Choked Estuary MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 18 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Smoothens draws in multicolored decks with its ability to tap for blue or black mana.
  2. Instant speed playability keeps opponents uncertain of your mana resources.
  3. Reveal requirement can be a minor setback if lacking an Island or Swamp.

Text of card

As Choked Estuary enters the battlefield, you may reveal an Island or Swamp card from your hand. If you don't, Choked Estuary enters the battlefield tapped. : Add or to your mana pool.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Choked Estuary assists in smoothing out your draws as it grants access to multiple colors of mana, thereby enhancing the potential quality of the cards you draw by widening the pool of playable spells in multicolored decks.

Resource Acceleration: While Choked Estuary doesn’t create additional resources directly, it supports resource acceleration by enabling you to play color-intensive spells earlier in the game due to its ability to tap for two different types of mana, crucial in maintaining tempo and establishing a strong board presence.

Instant Speed: The ability to reveal an Island or Swamp card from your hand rather than pay Choked Estuary’s enter-the-battlefield cost is not limited to sorcery speed. This flexibility allows you to preserve the element of surprise, keeping your opponents guessing about your available mana and potential plays, while simultaneously developing your mana base efficiently.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To fully utilize Choked Estuary’s potential, the card necessitates revealing an Island or Swamp from your hand or it enters the battlefield tapped. This can be a setback, especially if your hand lacks these specific land types or if you prefer to keep your land cards concealed for strategic purposes.

Specific Mana Cost: Choked Estuary provides a dual source of blue or black mana, which is ideal for certain decks. However, this can be limiting for multicolored decks that require a wider range of mana availability. The card may not fit into decks that don’t prioritize blue or black mana, reducing its versatility across different types of play styles and strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When exploring other lands that can provide mana without entering tapped or having additional requirements, Choked Estuary may not always be the optimal choice. Other lands in the same mana value can offer quicker or more flexible mana for deck building, which could lead to a preference for those alternatives in a competitive setting where every turn counts.


Reasons to Include Choked Estuary in Your Collection

Versatility: Choked Estuary offers a flexible mana base for any deck that runs both blue and black. Its ability to come into play untapped early in the game when you reveal an Island or Swamp makes it a dynamic choice for mana-fixing.

Combo Potential: Decks that utilize graveyard strategies or delve mechanics gain an edge from Choked Estuary’s seamless integration, setting the stage for powerful plays without compromising the mana curve.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where two-color mana bases reign supreme, having a land like Choked Estuary can ensure you’re keeping pace with the competition while minimizing the risk of being color-locked in pivotal moments of the game.


How to Beat Choked Estuary

Choked Estuary stands as a staple in decks that capitalize on dual-type mana flexibility. This land card is advantageous when you have the correct card to reveal in hand, granting you access to either blue or black mana without entering the battlefield tapped. However, as with any strategic piece in MTG, there are ways to diminish its effectiveness. Keeping pressure on your opponent by attacking their hand can prove to be effective. If they lack enough cards to reveal, Choked Estuary loses its edge, entering the battlefield tapped when they can least afford the setback.

Another strategy includes the use of land destruction or conversion cards, disrupting the color balance and limiting the adaptability that Choked Estuary provides. Techniques that force lands to become basic land types or stripping away their abilities render the estuary nearly as stagnant as its name implies. By focusing on these aspects, you undercut the value Choked Estuary adds to your opponent’s strategy, helping to pave your way towards victory against decks that rely on its dual mana benefits.

Therefore, it’s essential to identify and neutralize key elements like Choked Estuary that could pose as pivotal turning points within a match. Control and foresight can often turn the tide, ensuring your opponent’s resources remain choked while you surge ahead.


Cards like Choked Estuary

The Choked Estuary land card lends a strategic edge in deck building within Magic: The Gathering. It sits alongside other dual lands, such as Sunken Hollow, with both allowing you to tap for blue or black mana, vital for multicolored decks. What sets Choked Estuary apart is its reveal mechanism, which provides flexibility, as it gives you the option to show a basic land of the associated types from your hand rather than relying on having two or more basic lands on the battlefield like Sunken Hollow does.

In comparison, Drowned Catacomb also enters the battlefield untapped under a condition, namely controlling an Island or a Swamp. However, it does so without the need to reveal any cards, providing a subtler approach to mana fixing. On the other end, Polluted Delta is a fetch land that can tap for either blue or black mana indirectly by sacrificing itself to search for an Island or Swamp card. Though highly efficient, this comes at the cost of one life and potentially revealing more information to your opponent.

Each of these cards offers distinct advantages and the choice between them hinges on the specific strategy and deck construction. Choked Estuary excels in early game flexibility, while accessories like Sunken Hollow and Drowned Catacomb can be strategically advantageous in landscapes where keeping certain information hidden is crucial.

Sunken Hollow - MTG Card versions
Drowned Catacomb - MTG Card versions
Polluted Delta - MTG Card versions
Sunken Hollow - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)
Drowned Catacomb - Magic 2010 (M10)
Polluted Delta - Onslaught (ONS)

Cards similar to Choked Estuary by color, type and mana cost

Underground Sea - MTG Card versions
River Delta - MTG Card versions
Underground River - MTG Card versions
Salt Marsh - MTG Card versions
Dimir Aqueduct - MTG Card versions
Temple of Deceit - MTG Card versions
Watery Grave - MTG Card versions
Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway - MTG Card versions
Darkwater Catacombs - MTG Card versions
Dreadship Reef - MTG Card versions
Secluded Glen - MTG Card versions
Jwar Isle Refuge - MTG Card versions
Drowned Catacomb - MTG Card versions
Darkslick Shores - MTG Card versions
Tainted Isle - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Depths - MTG Card versions
Sunken Hollow - MTG Card versions
Submerged Boneyard - MTG Card versions
Dismal Backwater - MTG Card versions
Dimir Guildgate - MTG Card versions
Underground Sea - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
River Delta - Ice Age (ICE)
Underground River - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Salt Marsh - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Dimir Aqueduct - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Temple of Deceit - Doctor Who (WHO)
Watery Grave - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Darkwater Catacombs - Fallout (PIP)
Dreadship Reef - The List (PLST)
Secluded Glen - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Jwar Isle Refuge - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)
Drowned Catacomb - Fallout (PIP)
Darkslick Shores - Phyrexia: All Will Be One Promos (PONE)
Tainted Isle - Fallout (PIP)
Rootwater Depths - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Sunken Hollow - Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)
Submerged Boneyard - Commander 2018 (C18)
Dismal Backwater - March of the Machine (MOM)
Dimir Guildgate - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Choked Estuary MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Shadows over Innistrad Promos, 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 Choked Estuary and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Choked Estuary Magic the Gathering card was released in 14 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-04-08Shadows over InnistradSOI 2702015normalblackVincent Proce
22016-04-08Shadows over Innistrad PromosPSOI 270s2015normalblackVincent Proce
32021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 2282015normalblackVincent Proce
42021-09-24Midnight Hunt CommanderMIC 1692015normalblackVincent Proce
52022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 3932015normalblackVincent Proce
62022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 8862015normalblackVincent Proce
72022-10-07Warhammer 40,000 Commander40K 2682015normalblackLixin Yin
82022-10-07Warhammer 40,000 Commander40K 268★2015normalblackLixin Yin
92023-03-21Shadows over Innistrad RemasteredSIR 2642015normalblackVincent Proce
102023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 3942015normalblackVincent Proce
112023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 2992015normalblackLixin Yin
122023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine CommanderWOC 1552015normalblackVincent Proce
132023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 8522015normalblackShahab Alizadeh
142023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 2612015normalblackShahab Alizadeh
152023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 4842015normalblackShahab Alizadeh
162023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 10752015normalblackShahab Alizadeh
172023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 3222015normalblackVincent Proce
182024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 2542015normalblackVincent Proce

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Choked Estuary has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2016-04-08 If an Island or Swamp is entering the battlefield from your hand at the same time as Choked Estuary, you may reveal the other land to have Choked Estuary enter untapped.
2016-04-08 If an effect instructs you to put Choked Estuary onto the battlefield tapped, it will still enter the battlefield tapped even if you reveal a land card from your hand.
2016-04-08 Lands don't have a subtype just because they can produce mana of the corresponding color. Choked Estuary itself is neither an Island nor a Swamp, even though it produces blue and black mana, so you can't reveal one to satisfy the ability of another.
2016-04-08 You may reveal any land card with either or both of the appropriate subtypes. It doesn't have to be a basic land. For example, you could reveal Prairie Stream from the Battle for Zendikar set to satisfy the ability of Choked Estuary.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks