Glacial Floodplain MTG Card


Glacial Floodplain - Kaldheim
RarityCommon
TypeSnow Land — Plains Island
Released2021-02-05
Set symbol
Set nameKaldheim
Set codeKHM
Number257
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred bySarah Finnigan

Key Takeaways

  1. Glacial Floodplain enhances mana bases without taking up additional card slots for color fixing.
  2. Entering tapped, it can slow initial plays but subsequently aids in mana acceleration.
  3. Its presence can enable strategic instant-speed plays, adding to deck versatility.

Text of card

(: Add or .) Glacial Floodplain enters the battlefield tapped.

"A cliff once rose from the surf here—until Bjora Dawn-Greeter declared that it was blocking her view and pulled it down bare-handed." —Iskene, Kannah storyteller


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Integrating seamlessly into your strategy, Glacial Floodplain from the Kaldheim set offers dual utility as both a land and a source of card advantage. While the card doesn’t directly draw you extra cards, the advantage comes from its enhance your mana base without sacrificing deck space for color fixing, which is akin to gaining additional resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although Glacial Floodplain enters the battlefield tapped, it sets the stage for resource acceleration by providing access to two types of mana. It can tap for either blue or white mana which is crucial for multicolor decks in MTG that are looking to execute their game plan more efficiently.

Instant Speed: Glacial Floodplain itself may not be an instant, but its presence can facilitate plays at instant speed by ensuring you have the necessary mana. This becomes particularly important as you can keep your mana open for instant spells while still developing your mana base, making your plays more versatile and reactive to your opponent’s strategies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: As a Glacial Floodplain enters the battlefield tapped unless you control two or more other snow lands, it can slow your game’s tempo significantly, making you forego important early plays.

Specific Mana Cost: Glacial Floodplain is a dual land card that provides blue or white mana, but as a snow land, its benefit is specific to decks that capitalize on snow mechanics. This can limit its utility in non-snow-themed decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Glacial Floodplain doesn’t require mana to play, the cost of it entering the battlefield tapped is more significant than basic lands. This needs to be weighed against its potential benefits, especially in fast-paced games where every turn counts.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Glacial Floodplain is a versatile land card providing both blue and white mana, crucial for two-color decks, while also having the snow land subtype, which is relevant in strategies that capitalize on snow synergies.

Combo Potential: This card opens up opportunities for combos in decks that interact with snow permanents, whether it’s triggering abilities or enhancing strategies that gain advantages from having multiple snow lands in play.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where snow-based decks or strategies that need mana fixing are common, Glacial Floodplain offers a reliable and efficient land option, maintaining its relevance as the game evolves.


How to beat

Glacial Floodplain is a particular kind of dual land in Magic: The Gathering, known for entering the battlefield tapped and offering access to both blue and white mana. Players often incorporate this card into their decks for its versatility in mana fixing, which can be critical in multicolor decks that rely on those colors. However, what sets Glacial Floodplain apart from other lands is its subtype; it counts as both a Plains and an Island, making it searchable with certain land-fetching spells and abilities.

To effectively counter Glacial Floodplain, accelerate your game to take advantage of the fact that this land enters the battlefield tapped, thereby slowing down your opponent’s mana curve. Aggressive decks can capitalize on this by building a significant board presence before the opponent can fully utilize their dual land. Artifact removal like Disenchant or Naturalize can also target the myriad of enchantments and artifacts that synergize with dual lands. More strategic approaches involve land destruction spells or using Ghost Quarter to force a replacement of Glacial Floodplain with a basic land, thus disrupting the opponent’s mana base further.

Adapting your play to account for the tempo loss your opponent experiences with Glacial Floodplain is key. The land’s strength in mana fixing is also its Achilles’ heel, as playing it could mean a slower start, something a shrewd MTG player can turn to their advantage.


