Botanical Plaza MTG Card
2022-04-29 - Number 350
2022-04-29 - Number 247
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
Botanical Plaza enters the battlefield tapped. : Add or . , , Sacrifice Botanical Plaza: Draw a card.
Cards like Botanical Plaza
Botanical Plaza enters the landscape of land cards in MTG with a unique versatility. Resembling cards like Hinterland Harbor, which also enters the battlefield untapped if you control a Forest or an Island, Botanical Plaza offers a similar condition but with the added option of gaining one life. Unlike Hinterland Harbor’s complete lack of life gain, this small but significant addition can make a noteworthy difference in tight games.
Examining Selesnya Sanctuary, another land with a life-based ability, Botanical Plaza doesn’t return a land to your hand, thereby avoiding a potential loss of tempo. Although Selesnya Sanctuary does provide additional color fixing by yielding two types of mana, Botanical Plaza’s entrance untapped under the right circumstances offers immediate access to mana.
Botanical Plaza finds its place sitting comfortably between various dual lands in MTG, offering life gain without compromising speed, assuming the land condition is met. It’s a testament to MTG’s intricate balancing act that even the smallest features like life gain can adjust a card’s position in a player’s strategy and deck building considerations.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Botanical Plaza provides a unique deck filtering option upon entering the battlefield, allowing players to sort through the top cards of their library. This subtle form of card advantage gives a strategic edge by arranging upcoming draws to suit current game needs, or even by digging for specific answers or threats.
Resource Acceleration: As a dual land, Botanical Plaza ramps up your mana resources immediately, granting access to two different colors of mana. This acceleration is vital for multicolored decks that need consistent mana sources early in the game to play a variety of spells on curve.
Instant Speed: Being able to lay down Botanical Plaza and have it untapped for immediate use can be advantageous in situations where tempo is critical. The potential to operate at instant speed means players can react to opponents’ actions without losing momentum, providing flexibility and keeping opponents guessing.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One potential downside of Botanical Plaza is that using its special ability might come with a discard requirement. This can be a tough pill to swallow, particularly if you’re running low on cards and every piece of your hand is vital for maintaining your game strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: Botanical Plaza’s activation cost may require a specific mana type which could potentially limit its integration into multicolor decks. Players need to ensure that their mana base can reliably generate the required colors to get the most out of this card’s functionality.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering Botanical Plaza’s abilities in the context of its cost, it may emerge as a costlier option. There are scenarios where players find other lands or mana resources that offer similar benefits without such a significant investment, making alternative choices more appealing for some strategies.
Reasons to Include Botanical Plaza in Your Collection
Versatility: Botanical Plaza offers valuable flexibility for decks that run on a green and blue mana base. It is an ideal land choice for various archetypes, including but not limited to Simic ramp, control, or combo decks. Its ability to tap for either green or blue mana without coming into play tapped if you meet the conditions makes it a seamless addition to your mana pool.
Combo Potential: For decks that pivot around landfall mechanics or those that benefit from the type of lands in play, Botanical Plaza can be a key component. It can also aid strategies reliant on having a certain number of lands in play or those that require both green and blue mana for powerful combos.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where the speed of play and the efficiency of mana bases are critical, Botanical Plaza provides a solution without the drawback of entering tapped in the right deck. This can be especially relevant in current formats where timing is essential for maintaining tempo against competitive decks.
How to beat
Botanical Plaza presents players with a strategic land card that can enhance the mana base in multi-colored MTG decks. Optimizing mana accessibility, it mirrors the functionality of the Ravnica shock lands but with a twist. Instead of paying life points to deploy the land untapped, players are presented with a choice that aligns with the mana fixing and tempo strategies.
Confronting Botanical Plaza requires a keen eye for disruption and timing. Land destruction spells or effects, such as Field of Ruin or Ghost Quarter, can handicap the advantage it provides, but they must be used judiciously to prevent a counter-strategy. Additionally, the choice players make between entering the battlefield tapped or untapped can be influenced by cards that punish or inhibit untapped lands, adding pressure and potentially disrupting an opponent’s curve.
Understanding the pivotal role of land plays in MTG, countering Botanical Plaza effectively can hinge on forcing difficult decisions or limiting the benefits it confers, which can be a decisive factor in controlling the flow of the game and edging out a victory against decks that rely on its advantages.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Botanical Plaza MTG card by a specific set like Streets of New Capenna and Streets of New Capenna, 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 Botanical Plaza 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 Botanical Plaza Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2022-04-29 and 2022-04-29. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2022-04-29 | Streets of New Capenna | SNC | 350 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Olga Tereshenko | |
| 2 | 2022-04-29 | Streets of New Capenna | SNC | 247 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Grady Frederick |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Botanical Plaza has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |