Wall of Pine Needles MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Plant Wall
Abilities	Defender
Released	1995-06-03
Set symbol
Set name	Ice Age
Set code	ICE
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	274
Frame	1993
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Brian Snõddy

Key Takeaways

Wall of Pine Needles provides robust defense with its multiple creature blocking ability and instant deployment flexibility.
Demands card discard and specific mana, potentially impacting deck fluidity and hand advantage negatively.
Strong meta relevance and combo potential make it a versatile addition to green-centric decks with defender synergies.

Text of card

oo G Regenerate

The power of the forest takes a hundred forms. Some are more surprising than others.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Wall of Pine Needles offers an advantageous guard against multiple creatures, effectively allowing you to handle more threats at once and maintain board presence without spending additional resources.

Resource Acceleration: By defending your life points and other valuable permanents, this card ensures your resources remain intact for pivotal game moments, indirectly contributing to your capacity to play high-impact cards sooner.

Instant Speed: This defensive card can be played at instant speed, offering flexibility and the element of surprise. Deploy it during your opponent’s turn to disrupt their strategy or save it for the right moment to maximize its defensive capabilities.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To use Wall of Pine Needles, you may need to discard another card, which can be particularly penalizing if you’re already struggling to maintain card advantage on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Wall of Pine Needles demands a precise combination of mana to cast, typically involving green mana sources. This requirement can restrict deck-building choices and may not fit seamlessly into multi-colored decks where mana is already tightly allocated.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While it provides a defensive utility, Wall of Pine Needles has a mana cost that some players may find steep in comparison to other defensive options. Players often assess the efficiency of a card based on its impact relative to its mana cost, which is a significant consideration in the competitive scene.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Wall of Pine Needles serves as a resilient defender in green decks, capable of blocking early aggressors and supporting strategies focused on board control. Its reach attribute allows it to ward off flying threats, diversifying its utility in a multitude of game states.

Combo Potential: In combination with cards that benefit from defenders or card types that interact with walls, Wall of Pine Needles can become part of a synergistic engine. Its presence can activate abilities or contribute to the summoning cost of creature types like Treefolk or spells that count the number of defenders you control.

Meta-Relevance: Depending on the meta, where aggressive red or black decks are prevalent, this card can be particularly effective in halting those early rushes. Additionally, its capacity to withstand damage with its high toughness can be critical in outlasting opponents in attrition-based matchups.

How to beat

Dealing with Wall of Pine Needles can be a thorny issue, especially considering its protection from creatures with haste. This unique defensive trait makes it a reliable barrier against fast-paced assaults. Despite its formidability on the battlefield, there are a few strategic plays you can make to overcome this natural fortification. Direct damage spells are an effective way to bypass the wall’s protection, eliminating it without engaging in combat. Utilizing board wipes or spells that don’t specify targeting haste creatures could be another approach, clearing the way for your creatures to strike through.

Enchantment removal is also a viable tactic, stripping away the protective properties that Wall of Pine Needles depends upon. In addition, engaging in combat with creatures that have deathtouch could effectively neutralize the wall due to their lethal touch, regardless of the wall’s protection. Lastly, taking advantage of flying creatures could soar over the wall undeterred, allowing you to deal damage directly to your opponent.

In essence, Wall of Pine Needles may seem like an immovable object on the surface, but employing the right removal strategies or evasion tactics can turn it into just another stepping stone toward your victory.

Cards like Wall of Pine Needles

Wall of Pine Needles is an interesting defensive option for Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts. It’s akin to other walls like Wall of Wood, sharing the fundamental characteristic of being a low-cost creature with defender. What differentiates Wall of Pine Needles is its damage prevention ability, giving it an edge in protecting life points from incoming damage.

Compared to Wall of Blossoms, it does not provide the card draw upon entering the battlefield, yet its resilience against damage over time can be advantageous in prolonged games. On the other hand, Wall of Omens also does not have the damage prevention ability, but it compensates with its card drawing feature when it enters the battlefield, potentially providing an immediate value.

Considering the utility and role of defensive cards, Wall of Pine Needles holds its ground. Its unique ability to prevent damage to itself contributes to its staying power on the battlefield, making it a reliable defender in a variety of MTG decks prioritizing endurance.

Cards similar to Wall of Pine Needles by color, type and mana cost

Ulvenwald Oddity // Ulvenwald Behemoth - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wall of Pine Needles MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age, 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 Wall of Pine Needles and other MTG cards: