Darksteel Garrison MTG Card
2007-05-04 - Number 167
2019-11-07 - Number 1571
2020-09-26 - Number FUT-167
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact — Fortification |
| Abilities | Fortify |
Text of card
Fortified land is indestructible. Whenever fortified land becomes tapped, target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Fortify (: Attach to target land you control. Fortify only as a sorcery. This card comes into play unattached and stays in play if the land leaves play.)
Cards like Darksteel Garrison
Darksteel Garrison flirts with the realm of fortification in Magic: The Gathering, a niche and fascinating subset of the game. Comparable to other cards that bolster land, Darksteel Garrison offers a unique twist by fortifying a single land, turning it into a formidable asset. This card echoes the functionality of cards like Cathedral of War, which also provides a boost to a land’s attributes, conferring the Exalted ability. The difference, however, lies in Garrison’s flexible fortification option, allowing its benefits to be reassigned as the battlefield changes.
Exploring further, we encounter Guardian Idol, a card that transforms into a creature to become an offensive tool while still producing mana when inactive. Unlike Darksteel Garrison, Guardian Idol can switch between roles without being dependent on land. Then there’s the classic, Gargoyle Castle, which gifts a durable creature upon transformation but loses its land status, contrasting Darksteel Garrison which fortifies and thus retains the land’s mana generating capability along with its added strengths.
Assessing the specialty and adaptability, Darksteel Garrison holds its ground in MTG by providing a permanent enhancement to your lands while keeping them functional, an edge that stands out amongst its category peers.
Cards similar to Darksteel Garrison by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Darksteel Garrison fortifies a land, transforming it into a formidable asset. This permanence not only buffs the fortified land but also allows you to benefit from the additional benefit it confers whenever the fortified land is tapped. This synergistic effect can create an ongoing advantage without needing to deploy more resources from your hand.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly accelerating resources in the form of mana, Darksteel Garrison can indirectly contribute by making one of your lands more resilient and hence a more reliable source of mana. By ensuring that your land is more difficult to remove, it ensures you retain the ability to produce mana every turn. Moreover, the card strengthens the fortified land, potentially turning it into a productive tool for your strategy.
Instant Speed: Although Darksteel Garrison itself does not operate at instant speed, it complements instant speed tactics. With Darksteel Garrison in play, your fortified land can become an invaluable asset, making it easier to protect with instant speed spells since opponents may be less inclined to engage with a fortified land, allowing you to better dictate the pace of the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Darksteel Garrison doesn’t have a discard requirement, so this aspect may not apply to evaluating this particular card’s disadvantages in terms of gameplay.
Specific Mana Cost: Darksteel Garrison necessitates a specific mana investment of one colorless and two generic mana, requiring a commitment to colorless mana sources, which might not seamlessly integrate into all deck types.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total casting cost of three mana, Darksteel Garrison is an investment, particularly when you consider it functions primarily as a fortification card—a card type that requires a land to be effective and that may compete with other crucial turns three plays in a player’s deck.
Reasons to Include Darksteel Garrison in Your Collection
Versatility: Darksteel Garrison is uniquely adaptable, fitting into decks that prioritize land fortification. With its ability to attach to any land, it turns a basic resource into a formidable asset, granting your land indestructibility and a buff to a chosen creature.
Combo Potential: This card shines in synergistic plays, particularly with strategies that revolve around lands. It can be used to protect important combo pieces or enable land-centric abilities, leveraging its integrated Fortify mechanic for tactical advantages.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where land destruction or control strategies are prevalent, Darksteel Garrison provides a defensive measure to preserve your mana base. It can be a critical inclusion for maintaining stability against decks that aim to disrupt land resources.
How to Beat Darksteel Garrison
Darksteel Garrison is a unique fortification card in Magic: The Gathering, offering solid defensive capabilities and a boost to your land’s effectiveness. Its most notable feature is the indestructibility it bestows upon the fortified land, making it resilient to most removal spells.
To effectively counter Darksteel Garrison, focus on strategies that bypass indestructibility. Cards that force your opponent to sacrifice permanents, such as Diabolic Edict, bypass the indestructible status by not actually destroying the card. Another approach is to use land transformation abilities, like those found in cards like Spreading Seas, which can turn the fortified land into an Island, effectively nullifying the Garrison’s benefits and leaving it without a valid attachment.
Alternatively, taking control of your opponent’s turn with cards like Mindslaver can allow you to unattach Darksteel Garrison from its land, leaving both vulnerable. Remember that indestructibility doesn’t protect from reduced toughness or changes to card types. Focusing on these avenues can help players navigate around Darksteel Garrison’s robust defenses and maintain the upper hand in their Magic: The Gathering matches.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Darksteel Garrison MTG card by a specific set like Future Sight and Mystery Booster, 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 Darksteel Garrison and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
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- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
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Printings
The Darksteel Garrison Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2007-05-04 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by David Martin.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2007-05-04 | Future Sight | FUT | 167 | future | Normal | Black | David Martin | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1571 | future | Normal | Black | David Martin | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | FUT-167 | future | Normal | Black | David Martin |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Darksteel Garrison has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Darksteel Garrison card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2007-05-01 | Fortification is to lands what Equipment is to creatures. Except for the difference regarding what kind of permanent it can affect, Fortifications and Equipment follow the same rules. |
| 2007-05-01 | If Darksteel Garrison and the fortified land would be destroyed at the same time, only Darksteel Garrison is destroyed. |
| 2007-05-01 | The second ability triggers whenever the fortified land becomes tapped, not just when it’s tapped for mana. |
| 2007-05-01 | The triggered ability is mandatory. If you don’t have a creature to target, you must target another player’s creature, if possible. |