Gemstone Mine MTG Card
1997-06-09 - Number 164
1997-08-13 - Number js164
1998-08-12 - Number bs164
2005-01-01 - Number 1
2006-10-06 - Number 119
2023-01-13 - Number 395
2023-01-13 - Number 247
2023-01-13 - Number 455
2002-06-24 - Number 36028
2020-09-26 - Number TSB-119
| Card sets | Released in 10 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
When Gemstone Mine comes into play, put three mining counters on it. oc T, Remove a mining counter from Gemstone Mine: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. If there are no mining counters on Gemstone Mine, bury it.
Cards like Gemstone Mine
Gemstone Mine offers a distinctive approach to mana generating lands in MTG. It draws comparisons to lands like City of Brass, which similarly provides access to any color of mana. However, Gemstone Mine does this without the immediate drawback of losing life. With Gemstone Mine, the trade-off comes in the form of depletion; after three uses, the land becomes exhausted and is sacrificed.
Another close relative in this category is Tendo Ice Bridge. Like Gemstone Mine, it has the ability to produce one mana of any color. Yet, it’s limited by the presence of a charge counter which once gone, leaves the land only capable of producing colorless mana. Mana Confluence also deserves a mention, offering multicolored mana capability at the cost of life, diverging from Gemstone Mine’s finite usability but without the eventual loss of the land itself.
With an eye on usability and longevity, Gemstone Mine indeed stands out among multicolored lands in MTG. It provides early game flexibility that is paramount in multicolored decks without the continual drawback of life loss, making it a potent option in many strategies.
Cards similar to Gemstone Mine by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Gemstone Mine. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Ad Nauseam | Modern | Ad Nauseam | Modern Challenge 64 2024-04-08 |
 | Turbo Depths | Legacy | Sultai Depths | Lisbon Legacy League 2024 // 6th Qualifier |
| Sultai Depths | Legacy | Sultai Depths | Legacy Challenge 32 2024-04-14 |
 | LED 5c | Legacy | LED Dredge | Legacy League 2024-05-01 |
| WUBG | Modern | Modern Challenge 64 2024-04-14 | |
 | Creative Technique | Legacy | Creative Technique | Legacy Challenge 64 2024-04-28 |
| LED 4c | Legacy | LED Dredge | Legacy Challenge 32 2024-04-27 (1) |
 | Five-color Combo | Premodern | $1K - Pre-Modern - SCG CON Atlanta - Saturday - 9:30 am | |
| Five-color Midrange | Premodern | $1K - Pre-Modern - SCG CON Atlanta - Saturday - 9:30 am | |
| Azorius Aggro | Premodern | $1K - Pre-Modern - SCG CON Atlanta - Saturday - 9:30 am |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The versatility of Gemstone Mine is a strategic boon, allowing players to adapt to any color requirements, increasing their options, and thus gaining an indirect card advantage by effectively accessing more of their deck’s potential.
Resource Acceleration: Gemstone Mine provides immediate mana of any color, which is crucial for executing strategies earlier than your opponent anticipates. This acceleration can prove extremely decisive in fast-paced games where tempo is key.
Instant Speed: While Gemstone Mine itself doesn’t function at instant speed, the flexibility in mana it provides ensures that players have the necessary resources to utilize their instant speed cards whenever required, keeping threats at bay and opportunities within reach.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One drawback of the Gemstone Mine card is that it doesn’t provide a persistent mana source. After three uses, you’re required to discard it, which means it’s a temporary fix for mana issues rather than a long-term solution.
Specific Mana Cost: Although Gemstone Mine can provide any color of mana, it comes with the specific cost of a mining counter each use. Once these are depleted, the card becomes a non-factor, limiting its staying power in the game.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While not having a traditional mana cost to play, the Gemstone Mine card may come with a high opportunity cost. Acquiring it through trade or purchase might set you back more than other mana-fixing lands, considering its unique and powerful effect that is capped by use.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Gemstone Mine proves to be a highly adaptable land card, as it seamlessly fits into multicolored decks, offering mana of any color without a steep cost. Its ability to produce mana to match different color requirements makes it a valuable asset for a variety of MTG strategies.
Combo Potential: This card shines when paired with cards that care about land entering or leaving the battlefield, or when it’s used efficiently in land recursion tactics. It contributes to the synergy in decks built around landfall mechanics or similar themes, where its depletion of mining counters can even be leveraged for strategic advantage.
Meta-Relevance: In formats where mana flexibility can be the difference between victory and defeat, Gemstone Mine holds its own. The flexibility it offers is paramount in a meta that values speed and adaptability, ensuring that your deck can respond to various threats or execute its game plan without being hindered by color restrictions.
How to Beat Gemstone Mine
Gemstone Mine is a unique land card in Magic: The Gathering that offers immense mana flexibility. Its ability to tap for any color of mana without any cost is a tremendous advantage, but it comes with the constraint of mining counters. Each use removes a counter and when the last is gone, the mine is depleted and the land is sacrificed. This built-in limitation opens a strategy for opponents: pressure your adversary to use the Mine rapidly or pursue land destruction strategies to target their mana base directly.
Consider employing cards like Strip Mine or Ghost Quarter, which can outright destroy any land, including Gemstone Mine. If you’re facing a deck that relies heavily on the flexibility Gemstone Mine provides, attacking their land can be a debilitating strategy. Alternatively, accelerate the pace of the game, which can force your opponent to use up their Gemstone Mine counters quicker than they’d like, potentially leading to mana problems later in the game. Always remember, disrupting an opponent’s mana is a tested method for gaining the upper hand in any MTG match.
Ultimately, maintaining awareness of the board and pinpointing the optimal moment to strike at your opponent’s resources can nullify the advantage granted by Gemstone Mine, keeping you a step ahead in the race for victory.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Gemstone Mine MTG card by a specific set like Weatherlight and World Championship Decks 1997, 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 Gemstone Mine 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
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Printings
The Gemstone Mine Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 1997-06-09 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1997-06-09 | Weatherlight | WTH | 164 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Brom | |
| 2 | 1997-08-13 | World Championship Decks 1997 | WC97 | js164 | 1997 | Normal | Gold | Brom | |
| 3 | 1998-08-12 | World Championship Decks 1998 | WC98 | bs164 | 1997 | Normal | Gold | Brom | |
| 4 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 36028 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Brom | ||
| 5 | 2005-01-01 | Judge Gift Cards 2005 | G05 | 1 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Brom | |
| 6 | 2006-10-06 | Time Spiral Timeshifted | TSB | 119 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Brom | |
| 7 | The List | PLST | TSB-119 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Brom | ||
| 8 | 2023-01-13 | Dominaria Remastered | DMR | 395 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Brom | |
| 9 | 2023-01-13 | Dominaria Remastered | DMR | 247 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Brom | |
| 10 | 2023-01-13 | Dominaria Remastered | DMR | 455 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Mark Poole |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Gemstone Mine has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Gemstone Mine card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-12-08 | If the last mining counter is removed from Gemstone Mine in some way other than activating its ability, Gemstone Mine won’t be sacrificed (and its ability can’t be activated). |