Antarctic Research Base MTG Card
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Plane — Earth |
| Abilities | Investigate |
| Released | 2023-10-13 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Doctor Who |
| Set code | WHO |
| Number | 567 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Planar |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Erikas Perl |
Text of card
When you planeswalk to Antarctic Research Base and at the beginning of your upkeep, investigate. Whenever chaos ensues, put X +1/+1 counters on target creature you control, where X is the number of artifacts you control. It becomes a Plant in addition to its other types.
Cards like Antarctic Research Base
Antarctic Research Base enters the arena of Magic: The Gathering as a unique land card with a flavorful twist. Its characteristics remind us of renowned cards like Halimar Depths, allowing you to look at the top cards of your library. Nevertheless, Antarctic Research Base couples this ability with an innovation by requiring snow mana to unlock its potential. Halimar Depths, in contrast, lacks the snow mana stipulation and offers immediate deck manipulation upon entering the battlefield.
Exploring other related cards, we come across Scrying Sheets. This snowy land shares the theme of utilizing snow mana for its effect, which in this case is filtering the top card of the deck. While Antarctic Research Base focuses on the set up of future plays, Scrying Sheets provides a more direct approach to deck quality control, albeit without the upside of drawing a card. Snow-Covered Islands also deserve a mention as a source of snow mana that helps to activate the unique abilities of cards like Antarctic Research Base, tying the subset of snow cards together in Magic: The Gathering.
Ultimately, Antarctic Research Base offers a strategic edge in decks built around snow synergies, carving out a niche that is both thematic and mechanically distinct from its counterparts.
Cards similar to Antarctic Research Base by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Antarctic Research Base shines by providing consistent card filtering every turn. This ensures you’re not just drawing cards but accessing quality options that push your strategy forward. Drawing extra cards in MTG often sets you on the path to victory, as it denies your opponents the information about your hand and steadily increases your resources.
Resource Acceleration: Antarctic Research Base can also specialize in resource acceleration. By allowing you to untap a crucial mana source, it ensures that you’re well ahead of your rivals in terms of available mana. This sacred advantage can be the turning point in summoning game-changing spells that dictate the match’s pace and outcome.
Instant Speed: The ability to interact at instant speed cannot be overstated. Buccaneer makes defensive maneuvers or combo executions a breeze. By leveraging instant-speed interactions, you maintain a level of unpredictability and flexibility, keeping your adversaries always guessing and one step behind.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Antarctic Research Base commands a unique play condition — you must discard a card to reap its benefits. While this can synergize with strategies focused on graveyard play, it may put you at a disadvantage during critical moments when hand size is of the essence.
Specific Mana Cost: Boasting an ability influenced heavily by a rigid mana arrangement, Antarctic Research Base requires a precise combination of colors. This restriction may render the card less flexible, confining it to decks that can consistently meet its eclectic mana demands.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that stands on the heftier side, this card’s effectiveness is subject to debate. Players might find themselves weighing its potential against other options that could either be more cost-effective or suit their deck’s pace and strategy more aptly.
Reasons to Include Antarctic Research Base Card in Your Collection
Versatility: Antarctic Research Base card is an asset for various deck archetypes, especially those looking to capitalize on land strategies or needing consistent access to snow mana. Its ability to operate as both a mana source and a conditional board presence booster makes it a valuable addition.
Combo Potential: This card enables crafty players to unlock powerful synergies, particularly within decks that revolve around snow permanents and landfall mechanics. Its unique ability to create snow creature tokens lends itself to intricate and potentially game-ending combos.
Meta-Relevance: Given the fluctuating nature of the game, cards like Antarctic Research Base may shine against the right backdrop. In a meta heavy with creature-based strategies or where snow synergies are underserved, it can become an unexpected linchpin, helping savvy players to navigate and dominate the competitive landscape.
How to beat Antarctic Research Base
Antarctic Research Base is one of those unique land cards in Magic: The Gathering that offers incremental advantage over time, much like the pacing of a patient research expedition. It accumulates knowledge counters whenever one or more snow lands enter the battlefield under your control, simultaneously allowing you to draw a card once you’ve reached three knowledge counters. This ability can be a thorn in your side, mirroring the constant accumulation of data one might expect from a diligent scientific outpost.
To effectively counter this, prioritize land destruction or enchantment removal spells that can disrupt the base’s setup. Strategies like using Ghost Quarter to target specific lands or employing enchantments that restrict land abilities can turn the tide of the match. Speed is also key – applying aggressive tactics to pressure your opponent will limit their ability to leverage the value Antarctic Research Base provides. Another method includes employing artifact removal such as Abrade, that way you can handle not just the base itself but also the tools – in this case, the creatures that benefit from its land type.
When facing Antarctic Research Base, remember to pack your deck with the right answers, keep a brisk pace, and you’ll increase your chances of keeping this chilly research operation from unlocking the secrets to a victory.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Antarctic Research Base MTG card by a specific set like Doctor Who, 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 Antarctic Research Base and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Antarctic Research Base card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-10-13 | If you control no artifacts for the chaos ability, you will still choose a target creature you control, and it will still become a Plant in addition to its other types. |