Caves of Koilos MTG Card
2001-06-04 - Number 140
2005-07-29 - Number 320★
2005-07-29 - Number 320
2007-07-13 - Number 350
2014-05-30 - Number 14
2014-07-18 - Number 241
2015-07-17 - Number 245
2016-11-11 - Number 285
2020-04-17 - Number 262
2021-04-23 - Number 283
2022-09-09 - Number 378
2022-09-09 - Number 244
2022-09-09 - Number 244s
2022-09-09 - Number 244p
2024-04-19 - Number 277
2024-06-14 - Number 328
2002-06-24 - Number 103482
| Card sets | Released in 17 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
oc T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. oc T: Add o W or o B to your mana pool. Caves of Koilos deals 1 damage to you.
Cards like Caves of Koilos
Caves of Koilos enters the realm of Magic: The Gathering as a part of the nuanced landscape of dual lands. Similar to cards like Battlefield Forge, Caves of Koilos offers players the flexibility to tap for either of two types of mana – in this case, white or black. What makes it distinctive is the option to produce either colorless mana without any penalty or colored mana with the trade-off of taking 1 damage. This dual nature provides a strategic edge in managing resources.
Furthermore, we have Brushland, a card that mirrors the functionality of Caves of Koilos, allowing players to tap for green or white mana with the same life loss caveat. Then there’s Llanowar Wastes, which operates virtually identically to Caves of Koilos but swaps the white mana for green. These counterparts are critical in deck building as they offer versatility in mana generation while also carefully considering the player’s life total.
Recognizing the balance between life points and mana accessibility is key in utilizing Caves of Koilos effectively in your MTG deck. Its ability to tap for colorless mana without a downside positions it as a vital piece in many strategies, emphasizing its significance among dual lands.
Cards similar to Caves of Koilos by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Caves of Koilos. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Esper Midrange | Standard | Esper Midrange | Standard League 2024-05-02 |
 | Esper Poison | Standard | Esper Poison | Standard Challenge 32 2024-05-04 |
 | Orzhov Midrange | Standard | Orzhov Midrange | Standard Preliminary 2024-05-03 |
 | Orzhov Humans | Pioneer | Orzhov Humans | Pioneer League 2024-05-03 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Caves of Koilos provides a reliable mana source without the limitation of entering the battlefield tapped, thereby maintaining a smooth and effective card economy within your play. Its dual nature allows for greater versatility when constructing your deck and planning your winning strategies.
Resource Acceleration: This land is a valuable asset for players looking to speed up their game. By offering immediate access to both white and black mana, Caves of Koilos can accelerate the deployment of key spells and creatures, propelling you ahead of your opponent in the crucial early to mid-game turns.
Instant Speed: Flexibility is king in MTG, and the ability to produce mana of two different colors at instant speed allows you to react swiftly to your opponent’s moves. This adaptability is crucial for responding to threats on the fly and for leveraging opportunities to turn the tide in your favor at a moment’s notice.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While not a direct demand, Caves of Koilos can indirectly pressure players into discarding valuable cards. This happens when they pay life to generate mana, reducing their strategic buffer against aggressive decks that could leverage that life loss for a quicker victory.
Specific Mana Cost: Despite its flexibility, Caves of Koilos offers color-fixed mana, which can lead to situations where the black or white mana it provides might not align with the diverse needs of a multi-colored deck, especially in the early game.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Access to both black and white mana comes at the cost of either a life point or producing colorless mana, which can be a costly trade-off. When decks demand efficient mana utilization, the drawback from Caves of Koilos may outweigh the benefits, especially when other lands could provide the same mana with fewer or no penalties.
Reasons to Include Caves of Koilos in Your Collection
Versatility: Caves of Koilos slots seamlessly into numerous deck archetypes due to its ability to produce both white and black mana. Its presence ensures that mana fixing is made easier for multicolor decks, especially in formats like Commander and Modern where the color consistency is crucial.
