Bayou MTG Card
1993-08-05 - Number 278
1993-10-04 - Number 279
1993-12-01 - Number 279
1993-12-10 - Number 279
1993-12-10 - Number 279
1994-04-01 - Number 283
1994-04-01 - Number 283
1994-06-21 - Number 283
2009-09-07 - Number 204
2011-01-02 - Number 2019A
2011-01-02 - Number 2021B
2011-01-10 - Number 242
2014-06-16 - Number 293
2022-11-28 - Number 274
2022-11-28 - Number 571
2002-06-24 - Number 43604
| Card sets | Released in 16 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land — Swamp Forest |
Text of card
Counts as both swamp and forest and is affected by spells that affect either. Tap to add either o B or o G to your mana pool.
Cards like Bayou
The Bayou card is a cherished component in the Magic: The Gathering dual land repertoire. Its invaluable ability to tap for either black or green mana without entering the battlefield tapped places it alongside the famed “original dual lands” set. Comparable to Overgrown Tomb from the Ravnica block, the tomb also provides both colors but differs in that it may come into play tapped or provide the flexibility of untapped potential at the cost of life.
Additionally, there’s the distinguished Llanowar Wastes from the Apocalypse set, which consistently offers the color choice for a mana at the expense of a life point, presenting a predictable but costly alternative. Woodland Cemetery, part of the Innistrad block, offers a similar flexibility in mana generation but is contingent on controlling a forest or swamp to avoid entering play tapped, adding a conditional aspect to deck design.
While assessing these alternatives highlights Bayou’s strong suit—its combination of immediate availability and versatility without a direct cost, asserting its position as an iconic land card for players seeking an edge in multicolored green and black decks in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Bayou by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Bayou. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Beanstalk Control | Legacy | Beanstalk Control | Legacy Showcase Challenge 2024-04-21 |
| Sultai Scam | Legacy | Sultai Scam | Legacy Showcase Challenge 2024-04-21 |
 | Sultai Midrange | Vintage | Sultai Midrange | Vintage Challenge 32 2024-04-21 |
| Beseech Storm | Legacy | Beseech Storm | Legacy League 2024-04-24 |
 | Reanimator | Legacy | Reanimator | Legacy Challenge 32 2024-04-21 |
| Maverick | Legacy | Maverick | Legacy League 2024-04-21 |
 | Cradle Control | Legacy | Cradle Control | Legacy Showcase Challenge 2024-04-21 |
 | 5c Stoneblade | Legacy | 5c Stoneblade | Legacy Challenge 32 2024-04-24 |
| 5c Control | Legacy | 5c Control | Legacy Preliminary 2024-04-24 |
| The EPIC Storm | Legacy | The EPIC Storm | Legacy Challenge 32 2024-04-21 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Playing Bayou in your deck allows you steady access to two types of mana (black and green), essential for smooth gameplay and enabling the use of powerful multi-colored cards without the risk of being constrained by a single mana type. This strategic advantage can keep you one step ahead of your opponent.
Resource Acceleration: As a dual land card, Bayou serves as an accelerant for your resources, tapping for either type of mana. This flexibility facilitates a more efficient and swift development of your board state, allowing you to deploy threats or answers ahead of schedule.
Instant Speed: While Bayou itself is not an instant, having it in your land base ensures that you have the necessary mana readily available to cast spells at instant speed. This means you can react to your opponent’s moves in real-time, often during their turn, making Bayou a key component in decks that thrive on adaptability and surprise.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Bayou does not require you to discard cards to play, it’s worth noting that your hand might be affected if you need to adjust your strategy to accommodate its specific mana abilities within your deck.
