Earth Surge MTG Card

Transforms every land draw into a potential threat, enhancing the impact each card has on the game. Encourages instant speed gameplay, leveraging lands as continuous threats while maintaining a reactive game stance. Requires precise resource management, as its discard effect and specific mana cost could limit deck diversity and strategy.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Released	2006-02-03
Set symbol
Set name	Guildpact
Set code	GPT
Number	84
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Luca Zontini

Text of card

Each land gets +2/+2 as long as it's a creature.

"Some gardeners sing to plants. I tell them stories—stories of how they once ruled the world, of the mortals who destroyed their kind, and of revenge." —Bougrat, druid of the Cult of Yore

Cards like Earth Surge

Earth Surge is an enchantment that tips the balance of the game by boosting lands with an extra layer of offensive capability. Within the realm of Magic: The Gathering, comparisons can be drawn with other cards that also amplify land’s potential. Notably, Nissa, Who Shakes the World comes to mind, which doubles mana produced by your forests, likewise turning them into powerful elemental creatures.

Where Earth Surge ensures each land is a potential threat, Wilderness Reclamation offers a different approach – untapping all your lands at the end of your turn, providing opportunities to use mana abilities or flash-in surprises during your opponent’s turn. Zendikar’s Roil creates elemental creatures as well, but in response to landfall triggers rather than a blanket effect on all lands. While Earth Surge doesn’t produce additional creatures or mana, it can transform any type of land into an aggressive entity straightaway.

Each card serves a specific role, and Earth Surge claims its niche by creating immediate and widespread board presence change, leveraging lands to secure battlefield advantage. It’s a distinct angle within Magic: The Gathering to turn what’s fundamentally passive into a force to be reckoned with.

Nissa, Who Shakes the World - MTG Card versions

Wilderness Reclamation - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Earth Surge by color, type and mana cost

Defense of the Heart - MTG Card versions

Arasta of the Endless Web - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Earth Surge creates a dynamic where each land you control turns into a pressing threat, increasing the value gained from each land draw. This amplifies your card advantage as every draw can impact the board significantly.

Resource Acceleration: By capitalizing on the lands that are already in play, Earth Surge enhances your board presence without the need for additional spells. This indirect resource acceleration can profoundly shift the pace of the game in your favor.

Instant Speed: While Earth Surge is not an instant itself, it rewards decks that operate at instant speed. With lands converted into substantial contributors, you’re free to use your instants without losing momentum, maintaining a reactive posture while your lands, now formidable creatures, keep the pressure on your opponent.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Earth Surge necessitates discarding other cards from your hand, potentially depleting important tactical resources which could impact your gameplay negatively, especially if you’re already at a card disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This card comes with a specific mana requirement that leans heavily on green mana, making it less flexible for inclusion in multicolored decks that may have a more varied mana base and necessitate a careful balance of mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost that asks for a significant amount of mana, Earth Surge might be considered costly compared to other cards providing similar effects or benefits. This could lead to slower gameplay as players need to wait longer to amass adequate mana, meanwhile forgoing the casting of potentially more impactful spells at a crucial time in the match.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Earth Surge is a card that can seamlessly adapt to diverse types of decks, particularly those that are based on land strategies or landfall mechanics. This enchantment maximizes the benefits of your lands while hindering those of your opponent.

Combo Potential: Earth Surge can be combined with cards that tap or untap lands for powerful effects, or with land animation effects to create potent creatures. It can become the linchpin in a deck that seeks to leverage land-based synergies.

Meta-Relevance: As the game climate shifts, Earth Surge maintains relevance, especially in formats where land-based strategies are prevalent. In such environments, it can bolster your board presence and complicate the opponent’s land usage, making it a strategic inclusion in any collection focused on the current meta.

How to Confront the Land’s Might

Earth Surge is a unique enchantment in the Magic: The Gathering universe, bringing a distinct twist to land manipulation strategies. Grasping the fundamentals to effectively counter this card can swing the momentum in your favor. Typically, Earth Surge synergizes with decks focused on land, transforming all lands into significant threats by granting them power and toughness equal to their mana production capabilities.

Addressing the Earth Surge challenge requires a shift in strategy to incorporate removal spells that specifically target enchantments. Cards such as Naturalize or Disenchant are efficient tools, easily fitting within your mana curve to dismantle your opponent’s setup. Deploying board wipes like Wrath of God can also provide relief by eliminating all creatures, including animated lands bolstered by Earth Surge.

Additionally, restricting the number of lands an opponent has in play can diminish Earth Surge’s impact. Land destruction cards or compelling your opponent to sacrifice lands can be a strategic path to suppress their advantages. In essence, understanding and disrupting the synergy that Earth Surge relies upon is critical in conquering this powerful enchantment.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Earth Surge MTG card by a specific set like Guildpact, 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 Earth Surge and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Earth Surge 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 Earth Surge card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2006-02-01	Earth Surge gives the bonus to each permanent that has both the “land” and “creature” types. It doesn’t turn lands into creatures.