Dormant Grove // Gnarled Grovestrider MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment
Abilities Transform

Key Takeaways

  1. Dormant Grove provides card advantage and creature evolution, empowering players’ hands and board state.
  2. Its instant-speed transformation adds surprise elements, flexibly adapting to the game’s flow.
  3. However, Dormant Grove’s dependency on green mana and high cost may limit its deck compatibility.

Text of card

At the beginning of combat on your turn, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. Then if that creature has toughness 6 or greater, transform Dormant Grove.

As the natural cycle of day and night grew twisted, old powers stirred deep in the Ulvenwald.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dormant Grove provides a steady source of card advantage, allowing players to evolve their creatures and potentially draw creatures from their library, keeping their hand well-stocked.

Resource Acceleration: By upgrading your creatures simply through the passage of turns, Dormant Grove acts as a form of resource acceleration, permitting players to use their mana elsewhere while still developing a formidable board presence.

Instant Speed: This card’s transformation into the awakened Gnarled Grovestrider at instant speed offers flexibility, enabling players to surprise opponents with an enhanced creature at a critical moment, often during the opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Dormant Grove requires discarding as part of its activation which can hinder your card advantage when playing. This trade-off might not always align with your strategy, especially in late-game scenarios where every card in hand counts.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s activation is tethered to a green mana dependency. While this meshes well with green-centric or green-inclusive decks, it does pose a restriction, potentially clashing with multicolored deck synergies that are less green-focused.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost demanding four resources including three specific to green, Dormant Grove sits at a higher spectrum compared to alternatives. This could slow down your game as you invest more in bringing it online, while other cards may offer more immediate or versatile benefits for the same, or even a lower, mana investment.


Reasons to Include Dormant Grove in Your Collection

Versatility: Dormant Grove offers a dual role in both enhancing your creatures and slowing down opponents. It can seamlessly slot into decks focused on +1/+1 counters or those looking for flexible defensive options.

Combo Potential: With its ability to transform into Gnarled Grovestrider, this card has inherent synergy with strategies that revolve around transformation triggers or benefit from additional creature capabilities.

Meta-Relevance: As creature-based strategies often ebb and flow in popularity, Dormant Grove’s adaptability can be a crucial asset in a meta that prizes reactive and evolving gameplay.


How to beat

Dormant Grove is a card that can pose a real challenge on the battlefield, bringing to the game a level of complexity that requires strategic handling. It holds the potential to evolve a creature into a formidable opponent, steadily enhancing its power each upkeep. To effectively counter this slow-burning threat, it’s crucial to employ removal spells strategically. Instant-speed removals, such as Doom Blade or Path to Exile, can disrupt the evolution process by eliminating the creature before it receives its counters. Another viable tactic is to apply pressure early on, not giving your opponent the chance to benefit from Dormant Grove’s effects.

Control decks could consider employing counter spells to prevent Dormant Grove from hitting the field in the first place. While aggressive decks might opt for a more straightforward approach, overwhelming the opponent before they can establish their defenses. It’s imperative to continuously assess the threat level of the evolving creature and act accordingly, making sure the Grove’s dormancy doesn’t wake into a nightmare for your match outcome.

Overall, dealing with Dormant Grove demands foresight and an adaptive strategy. By keeping the pressure on and having the right answers at the right time, you can ensure that this particular challenge won’t disrupt your path to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the ebb and flow of MTG gameplay takes both foresight and finesse, especially with intricate cards like Dormant Grove. Achieving dominance on the battlefield is about making the right play at the perfect moment. As such, we encourage players to consider incorporating Dormant Grove into their decks to exploit its transformative power and versatility. Is it time to enrich your collection and expand your strategic horizons? We’re here to guide you through deck-building considerations, optimal plays, and metagame adaptations. Deepen your understanding of MTG’s dynamic tactics—let’s unlock the full potential of your gameplay together.


Understanding Dormant Grove’s Place in Deck Building

Dormant Grove stands out as an enchantment that later transforms into a creature, contributing to the depth of gameplay mechanics in Magic: The Gathering. Within the realm of transformable enchantments, it draws comparisons to the likes of Journey to Nowhere. Both cards commence the game as enchantments; however, Journey to Nowhere focuses on exiling an opposing creature, whereas Dormant Grove reveals its potential when it becomes a formidable creature itself after meeting its transformation criteria.

Cards like Dormant Grove // Gnarled Grovestrider

In the world of transformative cards, Dormant Grove’s ability to become a creature provides a unique angle. Lignify serves as a parallel, originally an enchantment that restricts a target creature’s abilities, matching up with Dormant Grove’s initial enchantment state. However, Dormant Grove exceeds expectations, evolving to become a proactive board presence. Another cousin in this transformative family is Nissa, Who Shakes the World. Though Nissa is a planeswalker, her final ability poses a likeness, turning lands into potent threats. This aspect of game-state alteration is where Dormant Grove shines, becoming an offensive asset rather than just a utility piece.

Analyzing cards with adaptable uses in game strategies shows how Dormant Grove offers an intriguing option for players looking to advance their in-game tactics in Magic: The Gathering. Its enchantment-to-creature transition opens strategic pathways that are valuable in the evolving meta.

Journey to Nowhere - MTG Card versions
Lignify - MTG Card versions
Nissa, Who Shakes the World - MTG Card versions
Journey to Nowhere - Zendikar (ZEN)
Lignify - Lorwyn (LRW)
Nissa, Who Shakes the World - War of the Spark (WAR)

Cards similar to Dormant Grove // Gnarled Grovestrider by color, type and mana cost

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Living Lands - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
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Cyclone - Chronicles (CHR)
Splintering Wind - Alliances (ALL)
Barbed Foliage - Mirage (MIR)
Preferred Selection - Mirage (MIR)
Aluren - Tempest (TMP)
Sporogenesis - Urza's Saga (USG)
Defense of the Heart - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Vernal Equinox - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Overlaid Terrain - Nemesis (NEM)
Rowen - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Epic Struggle - Judgment (JUD)
Court of Bounty - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Eidolon of Blossoms - Explorer Anthology 3 (EA3)
Greater Good - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Arasta of the Endless Web - Commander Masters (CMM)
Upwelling - Scourge (SCG)
Primitive Etchings - Scourge (SCG)
Hum of the Radix - Mirrodin (MRD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dormant Grove // Gnarled Grovestrider MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Crimson Vow and Innistrad: Double Feature, 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 Dormant Grove // Gnarled Grovestrider and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dormant Grove // Gnarled Grovestrider Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-11-19 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Kekai Kotaki.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 1982015transformblackKekai Kotaki
22022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 4652015transformblackKekai Kotaki

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dormant Grove // Gnarled Grovestrider has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

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