Cyclopean Tomb MTG Card
1993-08-05 - Number 240
1993-10-04 - Number 241
1993-12-01 - Number 241
1993-12-10 - Number 241
1993-12-10 - Number 241
2011-01-10 - Number 195
2022-11-28 - Number 533
2022-11-28 - Number 236
| Card sets | Released in 8 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact |
Text of card
: Turn any one non-swamp land into swamp during upkeep. Mark the changed lands with tokens. If Cyclopean Tomb is destroyed, remove one token of your choice each upkeep, returning that land to its original nature.
Cards like Cyclopean Tomb
The Cyclopean Tomb is a unique artifact with a niche role in Magic: The Gathering. This card has the special ability to mire any land in Mire counters, fundamentally altering the land’s utility by transforming it into a basic Swamp. When looking at cards with comparable land-altering capabilities, we encounter the likes of Blood Moon, which has a sweeping effect that turns all non-basic lands into basic Mountains. This change is not targeted like Cyclopean Tomb but affects the entire battlefield regardless of ownership.
Another card that bears resemblance is Contaminated Ground. It also focuses on a single land, turning it into a problematic terrain for your opponent by making it tap for black mana and deal damage. Although the effects are similar, Contaminated Ground provides a more immediate disadvantage to your opponent. Then there’s Quicksilver Fountain, which gradually transforms all lands into Islands, similar to how Cyclopean Tomb spreads its influence but with a different type of land. The Fountain, however, doesn’t permit the level of control Cyclopean Tomb offers through targeted land transformation.
Despite the presence of these similar cards, Cyclopean Tomb remains a powerful choice for players seeking precise control over their opponent’s land resources and employs a slow, strategic transformation that can be critical during complex board states.
Cards similar to Cyclopean Tomb by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Cyclopean Tomb may not seem like a traditional card advantage tool, but its ability to manipulate the battlefield can lead to indirect advantage. By converting opponent’s land types, you set the stage for disrupted strategies and potential mana issues for them, which, in turn, keeps your own gameplay more secure.
Resource Acceleration: While the Cyclopean Tomb itself doesn’t directly produce additional mana or resources, it can act as a form of acceleration by possibly denying your opponent the specific mana they need at crucial moments in the game. This can translate into a form of ‘negative acceleration’ for your opponent, tipping the scales in your favor as you maintain access to your mana resources without disruption.
Instant Speed: Although the Cyclopean Tomb’s ability isn’t at instant speed, its impact on the game state is ongoing and persistent. Its mere presence on the field can alter your opponent’s plays, making them wary of investing in lands that might turn into liabilities. This constant pressure often forces opponents to play as though you have instant speed interaction, modifying their game plan and potentially leading to mistakes or less optimal plays.
Card Cons
Specific Mana Cost: Cyclopean Tomb has a specific activation cost that requires two colorless mana, making it potentially burdensome for decks that could use that mana for more impactful plays.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial cost of four colorless mana, this card is an investment. In formats where speed is crucial, the high mana cost can set players back, especially if there are cheaper alternatives for land manipulation or control.
Discard Requirement: While Cyclopean Tomb itself does not have a discard requirement, its inclusion in a deck means other cards must be dismissed in deck construction. This requirement places a constraint on deck building, as more versatile or less costly cards might need to be discarded from the deck list to accommodate the Tomb’s specific effect.
Reasons to Include Cyclopean Tomb in Your Collection
Versatility: Cyclopean Tomb brings strategic adaptability to any lineup, easily fitting into decks that thrive on manipulating land types. Its ability to convert any land into a Wastes can hinder opponent strategies reliant on specific land types, enabling dynamic counterplay.
Combo Potential: In decks that reward players for altering lands, Cyclopean Tomb can be a linchpin. Its application enables inventive combinations particularly with cards that capitalize on land type changes, offering new layers of strategic depth.
Meta-Relevance: It has a unique space in current metagames that value control and terrain modification. By altering key lands, Cyclopean Tomb can disrupt opponent land-based synergies, making it a tactical asset against various deck archetypes.
How to beat
Cyclopean Tomb, a piece of Magic’s storied history, can be a challenging artifact to counteract. While it might not seem as daunting as some of the format-defining cards, this relic has the potential to disrupt your land base by converting precious non-Swamp lands into Swamps, essentially re-mapping the terrain to your opponent’s advantage. It is a subtle art; the key to neutralizing this strategy lies in versatile land interaction.
The most effective approach involves targeting the artifact itself. Artifact removal such as Naturalize or Disenchant can swiftly eliminate the Tomb’s influence from the field. Also, leveraging the versatility of card like Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin could assist in reinstating your mana sources. Moreover, if you anticipate your lands turning into Swamps, incorporate cards that benefit from this transformation to turn the tables on your opponent. Creature spells with Swampwalk can become unblockable, and this unexpected angle may catch your opponent off-guard.
Ultimately, by including answers to artifacts and potential land modification in your deck, you can safeguard your strategy against the temporal influence of Cyclopean Tomb and maintain control over the battlefield.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Cyclopean Tomb MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Cyclopean Tomb 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
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Printings
The Cyclopean Tomb Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by Anson Maddocks.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993-08-05 | Limited Edition Alpha | LEA | 240 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 2 | 1993-10-04 | Limited Edition Beta | LEB | 241 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 3 | 1993-12-01 | Unlimited Edition | 2ED | 241 | 1993 | Normal | White | Anson Maddocks | |
| 4 | 1993-12-10 | Intl. Collectors' Edition | CEI | 241 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 5 | 1993-12-10 | Collectors' Edition | CED | 241 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 6 | 2011-01-10 | Masters Edition IV | ME4 | 195 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 7 | 2022-11-28 | 30th Anniversary Edition | 30A | 533 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks | |
| 8 | 2022-11-28 | 30th Anniversary Edition | 30A | 236 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anson Maddocks |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Cyclopean Tomb has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Cyclopean Tomb card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2006-10-15 | Will not add or remove Snow Supertype to or from a land. |
| 2008-08-01 | After leaving the battlefield, the ability triggers during each of your upkeeps for the rest of the game. As it resolves, you must remove a mire counter from a land that had a mire counter put on it by that instance of Cyclopean Tomb, but it doesn’t matter where the mire counter you remove came from. For instance, you could remove mire counters that were put on the land by Gilder Bairn. |
| 2008-08-01 | The land remains a Swamp as long as it has a mire counter on it. This effect is not tied to the Tomb remaining on the battlefield. |