Sanctum Plowbeast MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Common
Type	Artifact Creature — Beast
Abilities	Cycling,Defender,Islandcycling,Landcycling,Plainscycling
Released	2009-04-30
Set symbol
Set name	Alara Reborn
Set code	ARB
Power	3
Toughness	6
Number	10
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Anthony Francisco

Key Takeaways

Cycling Sanctum Plowbeast enables card advantage and accelerates resource gathering during gameplay.
The ability to cycle at instant speed allows for flexibility and strategic depth, adapting to ever-changing game states.
While powerful, its higher mana cost and specific mana requirements influence deck design and strategy.

Text of card

Defender Plainscycling , islandcycling (, Discard this card: Search your library for a Plains or Island card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The cycling ability of Sanctum Plowbeast offers a subtle yet effective card advantage. By discarding it from your hand, you can draw a new card, helping to ensure that you’re not stuck with a dead draw and can continue your game plan without interruptions.

Resource Acceleration: One of the key features of Sanctum Plowbeast is its capacity to filter through your deck. When cycling, you can potentially unearth critical land cards or the necessary resources to propel your game forward faster. This form of acceleration is particularly valuable because it allows you to maintain a steady pace in the game while simultaneously thinning your deck to reach more impactful cards more quickly.

Instant Speed: Cycling can be performed at instant speed, which means you can decide during an opponent’s turn whether to cycle Sanctum Plowbeast or keep it for a more strategic play later. This flexibility ensures you’re never caught off guard and always have access to options as the game unfolds, keeping your opponents guessing and allowing you to adapt to any situation.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Sanctum Plowbeast necessitates a card discard if you opt to use its cycling ability. This trade-off means potentially losing a valuable card in your hand which could be detrimental when you’re in need of maintaining a varied arsenal of spells.

Specific Mana Cost: Deck building with Sanctum Plowbeast requires careful mana planning as its mana cost demands both white and blue mana. This specificity can be restricting as it predominantly fits Azorius or multicolored strategies, potentially excluding it from mono-colored or other two-colored deck variations.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of seven mana, Sanctum Plowbeast is on the higher end of the mana curve. In the current meta, there are creatures and spells with lower casting costs and comparable or superior abilities, which could serve a deck’s strategy more efficiently.

Reasons to Include Sanctum Plowbeast in Your Collection

Versatility: Sanctum Plowbeast offers a flexible role in any deck. It can serve as a sizeable blocker on the field or can be cycled away to help you search for a crucial land card, ensuring you don’t miss critical land drops.

Combo Potential: When you cycle Sanctum Plowbeast, not only do you get a new card, but you also trigger any effects that respond to cycling or when a player draws a card. This synergy can be woven into a variety of powerful cycling and drawing strategies.

Meta-Relevance: With its ability to smooth out land draws and function in cycling decks, Sanctum Plowbeast holds relevance in formats where games often hinge on consistent land plays and where strategies involving drawing and graveyard recursion are successful.

How to beat Sanctum Plowbeast

Sanctum Plowbeast presents itself as an intriguing defensive option with its cycling ability, allowing players to draw a card while potentially fetching a basic land card due to its basic landcycling attribute. This card fits snugly into decks that emphasize on maximizing the value of each card played and those looking to thin their deck for a more consistent draw. Notably, the Plowbeast is a creature that demands attention, especially in limited formats where its size can dominate the battlefield.

To counter this behemoth effectively, it’s important to employ removal spells or abilities that bypass its bulk. Options like Path to Exile or Murderous Cut can handle the Plowbeast efficiently without triggering its basic landcycling. Additionally, relying on exile effects or utilizing cards with Unearth can offer a tactical advantage, sidestepping the Plowbeast’s impact on the game. Timing is key; remove it before the opponent can capitalize on its cycling or presence on the battlefield.

Ultimately, overpowering Sanctum Plowbeast calls for a strategic approach that includes preemptive removal or strategies that mitigate its cycling benefit. Recognizing when to let it cycle and when to strike can be the difference between a stalled game or a steadily advancing position towards victory.

Cards like Sanctum Plowbeast

In the diverse world of MTG, Sanctum Plowbeast stands out with its unique combination of abilities. As a cycling card, it shares similarities with other cards that utilize the cycling mechanic, such as Eternal Dragon. Both allow players to cycle them for a similar cost, though Sanctum Plowbeast also fetches a basic land card when cycled, setting it apart from its counterparts.

Another comparison is with Krosan Tusker, which also offers the utility of cycling with an additional benefit. Cycling Krosan Tusker allows you to draw a card and fetch a basic land, much like Sanctum Plowbeast. However, the Tusker provides this effect at a lower cycling cost, which can be crucial in games where mana efficiency is key.

Lastly, Valley Rannet also falls into the comparable category, with cycling that fetches a specific land type, giving it a more targeted approach than Sanctum Plowbeast’s basic land search. Each of these cards caters to different aspects of gameplay strategy, but Sanctum Plowbeast holds its own with its domain ability, making it a versatile pick for decks that can capitalize on various types of land cards.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sanctum Plowbeast MTG card by a specific set like Alara Reborn, 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 Sanctum Plowbeast and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sanctum Plowbeast has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sanctum Plowbeast card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2009-05-01	A landcycling ability lets you search for any card in your library with the stated land type. It doesn’t have to be a basic land.
2009-05-01	Landcycling is a form of cycling. Any ability that triggers on a card being cycled also triggers on a card being landcycled. Any ability that stops a cycling ability from being activated also stops a landcycling ability from being activated.
2009-05-01	Unlike the normal cycling ability, landcycling doesn’t allow you to draw a card. Instead, it lets you search your library for a land card of the specified land type, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
2009-05-01	You can choose to find any card with the appropriate land type, including nonbasic lands. You can also choose not to find a card, even if there is a land card with the appropriate type in your library.
2009-05-01	You may only activate one landcycling ability at a time. You must specify which landcycling ability you are activating as you cycle this card, not as the ability resolves.