, anything that helps get those big-drop-spells out faster helps.
4/5
blazestudios23
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I run this in a deck where at least 1/3 of the cards are enchantments with Sigil of the Empty Throne, Walking Archive, Celestial Ancient (which buffs the archive so I draw insane amounts of cards and buffs the angels, but I have to run an enchantment that only lets your opponent cast one card each term, I can't recall the name) and Mesa Enchantress. And but some Golden Wish's in the deck and I can pull any card I need to stop any opponent. Don't forget to add 4 Emeria, the Sky Ruin as well. When you are drawing so many cards you tend to draw games out and play a lot of lands.
Anzu-chan
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(1 vote)
The lest broken of the cycle, but very effective mana producer if you have many enchantments of course.
Enchantress deck like this a lot.
TheAj
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I wish Tolarian Academy had art as good as cradle or this.
bolttotheface
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Oh look, its the white Tolarian Academy. Reminds me of the white Ancestral Recall.
Cyberium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Guess where I get mana for my Words of Wilding, Worship, Wind, War, and Waste?
DarthParallax
★☆☆☆☆ (1.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Oh how I wish this was better than Gaea's Cradle! :/
Not even Kaalia Decks will change this card's ranking in relation to the other two very much, sadly, but it's still pretty cool. for what it does. :)
EDIT: I have a theory for how to play this and actually feel very casual and 'legitimate' ^_^ !!!
The most balanced out of the horribly broken cycle.
AlphaWolfs
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
With each of the new Enchantment cards coming out, this would be rather interesting to see a W/G Enchantment Creature deck that uses this and Gaea's Cradle. Considering that each creature coming out is enchantment/creature....
That being said, I feel that the enchantment creatures are going to need Hexproof, Shroud, Protection, or Indestructible. Otherwise, they are ganna get shitted on.... >_>
How was this all the way down to '4/5' overall, this is nucking futs...
This became even more broken *>.>* with the advent of Theros, now you have enchantment creatures, so this becomes a white Gaea's Cradle *Go Figure* that has the potential to do some even more stupid things.
Sure, this one isn't as obviously broken as the blue/green ones, but its still better than 99% of lands in the game, even if it only taps for 2 mana the turn you play it, and in a Enchantments Matter deck this taps for way beyond a measly 2 mana
Actually, the deck with leylines that jsttu mentioned isn't that bad, with serum powders to mull into this (you almost always will eventually get a sanctum) and a every enchantment tutor for opalescense, add in the fact that it main decks the most powerful hate against burn, reanimator, and dredge, you've for yourself a fairly resilient and fast combo deck. You won't be winning any big tourney's with it, but it causes many "I just lost to WHAT?" reactions.
LunarAvenger
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Some of the lands in Urza's Saga bend the laws of physics. Check out the Plains from this set too.
Comments (42)
I run four of these along side four Deserted Temples in my Enchantment/Pegasus deck.
Great card. I rate a 5.
I also have an Angel/Enchantment deck although I also run Luminarch Ascension in addition to the Sigils. Serra's Sanctum would be awesome in that deck, if only I could find some...
MasterOfEtherium, if the art is totally unique, how can another card look like it?
Anywho, it may be the worst of the 3 busted lands, but it's still insanely good. It's too bad that any deck running it tends to look more or less the same :/
"Yeah!"
"...but not finish it!"
"BRILLIANT!"
It's okay, though. Black later got Cabal Coffers, and red... well, red has some very nice direct damage spells.
*cough, cough*
I rigorously play tested it so that it is almost exactly powerful as Tolarian Academy.
Just be careful, have something like Honor of the Pure,
Or all your lands are toast.
Still, in a 60 card deck containing 4 Serra's Sanctum, 4 Opalescence, and 33 Leylines (seems risky to have 4 of the singularity one in light of the legend rule), the probability of drawing that chicken dinner of an opening hand is about .000234 or a little more than 1 every 5 thousand hands, if my math is right. And what you'd do with those other 19 cards of constructed space is beyond me. So, it works, but it's extremely inefficient. And, as someone said, the deck would be trash without the perfect hand or a favorable 1st or second turn draw.
I don't even care about the power level of this card, I love the art. It's going in my Rafiq of the Many Commander deck only because it fits the Enchantment theme the deck has, not because of how powerful it is. Hopefully I don't get hated out too much for that building decision; the card was too expensive to have bought to not be able to play it.
Think about it. Green enchanterss decks would love to get muchos mana per enchantments and white weenie would do the same with creatures.
4/5
Enchantress deck like this a lot.
Not even Kaalia Decks will change this card's ranking in relation to the other two very much, sadly, but it's still pretty cool. for what it does. :)
EDIT: I have a theory for how to play this and actually feel very casual and 'legitimate' ^_^ !!!
1x Tolarian Academy
1x Serra's Sanctum
1x Gaea's Cradle
2x Shivan Oasis
2x Urborg Volcano
1x Yavimaya Coast
1x Adarkar Wastes
1x Caves of Koilos
1x Llanowar Wastes
1x Karplusan Forest
1x Shivan Reef
3x Terramorphic Expanse
2x Forest
2x Mountain
2x Plains
2x Island
2x Swamp
1x Gerrard Capashen
1x Karn, Silver Golem
1x Mirri, Cat Warrior
1x Hanna, Ship's Navigator
1x Squee, Goblin Nabob
1x Captain Sisay
1x Stormscape Battlemage
1x Nightscape Battlemage
1x Thunderscape Battlemage
1x Sunscape Battlemage
1x Thornscape Battlemage
4x Armadillo Cloak
4x Tribal Flames
3x Evasive Maneuver
4x Exploding Borders
2x Coalition Relic
1x Tinker
1x Legacy Weapon
1x Skyship Weatherlight
1x Mirari
1x Eye of Ramos
1x Tooth of Ramos
1x Skull of Ramos
1x Horn of Ramos
Did I miss anything? I believe the intent is clear :)
Needs more enchantments. Suggestions? :D
You forgot the iconic cards Tahngarth, Talruum Hero, Vindicate, Urza's Rage, Phyrexian Arena, Thran Dynamo... The list could go on forever.
If only the story of the Legacy could be represented in a 60-card deck.
Battle of Wits?!
That being said, I feel that the enchantment creatures are going to need Hexproof, Shroud, Protection, or Indestructible. Otherwise, they are ganna get shitted on.... >_>
This became even more broken *>.>* with the advent of Theros, now you have enchantment creatures, so this becomes a white Gaea's Cradle *Go Figure* that has the potential to do some even more stupid things.
Sure, this one isn't as obviously broken as the blue/green ones, but its still better than 99% of lands in the game, even if it only taps for 2 mana the turn you play it, and in a Enchantments Matter deck this taps for way beyond a measly 2 mana
5/5 Stars