Specific Mana Cost: Bayou provides both black and green mana, which is incredibly specific. This can be limiting if your deck strategy isn’t aligned with these colors or if you’re facing color hate cards in a match.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Due to the high demand for original dual lands like Bayou, their acquisition cost for your deck is significantly higher compared to more common alternatives, potentially impacting your budget for other cards.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Bayou is a dual land card, crucial for any deck that runs on both black and green mana. Its ability to provide either type of mana without any drawback makes it a powerful asset in a wide array of decks, enhancing consistency and fluidity in gameplay.
Combo Potential: Bayou serves as the perfect foundation for numerous combos, particularly in legacy and vintage formats where land-based strategies are prominent. It helps enable devastating plays with cards that require both colors, smoothing the way for game-winning sequences.
Meta-Relevance: With a continued presence in competitive play, Bayou maintains its importance in the current meta, especially in decks like Sultai midrange or Golgari graveyard strategies. It’s a card that has proven to be a timeless fixture across various MTG metagames.
How to beat
Bayou is a staple dual land in MTG known for its ability to tap for both black and green mana without any drawback. Overcoming the advantage Bayou provides is about disrupting your opponent’s mana base. Land destruction cards are an effective tool against it. Cards like Ghost Quarter offer a way to remove Bayou from the battlefield, potentially hindering your opponent’s color-specific strategy.
Strategies incorporating land hate, like Blood Moon or Back to Basics, can make Bayou just as ineffective as any basic land by removing its dual nature. Against decks using Bayou, you can also employ graveyard hate. Cards like Rest in Peace or Scavenging Ooze can target the strategies that tend to exploit lands like Bayou, cutting off the benefits from cards that interact with the graveyard.
Understanding how crucial lands like Bayou are to a deck’s functionality allows you to plan and execute disruption effectively. Keeping the pressure on your opponent by limiting their resources is key to leveling the playing field and neutralizing the threat of powerful lands such as Bayou in your MTG matches.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Bayou MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Bayou 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Bayou Magic the Gathering card was released in 14 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by 4 different artists.
Show/hide all sets| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993-08-05 | Limited Edition Alpha | LEA | 278 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Jesper Myrfors | |
| 2 | 1993-10-04 | Limited Edition Beta | LEB | 279 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Jesper Myrfors | |
| 3 | 1993-12-01 | Unlimited Edition | 2ED | 279 | 1993 | Normal | White | Jesper Myrfors | |
| 4 | 1993-12-10 | Intl. Collectors' Edition | CEI | 279 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Jesper Myrfors | |
| 5 | 1993-12-10 | Collectors' Edition | CED | 279 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Jesper Myrfors | |
| 6 | 1994-04-01 | Revised Edition | 3ED | 283 | 1993 | Normal | White | Jesper Myrfors | |
| 7 | 1994-04-01 | Foreign Black Border | FBB | 283 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Jesper Myrfors | |
| 8 | 1994-06-21 | Summer Magic / Edgar | SUM | 283 | 1993 | Normal | White | Jesper Myrfors | |
| 9 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 43604 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Karl Kopinski | ||
| 10 | 2009-09-07 | Masters Edition III | ME3 | 204 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Jesper Myrfors | |
| 11 | 2011-01-02 | Legacy Championship | OLGC | 2019A | 2015 | Normal | Black | Raoul Vitale | |
| 12 | 2011-01-02 | Legacy Championship | OLGC | 2021B | 2015 | Normal | Black | Sidharth Chaturvedi | |
| 13 | 2011-01-10 | Masters Edition IV | ME4 | 242 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Jesper Myrfors | |
| 14 | 2014-06-16 | Vintage Masters | VMA | 293 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Karl Kopinski | |
| 15 | 2022-11-28 | 30th Anniversary Edition | 30A | 274 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jesper Myrfors | |
| 16 | 2022-11-28 | 30th Anniversary Edition | 30A | 571 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Jesper Myrfors |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Bayou has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Bayou card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-10-01 | This has basic land types, but it isn’t a basic land. Things that affect basic lands don’t affect it. Things that affect basic land types do. |
| 2008-10-01 | This has the mana abilities associated with both of its basic land types. |