Durnan of the Yawning Portal MTG Card
2022-06-10 - Number 657
2022-06-10 - Number 635
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Human Warrior |
| Abilities | Choose a background |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Text of card
Whenever Durnan attacks, look at the top four cards of your library. You may exile a creature card from among them. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order. For as long as that card remains exiled, you may cast it. That spell has undaunted. (It costs less to cast for each opponent.) Choose a Background (You can have a Background as a second commander.)
Cards like Durnan of the Yawning Portal
Durnan of the Yawning Portal is a character that resonates well with fans of the Dungeons & Dragons lore within the MTG universe. When comparing this legendary creature to others in its class, we see interesting parallels and differences. For instance, Durnan bridges gameplay strategy with creature-based decks, similar to Thalia’s Lieutenant, which also supports and empowers your creatures on the battlefield.
Likewise, we find Lathliss, Dragon Queen, as a creature that amplifies the presence of dragons on the board by creating additional tokens. While both encourage a strong board presence, Durnan’s ability to draw a card and play an additional land each turn offers a more consistent value that can be pivotal in the long game. On the other hand, Lathliss focuses on an explosive strategy hinging on dragon synergy.
Ultimately, in this space where creature advantage is key, Durnan of the Yawning Portal stands out by offering card and land drop advantages, carving its niche amongst legendary creatures in Magic. This makes Durnan a potentially versatile option for decks looking to maintain momentum and resource advantage.
Cards similar to Durnan of the Yawning Portal by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Durnan of the Yawning Portal offers a strategic edge by enabling you to consistently boost your hand, ensuring you are well-equipped with options for various situations throughout the game.
Resource Acceleration: This card expertly facilitates your gameplay by providing resource acceleration. It empowers you to swiftly mobilize your deck’s capabilities, giving you the ability to deploy more threats or answers ahead of the curve.
Instant Speed: Durnan of the Yawning Portal’s instant speed attribute is a significant tactical advantage. It allows for reactive play, ensuring you can adapt to the battlefield on the fly and utilize your resources with precision when it counts the most.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One downside of Durnan of the Yawning Portal is it necessitates discarding another card. This trade-off could be daunting, particularly when hand size is dwindling or the cards in hand are too valuable to dispose of.
Specific Mana Cost: Featuring a cost that requires both colorless and black mana, Durnan of the Yawning Portal can be restrictive when it comes to deck building. Those who run multiple colors or decks lacking sufficient mana flexibility may find it challenging to efficiently integrate and play this card.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that’s on the higher side for its effects, Durnan of the Yawning Portal faces stiff competition from other cards within the same mana range. Deckbuilders might hesitate to include it when alternatives can produce similar outcomes for a lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include Durnan of the Yawning Portal in Your Collection
Versatility: Durnan of the Yawning Portal offers a flexible toolkit for various deck builds. Its ability to summon a creature or put a land card onto the battlefield speaks to its adaptability, fitting seamlessly into both aggressive and ramp strategies.
Combo Potential: This card’s one-time mana boost when it enters the battlefield can be the lynchpin in setting off powerful combinations. Its dual functionality also makes it an enabler for decks that profit from creature and landfall synergies.
Meta-Relevance: Durnan of the Yawning Portal comes into play in a meta saturated with control decks, providing an understated yet effective way to keep up the pace in resource-heavy match-ups, potentially outpacing opponents with its intrinsic value generation.
How to Beat Durnan of the Yawning Portal
Durnan of the Yawning Portal poses a unique challenge on the battlefield with its ability to offer resilience and resource advantage. Its capability to dodge removal spells thanks to Ward makes it tricky to deal with using targeted spells. However, it’s not insurmountable. One effective strategy to overcome Durnan is through board wipes, which bypass the Ward mechanic entirely, such as Doomskar or Wrath of God, neutralizing Durnan without targeting it directly.
Another tactic involves utilizing sacrifice effects. Cards like Liliana’s Triumph or Diabolic Edict force the opponent to sacrifice a creature, circumventing Durnan’s Ward entirely. It’s also beneficial to pressure your opponent early in the game. Rushing with an aggressive deck can limit the time Durnan has to impact the game and might prevent Durnan from even entering the battlefield.
Lastly, countering the spell outright is a straightforward method to thwart Durnan’s summons. Counterspells, Negate, or Dovin’s Veto, when timed right, can ensure that Durnan never gets to take command of the tavern mat. Adapting your playstyle and deck to these scenarios can help turn the tables against Durnan of the Yawning Portal and keep you one step ahead in your Magic: The Gathering matches.
BurnMana Recommendations
Mastering the strategic gameplay of MTG involves more than just powerful cards—it’s about understanding the synergies and dynamics that make each card shine. Durnan of the Yawning Portal, with its array of advantages, presents intriguing opportunities for deck builders. From increasing hand options, accelerating resources, to instant speed reactions, this card embodies the adaptability required in ever-evolving MTG matches. However, mindful of its downsides like the discard requirement and mana constraints, optimizing its use is key. Seek more insights and explore strategies to wield Durnan effectively in your quest for dominance at the gaming table. Dive in with us and deepen your MTG knowledge.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Durnan of the Yawning Portal MTG card by a specific set like Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate and Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, 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 Durnan of the Yawning Portal and other MTG cards:
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Printings
The Durnan of the Yawning Portal Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2022-06-10 and 2022-06-10. Illustrated by David Gaillet.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2022-06-10 | Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate | CLB | 657 | 2015 | Normal | Black | David Gaillet | |
| 2 | 2022-06-10 | Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate | CLB | 635 | 2015 | Normal | Black | David Gaillet |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Durnan of the Yawning Portal has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Durnan of the Yawning Portal card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-06-10 | An effect that checks whether you control your commander is satisfied if you control one or both of your two commanders. |
| 2022-06-10 | Both commanders start in the command zone, and the remaining 98 cards (or 58 cards in a Commander Draft game) of your deck are shuffled to become your library. |
| 2022-06-10 | Causing an opponent to lose the game after you've announced that you're casting a spell with undaunted and determined its total cost won't cause you to have to pay more mana. |
| 2022-06-10 | Choose a Background is a variant of the partner ability. You may have two commanders if one of them is a legendary creature with the choose a background ability and the other is a legendary Background enchantment. Backgrounds and cards with choose a Background do not interact with cards which have any other partner ability. |
| 2022-06-10 | Effects that reduce what you pay to cast a spell don't affect its mana value. |
| 2022-06-10 | If a card refers to a commander creature you own, a Background won't usually be counted or included for that effect. If another spell or ability causes your Background to become a creature, however, it will be included. Any effect that refers to your commander or a commander you own or control without specifying creature will apply to a Background that is your commander, as appropriate. |
| 2022-06-10 | If something refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to one of them of your choice. If you are instructed to perform an action on your commander (e.g. put it from the command zone into your hand due to Command Beacon), you choose one of your commanders at the time the effect happens. |
| 2022-06-10 | If you control a Background that grants an ability to commander creatures you own, and you own more than one commander creature, each of them will have that ability. |
| 2022-06-10 | If your Commander deck has two commanders, you can include only cards whose own color identities are also found in your commanders’ combined color identities. |
| 2022-06-10 | If your commander loses the choose a Background ability or stops being a Background during the game, as appropriate, it is still your commander. |
| 2022-06-10 | Once the game begins, your two commanders are tracked separately. If you cast one, you won’t have to pay an additional the first time you cast the other. A player loses the game after having been dealt 21 combat damage from any one of them, not from both of them combined (although your Background won’t usually be a creature anyway). |
| 2022-06-10 | You can choose two commanders that are the same color or colors. |
| 2022-06-10 | You must still pay all costs (as modified by the undaunted ability) and follow all normal timing rules when casting a spell this way. |