Ash Barrens MTG Card
2016-11-11 - Number 56
2016-11-16 - Number 72
2018-03-16 - Number 236
2018-06-08 - Number 235
2019-08-23 - Number 227
2019-11-07 - Number 1656
2020-04-17 - Number 255
2020-08-07 - Number 310
2022-04-29 - Number 386
2022-06-10 - Number 880
2022-10-07 - Number 265
2022-10-07 - Number 265★
2022-11-18 - Number 174
2022-12-02 - Number 809
2023-06-23 - Number 295
2023-08-04 - Number 419
2023-10-13 - Number 257
2023-10-13 - Number 848
2024-02-09 - Number 248
2024-03-08 - Number 781
2024-03-08 - Number 253
2024-06-14 - Number 318
2002-06-24 - Number 69983
2019-12-02 - Number 469
2020-09-26 - Number CM2-235
| Card sets | Released in 25 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Land |
| Abilities | Basic landcycling,Cycling,Landcycling |
Text of card
: Add to your mana pool. Basic landcycling (, Discard this card: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.)
Cards like Ash Barrens
Ash Barrens is a dynamic land card in Magic: The Gathering that stands out for its Basic Landcycling ability. This feature allows players to exchange the card for a basic land of their choice, ensuring they get the mana they need at a critical moment. Comparable to this is the Evolving Wilds card, which also optimizes mana fixing. However, Evolving Wilds puts the land onto the battlefield tapped, whereas Ash Barrens gives the choice to bring it into your hand or play it untapped for a flexible mana boost.
Terramorphic Expanse is another card that echoes this land-search motif, yet with the same limitation as Evolving Wilds, requiring the fetched land to enter the battlefield tapped. While both share a similarity in fetching a basic land, they lack the immediacy and choice that Ash Barrens offers. Conversely, the card Myriad Landscape elevates land fetching by allowing for two basic lands to be put onto the battlefield tapped, doubling the land output but at a higher activation cost and slower setup compared to Ash Barrens’ direct approach.
Comparing these options, Ash Barrens surely has a unique spot in terms of agility and mana smoothing capabilities, making it highly regarded among players who value flexibility and speed in their land base.
Cards similar to Ash Barrens by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Ash Barrens. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | UR | Pauper | Pauper Challenge 32 2024-04-28 | |
 | Familiars | Pauper | Familiars | Pauper Challenge 64 2024-04-28 |
| Jeskai Ephemerate | Pauper | Jeskai Ephemerate | Pauper League 2024-04-29 |
 | Cycle Storm | Pauper | Cycle Storm | Pauper Challenge 64 2024-04-28 |
 | Dimir Control | Pauper | Dimir Control | Pauper Challenge 64 2024-04-28 |
 | Bogles | Pauper | Bogles | Pauper Challenge 64 2024-04-28 |
| Grixis Control | Pauper | Grixis Control | Pauper Challenge 64 2024-04-28 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Ash Barrens may not let a player draw cards directly, but its Basic Landcycling ability offers strategic selection, ensuring land drops or aiding in finding the right mana needed for crucial plays.
Resource Acceleration: This land itself accelerates your mana resources by enabling better mana consistency, significantly reducing the chances of being color-locked at critical game moments.
Instant Speed: Ash Barrens’ Basic Landcycling can be activated at instant speed, allowing a player to adapt to the evolving board state and search for the required basic land type on an opponent’s turn or in response to an action.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Ash Barrens provides flexibility in mana fixing, it necessitates the discard of the card itself to activate its Basic Landcycling ability. This can potentially reduce hand advantage, particularly in formats or decks where preserving card count is crucial.
Specific Mana Cost: Accessing the Basic Landcycling of Ash Barrens requires a generic mana investment. Although this might seem trivial, in the early game stages or in mana-tight situations, having to pay even a single mana might delay other plays or disrupt intricate mana curves.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering the opportunity to put the land directly into play, Ash Barrens’ entering the battlefield tapped presents a slower alternative to other land options. Competing cards may offer untapped land access immediately, allowing for a more efficient and aggressive tempo.
