Ghost Quarter MTG Card
2006-05-05 - Number 173
2010-11-08 - Number A128
2011-09-30 - Number 240
2014-05-30 - Number 26
2014-11-07 - Number 298
2015-11-13 - Number 285
2017-06-09 - Number 251
2018-06-08 - Number 253
2019-11-07 - Number 1671
2020-03-12 - Number 22
2023-06-23 - Number 314
2019-12-02 - Number 468
2019-12-02 - Number 679
2020-09-26 - Number DIS-173
2020-09-26 - Number CM2-253
2023-06-23 - Number 78
| Card sets | Released in 16 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
: Add to your mana pool. , Sacrifice Ghost Quarter: Destroy target land. Its controller may search his or her library for a basic land card, put it into play, then shuffle his or her library.
Where wasted life cries out to be reborn.
Cards like Ghost Quarter
Ghost Quarter serves a pivotal role in disrupting your opponent’s mana base by destroying any land. In a game where the right mana at the right time is crucial, this can be particularly detrimental. It stands in a field alongside other land destruction cards such as Field of Ruin, which also targets lands and replaces them with basics. Yet, Ghost Quarter requires no mana investment to activate compared to Field of Ruin’s two mana and sacrifices itself without providing a replacement land for its controller, a significant factor in tight gameplay scenarios.
Tectonic Edge is another land removal option that offers a different balance – requiring four or more lands to be active. While Ghost Quarter can be employed at any stage, Tectonic Edge demands a more developed game board and also costs mana to activate but does not require you to sacrifice one of your own lands in the process, unlike Ghost Quarter.
From a strategic viewpoint, Ghost Quarter may be the more versatile option for land removal in MTG, easily fitting into various deck compositions due to its cost-less activation, despite the self-sacrifice requirement. Assessing the strengths of comparable cards illuminates Ghost Quarter’s unique position in the realm of land control strategies.
Cards similar to Ghost Quarter by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Ghost Quarter. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Death & Taxes | Modern | Death & Taxes | Modern League 2024-04-30 |
 | Prison Shops | Vintage | Prison Shops | Vintage League 2024-04-27 |
| Lands | Legacy | Lands | Legacy League 2024-04-26 |
 | Golgari Depths | Legacy | Sultai Depths | Legacy League 2024-05-01 |
 | Mono-Black Scam | Legacy | Mono-Black Scam | Legacy League 2024-04-30 |
| Aggro Shops | Vintage | Aggro Shops | Vintage Challenge 32 2024-04-26 |
 | Fastbond Lands | Vintage | Fastbond Lands | Vintage Challenge 32 2024-04-26 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Ghost Quarter offers a unique form of card advantage as it allows you to disrupt your opponent’s mana base while potentially not losing land yourself. This is especially potent against decks that rely on nonbasic lands to execute their strategies, making it possible to hinder their game plan significantly.
Resource Acceleration: Though Ghost Quarter does not directly accelerate your resources, it can indirectly influence the pace of the game. By removing a critical land from your opponent’s board, you’re slowing down their development while maintaining the pace of your own gameplay, which can be seen as a form of tempo acceleration.
Instant Speed: The ability to activate Ghost Quarter at instant speed adds a layer of strategic depth to your plays. It allows you to wait until the last possible moment to disrupt your opponent, which can be crucial in response to land-dependent combos or to simply get the most information before committing to the action.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Ghost Quarter doesn’t require a card discard, it does demand you to sacrifice it, effectively diminishing your land count. This can be a setback in land-orientated strategies or when you’re already behind on board development.
Specific Mana Cost: Ghost Quarter’s ability is mana-free, providing flexibility. However, it could be seen as a disadvantage that the land it searches for comes into play untapped, slowing your mana progression in comparison to the opponent who receives an untapped land.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Ghost Quarter has no mana cost to activate, the opportunity cost is high. Removing a land from your own board can be costly, especially if you are unable to capitalize on the temporary resource imbalance it creates against your opponent.
Reasons to Include Ghost Quarter in Your Collection
Versatility: Ghost Quarter serves an important role in any deck due to its ability to disrupt opponents’ mana bases. It can target any land, making it a versatile tool against a wide range of decks, from those relying on powerful utility lands to those with greedy mana requirements.
Combo Potential: This land provides synergy with strategies wishing to recur lands from the graveyard or capitalize on land destruction. Additionally, it can be a strategic asset in decks designed to deny resources, standing as a key piece in a larger control or denial strategy.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where nonbasic lands are prevalent, Ghost Quarter shines by providing a solution to lands that often evade common disruption tactics. It’s a valuable card in any collection for its ability to adapt and respond to current dominant strategies, keeping decks competitive.
How to beat Ghost Quarter
Ghost Quarter is a unique land card in Magic: The Gathering that can be pivotal in disrupting an opponent’s mana base. Unlike typical land destruction spells, Ghost Quarter does not set your opponent back on lands but changes the dynamic of the battlefield by potentially removing a key piece of their land strategy, such as Tron Lands or creature lands. Despite this, savvy players can navigate the Ghost Quarter’s effect with proper planning.
To effectively counter Ghost Quarter, consider running basic lands in your deck, which allows you to recover smoothly from its land exchange ability. Diversifying your mana base with various basic lands can mitigate Ghost Quarter’s impact. Furthermore, employing land search effects or land recursion spells after Ghost Quarter targets your land can turn the tables, effectively making its ability an enabler for your strategies. Cards like Life from the Loam or Crucible of Worlds excel in these situations by returning lands from the graveyard to the battlefield or your hand, bypassing the potential setback of Ghost Quarter.
Understanding and being prepared for possible interactions with Ghost Quarter elevates your strategy and ensures that your mana base remains a reliable foundation throughout the game.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Ghost Quarter MTG card by a specific set like Dissension and Magic Online Theme Decks, 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 Ghost Quarter and other MTG cards:
BUY NOW BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- 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
Printings
The Ghost Quarter Magic the Gathering card was released in 14 different sets between 2006-05-05 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by 4 different artists.
Show/hide all sets| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006-05-05 | Dissension | DIS | 173 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Heather Hudson | |
| 2 | 2010-11-08 | Magic Online Theme Decks | TD0 | A128 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Heather Hudson | |
| 3 | 2011-09-30 | Innistrad | ISD | 240 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Peter Mohrbacher | |
| 4 | 2014-05-30 | Modern Event Deck 2014 | MD1 | 26 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Peter Mohrbacher | |
| 5 | 2014-11-07 | Commander 2014 | C14 | 298 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Peter Mohrbacher | |
| 6 | 2015-11-13 | Commander 2015 | C15 | 285 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Peter Mohrbacher | |
| 7 | 2017-06-09 | Commander Anthology | CMA | 251 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Peter Mohrbacher | |
| 8 | 2018-06-08 | Commander Anthology Volume II | CM2 | 253 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Peter Mohrbacher | |
| 9 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1671 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Peter Mohrbacher | |
| 10 | Secret Lair Drop | SLD | 468 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Sidharth Chaturvedi | ||
| 11 | Secret Lair Drop | SLD | 679 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Sidharth Chaturvedi | ||
| 12 | 2020-03-12 | Historic Anthology 2 | HA2 | 22 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Peter Mohrbacher | |
| 13 | The List | PLST | DIS-173 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Heather Hudson | ||
| 14 | The List | PLST | CM2-253 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Peter Mohrbacher | ||
| 15 | 2023-06-23 | Tales of Middle-earth Commander | LTC | 314 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Lorenzo Lanfranconi | |
| 16 | Tales of Middle-earth Art Series | ALTR | 78 | 2015 | Art series | Borderless | Lorenzo Lanfranconi |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Ghost Quarter has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Ghost Quarter card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2006-05-01 | If you target Ghost Quarter with its own ability, the ability won't resolve because its target is no longer on the battlefield. You won't get to search for a land card. |
| 2011-09-22 | If the targeted land is an illegal target by the time Ghost Quarter's ability resolves, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. The land's controller won't get to search for a basic land card. |
| 2013-07-01 | The target land's controller gets to search for a basic land card even if that land wasn't destroyed by Ghost Quarter's ability. This may happen because the land has indestructible or because it was regenerated. |