Trade Routes MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Trade Routes excels in providing continuous card advantage through its land-return ability.
  2. Resource acceleration is facilitated by its land cycling and landfall synergy.
  3. The enchantment’s instant speed offers unmatched tactical flexibility.

Text of card

o1: Return target land you control to its owner's hand. o1, Discard a land card from your hand: Draw a card.

Like the price of goods, the value of the routes was renegotiated daily.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: ‘Trade Routes’ provides a steady flow of card advantage, particularly in longer games. It allows you to return a land you control to your hand—a strategic way to draw more cards and find the answers or threats you need.

Resource Acceleration: This card can help with resource acceleration, especially in decks that have a high land count or utilize landfall mechanics. By cycling through your lands, you can ensure you make the most of every draw. Moreover, in combination with cards that make use of discarded cards, you can effectively convert your lands into new resources.

Instant Speed: ‘Trade Routes’ operates at instant speed, granting you the agility to adapt to the board state. This flexibility lets you keep mana open until the last possible moment, using it to return lands in response to an opponent’s actions or end-of-turn to maximize efficiency.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Trade Routes demands that you part with another card from your hand to activate its core ability. This can often place you at a disadvantage by depleting your hand, especially during the late game where each card’s strategic value is at its peak.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s activation requires a specific type of mana (blue), potentially limiting its integration into multicolored decks. Players running decks without blue mana might find it challenging to capitalize on Trade Routes’ abilities.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although only costing two mana to play, the real expense comes with its activated abilities. Each of them also requires mana, which can add up over time, making it cost-intensive compared to other card-draw or land-interaction cards in MTG.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Trade Routes offers a flexible utility that can adapt to varying game states. Its ability to return lands to your hand enables landfall triggers or just ensures land drops each turn, making it an asset in decks that capitalize on land mechanics.

Combo Potential: The card’s synergies are numerous. It can be used in combination with cards that benefit from discarding, like draw engines or graveyard synergies. Plus, its land retrieval ability can effectively counteract land destruction strategies.

Meta-Relevance: As land-based strategies often surface in various metagames, Trade Routes maintains relevance by turning extra lands into potential card advantage or serving as a safety valve against flooding. This can be particularly crucial in formats where long games are common and resource management is key.


How to beat

Trade Routes is an intriguing enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that offers players the flexibility to return lands to their hand and draw cards by discarding lands. This card can be a tough nut to crack—providing a steady stream of card advantage and land utility. To counter this strategy, land destruction or enchantment removal cards are effective. These can disrupt your opponent’s land base and eliminate Trade Routes directly.

An approach to outpace Trade Routes involves applying pressure with an aggressive strategy. Overrunning the opponent with creatures gives them less time to set up their land recycling system. Another tactic is to employ cards that punish discarding or returning cards to hand, turning their advantage into your opportunity. Lastly, cards that limit the number of spells a player can cast each turn can also limit the effectiveness of Trade Routes.

It’s crucial to keep your opponent on their toes and deny the utility that Trade Routes provides. Whether through direct destruction, applying pressure, or disrupting their game plan, be mindful of how you manage your resources to maintain an edge over opponents utilizing this versatile enchantment.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the strategic depth ‘Trade Routes’ adds to your MTG arsenal can be a game-changer, particularly in formats that favor skillful manipulation of resources. Balancing card advantage with resource allocation is key to outmaneuvering opponents, and this card can be a linchpin in such strategies. Whether you’re looking to optimize landfall synergies, protect yourself against mana flood, or simply increase the versatility of your deck, incorporating ‘Trade Routes’ might very well be your next master stroke. Dive deeper into strategic play and broaden your horizons with this multifaceted enchantment. Discover how ‘Trade Routes’ can fortify your deck’s resilience and versatility.


Cards like Trade Routes

Trade Routes is a unique enchantment in the world of Magic: The Gathering that offers players a dynamic way to manage their land resources. In the realm of MTG cards offering land manipulation, its companions include cards like Meloku the Clouded Mirror, which allows for the creation of Illusion tokens at the cost of returning a land you control to its owner’s hand. While Meloku provides a creature-based advantage, Trade Routes focuses on card flow, granting the ability to discard lands to draw more cards.

Another card to consider is Seismic Assault, which, like Trade Routes, gives utility to lands later in the game by allowing players to discard lands to deal damage to any target. Although Seismic Assault is more aggressive in nature providing direct damage, Trade Routes offers a more flexible approach, letting players either draw or play additional lands. Lastly, Life from the Loam stands out with its dredge mechanic, bringing lands from the graveyard to hand, pairing nicely with Trade Routes to form a powerful land recycling combo.

In sum, the comparison sheds light on the versatility of Trade Routes; it may not directly impact the board state like some of its counterparts, but its ability to adapt land usage to the flow of the game makes it an interesting strategic tool in a player’s arsenal.

Meloku the Clouded Mirror - MTG Card versions
Seismic Assault - MTG Card versions
Life from the Loam - MTG Card versions
Meloku the Clouded Mirror - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Seismic Assault - Exodus (EXO)
Life from the Loam - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)

Cards similar to Trade Routes by color, type and mana cost

Copy Artifact - MTG Card versions
Invisibility - MTG Card versions
Power Leak - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Terrain - MTG Card versions
Creature Bond - MTG Card versions
Stasis - MTG Card versions
Lifetap - MTG Card versions
Power Artifact - MTG Card versions
Psychic Venom - MTG Card versions
Venarian Gold - MTG Card versions
Homarid Spawning Bed - MTG Card versions
Soar - MTG Card versions
Flooded Shoreline - MTG Card versions
Dance of Many - MTG Card versions
Teferi's Veil - MTG Card versions
Legacy's Allure - MTG Card versions
Chill - MTG Card versions
Buoyancy - MTG Card versions
Mana Maze - MTG Card versions
Psionic Gift - MTG Card versions
Copy Artifact - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Invisibility - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Power Leak - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Phantasmal Terrain - Invasion (INV)
Creature Bond - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Stasis - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Lifetap - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Power Artifact - Antiquities (ATQ)
Psychic Venom - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Venarian Gold - Legends (LEG)
Homarid Spawning Bed - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Soar - Mirage (MIR)
Flooded Shoreline - Visions (VIS)
Dance of Many - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Teferi's Veil - Weatherlight (WTH)
Legacy's Allure - Tempest (TMP)
Chill - Tempest (TMP)
Buoyancy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Mana Maze - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Psionic Gift - Odyssey (ODY)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Trade Routes MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques and Eighth Edition, 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 Trade Routes and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Trade Routes Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1999-10-04 and 2005-07-29. Illustrated by Matt Cavotta.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11999-10-04Mercadian MasquesMMQ 1121997normalblackMatt Cavotta
22003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 109★2003normalblackMatt Cavotta
32003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 1092003normalwhiteMatt Cavotta
42005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 108★2003normalblackMatt Cavotta
52005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 1082003normalwhiteMatt Cavotta
62020-09-26The ListPLST MMQ-1121997normalblackMatt Cavotta

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Trade Routes has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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