Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway MTG Card
2021-02-05 - Number 291
2021-02-05 - Number 252
2021-02-06 - Number 252s
2020-09-26 - Number KHM-252
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
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Cards like Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway
In the dynamic world of land cards within Magic: The Gathering, Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway shines with flexibility. This modal double-faced card permits a choice between two land types, akin to a fork in the road – an invaluable option for mana fixing in dual-colored decks. Its peers, such as the eminent Branchloft Pathway // Boulderloft Pathway, offer similar two-way benefits, enabling clean mana adjustment when needed.
Another parallel can be drawn with Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway. Both belong to the Pathway Lands introduced in the Zendikar Rising set, yet each catering to different color pairs. Their shared trait is the lack of entry tapped which sets them apart from dual lands like Temple of Epiphany, frequently entering play tapped and thus delaying the pace of the game.
Whether optimizing for speed or flexibility, players must weigh their options. While Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway doesn’t provide additional abilities beyond mana fixing, its immediate playability remains an undeniable strength within the selection of land cards available in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway offers a strategic edge by effectively providing two land options in one card, enabling better consistency in your deck’s performance and reducing the chances of drawing a non-beneficial land later in the game.
Resource Acceleration: This modal double-faced card accelerates your mana resources by allowing you to choose the color of mana you need at the moment, supporting a smoother mana curve and enabling faster deployment of your hand’s threats.
Instant Speed: Though the card itself does not operate at instant speed, it allows for instant speed plays by offering untapped land on demand. This ensures you are always ready to respond to an opponent’s actions with your own tricks and removals without falling behind on land drops.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Despite the versatility in mana fixing, Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway necessitates a deck-building restriction that centers around dual colors, which may force players to discard other valuable multicolor options that don’t align with the pathway’s black/red identity.
Specific Mana Cost: Tailored for decks that specifically require black or red mana, this card potentially represents a bottleneck for users looking to maximize mana diversity. Its strict color identity can hinder the development of decks that thrive on a wider mana spectrum.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While not bearing a mana cost itself, the opportunity cost of including Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway in a deck could be considered high against other utility lands or color-fixing options that offer additional abilities or resources aside from simply producing mana.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway is a dual-modal land, which means it can seamlessly adapt to your mana needs in-game. This flip card provides the flexibility of choosing either black or red mana, making it a perfect inclusion in multicolored decks that require consistent mana fixing.
Combo Potential: Given the land’s ability to tap for two different types of mana, it opens up numerous combo opportunities. It partners exceptionally well with cards that capitalize on landfall triggers or cards that benefit from having a diverse mana base for multi-color activation costs.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where land destruction is less prevalent, having a modal dual-faced card like Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway ensures that your mana base remains flexible and resilient. Its importance increases in fast-paced games where color consistency can make or break your strategy.
How to beat
Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway presents a strategic element in Magic: The Gathering for its flexibility in mana bases. As a modal double-faced land card, it enables players to choose the mana color they need for their plays—black or red—denoting a high utility on the battlefield. Its prominence in multicolored decks highlights the importance of adaptability in game scenarios.
Overcoming the adaptability offered by Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway requires a distinct approach. Land destruction or control strategies can mitigate the benefits that this dual-color land provides. Employing cards that specifically restrict land activations or using effects that modify the rules by which certain lands operate can be effective methods. Additionally, capitalizing on the card’s inability to provide mana of both colors simultaneously can be an angle to exploit, especially if the player is heavily relying on that flexibility to cast spells with stringent mana requirements.
Adaptation and preemptive planning are key to outmaneuvering the versatility of Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway. By integrating land disruption or targeting strategies into your game, you can diminish the impact and advantage that such a flexible land card provides to an opponent. Proper deck construction with cards tailored to counter such versatile lands can lead to a more favorable position during your matches.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway MTG card by a specific set like The List and Kaldheim, 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 Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway and other MTG cards:
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Printings
The Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-02-05 and 2021-02-06. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The List | PLST | KHM-252 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Ravenna Tran | ||
| 2 | 2021-02-05 | Kaldheim | KHM | 291 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Borderless | Johannes Voss | |
| 3 | 2021-02-05 | Kaldheim | KHM | 252 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Ravenna Tran | |
| 4 | 2021-02-06 | Kaldheim Promos | PKHM | 252s | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Ravenna Tran |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-02-05 | A modal double-faced card can’t be transformed or be put onto the battlefield transformed. Ignore any instruction to transform a modal double-faced card or to put one onto the battlefield transformed. |
| 2021-02-05 | If an effect allows you to play a land or cast a spell from among a group of cards, you may play or cast a modal double-faced card with any face that fits the criteria of that effect. |
| 2021-02-05 | If an effect allows you to play a specific modal double-faced card, you may cast it as a spell or play it as a land, as determined by which face you choose to play. If an effect allows you to cast (rather than “play”) a specific modal double-faced card, you can’t play it as a land. |
| 2021-02-05 | If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name, the name of either face may be chosen. If that effect or a linked ability refers to a spell with the chosen name being cast and/or a land with the chosen name being played, it considers only the chosen name, not the other face’s name. |
| 2021-02-05 | If an effect puts a double-faced card onto the battlefield, it enters with its front face up. If that front face can’t be put onto the battlefield, it doesn’t enter the battlefield. |
| 2021-02-05 | In the Commander variant, a double-faced card’s color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered. |
| 2021-02-05 | The mana value of a modal double-faced card is based on the characteristics of the face that’s being considered. On the stack and battlefield, consider whichever face is up. In all other zones, consider only the front face. This is different than how the mana value of a transforming double-faced card is determined. |
| 2021-02-05 | There is a single triangle icon in the top left corner of the front face. There is a double triangle icon in the top left corner of the back face. |
| 2021-02-05 | To determine whether it is legal to play a modal double-faced card, consider only the characteristics of the face you’re playing and ignore the other face’s characteristics. |