Cards like Glacial Floodplain

Glacial Floodplain enters the vast and intricate field of dual lands in Magic the Gathering. It mirrors the utility found in other dual lands like Highland Lake, providing both blue and red mana to a player’s mana pool. However, Glacial Floodplain has a unique trait when compared to Highland Lake; it can enter the battlefield tapped with an ice counter if you control two or more other snow lands. This feature potentially enhances its value in snow-focused decks.

Another relative in this category is Izzet Guildgate. Both serve as blue-red mana sources but lack the ability to produce snow mana. Conversely, Frostboil Snarl stands out with its conditional untapped entry, hinging on revealing a corresponding land type from your hand. Glacial Floodplain does not share this check but has the added benefit of snow synergy, offering an advantageous angle in certain deck constructs.

Assessing these parallels, Glacial Floodplain carves out its niche among dual lands. In decks tailored for snow synergy, it presents itself as an indispensable resource, although, in more general cases, the choice between it and alternatives like Highland Lake or Frostboil Snarl pivots on specific deck strategy and the value placed on snow mana accessibility.

Highland Lake - MTG Card versions
Izzet Guildgate - MTG Card versions
Frostboil Snarl - MTG Card versions
Highland Lake - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)
Izzet Guildgate - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Frostboil Snarl - Strixhaven: School of Mages (STX)

Cards similar to Glacial Floodplain by color, type and mana cost

Tundra - MTG Card versions
Adarkar Wastes - MTG Card versions
Thalakos Lowlands - MTG Card versions
Port Town - MTG Card versions
Hallowed Fountain - MTG Card versions
Hengegate Pathway // Mistgate Pathway - MTG Card versions
Coastal Tower - MTG Card versions
Prahv, Spires of Order - MTG Card versions
Calciform Pools - MTG Card versions
Wanderwine Hub - MTG Card versions
Mystic Gate - MTG Card versions
Glacial Fortress - MTG Card versions
Azorius Chancery - MTG Card versions
Moorland Haunt - MTG Card versions
Sejiri Refuge - MTG Card versions
Temple of Enlightenment - MTG Card versions
Prairie Stream - MTG Card versions
Irrigated Farmland - MTG Card versions
Azorius Guildgate - MTG Card versions
Tranquil Cove - MTG Card versions
Tundra - Legacy Championship (OLGC)
Adarkar Wastes - Dominaria United Promos (PDMU)
Thalakos Lowlands - Tempest (TMP)
Port Town - Doctor Who (WHO)
Hallowed Fountain - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Hengegate Pathway // Mistgate Pathway - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Coastal Tower - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Prahv, Spires of Order - Dissension (DIS)
Calciform Pools - Time Spiral (TSP)
Wanderwine Hub - Lorwyn (LRW)
Mystic Gate - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Glacial Fortress - Fallout (PIP)
Azorius Chancery - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Moorland Haunt - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Sejiri Refuge - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Temple of Enlightenment - Fallout (PIP)
Prairie Stream - Doctor Who (WHO)
Irrigated Farmland - Fallout (PIP)
Azorius Guildgate - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Tranquil Cove - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Glacial Floodplain MTG card by a specific set like Kaldheim, 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 Glacial Floodplain and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Glacial Floodplain has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Glacial Floodplain card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2021-02-05 Snow is a supertype, not a card type. It has no rules meaning or function by itself, but spells and abilities may refer to it.
2021-02-05 Snow isn’t a type of mana. If an effect says you may spend mana as though it were any type, you can’t pay for {S} using mana that wasn’t produced by a snow source.
2021-02-05 Some cards have additional effects for each {S} spent to cast them. You can cast these spells even if you don’t spend any snow mana to cast them; their additional effects simply won’t do anything.
2021-02-05 The Kaldheim set doesn’t have any cards with mana costs that include {S}, but some previous sets do. If an effect says such a spell costs less to cast, that reduction doesn’t apply to any {S} costs. This is also true for activated abilities that include {S} in their activation costs and effects that reduce those costs.
2021-02-05 The {S} symbol is a generic mana symbol. It represents a cost that can be paid by one mana that was produced by a snow source. That mana can be any color or colorless.

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