Terrain Elemental MTG Card
2016-09-30 - Number 272†
2016-09-30 - Number 272
2019-11-07 - Number 1351
2020-09-26 - Number KLD-272
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Elemental |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Terrain Elemental’s board presence can sway the opponent’s strategy and benefit your own card conservation.
- It demands precise mana but offers early game advantages through cost-efficient board development.
- Its simplicity and Elemental synergy make it a versatile component in varied green deck builds.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Terrain Elemental may not directly enable you to draw additional cards, but its presence on the board influences your opponent’s strategy. It can prompt unfavorable trades for them or deter early aggression, effectively helping you to preserve the cards in your hand while developing your own board.
Resource Acceleration: As a straightforward creature card, it doesn’t offer direct resource acceleration. However, its cost-efficiency means that it gets you on the board quickly. By deploying a solid body early in the game, it allows you to maintain pace with or even get ahead of your opponent in terms of threats in play.
Instant Speed: While Terrain Elemental doesn’t have flash and can’t be played at instant speed, it’s a reliable play during your main phase that sets up future plays. Its real-time impact on the board is in how it pressures opponents into spending their instant speed resources, potentially giving you an indirect advantage as the game progresses.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Terrain Elemental might not always be smooth sailing for your deck. If it comes with a discard requirement, you might find yourself sacrificing valuable hand options just to get it onto the battlefield. Conserving cards is key in MTG, so having to discard can place you at a strategic disadvantage.
Specific Mana Cost: Summoning this Elemental demands a precise blend of mana—both color-wise and amount. Should your deck not be aligned to fulfill such a requirement efficiently, you might struggle to play Terrain Elemental when you need it most. This specific mana cost can hamper deck versatility, especially in multi-color decks that might not always have the right mana at hand.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: In terms of the mana economy, Terrain Elemental might not always measure up. With a comparatively high mana cost, it’s essential to consider whether this card’s impact on your game justifies the investment. After all, the game is full of alternatives that could potentially offer more bang for your buck, leaving Terrain Elemental as a less optimal choice in certain strategic scenarios.
Reasons to Include Terrain Elemental in Your Collection
Versatility: Terrain Elemental can seamlessly integrate into a variety of green decks, providing a solid body for mana cost. Its straightforward nature makes it a reliable choice especially for beginner players building a green-based creature deck.
Combo Potential: As a simple elemental, this creature could work in tandem with cards that bolster elementals or ones that benefit from having a multitude of creatures on the board, enhancing both offensive and defensive strategies.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where low-cost, efficient creatures are key, Terrain Elemental serves as an effective tool for maintaining board presence against aggressive tempo decks. Its elemental type may also synergize with meta-relevant cards that cater to tribal themes.
How to beat
Terrain Elemental is a straightforward creature card in MTG, known for its solid stats for its mana value. As a common practice, overcoming this card in a match requires smart play and proper card choice. Consider utilizing removal spells that can handle creatures efficiently, such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile, ensuring that you can neutralize the threat posed by Terrain Elemental without committing too many resources.
Another strategy revolves around controlling the board with spells that can deal with multiple creatures at once, such as Day of Judgment or Blasphemous Act. These cards clear the field and level the playing field no matter how many creatures your opponent has summoned. Keeping instant-speed removal in your hand can also pivot the game in your favor, waiting for the right moment to play it for maximum impact against Terrain Elemental and other similar threats.
In essence, staying one step ahead with efficient removal and board control is key in handling Terrain Elemental. Matching it with larger creatures is a simpler alternative, but the aforementioned removal strategies will leave you best positioned to maintain board advantage and progress toward victory.
Cards like Terrain Elemental
Terrain Elemental makes a solid case for inclusion in decks that capitalize on vanilla creatures. Matching it to similar cards, consider the renowned Grizzly Bears, a creature that shares the same mana cost and power/toughness ratio. What distinguishes Terrain Elemental is its Elemental type, which could have synergies in a deck focused on that creature type, unlike the Bears which are simply creatures with no additional creature type benefits.
Exploring further, there’s Alpine Grizzly, a creature card that towers over our Terrain Elemental with an additional point of power. Nonetheless, the Grizzly requires one more specific mana to cast, making Terrain Elemental the more flexible choice in multicolored decks. Another comparable card is Garruk’s Companion, which also presents a power/toughness of 3/2 but brings trample to the table. The added ability of trample could edge over the basic status of the Terrain Elemental, depending on the strategy you are deploying.
To encapsulate, while Terrain Elemental may be overshadowed by other options that offer additional abilities, its strength lies in its simplicity and ease of integration, particularly into decks that benefit from the Elemental type or have mana flexibility requirements.
Cards similar to Terrain Elemental by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Terrain Elemental MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh and Kaladesh, 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 Terrain Elemental and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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 Terrain Elemental Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-09-30 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Magali Villeneuve.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-09-30 | Kaladesh | KLD | 272† | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve | |
| 2 | 2016-09-30 | Kaladesh | KLD | 272 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve | |
| 3 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 1351 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve | |
| 4 | The List | PLST | KLD-272 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Magali Villeneuve |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Terrain Elemental has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Terrain Elemental card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2016-09-20 | This card's printing in Nissa's Kaladesh Planeswalker Deck has an incorrect artist credit. The correct artist is Magali Villeneuve. |
