Glacial Floodplain MTG Card
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Snow Land — Plains Island |
| Released | 2021-02-05 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Kaldheim |
| Set code | KHM |
| Number | 257 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Sarah Finnigan |
Text of card
(: Add or .) Glacial Floodplain enters the battlefield tapped.
"A cliff once rose from the surf here—until Bjora Dawn-Greeter declared that it was blocking her view and pulled it down bare-handed." —Iskene, Kannah storyteller
Cards like Glacial Floodplain
Glacial Floodplain enters the vast and intricate field of dual lands in Magic the Gathering. It mirrors the utility found in other dual lands like Highland Lake, providing both blue and red mana to a player’s mana pool. However, Glacial Floodplain has a unique trait when compared to Highland Lake; it can enter the battlefield tapped with an ice counter if you control two or more other snow lands. This feature potentially enhances its value in snow-focused decks.
Another relative in this category is Izzet Guildgate. Both serve as blue-red mana sources but lack the ability to produce snow mana. Conversely, Frostboil Snarl stands out with its conditional untapped entry, hinging on revealing a corresponding land type from your hand. Glacial Floodplain does not share this check but has the added benefit of snow synergy, offering an advantageous angle in certain deck constructs.
Assessing these parallels, Glacial Floodplain carves out its niche among dual lands. In decks tailored for snow synergy, it presents itself as an indispensable resource, although, in more general cases, the choice between it and alternatives like Highland Lake or Frostboil Snarl pivots on specific deck strategy and the value placed on snow mana accessibility.
Cards similar to Glacial Floodplain by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Glacial Floodplain. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Integrating seamlessly into your strategy, Glacial Floodplain from the Kaldheim set offers dual utility as both a land and a source of card advantage. While the card doesn’t directly draw you extra cards, the advantage comes from its enhance your mana base without sacrificing deck space for color fixing, which is akin to gaining additional resources.
Resource Acceleration: Although Glacial Floodplain enters the battlefield tapped, it sets the stage for resource acceleration by providing access to two types of mana. It can tap for either blue or white mana which is crucial for multicolor decks in MTG that are looking to execute their game plan more efficiently.
Instant Speed: Glacial Floodplain itself may not be an instant, but its presence can facilitate plays at instant speed by ensuring you have the necessary mana. This becomes particularly important as you can keep your mana open for instant spells while still developing your mana base, making your plays more versatile and reactive to your opponent’s strategies.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: As a Glacial Floodplain enters the battlefield tapped unless you control two or more other snow lands, it can slow your game’s tempo significantly, making you forego important early plays.
Specific Mana Cost: Glacial Floodplain is a dual land card that provides blue or white mana, but as a snow land, its benefit is specific to decks that capitalize on snow mechanics. This can limit its utility in non-snow-themed decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Glacial Floodplain doesn’t require mana to play, the cost of it entering the battlefield tapped is more significant than basic lands. This needs to be weighed against its potential benefits, especially in fast-paced games where every turn counts.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Glacial Floodplain is a versatile land card providing both blue and white mana, crucial for two-color decks, while also having the snow land subtype, which is relevant in strategies that capitalize on snow synergies.
Combo Potential: This card opens up opportunities for combos in decks that interact with snow permanents, whether it’s triggering abilities or enhancing strategies that gain advantages from having multiple snow lands in play.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where snow-based decks or strategies that need mana fixing are common, Glacial Floodplain offers a reliable and efficient land option, maintaining its relevance as the game evolves.
How to beat
Glacial Floodplain is a particular kind of dual land in Magic: The Gathering, known for entering the battlefield tapped and offering access to both blue and white mana. Players often incorporate this card into their decks for its versatility in mana fixing, which can be critical in multicolor decks that rely on those colors. However, what sets Glacial Floodplain apart from other lands is its subtype; it counts as both a Plains and an Island, making it searchable with certain land-fetching spells and abilities.
To effectively counter Glacial Floodplain, accelerate your game to take advantage of the fact that this land enters the battlefield tapped, thereby slowing down your opponent’s mana curve. Aggressive decks can capitalize on this by building a significant board presence before the opponent can fully utilize their dual land. Artifact removal like Disenchant or Naturalize can also target the myriad of enchantments and artifacts that synergize with dual lands. More strategic approaches involve land destruction spells or using Ghost Quarter to force a replacement of Glacial Floodplain with a basic land, thus disrupting the opponent’s mana base further.
Adapting your play to account for the tempo loss your opponent experiences with Glacial Floodplain is key. The land’s strength in mana fixing is also its Achilles’ heel, as playing it could mean a slower start, something a shrewd MTG player can turn to their advantage.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Glacial Floodplain MTG card by a specific set like Kaldheim, 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 Glacial Floodplain 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Glacial Floodplain has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Glacial Floodplain card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-02-05 | Snow is a supertype, not a card type. It has no rules meaning or function by itself, but spells and abilities may refer to it. |
| 2021-02-05 | Snow isn’t a type of mana. If an effect says you may spend mana as though it were any type, you can’t pay for {S} using mana that wasn’t produced by a snow source. |
| 2021-02-05 | Some cards have additional effects for each {S} spent to cast them. You can cast these spells even if you don’t spend any snow mana to cast them; their additional effects simply won’t do anything. |
| 2021-02-05 | The Kaldheim set doesn’t have any cards with mana costs that include {S}, but some previous sets do. If an effect says such a spell costs less to cast, that reduction doesn’t apply to any {S} costs. This is also true for activated abilities that include {S} in their activation costs and effects that reduce those costs. |
| 2021-02-05 | The {S} symbol is a generic mana symbol. It represents a cost that can be paid by one mana that was produced by a snow source. That mana can be any color or colorless. |