Kabira Crossroads MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
RarityCommon
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Kabira Crossroads grants a life boost on entry, aiding life-based strategies and serving as a resource enhancer.
  2. Despite its advantages, it limits deck diversity and can slow down gameplay due to entering play tapped.
  3. Its inclusion in a deck hinges on balancing life gain merits against potential tempo loss in faster formats.

Text of card

Kabira Crossroads enters the battlefield tapped. When Kabira Crossroads enters the battlefield, you gain 2 life. : Add to your mana pool.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Kabira Crossroads enters the battlefield tapped, but it provides an added value by gaining you 2 life immediately. This not only increases your life total but also can synergize with decks that capitalize on life gain. In an environment where every resource counts, these extra points of life could be considered a form of indirect card advantage, potentially saving a card that would be used to regain health later.

Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t directly ramp your mana pool, the life gain from Kabira Crossroads can allow a player to stabilize, affording them the luxury of time to build their resources. This makes the card a subtle yet impactful booster in prolonging the game for decks that thrive in the mid-to-late stages.

Instant Speed: Although Kabira Crossroads isn’t an instant itself, the land’s entry effect of life gain is immediate, similar to an instant’s direct influence on the game state. In game terms, this instant-value life gain upon landfall can be tactically timed with other landfall triggers or surprises that enhance your board position at a crucial moment.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Kabira Crossroads offers a lifegain benefit upon entering the battlefield, it doesn’t include discard options, reducing synergy with decks that capitalize on discarding cards for strategic advantages or to trigger abilities.

Specific Mana Cost: This land produces white mana only, which can be restrictive for multicolor decks needing a more diverse color palette. The specificity of mana may hinder the deck-building process for some players looking for more mana flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Kabira Crossroads enters the battlefield tapped, essentially costing the player an additional mana since it delays immediate usage. When speed is crucial, this additional ‘cost’ can place the card at a disadvantage compared to other lands that are available for use upon entry.


Reasons to Include Kabira Crossroads in Your Collection

Versatility: Kabira Crossroads is a land card that offers a unique benefit of gaining life upon entering the battlefield. It can be included in a variety of decks, particularly those that require a stable mana base while also seeking to extend their longevity against aggressive strategies.

Combo Potential: The life gain from Kabira Crossroads can trigger lifegain-related abilities or synergize with cards that capitalize on higher life totals. This makes it a subtle yet powerful complement to decks focusing on life manipulation or alternative win conditions tied to life gains.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where aggressive decks are prevalent, having Kabira Crossroads in your arsenal could provide the necessary edge by offsetting the early onslaught and maintaining a healthier life total, allowing for a more robust defense and time to set up your winning moves.


How to beat

Kabira Crossroads is a land card that appears deceptively simple but can be quite effective in the right deck in Magic: The Gathering. When this card enters the battlefield, it enters tapped but provides the player with a modest life gain, which can sometimes be just enough to tip the scales in a close match. However, overcoming the advantage Kabira Crossroads provides is not insurmountable.

The key to beating Kabira Crossroads lies in aggressive and consistent pressure. Its life gain is a one-time effect, so maintaining a strong board presence can easily negate the gained life. Utilizing land destruction or denial strategies can also be effective, as it limits your opponent’s mana base while also taking away the life gain benefit. Cards that punish the opponent for gaining life, such as Tainted Remedy, can turn this land’s advantage into a liability.

Ultimately, while Kabira Crossroads can be a thorn in your side, understanding that its impact is minimal and situational should guide your strategy. A proactive and relentless approach will diminish its relevance, allowing you to maintain control over the game and emerge victorious.


Cards like Kabira Crossroads

Kabira Crossroads is noted for being a land card in MTG that can be a valuable piece in your mana base, mainly for its life-gaining capacity. It arrives on the battlefield tapped, offering white mana, and boosts your life total by two. Comparing Kabira Crossroads with other land cards that provide life gains, such as Radiant Fountain, reveals a key difference in mana utility. Radiant Fountain does not tap for colored mana, but it does enter the battlefield untapped which allows for immediate mana usage, and it provides the same amount of life gain without limitation to a specific color.

In addition to Radiant Fountain, Seraph Sanctuary is another comparable land. While it too enters the battlefield tapped, it can be particularly advantageous in angel decks, providing one life every time an Angel enters the field under your control – potentially leading to multiple life gain events.

When examining these similarities and distinctions, Kabira Crossroads may uniquely suit white-focused decks seeking life gain. Its singular contribution to life points, though, should be weighed against the tempo loss from entering tapped, a characteristic critical to consider in constructing an effective MTG deck.

Radiant Fountain - MTG Card versions
Seraph Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Radiant Fountain - Magic 2015 (M15)
Seraph Sanctuary - Avacyn Restored (AVR)

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Castle Ardenvale - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Citadel Gate - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)
Memorial to Glory - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kabira Crossroads MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar and Commander 2017, 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 Kabira Crossroads and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Kabira Crossroads Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2009-10-02 and 2017-08-25. Illustrated by James Paick.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12009-10-02ZendikarZEN 2162003normalblackJames Paick
22017-08-25Commander 2017C17 2592015normalblackJames Paick

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Kabira Crossroads has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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