Into the Earthen Maw MTG Card
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Scheme |
| Released | 2010-06-18 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Archenemy Schemes |
| Set code | OARC |
| Number | 20★ |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Scheme |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Paul Bonner |
Text of card
When you set this scheme in motion, exile up to one target creature with flying, up to one target creature without flying, and all cards from up to one target opponent's graveyard.
"You may even see them again. Full digestion takes three hundred years."
Cards like Into the Earthen Maw
Into the Earthen Maw carves its niche within the landscape of land-based disruption in Magic: The Gathering. Echoing the essence of cards like Sinkhole, it allows players to put pressure on their opponent’s mana base. While Sinkhole outright destroys any land without targeting, Into the Earthen Maw focuses on nonbasic lands and brings an additional benefit of allowing the caster to seek out a basic land card, thus subtly advancing their own board state.
Comparatively, there’s also Rain of Tears, sharing the theme of land destruction. It comes with a straightforward, no bonus effect methodology but at the same mana cost. Both Into the Earthen Maw and Rain of Tears are sorcery speed, yet what sets the former apart is that crucial ramp potential — making it a strategic choice in decks that benefit from landfall triggers or simply establishing mana advantage.
Lastly, it’s worth considering the balance Into the Earthen Maw offers. It represents a harmonic blend of disruption and acceleration, something that its peers in the MTG card pool exhibit in more polarized fashions. Therefore, its unique duality might be just the edge players need for certain strategies, ensuring its consideration in land interaction decks.
Cards similar to Into the Earthen Maw by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: One of the compelling benefits of Into the Earthen Maw is the potential card advantage it provides. When you successfully land this spell and fulfill its condition, you can ramp up your hand by drawing a card. This immediate replenishment of resources can give players a notable edge in sustaining momentum throughout the game.
Resource Acceleration: Into the Earthen Maw serves as a dual-purpose card that not only offers the boon of drawing a card but also specializes in resource acceleration. By potentially fetching a basic land card from your deck and putting it onto the battlefield, it catalyzes your mana production. This acceleration can be critical for outpacing your opponents and enabling more expensive spells earlier in the match.
Instant Speed: The flexibility of this spell is further enhanced by its instant speed. This characteristic allows savvy players to wait until the most opportune moment to cast it, such as at the end of an opponent’s turn, or in response to an opponent’s action, ensuring that your strategic options remain open as the round progresses.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Into the Earthen Maw asks you to toss another card from your hand into the graveyard to harness its full potential. For players already struggling with card advantage, this additional cost could tilt the scales against them, reducing their ability to respond to opponents’ moves.
Specific Mana Cost: Tapping into red and green mana reserves, this card demands a commitment to these colors. While this aligns neatly with Gruul or Jund strategies, it could pose a deck-building hurdle for players who favor other color combinations or multicolor decks that don’t emphasize these hues.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of four mana, including a double red, Into the Earthen Maw occupies a slot where players expect significant impact plays. In the competitive landscape where efficiency is key, there may be alternative plays at this mana threshold that offer similar or better value without the attached strings.
Reasons to Include Into the Earthen Maw in Your Collection
Versatility: Into the Earthen Maw excels in its ability to adapt to various deck builds. The card’s inherent flexibility allows it to seamlessly integrate into ramp strategies, landfall decks, or even control archetypes seeking reliable removal options.
Combo Potential: The card opens a gateway for combo enthusiasts, offering a synergistic platform for interactions with graveyard play, land retrieval mechanics, or permanents that capitalize on land sacrifice and creature destruction.
Meta-Relevance: In gameplay where the board state is constantly shifting, Into the Earthen Maw maintains relevance by providing a tactical edge. Its dual functionality can disrupt opponents’ strategies while advancing your own board presence, proving indispensable in dynamic meta environments.
How to beat
Confronting Into the Earthen Maw can be a game-definer due to its ability to disrupt board presence with its land-sacrifice requirement. To counter this formidable card, it’s crucial to develop a strategic approach. Consider leveraging instant-speed land destruction or graveyard retrieval spells that grant you the ability to recover your sacrificed lands, maintaining land plays and lessening the interruption to your mana base.
Deploying cards that generate tokens or creatures that can be easily sacrificed can mitigate the impact of Into the Earthen Maw. This serves to absorb the required sacrifice without affecting your valuable lands. In addition, running counter spells can effectively neutralize this potent sorcery before it exerts its influence on the battlefield. It’s essential to anticipate and prepare for such threats in your deckbuilding strategy.
Furthermore, utilizing hexproof or indestructible lands ensures that your land base remains untouched by Into the Earthen Maw’s ability. Adaptability and preemptive measures are key. Building your deck with these considerations will aid in crafting a solid defense against the tide-turning potential that Into the Earthen Maw brings to the table in competitive play.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Into the Earthen Maw MTG card by a specific set like Archenemy Schemes, 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 Into the Earthen Maw 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
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Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Into the Earthen Maw card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2010-06-15 | You may choose zero, one, two, or three targets. |