Reasons to Include Ash Barrens in Your Collection
Versatility: Ash Barrens provides a rare level of flexibility for land cards, able to ensure you have the right color of mana exactly when you need it. Its Basic Landcycling ability makes it a reliable choice in decks that are mana color-intensive or for those looking to avoid being mana-locked at crucial game moments.
Combo Potential: The ability of Ash Barrens to fetch a basic land is not just good for fixing your mana; it can also be used to synergize with landfall abilities or other mechanics that are triggered upon lands entering the battlefield, thus enhancing various strategic plays.
Meta-Relevance: In any MTG format where the meta shifts rapidly and decks need to adapt quickly, Ash Barrens stands out as a staple that can adjust to the changing demands of the gameplay, maintaining its place as an effective tool in various competitive playstyles.
How to beat
Ash Barrens is a unique land card in the world of Magic: The Gathering that provides mana fixing capabilities essential for diverse and multicolored decks. Unlike basic lands, its Basic Landcycling ability allows you to search for a basic land card and put it directly into your hand for a nominal fee, ensuring that you get the color of mana you need exactly when you need it.
To effectively counter Ash Barrens, strategic use of land destruction or denial tactics can be quite effective. Land destruction cards disrupt your opponent’s mana base, potentially leaving them unable to utilize the specific mana they fetched. Cards that prevent players from searching their libraries, such as Aven Mindcensor or Stranglehold, can also prove to be valuable as they negate the Basic Landcycling advantage provided by Ash Barrens.
Considering the key role mana plays in any match, controlling your opponent’s ability to manage theirs can be a decisive move. When you hinder their search with Ash Barrens, you meet not just a land card but a broader strategy head-on, maintaining the upper hand as you play your game.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Ash Barrens MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Commander 2016, 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 Ash Barrens 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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Printings
The Ash Barrens Magic the Gathering card was released in 22 different sets between 2016-11-11 and 2024-06-14. Illustrated by 6 different artists.
Show/hide all sets| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 69983 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Avon | ||
| 2 | 2016-11-11 | Commander 2016 | C16 | 56 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | |
| 3 | 2016-11-16 | Treasure Chest | PZ2 | 72 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | |
| 4 | 2018-03-16 | Masters 25 | A25 | 236 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | |
| 5 | 2018-06-08 | Commander Anthology Volume II | CM2 | 235 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | |
| 6 | 2019-08-23 | Commander 2019 | C19 | 227 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | |
| 7 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1656 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | |
| 8 | Secret Lair Drop | SLD | 469 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Piotr Dura | ||
| 9 | 2020-04-17 | Commander 2020 | C20 | 255 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | |
| 10 | 2020-08-07 | Double Masters | 2XM | 310 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | |
| 11 | The List | PLST | CM2-235 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | ||
| 12 | 2022-04-29 | New Capenna Commander | NCC | 386 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | |
| 13 | 2022-06-10 | Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate | CLB | 880 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Avon | |
| 14 | 2022-10-07 | Warhammer 40,000 Commander | 40K | 265 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Sergei Leoluch Panin | |
| 15 | 2022-10-07 | Warhammer 40,000 Commander | 40K | 265★ | 2015 | Normal | Black | Sergei Leoluch Panin | |
| 16 | 2022-11-18 | The Brothers' War Commander | BRC | 174 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | |
| 17 | 2022-12-02 | Jumpstart 2022 | J22 | 809 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | |
| 18 | 2023-06-23 | Tales of Middle-earth Commander | LTC | 295 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Sergio Cosmai | |
| 19 | 2023-08-04 | Commander Masters | CMM | 419 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | |
| 20 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 257 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Oliver Wetter | |
| 21 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 848 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Oliver Wetter | |
| 22 | 2024-02-09 | Murders at Karlov Manor Commander | MKC | 248 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro | |
| 23 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 781 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Sergei Leoluch Panin | |
| 24 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 253 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Sergei Leoluch Panin | |
| 25 | 2024-06-14 | Modern Horizons 3 Commander | M3C | 318 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jonas De Ro |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Ash Barrens has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |