Burning Sands MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment |
| Released | 2001-10-01 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Odyssey |
| Set code | ODY |
| Number | 180 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Ron Spencer |
Text of card
Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from play, that creature's controller sacrifices a land.
"Pain teaches lessons no scholar can." —Kamahl, pit fighter
Cards like Burning Sands
In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, the card Burning Sands is a distinctive enchantment that stands out for its punishing mechanism upon creature death. Comparable cards, such as Grave Pact, echo this cruel dynamic by compelling all players to sacrifice creatures whenever a creature you control dies. Yet, while Grave Pact is symmetrical in its effect, Burning Sands solely affects the creature’s controller, potentially safeguarding your own board presence.
Another related card is Tainted Aether, which also forces a sacrifice. The difference lies in the trigger condition – Tainted Aether activates upon a creature entering the battlefield rather than leaving it. This creates a proactive defense unlike Burning Sands’ retributive nature. Then there’s Dictate of Erebos, which mirrors Grave Pact’s reciprocal sacrifice but at a higher mana cost. It does, however, offer the upside of flash, allowing for strategic timing that Burning Sands doesn’t provide.
In summation, while exploring cards that center around sacrifice, Burning Sands can be a strategic inclusion in decks that aim to disrupt opponents’ creature strategies. Its unique unilateral effect can swing the game significantly, making it a card worth considering alongside or even over its counterparts.
Cards similar to Burning Sands by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Burning Sands provides a unique method to maintain card superiority. It transforms every creature’s demise into a potential land disadvantage for your opponent, ensuring that even in death, your creatures continue to influence the game’s state.
Resource Acceleration: This card synergizes with strategies that sacrifice creatures for beneficial effects. While not directly accelerating resources, it disrupts opponents’ mana bases, slowing them down and granting you a relative acceleration in resources.
Instant Speed: Though not an instant itself, Burning Sands interacts advantageously with cards of instant speed. It allows you to utilize removal spells on your terms, potentially triggering the card’s effect during your opponent’s turn and setting them back significantly.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: In order to harness Burning Sands’ effect, a player must be prepared to lose creatures. This mandatory sacrifice can severely deplete your board presence, leaving you vulnerable to opponents.
Specific Mana Cost: With a cost that leans heavily into the red mana pool, it places a limitation on deck-building, primarily benefiting mono-red strategies or those that can afford a high red mana curve.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Demanding a total of five mana to play, this card competes for a spot in your deck against other impactful five-mana spells that may offer immediate advantages or more versatile responses during gameplay.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Burning Sands is a dynamic card that can slide into various deck archetypes, particularly those revolving around creature-based strategies or sacrificing mechanics. Its ability to continually impact the board state makes it a compelling choice for several deck builds.
Combo Potential: With its unique effect that turns creatures into land destruction tools upon death, Burning Sands can synergize with self-sacrifice themes or decks that capitalize on creature deaths. It can significantly hinder opponents who rely on essential lands for their game plan.
Meta-Relevance: In metas where creature control and recovery are prevalent, Burning Sands can serve as a potent deterrent to mass removal spells. It acts as a safeguard by turning each creature into a potential threat to your opponent’s mana base, thereby altering their play decisions.
How to Beat
Burning Sands is a notable card for Magic the Gathering players who enjoy strategy and forward-thinking in their gameplay. This enchantment can be particularly challenging to overcome due to its unique feature of forcing players to sacrifice a land whenever a creature goes to the graveyard. This ability can quickly turn the tide of the game by depleting an opponent’s mana base, hence knowing how to effectively navigate around it is key to maintaining control of the game.
When faced with Burning Sands, one efficient method is to employ removal spells that bypass the battlefield, such as exile effects. Utilizing cards like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares can neutralize creatures without instigating Burning Sands’ ability. Moreover, strategies that rely less on creatures and more on spells can mitigate the card’s impact, as can leveraging graveyard retrieval capabilities to recover sacrificed lands. Implementing indirect creature strategies, like tokens, can also be effective because the loss of a single land for multiple tokens might be an acceptable trade-off.
Ultimately, understanding your deck’s adaptability and the range of responses it houses can be the deciding factor when up against Burning Sands. Plan your strategies with countermeasures in mind, and you’ll enhance your prospects of triumphing over this forceful enchantment.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Burning Sands MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey, 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 Burning Sands 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Burning Sands has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |