Gem Bazaar MTG Card

Rarity	Common
Type	Land
Released	1997-04-01
Set symbol
Set name	Astral Cards
Set code	PAST
Number	12
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Liz Danforth

Key Takeaways

Gem Bazaar offers card advantage and refines your hand for strategic gameplay at crucial moments.
This land accelerates mana resources, dramatically influencing the game’s pace in your favor.
It allows for maneuvers at instant speed, providing unexpected twists during matches.

Text of card

When Gem Bazaar comes into play, choose a random color. : Add to your mana pool one mana of the color last chosen. Then choose a random color.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gem Bazaar enables you to sift through your deck and secure the gems you need to outshine your opponents. With each activation, you refine your grip on the game, ensuring that you’re holding the most advantageous cards when you need them.

Resource Acceleration: This card acts as a gleaming marketplace for your mana resources, turning your treasures into a formidable arsenal. It’s not just about having resources; it’s about having them quicker and more efficiently than your adversaries, setting the pace of the match in your favor.

Instant Speed: The beauty of Gem Bazaar lies in its flexibility. You can activate it when the moment is most opportune, without telegraphing your strategic plans. Like a hidden gem waiting to be discovered, the timing of its use can dazzle an opponent and turn the tide in an instant.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Gem Bazaar demands players to discard a card to activate its ability, which can deplete your hand, potentially leaving you at an advantage during later stages of the game if you cannot replenish your card stock swiftly.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting requirement for Gem Bazaar includes a heavy focus on a specific color combination. This can present a deck-building challenge, as including it might require you to tweak your mana base or potentially impact the consistency of your play strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For what it offers, Gem Bazaar’s activation cost might be seen as steep, especially when compared to other cards in the same mana range that could provide more immediate board impact or utility without additional costs.

Reasons to Include Gem Bazaar in Your Collection

Versatility: Gem Bazaar exhibits flexibility by slotting into various deck archetypes. Its ability to provide any color of mana aligns with decks seeking a smooth mana curve and diverse color requirements.

Combo Potential: This land shines in its combo-enabling potential, as it can act as a catalyst for activated abilities or card synergies that require mana diversity, often seen in multicolored decks.

Meta-Relevance: With an ever-shifting competitive landscape, having a land like Gem Bazaar could prove advantageous, especially in formats where deck tactics can hinge on consistent access to all mana colors.

How to beat

Gem Bazaar steps into the world of Magic: The Gathering as a noteworthy card with the potential to weave a tapestry of mana opportunities, similar to what cards like Cultivate or Kodama’s Reach offer to players. It provides a distinctive twist to the mana acceleration and fixing capabilities by setting up a network of conditional mana capabilities. However, just like any card in MTG, Gem Bazaar has vulnerabilities that can be exploited.

To effectively combat the advantages that Gem Bazaar provides, disrupting your opponent’s game plan is key. Employing land destruction strategies with cards like Field of Ruin can upend the mana base that Gem Bazaar aims to fortify. Another powerful tactic involves the use of counter spells, such as Dovin’s Veto or Negate, to stop Gem Bazaar from hitting the battlefield in the first place. Players can also manipulate their own decks to include cards that strip benefits away from opponents, for instance, by using artifact removal spells like Disenchant to deal with Gem Bazaar’s produced tokens.

Understanding and interrupting the rhythm of your opponent’s mana flow is an essential part of mastering the game. By focusing on this strategy, you can reduce the impact of a card like Gem Bazaar and maintain control over the course of the match.

Cards like Gem Bazaar

Gem Bazaar joins the ranks of mana fixing cards in Magic: The Gathering, sharing the stage with prominent names like Rupture Spire. Much like Rupture Spire, Gem Bazaar requires a payment when it comes into play, but instead of merely providing one mana of any color it taps for three different colors at once, making it especially useful in multicolored decks. Yet, it does enter the battlefield tapped, a limitation that Rupture Spire shares.

Another related card is Gateway Plaza, which also taps for one mana of any color, enters tapped, and demands a mana payment. However, Gem Bazaar elevates the value by catering to a broader spectrum of color requirements. Exotic Orchard can be seen in the same category, freely generating mana based on the colors your opponents have available; however, it lacks the predictability and control provided by Gem Bazaar.

Evaluating the spectrum of mana fixers, Gem Bazaar’s ability to tap for multiple colors places it as a desirable option, particularly in decks that demand a wide array of hues to cast a varied spell repertoire. Its unique advantage in generating a diverse palette of mana solidifies its place within the pantheon of color fixing lands.

Cards similar to Gem Bazaar by color, type and mana cost

Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions

Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gem Bazaar MTG card by a specific set like Astral Cards, 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 Gem Bazaar and other MTG cards: