Encircling Fissure MTG Card

Encircling Fissure provides card advantage by negating enemy attacks, preserving your creatures. Its instant speed casting allows for tactical responses and board protection during combat. Although versatile, the card requires careful deck-building to maximize its potential.

Encircling Fissure - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)

Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)
2015-10-02 - Number 23

Encircling Fissure - Mystery Booster (MB1)

Mystery Booster (MB1)
2019-11-07 - Number 92

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number BFZ-23

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Abilities	Awaken

Text of card

Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn by creatures target opponent controls. Awaken 2— (If you cast this spell for , also put two +1/+1 counters on target land you control and it becomes a 0/0 Elemental creature with haste. It's still a land.)

Understanding the Versatility of Encircling Fissure

Encircling Fissure stands out in the array of defensive spells available to players within the realm of MTG. This white instant card allows for a strategic advantage by preventing all damage that would be dealt to creatures you control by creatures your opponent controls this turn. Notably, it shares similarities with cards like Rootborn Defenses and Make a Stand. Both cards protect creatures from damage, but Encircling Fissure has the added benefit of the awaken mechanic, potentially turning a land into a sizeable creature.

Cards like Encircling Fissure

Encircling Fissure offers a distinctive choice for players looking to fortify their ranks on the battlefield. Comparable to it, Rootborn Defenses springs to mind, granting permanents you control indestructible until end of turn, along with a populate bonus. In contrast, Encircling Fissure focuses solely on negating damage, not on providing indestructibility or copying creature tokens. Make a Stand is another analog, giving creatures +1/+0 and indestructibility, yet Encircling Fissure doesn’t offer the power boost, emphasizing protective tactics instead.

These subtleties in card function highlight the variation in defensive strategy, where Encircling Fissure prioritizes immediate creature preservation, potentially leaving a lasting impact with its awaken ability. It’s an engaging option when considering bolstering defenses with the nuance of possible offensive pressure.

Cards similar to Encircling Fissure by color, type and mana cost

Ardenvale Tactician // Dizzying Swoop - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: One of the key features of Encircling Fissure is its ability to affect multiple creatures. By preventing all damage that would be dealt to creatures you control this turn, it can essentially negate an opponent’s attack, potentially saving numerous creatures from destruction. This conservation of resources can lead to significant card advantage over the course of a game.

Resource Acceleration: While Encircling Fissure doesn’t directly generate additional mana, it does have a cost-effective way of protecting your board. This indirect resource acceleration means that instead of dedicating mana and cards to play new creatures after losing them in battle, you can efficiently use your mana for other strategic plays, keeping the pressure on your opponent and further developing your board.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Encircling Fissure at instant speed is incredibly valuable. It allows you to wait until the most opportunistic moment during combat to nullify your opponent’s offensive efforts. This tactical flexibility ensures that your mana is never tied up unnecessarily, and you can respond to threats as they arise, keeping your strategy adaptable and dynamic.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Encircling Fissure is its requirement to be paired with specific strategies. To get maximum value, it often necessitates having creatures on the board, which could be challenging if you’re facing removal-heavy opponents or playing a control strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Encircling Fissure’s casting cost includes both white and generic mana, which restricts deck-building options. For players running multicolored decks, the requirement for white mana can complicate the mana base and sometimes hinder the card’s playability in diverse strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three generic and one white mana, Encircling Fissure can be considered costly for the effect it provides. Other cards in the same mana slot might offer more impactful or permanent solutions to threats, making it a less favorable option for players who are keen on maximizing their mana efficiency.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Encircling Fissure is a versatile card that can serve multiple roles within various deck archetypes. It can be a tactical asset in control decks that bide time until deploying win conditions, and it also has a place in midrange decks looking to protect key creatures during decisive battles.

Combo Potential: With its ability to prevent all damage that would be dealt to creatures you control by creatures your opponent controls this turn, Encircling Fissure can be pivotal in combos that require your creatures to survive combat, setting up favorable situations for subsequent turns.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where aggressive strategies are prevalent, Encircling Fissure provides a useful tool for staving off assaults from creature-heavy decks, helping to maintain board presence while transitioning into the late game where your deck’s strategy can fully manifest.

How to beat

Encircling Fissure is a versatile card in Magic the Gathering, known for its ability to prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn by creatures your opponents control. This can dramatically shift the momentum during battle phases, especially when an opponent commits to an all-out attack. However, there are strategies to mitigate its impact. One of the straightforward ways to counter Encircling Fissure’s effect is by using instant spells or abilities that can negate or bypass its damage prevention. Cards like Skullcrack or Leyline of Punishment can render its ability ineffective by preventing damage prevention abilities from working.

An alternative strategy involves waiting it out, as Encircling Fissure is a one-time use card that plays its role for only one turn. By not overextending your creatures into an opponent’s potential open mana that could pay for this spell, you can force them to waste a turn without achieving any defensive advantage. Additionally, focusing on non-combat strategies such as direct damage spells or leveraging abilities and effects that don’t rely on combat can also circumvent the need to face Encircling Fissure directly.

Ultimately, careful play and specific card choices can provide a solid game plan against Encircling Fissure, ensuring it doesn’t turn the tide of battle against you.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Encircling Fissure MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar and Mystery Booster, 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 Encircling Fissure and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Encircling Fissure Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-10-02 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Igor Kieryluk.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2015-10-02	Battle for Zendikar	BFZ	23	2015	Normal	Black	Igor Kieryluk
2	2019-11-07	Mystery Booster	MB1	92	2015	Normal	Black	Igor Kieryluk
3	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST	BFZ-23	2015	Normal	Black	Igor Kieryluk

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Encircling Fissure has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Encircling Fissure card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2015-08-25	Awaken doesn’t give the land you control a color. As most lands are colorless, in most cases the resulting land creature will also be colorless.
2015-08-25	Encircling Fissure prevents all combat damage that would be dealt by any creature controlled by the target opponent, even if that creature wasn’t on the battlefield or wasn’t a creature as Encircling Fissure resolved.
2015-08-25	If a spell with awaken has multiple targets (including the land you control), and some but not all of those targets become illegal by the time the spell tries to resolve, the spell won’t affect the illegal targets in any way.
2015-08-25	If the non-awaken part of the spell doesn’t require a target and you cast the spell for its awaken cost, then the spell won’t resolve if the target land you control becomes illegal before the spell resolves (such as due to being destroyed in response to the spell being cast).
2015-08-25	If the non-awaken part of the spell requires a target, you must choose a legal target. You can’t cast the spell if you can’t choose a legal target for each instance of the word “target” (though you only need a legal target for the awaken ability if you’re casting the spell for its awaken cost).
2015-08-25	The land will retain any other types, subtypes, or supertypes it previously had. It will also retain any mana abilities it had as a result of those subtypes. For example, a Forest that’s turned into a creature this way can still be tapped for .
2015-08-25	You can cast a spell with awaken for its mana cost and get only its first effect. If you cast a spell for its awaken cost, you’ll get both effects.