Glacial Fortress MTG Card
2009-07-17 - Number 226
2010-07-16 - Number 225
2011-07-15 - Number 227
2012-07-13 - Number 225
2017-09-29 - Number 255
2017-09-29 - Number 255p
2017-09-29 - Number 255s
2023-06-23 - Number 315
2023-10-13 - Number 876
2023-10-13 - Number 1092
2023-10-13 - Number 501
2023-10-13 - Number 285
2024-03-08 - Number 1025
2024-03-08 - Number 497
2024-03-08 - Number 266
2024-03-08 - Number 794
2019-12-02 - Number 456
| Card sets | Released in 17 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
Glacial Fortress enters the battlefield tapped unless you control a Plains or an Island. : Add or to your mana pool.
Cards like Glacial Fortress
Glacial Fortress is an iconic land card that shines within the Magic: The Gathering landscape. It finds its closest parallels in a suite of dual lands that also enter the battlefield untapped under specific conditions. Cards like Sunpetal Grove and Drowned Catacomb, echo the functionality of Glacial Fortress, requiring you to control a Plains or an Island (or Swamp in the case of Drowned Catacomb), respectively, to gain the untapped benefit. These lands offer a smooth mana curve in the crucial early to mid-game.
Another related card is Hallowed Fountain, which enters untapped at the cost of 2 life. While this may seem a steep price, the immediate availability of both blue and white mana can be game-changing. The life payment is often a worthy trade-off for the speed it contributes to a deck’s pacing. Conversely, the advantage of Glacial Fortress lies in its ability to enter the battlefield untapped with no life penalty, granted the simple condition of controlling an Island or Plains is met.
These comparisons underscore the value of Glacial Fortress in any MTG deck that needs reliable mana optimization without the downside of life loss or additional costs. Its ease of integration into various deck types makes it a consistent and strategic choice for players.
Cards similar to Glacial Fortress by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Glacial Fortress. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Azorius Control | Pioneer | Azorius Control | Pioneer Preliminary 2024-04-23 (1) |
 | Niv to Light | Pioneer | Niv to Light | Pioneer Challenge 32 2024-04-22 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: As a land, Glacial Fortress doesn’t draw cards directly, but its ability to consistently provide the correct colors of mana can help you cast spells more efficiently, ultimately leading to an advantage in the cards you’re able to play.
Resource Acceleration: Glacial Fortress enters the battlefield untapped if you control a Plains or an Island, allowing for swift mana availability. This can speed up your game by letting you deploy threats or answers ahead of curve.
Instant Speed: While lands themselves don’t operate at instant speed, having a mana source that’s reliably untapped ensures that you can react to opponents’ moves at a moment’s notice with your instant spells, keeping you one step ahead in the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Glacial Fortress, as a land card, doesn’t exactly require a discard, but it does have an entry condition which might set you back. It enters the battlefield tapped unless you control a Plains or an Island. If your deck isn’t built with a mana base that can support this condition, you might be delayed in your plays.
Specific Mana Cost: Glacial Fortress tap for either white or blue mana, which naturally slots it into Azorius decks or others that share these colors. However, for decks that don’t operate with white or blue, this card becomes less useful, locking it out of color flexibility.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Glacial Fortress doesn’t have a mana cost to play it directly, its condition for coming in untapped is an indirect cost. Early in the game, it can be an inconvenient draw compared with other dual lands that do not have such prerequisites or with basic lands that are always untapped when played.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Glacial Fortress is highly adaptable, seamlessly fitting into two-color and multicolor decks that include white and blue mana. Its ability to come into play untapped, if you already control an Island or a Plains, makes it an excellent choice for mana bases aiming for consistency and speed.
Combo Potential: This land is highly synergistic with cards that benefit from land types, such as check land logic or cards that care about the number of lands you control with specific names. Its presence can enable smoother execution of your deck’s strategies by providing reliable color-fixing.
Meta-Relevance: In a metagame where non-basic lands are prevalent, Glacial Fortress offers a competitive edge by entering the battlefield untapped more often than not. Its relevance in control and midrange blue-white archetypes makes it a mainstay in formats where these strategies are prevalent.
How to Beat
Glacial Fortress, known for its presence in control decks across Magic: The Gathering, emerges as a reliable mana source that enters untapped when the conditions are right. This land card shines when you’re already established in the game with either a Plains or an Island. However, its very strength can be turned into a weakness early on, especially if you’re relying on it within your opening hand without other land types in sight.
One effective strategy against decks utilizing Glacial Fortress is to disrupt the player’s mana base. Land destruction spells or effects that force shuffling can unsettle the balance, causing the Fortress to enter the battlefield tapped at crucial moments. Aggressive decks that outpace control strategies, denying the setup of a stable mana base, can also prove potent. Streamlining your strategy to address the potential early-game vulnerability this card presents can help tilt the scales in your favor and dismantle the serene stability that Glacial Fortress provides to your opponent.
Overall, understanding your opponent’s deck and proactively countering their mana strategy can go a long way toward victory over a deck that includes Glacial Fortress. Monitoring the battlefield and keeping tempo high will pressure your adversary, potentially overthrowing their game plan and securing your win.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Glacial Fortress MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2010 and Magic 2011, 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 Fortress 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
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Printings
The Glacial Fortress Magic the Gathering card was released in 10 different sets between 2009-07-17 and 2024-03-08. Illustrated by 6 different artists.
Show/hide all sets| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009-07-17 | Magic 2010 | M10 | 226 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
| 2 | 2010-07-16 | Magic 2011 | M11 | 225 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
| 3 | 2011-07-15 | Magic 2012 | M12 | 227 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
| 4 | 2012-07-13 | Magic 2013 | M13 | 225 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Franz Vohwinkel | |
| 5 | 2017-09-29 | Ixalan | XLN | 255 | 2015 | Normal | Black | James Paick | |
| 6 | 2017-09-29 | Ixalan Promos | PXLN | 255p | 2015 | Normal | Black | James Paick | |
| 7 | 2017-09-29 | Ixalan Promos | PXLN | 255s | 2015 | Normal | Black | James Paick | |
| 8 | Secret Lair Drop | SLD | 456 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Matt Jukes | ||
| 9 | 2023-06-23 | Tales of Middle-earth Commander | LTC | 315 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Andrea Piparo | |
| 10 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 876 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Nestor Ossandon Leal | |
| 11 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 1092 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Nestor Ossandon Leal | |
| 12 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 501 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Nestor Ossandon Leal | |
| 13 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 285 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Nestor Ossandon Leal | |
| 14 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 1025 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Erikas Perl | |
| 15 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 497 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Erikas Perl | |
| 16 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 266 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Erikas Perl | |
| 17 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 794 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Erikas Perl |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Glacial Fortress has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Glacial Fortress card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2009-10-01 | As this is entering the battlefield, it checks for lands that are already on the battlefield. It won't see lands that are entering the battlefield at the same time (due to Warp World, for example). |
| 2009-10-01 | This checks for lands you control with the land type Plains or Island, not for lands named Plains or Island. The lands it checks for don't have to be basic lands. For example, if you control Watery Grave (a nonbasic land with the land types Island and Swamp), Glacial Fortress will enter the battlefield untapped. |