Marsh Flats MTG Card


Marsh Flats’ shuffling ability ensures smoother draws and can fetch potent dual lands for quicker plays. Limited to fetching Plains or Swamp, its demand and cost may strain MTG deck resources and budgets. Flexibility makes Marsh Flats a meta-relevant card, while its synergy improves manifold deck archetypes.
Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeLand

Text of card

, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Marsh Flats: Search your library for a Plains or Swamp card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.


Cards like Marsh Flats

Marsh Flats is a prominent land card in MTG that enables players to fine-tune their mana base. Notably, Marsh Flats allows for the fetching of a Plains or Swamp card, placing it directly onto the battlefield at the cost of 1 life. This fetch land is often weighed against other cards in its family, like Verdant Catacombs, which works under a similar mechanism. What sets Marsh Flats apart is its capacity to pull from two specific land types.

Arising as an alternative, Flooded Strand carries out a similar function but targets Plains and Island cards instead. This difference tailors it to a different deck archetype. On comparing mana utility, Polluted Delta emerges, which also seeks out Swamp cards but extends to include Island cards, offering flexibility for blue-black mana users. Each of these cards has its place depending on the deck’s needs and format.

Assessing these fetch lands, Marsh Flats holds its ground, especially in white-black deck builds where it assures smoother mana flow, thereby sustaining the pace and effectiveness of gameplay in MTG. Its synergy with staple land types makes it a preferred choice within its class.

Verdant Catacombs - MTG Card versions
Flooded Strand - MTG Card versions
Polluted Delta - MTG Card versions
Verdant Catacombs - MTG Card versions
Flooded Strand - MTG Card versions
Polluted Delta - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Marsh Flats by color, type and mana cost

Cathedral of Serra - MTG Card versions
Mishra's Factory - MTG Card versions
Bad River - MTG Card versions
Griffin Canyon - MTG Card versions
Ice Floe - MTG Card versions
Ghost Town - MTG Card versions
Urza's Mine - MTG Card versions
Hall of Tagsin - MTG Card versions
City of Brass - MTG Card versions
Bloodstained Mire - MTG Card versions
Zoetic Cavern - MTG Card versions
Grixis Panorama - MTG Card versions
Rupture Spire - MTG Card versions
Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions
Tectonic Edge - MTG Card versions
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions
Buried Ruin - MTG Card versions
Wasteland - MTG Card versions
Eldrazi Temple - MTG Card versions
Maze of Ith - MTG Card versions
Cathedral of Serra - MTG Card versions
Mishra's Factory - MTG Card versions
Bad River - MTG Card versions
Griffin Canyon - MTG Card versions
Ice Floe - MTG Card versions
Ghost Town - MTG Card versions
Urza's Mine - MTG Card versions
Hall of Tagsin - MTG Card versions
City of Brass - MTG Card versions
Bloodstained Mire - MTG Card versions
Zoetic Cavern - MTG Card versions
Grixis Panorama - MTG Card versions
Rupture Spire - MTG Card versions
Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions
Tectonic Edge - MTG Card versions
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions
Buried Ruin - MTG Card versions
Wasteland - MTG Card versions
Eldrazi Temple - MTG Card versions
Maze of Ith - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Marsh Flats. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Orzhov ScamOrzhov Scam LegacyOrzhov ScamLegacy League 2024-05-07
Rakdos ScamRakdos Scam ModernRakdos ScamModern Challenge 32 2024-05-06
Abzan StonebladeAbzan Stoneblade LegacyAbzan StonebladeLegacy League 2024-05-07
Esper ControlEsper Control ModernEsper ControlModern Preliminary 2024-05-06 (1)
Goryo's VengeanceGoryo's Vengeance ModernGoryo's VengeanceModern Preliminary 2024-05-07
Esper StonebladeEsper Stoneblade LegacyEsper StonebladeLegacy League 2024-05-07
Azorius StonebladeAzorius Stoneblade LegacyAzorius StonebladeLegacy League 2024-05-07
Boros MidrangeBoros Midrange ModernBoros MidrangeModern Preliminary 2024-05-07 (1)
Cephalid BreakfastCephalid Breakfast LegacyCephalid BreakfastLegacy League 2024-05-07
Crab VineCrab Vine ModernCrab VineModern Preliminary 2024-05-07 (1)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Marsh Flats paves the way for a smoother draw by shuffling your library, offering a fresh card from the top on your next draw phase. This minor change could be the difference between getting a pivotal card or not.

