Thornwood Falls MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 19 setsSee all
RarityCommon
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Enables casting multicolored spells earlier by providing both green and blue mana.
  2. The life gained upon entry can be a significant advantage in prolonged games.
  3. Enters the battlefield tapped, potentially delaying immediate mana use.

Text of card

Thornwood Falls enters the battlefield tapped. When Thornwood Falls enters the battlefield, you gain 1 life. : Add or to your mana pool.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thornwood Falls offers a subtle form of card advantage by effectively granting you an additional life upon entry to the battlefield. While it may not add a card to your hand, this life gain can be pivotal in prolonging your presence in the game, giving you more opportunities to draw and play the cards that will lead to victory.

Resource Acceleration: As a land card that taps for both green and blue mana, Thornwood Falls aids in resource acceleration by providing access to two colors of mana with a single land. This dual nature facilitates more efficient mana usage and can assist in casting multicolored spells sooner than you might with basic lands.

Instant Speed: While lands do not operate at instant speed, the intrinsic value of Thornwood Falls lies in its immediate impact when it comes into play. The life gained is a guaranteed immediate benefit, and having access to two types of mana can instantly expand your strategic options for future turns.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Thornwood Falls provides a benefit upon entering the battlefield, it doesn’t escape from the trend of lands entering tapped, which can set you back a turn in terms of mana availability.

Specific Mana Cost: Thornwood Falls demands a deck that runs both green and blue mana. This specificity can restrict its inclusion in your deck, especially if your strategy doesn’t align with a Simic (green/blue) color combination.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When you’re in need of immediate mana acceleration, Thornwood Falls may not be the optimal choice. Its entrance tapped means you can’t utilize that mana until your next turn, unlike basic lands or other untapped mana sources that are available right away.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Thornwood Falls is a dual land card that taps for both green and blue mana, making it a flexible choice for multicolor decks, particularly in commander and casual formats where consistency is key.

Combo Potential: This land enters the battlefield tapped, but its ability to gain you one life can interact with strategies revolving around life gain. It can be a small yet relevant piece in combos or synergies that feed off life total increments.

Meta-Relevance: While it may not be the top pick for high-speed competitive formats, Thornwood Falls holds its place in slower, more strategic games. It is especially pertinent in environments where the game pace allows for tapped lands and where the life gained can mean the difference between victory and defeat.


How to beat

Thornwood Falls is a common land card that finds its place in many MTG decks, specifically those that run green and blue mana. Its dual land nature means it can tap for either green or blue mana, which is crucial for mana fixing in multicolored decks. What sets Thornwood Falls apart from basic lands is its ability to gain life when it enters the battlefield, albeit with entering tapped as a downside.

Overcoming the advantage provided by Thornwood Falls requires a strategic approach. Since it’s a land card, direct removal like Assassin’s Trophy or Field of Ruin can swiftly deal with it, ensuring your opponent doesn’t benefit from its dual capabilities. On the other hand, playing aggressively can minimize the impact of the life gained by putting pressure on your opponent and reducing their life total regardless of the incremental gain from such lands.

Another key tactic is land-denial through cards like Blood Moon which can render nonbasic lands less effective. By converting Thornwood Falls into a basic Mountain, you strip away its benefits while influencing your opponent’s mana base. Understanding and implementing these strategies can substantially reduce the edge Thornwood Falls grants, helping secure your path to victory.


Cards like Thornwood Falls

Thornwood Falls serves as a staple in the realm of lands within Magic: The Gathering due to its dual nature and life-gain benefit. It’s akin to other dual lands like Jungle Hollow, which also enters the battlefield tapped and gives you 1 life. Though both fulfill a similar role, Thornwood Falls caters to green-blue deck synergies, while Jungle Hollow is aligned with the black-green faction.

Dismal Backwater is another relative in this category, matching the entry condition and life-gain effect of Thornwood Falls but is dedicated to blue and black mana bases. Upon entering the battlefield tapped, it too provides a tactical edge with the 1 life reward. Swiftwater Cliffs should also be brought into the conversation, as it shares the dual land and life-gain characteristics but serves the red-blue color combinations. This slight variation in color allegiance can dramatically alter a deck’s dynamics and strategy.