Combo Potential: Caves of Koilos works well within strategies that require a swift mana curve. It can help enable early-game combos and synergizes with cards relying on a stable color pool from the very first turns, without the wait that comes with lands entering the battlefield tapped.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta defined by aggressive multicolored decks or where life totals can be leveraged as a resource, its flexibility to provide two colors of mana with minimal downside is highly advantageous. As games become more fast-paced, having an untapped land that can pivot between two colors from the onset can be the difference between a win and a loss.
How to beat
Caves of Koilos is a versatile land card in Magic the Gathering that can be quite powerful in the right deck, especially those requiring a mana base that supports both white and black spells. To ensure victory against an opponent utilizing Caves of Koilos, one effective strategy is to minimize the advantage this card provides. This can be achieved by disrupting their mana base with land destruction or land modification spells.
Tools like Field of Ruin allow you to target and destroy this dual land, replacing it with a basic land, which could potentially hinder your opponent’s color fixing abilities. Ghost Quarter is another option, offering a similar effect without the replacement land. Moreover, using cards like Blood Moon can transform nonbasic lands into basic Mountains, negating the dual-mana benefits of Caves of Koilos and disrupting your opponent’s strategic plays.
Focus on controlling the tempo and make informed decisions that can minimize the impact of their mana base, ensuring that Caves of Koilos doesn’t tilt the match in their favor. Remember, the key is to deny your opponent the flexibility that this land provides and keep constant pressure on their resources.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Caves of Koilos MTG card by a specific set like Apocalypse and Magic Online Promos, 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 Caves of Koilos and other MTG cards:
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Printings
The Caves of Koilos Magic the Gathering card was released in 14 different sets between 2001-06-04 and 2024-06-14. Illustrated by 3 different artists.
Show/hide all sets| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001-06-04 | Apocalypse | APC | 140 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Jim Nelson | |
| 2 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 103482 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Lars Grant-West | ||
| 3 | 2005-07-29 | Ninth Edition | 9ED | 320★ | 2003 | Normal | Black | Jim Nelson | |
| 4 | 2005-07-29 | Ninth Edition | 9ED | 320 | 2003 | Normal | White | Jim Nelson | |
| 5 | 2007-07-13 | Tenth Edition | 10E | 350 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Jim Nelson | |
| 6 | 2014-05-30 | Modern Event Deck 2014 | MD1 | 14 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Jim Nelson | |
| 7 | 2014-07-18 | Magic 2015 | M15 | 241 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jim Nelson | |
| 8 | 2015-07-17 | Magic Origins | ORI | 245 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jim Nelson | |
| 9 | 2016-11-11 | Commander 2016 | C16 | 285 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jim Nelson | |
| 10 | 2020-04-17 | Commander 2020 | C20 | 262 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jim Nelson | |
| 11 | 2021-04-23 | Commander 2021 | C21 | 283 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jim Nelson | |
| 12 | 2022-09-09 | Dominaria United | DMU | 378 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Lars Grant-West | |
| 13 | 2022-09-09 | Dominaria United | DMU | 244 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Julian Kok Joon Wen | |
| 14 | 2022-09-09 | Dominaria United Promos | PDMU | 244s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Julian Kok Joon Wen | |
| 15 | 2022-09-09 | Dominaria United Promos | PDMU | 244p | 2015 | Normal | Black | Julian Kok Joon Wen | |
| 16 | 2024-04-19 | Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander | OTC | 277 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Julian Kok Joon Wen | |
| 17 | 2024-06-14 | Modern Horizons 3 Commander | M3C | 328 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Julian Kok Joon Wen |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Caves of Koilos has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Alchemy | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Caves of Koilos card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-06-22 | Like most lands, each land in this cycle is colorless. The damage dealt to you is dealt by a colorless source. |
| 2015-06-22 | The damage dealt to you is part of the second mana ability. It doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to. |