Dungeon Descent MTG Card
2021-07-23 - Number 255a
2021-07-23 - Number 255
2021-07-23 - Number 255p
2021-07-23 - Number 352
2021-07-23 - Number 255s
| Card sets | Released in 5 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
| Abilities | Venture into the dungeon |
Text of card
Dungeon Descent enters the battlefield tapped. : Add . , , Tap an untapped legendary creature you control: Venture into the dungeon. Activate only as a sorcery. (Enter the first room or advance to the next room.)
Cards like Dungeon Descent
Dungeon Descent adds depth to the array of utility lands in Magic: The Gathering, drawing parallels to popular cards like Maze of Ith. Maze of Ith functions by nullifying an attacking creature’s damage, though it doesn’t produce mana. Dungeon Descent, while requiring the creature to be a legendary creature or a planeswalker, grants the ability to venture into the dungeon in addition to offering mana of any color.
Another card worth mentioning is Rogue’s Passage, which can make a creature unblockable for a turn. While Rogue’s Passage helps in offense by ensuring creatures can hit the opponent directly, Dungeon Descent instead focuses on the long-term advantage by progressing through a dungeon, accruing incremental advantages with each step.
Considering the strategic depth added by delving into dungeons, Dungeon Descent holds its own in MTG. While it might not directly protect creatures or make them unblockable, it induces a distinct progression mechanic that can be pivotal in the right deck, especially when dungeons from the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set are in play.
Cards similar to Dungeon Descent by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Dungeon Descent provides a reliable way to delve deeper into your deck as you access more of your library while interacting with the dungeon mechanic. Advancing your position in a chosen dungeon can indirectly lead to drawing cards or manipulating your library.
Resource Acceleration: This land card offers a unique type of resource acceleration by potentially unlocking additional abilities or treasures as you venture through dungeons. This can translate to gaining resources that surpass the typical one mana per turn from a land.
Instant Speed: Though Dungeon Descent itself may not operate at instant speed, it facilitates powerful synergies with other cards in your deck that can be activated at instant speed. This allows for strategic depths and surprise moves during gameplay, leveraging the dungeon mechanic to its fullest potential at opportune moments.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One of the challenges with Dungeon Descent is the discard requirement, which can be problematic when your hand is limited. Having to part with a potentially valuable card to activate its abilities could put you at a strategic disadvantage.
Specific Mana Cost: Dungeon Descent necessitates a specific mana combination to cast. If your deck isn’t built to easily produce the needed colors, you may find this card sitting in your hand more often than you’d like. Adjusting your mana base to accommodate it could disrupt your deck’s balance and consistency.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its high casting cost, Dungeon Descent might not be your go-to option, especially when compared to other cards with similar or lower cost that can provide immediate impact or more flexible benefits. Careful consideration is essential to determine if its benefits outweigh the hefty mana investment.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Dungeon Descent offers a unique layer to your gameplay, as it can be seamlessly integrated into decks centered around the Dungeon mechanic. Its ability to transform any creature into a venture-initiating powerhouse adds depth to various strategic approaches.
Combo Potential: This card thrives in decks that regularly engage with dungeons, as it can repeatedly trigger the dungeon-related benefits, potentially leading to a string of advantageous combo plays that exploit each stage of your dungeon descent.
Meta-Relevance: With the standard and commander formats often including creature-based strategies, Dungeon Descent finds relevance by offering a consistent way to explore dungeons and activate their effects, which can be a game-changer in the right deck construction.
How to beat
Dungeon Descent is a unique inclusion in the Magic: The Gathering card pool, providing a robust method for players to venture into the dungeon. Standing out amongst cards of similar nature, Dungeon Descent requires a tap alongside a creature equipped with the defender ability in order to activate its dungeon-venturing ability. It’s this distinct triggering requirement that frames our strategy on how to overpower the advantage this card offers.
In order to counteract the benefits of Dungeon Descent, players should focus on hindering or removing their opponent’s creatures with defender abilities. Utilizing removal spells or abilities that can side-step the defender’s guard proves effective. The timing of these plays is crucial—acting swiftly before your adversary fully capitalizes on venturing through the dungeon. Another strategy is to focus on aggressive gameplay, reducing their life points before the long-term advantages of Dungeon Descent can impact the game’s outcome. This type of pressure often forces opponents to redirect their resources away from the dungeon-focused plan, providing an opportunity to secure victory.
Successful intervention against Dungeon Descent pivots on understanding its mechanics and disrupting its usage. In doing so, players will minimize its impact and maintain control over the pace and flow of the match.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Dungeon Descent MTG card by a specific set like Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos and Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, 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 Dungeon Descent and other MTG cards:
BUY NOW BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Dungeon Descent Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-07-23 and 2021-07-23. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021-07-23 | Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos | PAFR | 255a | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kasia 'Kafis' Zielińska | |
| 2 | 2021-07-23 | Adventures in the Forgotten Realms | AFR | 255 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kasia 'Kafis' Zielińska | |
| 3 | 2021-07-23 | Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos | PAFR | 255p | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kasia 'Kafis' Zielińska | |
| 4 | 2021-07-23 | Adventures in the Forgotten Realms | AFR | 352 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Ralph Horsley | |
| 5 | 2021-07-23 | Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos | PAFR | 255s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kasia 'Kafis' Zielińska |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Dungeon Descent has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Dungeon Descent card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-07-23 | A player may only have one dungeon in the command zone at a time. |
| 2021-07-23 | Choosing the dungeon or room to venture into is part of resolving the venture into the dungeon keyword action. Once that choice is made, players may not respond until after the appropriate room ability has triggered. |
| 2021-07-23 | Dungeon cards are not part of a player's deck or sideboard. In both constructed and limited formats, players can use any dungeon card when they venture into the dungeon. |
| 2021-07-23 | Dungeons are removed from the game as a state-based action. |
| 2021-07-23 | If you somehow venture into the dungeon while a room's ability is on the stack, you will continue on in the dungeon. If you're already in the last room, complete that dungeon and start a new one. |
| 2021-07-23 | Moving into a dungeon room will cause its room ability to trigger. |
| 2021-07-23 | Once you resolve the last room ability of a dungeon, that dungeon is now completed and is removed from the game. |
| 2021-07-23 | The player venturing into the dungeon chooses which dungeon they will venture into. They may choose a dungeon that they have already completed this game. |
| 2021-07-23 | To venture into the dungeon, a player moves their venture marker into the next room of the dungeon they are currently in. If they aren't currently in a dungeon, that player instead chooses a dungeon card from outside the game, puts it into the command zone, and moves their venture marker onto the first room. |
| 2021-07-23 | You can only move forward (well, downward) in a dungeon, never backwards or sideways. |