In essence, while there are a multitude of dual lands with various color pairings, Thornwood Falls stands out with its specific color alignment and life-gain, a subtle feature that can sometimes tip the balance in a close game. Landing such tactical advantages underscores the intricate choices players face when selecting the perfect mana base for their MTG deck builds.

Jungle Hollow - MTG Card versions
Dismal Backwater - MTG Card versions
Swiftwater Cliffs - MTG Card versions
Jungle Hollow - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)
Dismal Backwater - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)
Swiftwater Cliffs - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)

Cards similar to Thornwood Falls by color, type and mana cost

Tropical Island - MTG Card versions
Barkchannel Pathway // Tidechannel Pathway - MTG Card versions
Yavimaya Coast - MTG Card versions
Rejuvenating Springs - MTG Card versions
Breeding Pool - MTG Card versions
Simic Growth Chamber - MTG Card versions
Novijen, Heart of Progress - MTG Card versions
Hinterland Harbor - MTG Card versions
Alchemist's Refuge - MTG Card versions
Lumbering Falls - MTG Card versions
Woodland Stream - MTG Card versions
Flooded Grove - MTG Card versions
Simic Guildgate - MTG Card versions
Temple of Mystery - MTG Card versions
Botanical Sanctum - MTG Card versions
Littjara Mirrorlake - MTG Card versions
Vineglimmer Snarl - MTG Card versions
Quandrix Campus - MTG Card versions
Dreamroot Cascade - MTG Card versions
Waterlogged Grove - MTG Card versions
Tropical Island - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Barkchannel Pathway // Tidechannel Pathway - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Yavimaya Coast - Dominaria United (DMU)
Rejuvenating Springs - Commander Masters (CMM)
Breeding Pool - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Simic Growth Chamber - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Novijen, Heart of Progress - Commander 2015 (C15)
Hinterland Harbor - Fallout (PIP)
Alchemist's Refuge - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
Lumbering Falls - Forgotten Realms Commander (AFC)
Woodland Stream - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Flooded Grove - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Simic Guildgate - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Temple of Mystery - Fallout (PIP)
Botanical Sanctum - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)
Littjara Mirrorlake - Kaldheim (KHM)
Vineglimmer Snarl - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Quandrix Campus - Strixhaven: School of Mages (STX)
Dreamroot Cascade - Doctor Who (WHO)
Waterlogged Grove - Doctor Who (WHO)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thornwood Falls MTG card by a specific set like Khans of Tarkir and Fate Reforged, 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 Thornwood Falls and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Thornwood Falls Magic the Gathering card was released in 18 different sets between 2014-09-26 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by 7 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12014-09-26Khans of TarkirKTK 2442015normalblackEytan Zana
22015-01-23Fate ReforgedFRF 1732015normalblackEytan Zana
32015-11-13Commander 2015C15 3152015normalblackEytan Zana
42016-06-10Eternal MastersEMA 2462015normalblackEytan Zana
52016-11-11Commander 2016C16 3332015normalblackEytan Zana
62018-08-09Commander 2018C18 2872015normalblackEytan Zana
72019-07-12Core Set 2020M20 2582015normalblackEytan Zana
82019-08-23Commander 2019C19 2832015normalblackEytan Zana
92019-10-04Throne of EldraineELD 3132015normalblackRavenna Tran
102019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 16922015normalblackEytan Zana
112020-04-24Ikoria: Lair of BehemothsIKO 2562015normalblackAdam Paquette
122020-07-03Core Set 2021M21 2572015normalblackEytan Zana
132020-09-26The ListPLST C18-2872015normalblackEytan Zana
142020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 4982015normalblackEytan Zana
152022-02-18Kamigawa: Neon DynastyNEO 2792015normalblackSam Burley
162022-10-07Warhammer 40,000 Commander40K 3022015normalblackJosu Hernaiz
172022-10-07Warhammer 40,000 Commander40K 302★2015normalblackJosu Hernaiz
182023-04-21March of the MachineMOM 2742015normalblackRoman Kuteynikov
192023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 3382015normalblackYigit Koroglu

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Thornwood Falls has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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