Fountain of Cho MTG Card
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Land |
| Released | 1999-10-04 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Mercadian Masques |
| Set code | MMQ |
| Number | 317 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Scott Hampton |
Text of card
Fountain of Cho comes into play tapped. oc T: Put a storage counter on Fountain of Cho. oc T, Remove any number of storage counters from Fountain of Cho: Add one white mana to your mana pool for each storage counter removed this way.
Cards like Fountain of Cho
Exploring the vast catalog of artifacts in Magic: The Gathering reveals that Fountain of Cho stands in a unique spot. With similarities to cards like Elixir of Immortality, this artifact provides incremental life gain. However, unlike Elixir, Fountain of Cho demands no mana investment for activation but offers less life gain per use. This subtle difference can significantly impact the pacing of gameplay, offering advantages in different scenarios.
Comparatively, Pristine Talisman is another artifact that provides a consistent life boost. Like Fountain of Cho, its ability can be applied without tapping out, but it also ramps mana, which gives it a slight edge in decks looking for life gain without sacrificing tempo. Meanwhile, the famed artifact Sun Droplet provides a different approach to life gain, stockpiling life incrementally every turn, which contrasts Fountain of Cho’s direct and immediate approach.
While assessing artifacts designed for life gain, it’s clear that Fountain of Cho has a distinctive role. Its zero-cost activation makes it easy to weave into a strategy without the risk of falling behind. Despite lacking some of the features of its counterparts, it fits seamlessly into a deck that values consistent life increases without added mana expenditure.
Cards similar to Fountain of Cho by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Fountain of Cho offers a continual source of cards. Each turn presents a new opportunity to draw, thus ensuring that you consistently have options at your disposal. This advantage can often turn the tides in a prolonged match where every card counts.
Resource Acceleration: This artifact shines in its ability to speed up your gameplay. By providing an extra land drop, you effectively accelerate your resource pool, allowing for more significant plays or quicker access to high-cost cards. It’s an excellent tool for decks that seek to outpace the opponent through superior resources.
Instant Speed: The ability to use Fountain of Cho at instant speed is a strategic boon. You can make crucial decisions on the fly, responding to the changing battlefield conditions without skipping a beat. This flexibility ensures that you’re never caught off-guard and always have the means to react or optimize your plays during the heat of battle.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Fountain of Cho necessitates the discard of a card to activate its ability. For players, this can be a tough call especially when playing with a hand that contains key strategic elements. Discarding could potentially mean letting go of a game-changing card, leaving you at a disadvantage.
Specific Mana Cost: Activating Fountain of Cho’s ability requires a specific colored mana. This constraint might not mesh well with all deck types, making it less versatile and more difficult to fit into multi-color decks that might run lean on the required mana type.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: In the realm of artifacts that provide utility or card advantage, Fountain of Cho’s mana cost to activate might seem steep. Efficient deck builders often look for ways to maximize the impact of their mana spending, and there could be alternate cards that provide similar or better effects without such a significant mana investment.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Fountain of Cho adapts seamlessly to multiple deck strategies, providing a consistent source of life gain which is invaluable in long games.
Combo Potential: Coupled with cards that capitalize on life gain, this card can be pivotal in setting off powerful synergies and infinite combos within your deck’s structure.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where aggressive strategies dominate, Fountain of Cho serves as a vital counterbalance, providing the necessary sustainability to withstand early onslaughts and reach your win conditions.
How to beat
Fountain of Cho is a unique niche card in Magic: The Gathering that can sometimes perplex players with its ability to consistently gain life. When dealing with this artifact, the first strategy to consider is direct removal. Artifact destruction spells like Naturalize or Abrade can easily handle the Fountain’s presence on the battlefield, nullifying its life-gaining capabilities.
Interrupting the synergy might also serve as an effective way to tackle this card. Many decks that incorporate the Fountain also rely on the incremental life gain to trigger other abilities or conditions within the game. By preventing these conditions, such as with cards like Tainted Remedy that reverses life gain into life loss, the Fountain of Cho becomes a liability instead of an asset.
Ultimately, while the Fountain of Cho can offer a consistent trickle of life to your opponent, it is a low-threat card. Prioritizing higher threat levels and managing the Fountain with straightforward removal when it aligns with your strategy is key. This ensures the Fountain doesn’t tip the scales too far in your adversary’s favor as you press for victory in your Magic: The Gathering confrontations.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Fountain of Cho MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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 Fountain of Cho and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Fountain of Cho has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |