Thespian's Stage MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. It provides significant card advantage by duplicating any land’s powerful abilities.
  2. Instant-speed activation allows for flexible and reactive gameplay adjustments.
  3. Requires strategic planning due to some dependencies and mana costs.

Text of card

: Add to your mana pool. , : Thespian's Stage becomes a copy of target land and gains this ability.

Amid rumors of war, the third act of *The Absolution of the Guildpact* was quickly rewritten as a tragedy.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thespian’s Stage has the unique ability to copy any land on the battlefield, including those with powerful abilities or those that produce additional value. This capability can effectively double the utility that specific lands bring to your game, translating into a significant card advantage without the need to draw extra cards.

Resource Acceleration: With the functionality to mimic any land, Thespian’s Stage can become a copy of lands that help in resource acceleration. Whether it transforms into a land with the potential to tap for multiple mana or into a utility land that performs specialized actions, it ensures that you stay ahead in the resource game.

Instant Speed: The versatility of Thespian’s Stage’s activation at instant speed cannot be overstated. It allows for reactive plays during any point of the match, letting players adapt to shifting board states. A land transforming into a more useful land in response to an opponent’s actions can be game-changing, making Thespian’s Stage a multipurpose asset in any game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Thespian’s Stage itself doesn’t require a discard, but leveraging its ability often necessitates a setup involving other cards that might. This dependency can lead to unfavorable scenarios where you have to part with valuable cards to optimize its use.

Specific Mana Cost: While Thespian’s Stage requires only colorless mana, the land it targets may have an activation cost that requires specific mana types. This can sometimes restrict the Stage’s versatility in mana-intensive decks where color fixing is crucial.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its potential for utility, Thespian’s Stage demands a fair amount of mana investment to activate its copying ability. In fast-paced games where tempo is key, the two mana needed could be seen as costly compared to other land options that provide immediate value or don’t require additional investment to be effective.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Thespian’s Stage offers unparalleled flexibility to your land base, allowing it to become a copy of any land on the battlefield with ease. This adaptability ensures it has a place in many deck architectures, enhancing mana fixing and utility land strategies.

Combo Potential: The card pairs exceptionally well with lands that have powerful abilities, allowing players to multiply their effects. It’s notorious for its synergy with “Dark Depths” as it can instantly acquire the required ice counters to bring forth a formidable token without the usual prerequisites.

Meta-Relevance: In a format where land interaction is key, Thespian’s Stage stands out by granting control over utility lands or even denying opponents’ land-based strategies by copying and using their own lands’ abilities against them. It’s a sleeper hit that can adapt to the evolving climate of any MTG game.


How to beat

Thespian’s Stage is a versatile land card that can adapt to different game situations by copying the properties of any other land on the battlefield. This makes it a strategic component in decks that capitalize on powerful land abilities. However, to effectively counteract Thespian’s Stage, players should focus on incorporating land destruction or land conversion cards in their decks. By using these tactics, you can directly target and neutralize the utility of Thespian’s Stage. Cards such as Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin can force the Stage to be sacrificed, while Blood Moon transforms all nonbasic lands into basic Mountains, nullifying the Stage’s copying ability. Additionally, strategic hand disruption, such as Duress, can preemptively remove the card from your opponent’s hand before it can become a threat on the battlefield.

Monitoring the board state and identifying key moments when your opponent is likely to activate Thespian’s Stage’s ability is crucial. This way, you can hold onto your disarming cards until the pivotal time, ensuring maximum disruption to your opponent’s game plan. By staying one step ahead, you can maintain control and diminish the Stage’s impact on the game.


Cards like Thespian's Stage

Thespian’s Stage is a versatile land card in MTG, likened to cards such as Vesuva and Dark Depths for its land-copying ability. Unlike Vesuva, which copies a land as it enters the battlefield, Thespian’s Stage can bide its time, waiting for the perfect moment to copy any land—adding a strategic layer to gameplay. Vesuva, once played, is fixed in its role, but Thespian’s Stage provides ongoing flexibility.

Dark Depths, another noteworthy comparison, shares a unique synergy with Thespian’s Stage. When Thespian’s Stage copies Dark Depths, it retains no ice counters, which means it transforms into Marit Lage, the legendary 20/20 indestructible black Avatar creature token, immediately. This interaction circumvents the original method of removing ice counters and accelerates the potential for a game-winning move.

In essence, Thespian’s Stage stands out for its dynamic copying ability amongst land cards in MTG. It offers adaptability and powerful combo potential, particularly with Dark Depths, granting it a special niche in various deck strategies and making it a valuable asset to players looking to exploit land-based synergies.

Vesuva - MTG Card versions
Dark Depths - MTG Card versions
Marit Lage - MTG Card versions
Vesuva - Time Spiral (TSP)
Dark Depths - Coldsnap (CSP)
Marit Lage - Coldsnap Promos (PCSP)

Cards similar to Thespian's Stage 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
Winding Canyons - MTG Card versions
Ghost Town - MTG Card versions
Urza's Mine - MTG Card versions
Hall of Tagsin - 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
Krosan Verge - MTG Card versions
Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions
Tectonic Edge - MTG Card versions
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions
Springjack Pasture - MTG Card versions
Buried Ruin - 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)
Winding Canyons - Weatherlight (WTH)
Ghost Town - Tempest (TMP)
Urza's Mine - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Hall of Tagsin - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
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)
Krosan Verge - Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander (ONC)
Terramorphic Expanse - Commander 2018 (C18)
Tectonic Edge - Zendikar Expeditions (EXP)
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - Theros (THS)
Springjack Pasture - Commander 2013 (C13)
Buried Ruin - Commander 2014 (C14)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thespian's Stage MTG card by a specific set like Gatecrash and Ultimate Masters, 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 Thespian's Stage and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Thespian's Stage Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2013-02-01 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12013-02-01GatecrashGTC 2482003normalblackJohn Avon
22018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 2532015normalblackJohn Avon
32019-08-23Commander 2019C19 2822015normalblackJohn Avon
42020-08-07Double Masters2XM 3272015normalblackJohn Avon
52020-09-26The ListPLST GTC-2482003normalblackJohn Avon
62023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 11222015normalblackAnton Solovianchyk
72023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 9142015normalblackAnton Solovianchyk
82023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 3232015normalblackAnton Solovianchyk
92023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 5312015normalblackAnton Solovianchyk
102024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 4661997normalblackJohn Avon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Thespian's Stage has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Thespian's Stage 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 A land's copiable values are those printed on it, as modified by other copy effects. Counters and other effects aren't copied. Notably, if you copy a land that is also a creature because of a temporary effect (such as Celestial Colonnade), Thespian's Stage will become just the "unanimated" land.
2018-12-07 No enters-the-battlefield abilities of the land Thespian's Stage is copying will trigger. Thespian's Stage was already on the battlefield. Similarly, no "as this land enters the battlefield" or "this land enters the battlefield with" effects, such as that of Dark Depths, will apply.
2018-12-07 The copy effect created by the last activated ability doesn't have a duration. It will last until Thespian's Stage leaves the battlefield or another copy effect overwrites it. The permanent will no longer have the first ability of Thespian's Stage.
2018-12-07 Thespian's Stage doesn't become untapped when it becomes a copy, even if the target land is untapped.

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