Resource Acceleration: By exchanging Marsh Flats for one of the powerful dual lands in your deck, you effectively ramp up your mana resources. This allows for quicker deployment of your game-changing cards and can give you a critical edge during matches.

Instant Speed: This land can be sacrificed at instant speed, providing flexibility in your play. Whether you’re responding to an opponent’s end-of-turn actions, or you simply want to wait to see what you might draw, Marsh Flats grants you the choice to act swiftly and unexpectedly, often leaving opponents second-guessing your strategy.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Marsh Flats enables you to search for a Plains or Swamp card and put it onto the battlefield, but it does require you to sacrifice it, a form of discard that can affect board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: While Marsh Flats can fetch for specific land types, it cannot get any land card you may need. This limitation can be restrictive for decks that are not focused on white or black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the cost of activating Marsh Flats is zero, obtaining it could be resource-intensive due to its higher market price compared to other fetch lands or land cards with similar abilities, potentially impacting your deck’s budget.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Marsh Flats offers flexible mana fixing capabilities, allowing you to search your deck for a Plains or Swamp card. This adaptability makes it a valuable addition to multiple deck archetypes, especially in formats that value consistent mana bases.

Combo Potential: This land has synergy with cards that benefit from land entering the battlefield or cards heading to the graveyard. Fetch lands like Marsh Flats pave the way for powerful interactions and can be a key component in setting up game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment rich with multicolored decks, having access to different types of mana with ease is crucial. Marsh Flats maintains its importance across various meta shifts, offering both speed and resource optimization that can often be the difference between victory and defeat.


How to beat

Marsh Flats steps into the realm of land cards with a special ability that tends to elevate its play compared to typical lands in Magic: The Gathering. It stands out by granting players the ability to search their library for a Plains or Swamp card and put it onto the battlefield, at the expense of sacrificing Marsh Flats and paying 1 life.

To counteract the strategic advantage Marsh Flats provides, the focus should be on land control strategies. Utilizing cards like Ghost Quarter to disrupt your opponent’s mana base prevents them from obtaining the colors they need when they need them. You can also turn to powerful spells like Blood Moon to limit the utility of such nonbasic lands by transforming them into basic Mountains, which can be quite detrimental to your opponent’s strategy. Lastly, incorporating Leonin Arbiter into your deck can be a game-changer since players will need to pay an additional cost to search their libraries, which makes the activation cost of Marsh Flats much less appealing. By implementing these tactics and focusing on land disruption, you can effectively diminish the impact of Marsh Flats in your matches.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Marsh Flats MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Zendikar, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Marsh Flats and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Marsh Flats Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2009-10-02 and 2021-06-19. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 913972015NormalBlackIzzy
22009-10-02ZendikarZEN 2192003NormalBlackIzzy
32015-10-02Zendikar ExpeditionsEXP 212015NormalBlackRyan Yee
42017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 2392015NormalBlackIzzy
52020-05-29Secret Lair: Ultimate EditionSLU 12015NormalBlackAlayna Danner
62020-09-25Zendikar Rising ExpeditionsZNE 62015NormalBlackSam Burley
72021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 2482015NormalBlackIzzy
82021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 4371997NormalBlackIzzy
92021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 4762015NormalBlackIzzy
102021-06-19Modern Horizons 2 PromosPMH2 248s2015NormalBlackIzzy

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Marsh Flats has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal