Rogue's Passage MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 28 setsSee all
RarityUncommon
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Rogue’s Passage activates at instant speed for flexibility during combat and surprise maneuvers.
  2. The land’s activation cost may impede other plays, requiring careful mana management.
  3. Its unblockable ability is invaluable in breaking stalemates and securing game wins.

Text of card

: Add to your mana pool. , : Target creature is unblockable this turn.

Rumors quickly spread among thieves about a labyrinth without walls and a prize beyond all measures of worth.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rogue’s Passage doesn’t directly provide card draw, but by making a key creature unblockable, it helps ensure that creature-based card advantage mechanics, like those triggered by dealing combat damage, can be utilized each turn.

Resource Acceleration: Although Rogue’s Passage doesn’t directly accelerate resources in the traditional sense of providing additional mana, by enabling your creatures to connect with your opponent, it can potentially accelerate your game plan and help you leverage creature abilities or landfall triggers that may rely on combat success.

Instant Speed: While Rogue’s Passage itself is a land and not an instant, its activation ability can be used at instant speed. This gives you the flexibility to wait until the most opportune time during combat or in response to spells or abilities to make a creature unblockable, potentially surprising an opponent who didn’t account for its activation.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike other utility lands that offer their benefits without extra costs, Rogue’s Passage requires you to spend mana and potentially miss out on other plays you could be making during your turn. This sacrifice can be particularly costly in fast-paced games where every mana point is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: The activation cost of Rogue’s Passage is colorless, but it’s not entirely free from constraints. It requires four mana of any type plus tapping itself, which means it taps for the ability rather than mana. This could be restrictive in multicolor decks needing specific mana for spells in the same turn.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Rogue’s Passage’s ability to make a creature unblockable can be game-changing, the total cost of five mana (four and tapping the land itself) to activate this can be quite steep. This is especially true when compared to other cards or effects that can provide similar utility for less, leaving you with more room for strategic plays and keeping mana open for responses.


Reasons to Include Rogue’s Passage in Your Collection

Versatility: Rogue’s Passage has the utility to slot into various deck builds, providing a consistent way to make key creatures unblockable. Its simplicity allows for use in both aggressive decks aiming to secure damage and control decks to push through critical hits.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with creatures that have on-hit effects or benefit from dealing combat damage to a player. By ensuring these creatures connect with your opponent, you can activate powerful abilities and turn the tide of the game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-based strategies dominate, Rogue’s Passage provides a tactical edge by bypassing potential blockers. It can be an invaluable asset in breaking stalemates and maneuvering through packed battlefields to clinch victory.


How to beat

Rogue’s Passage is the key card that grants creatures the ability to become unblockable, paving the way for game-winning attacks in Magic: The Gathering. To effectively counter this potent land card, you need to adapt your strategy and consider including land destruction or control elements in your deck. By using cards like Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin, you can directly target and remove Rogue’s Passage from the battlefield, mitigating its impact.

Control strategies could entail permission-based play, countering the spells that would benefit most from Rogue’s Passage’s ability. Additionally, employing enchantments that limit the types of creatures that can attack, such as Propaganda or Ghostly Prison, can significantly minimize the threat posed by the Passage. It’s crucial to maintain vigilance and a strong board presence, ensuring your opponent’s creatures never get the chance to exploit the unblockable path Rogue’s Passage could provide them.

In summary, dealing with Rogue’s Passage involves disrupting your opponent’s land base, leveraging counterplay methods, and establishing board control to prevent any creature from sneaking past your defenses. With the right tools and vigilant play, the daunting ability of Rogue’s Passage to turn creatures unblockable can be efficiently managed.


Cards like Rogue's Passage

In the world of Magic: The Gathering, Rogue’s Passage is a unique land card that essentially gives a creature unblockable for a turn. This feature is quite potent when you want to ensure your damage hits home, undeterred by blockers. Examining cards with similar functionality, we find Maze of Ith, which, while it doesn’t make a creature unblockable, it does remove a creature from combat entirely, nullifying not just damage but also any combat tricks the opponent might have up their sleeve.

Analogous in effect to Rogue’s Passage is Whispering Specter, granting unblockable to itself if conditions are met, which could shift the tides in a game significantly when strategically revealed. Moreover, Key to the City is another card that, by discarding a card, can make a creature unblockable, additionally helping the player cycle their deck for more options, albeit at a cost. Each of these cards delivers tactical advantages, but Rogue’s Passage stands out by not requiring additional card sacrifices or conditions to be met, thus retaining card advantage for the player.

The ability to directly affect combat without expending other resources positions Rogue’s Passage as a versatile addition to any MTG deck focused on asserting offensive might. This utility, devoid of extra costs or conditions, bestows it with a resilient charm in game scenarios where an unblockable creature can clinch victory.

Maze of Ith - MTG Card versions
Whispering Specter - MTG Card versions
Key to the City - MTG Card versions
Maze of Ith - The Dark (DRK)
Whispering Specter - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Key to the City - Kaladesh (KLD)

Cards similar to Rogue's Passage by color, type and mana cost

Cathedral of Serra - MTG Card versions
Mishra's Factory - MTG Card versions
Bad River - MTG Card versions
Griffin Canyon - MTG Card versions
Ice Floe - MTG Card versions
Ghost Town - MTG Card versions
Urza's Mine - MTG Card versions
City of Brass - MTG Card versions
Bloodstained Mire - MTG Card versions
Zoetic Cavern - MTG Card versions
Grixis Panorama - MTG Card versions
Rupture Spire - MTG Card versions
Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions
Tectonic Edge - MTG Card versions
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions
Buried Ruin - MTG Card versions
Wasteland - MTG Card versions
Eldrazi Temple - MTG Card versions
Maze of Ith - MTG Card versions
Homeward Path - MTG Card versions
Cathedral of Serra - Legends (LEG)
Mishra's Factory - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Bad River - Mirage (MIR)
Griffin Canyon - Visions (VIS)
Ice Floe - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Ghost Town - Tempest (TMP)
Urza's Mine - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
City of Brass - World Championship Decks 2002 (WC02)
Bloodstained Mire - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Zoetic Cavern - Future Sight (FUT)
Grixis Panorama - Commander 2013 (C13)
Rupture Spire - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Terramorphic Expanse - Commander 2018 (C18)
Tectonic Edge - Zendikar Expeditions (EXP)
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - Theros (THS)
Buried Ruin - Commander 2014 (C14)
Wasteland - Zendikar Rising Expeditions (ZNE)
Eldrazi Temple - Duel Decks: Zendikar vs. Eldrazi (DDP)
Maze of Ith - Eternal Masters (EMA)
Homeward Path - Judge Gift Cards 2017 (J17)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rogue's Passage MTG card by a specific set like Return to Ravnica and Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska, 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 Rogue's Passage and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Rogue's Passage Magic the Gathering card was released in 25 different sets between 2012-10-05 and 2024-03-08. Illustrated by 5 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-10-05Return to RavnicaRTR 2452003normalblackChristine Choi
22014-03-14Duel Decks: Jace vs. VraskaDDM 772003normalblackChristine Choi
32015-07-17Magic OriginsORI 2502015normalblackChristine Choi
42015-11-13Commander 2015C15 3022015normalblackChristine Choi
52016-08-26Conspiracy: Take the CrownCN2 2202015normalblackChristine Choi
62017-08-25Commander 2017C17 2722015normalblackChristine Choi
72018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 2502015normalblackChristine Choi
82019-08-23Commander 2019C19 2702015normalblackChristine Choi
92019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 16842015normalblackChristine Choi
102019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 6072015normalborderlessCosmin Podar
112020-04-17Commander 2020C20 3032015normalblackChristine Choi
122020-09-25Zendikar Rising CommanderZNC 1382015normalblackChristine Choi
132020-09-26The ListPLST C17-2722015normalblackChristine Choi
142020-09-26The ListPLST UMA-2502015normalblackChristine Choi
152020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 4892015normalblackChristine Choi
162021-04-23Commander 2021C21 3122015normalblackChristine Choi
172021-09-24Midnight Hunt CommanderMIC 1792015normalblackChristine Choi
182022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 4222015normalblackChristine Choi
192022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 9132015normalblackChristine Choi
202023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 4212015normalblackChristine Choi
212023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 3262015normalblackDavid Frasheski
222023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 4262015normalblackChristine Choi
232023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 2992015normalblackDavid Álvarez
242023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 8902015normalblackDavid Álvarez
252023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 3492015normalblackChristine Choi
262024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 2842015normalblackChristine Choi
272024-03-08FalloutPIP 8112015normalblackRafater
282024-03-08FalloutPIP 2832015normalblackRafater

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Rogue's Passage has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Rogue's Passage card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2018-12-07 Activating the second ability of Rogue's Passage after a creature has become blocked won't cause that creature to become unblocked.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks