High Market MTG Card
1999-10-04 - Number 320
2000-08-02 - Number nl320b
2012-08-31 - Number 9
2015-11-13 - Number 289
2017-06-09 - Number 257
2020-08-07 - Number 321
2021-04-23 - Number 293
2021-07-23 - Number 246
2020-09-26 - Number MMQ-320
| Card sets | Released in 9 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
oc T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. oc T, Sacrifice a creature: You gain 1 life.
If it can't be had here, it can't be had on any world.
Cards like High Market
High Market remains a unique and versatile land card among the trading posts of Magic: The Gathering. Its comparison naturally leans towards Diamond Valley, another land offering the ability to sacrifice creatures for life gain. Unlike High Market, which provides a quick mana and doesn’t cost to activate its creature sacrificing ability, Diamond Valley lacks this swift mana production although it does offer more life in return.
Miren, the Moaning Well provides an alternative to High Market, offering a sacrifice outlet alongside life gain. However, Miren carries a heftier activation cost, requiring three mana and itself to be sacrificed, making High Market a more flexible and cost-effective option for most decks. Phyrexian Tower stands out too, with its sacrifice mechanic that generates two black mana, a valuable asset for decks running costly spells or needing explosive mana ramps.
While each of these cards holds a role within MTG strategies, High Market’s quick activation and mana upkeep potential contribute fundamentally to decks that thrive on consistent mana availability and creature control tactics.
Cards similar to High Market by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The ability to sacrifice creatures without spending mana ensures you’re never behind in resources, turning expendable creatures into vital life points.
Resource Acceleration: High Market enables instant access to mana by freeing up slots usually reserved for creature-based life gain, thus accelerating your gameplay and resource availability.
Instant Speed: High Market operates at instant speed, allowing you to react to battlefield changes immediately, enhancing your tactical flexibility and keeping opponents guessing.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: High Market demands you sacrifice a creature, which might not always align with your strategy or board presence. Taking a toll on your creature resources could be counterproductive in certain game scenarios.
Specific Mana Cost: Accessing High Market’s ability necessitates a specific land tap, which might not seamlessly fit into multi-colored decks needing tight mana base management to function efficiently.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though the mana cost isn’t directly associated with casting, the land itself represents a considerable opportunity cost. In essence, occupying a land slot that could be used for other utility lands or ones that bolster your mana consistency can be a notable downside.
Reasons to Include High Market in Your Collection
Versatility: High Market offers a reliable utility as a land card with the added benefit of a free sacrifice outlet at your disposal. This allows it to seamlessly slot into a variety of deck archetypes, particularly those that require a way to prevent opponents from taking advantage of your creatures through exile or control effects.
Combo Potential: The ability to sacrifice a creature at any time enables intriguing combos and synergies. For instance, in a deck with recursion or death-triggered abilities, High Market provides a consistent mechanism to trigger those effects at will without spending extra mana.
Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves, strategies involving graveyard manipulation or protection from opponent interference remain constant. High Market grants players the flexibility to adapt to the shifting meta, making it an enduring selection in a competitive environment where controlling the board state is key.
How to beat
High Market finds its niche in the pantheon of utility lands in Magic: The Gathering, providing players with a sacrificial outlet that can be a real thorn in an opponent’s side. Its ability to convert creatures into life points makes it a valuable asset in decks that thrive on creatures entering and leaving the battlefield. The land’s true power lies in its ability to evade targeted removal or to save a creature from an unfavorable combat by transforming it into life gain.
Countering High Market’s strategy involves a few tactics. Graveyard hate cards can render the sacrificed creature’s effects moot, stifling an opponent’s plans. Artifact destruction spells are also effective as they can remove High Market directly from the battlefield. Additionally, player strategies focusing on indestructible creatures or utilizing instant speed removal can minimize the life gain effects and thwart the tactical advantage High Market offers. Timing is critical—responding briskly to the activation of High Market’s ability can ensure that opponents don’t gain the upper hand.
In essence, while High Market can be a formidable tool, with careful planning and the right counter-strategies, players can mitigate its impact and maintain control over the game flow.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase High Market MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques and World Championship Decks 2000, 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 High Market 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
Printings
The High Market Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 1999-10-04 and 2021-07-23. Illustrated by Carl Critchlow.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999-10-04 | Mercadian Masques | MMQ | 320 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | |
| 2 | 2000-08-02 | World Championship Decks 2000 | WC00 | nl320b | 1997 | Normal | Gold | Carl Critchlow | |
| 3 | 2012-08-31 | From the Vault: Realms | V12 | 9 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | |
| 4 | 2015-11-13 | Commander 2015 | C15 | 289 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | |
| 5 | 2017-06-09 | Commander Anthology | CMA | 257 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | |
| 6 | 2020-08-07 | Double Masters | 2XM | 321 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | |
| 7 | The List | PLST | MMQ-320 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | ||
| 8 | 2021-04-23 | Commander 2021 | C21 | 293 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | |
| 9 | 2021-07-23 | Forgotten Realms Commander | AFC | 246 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where High Market has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |