Natural Spring MTG Card
1997-05-01 - Number 176
1997-10-14 - Number 239
1998-06-24 - Number 134
1999-07-01 - Number 134
2005-07-29 - Number 257
2005-07-29 - Number 257★
2007-07-13 - Number 281
2010-06-04 - Number 75
| Card sets | Released in 8 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Sorcery |
Text of card
You gain 8 life.
Though many have come to this place to wash their wounds, the water has never turned red.
Cards like Natural Spring
Natural Spring presents an appealing option within Magic: The Gathering’s plethora of life gain spells. It sits alongside spells like Revitalize, which grants a quick life boost and the added benefit of drawing a card. Though both cards serve the purpose of increasing your life total, Natural Spring offers a sizable life increment of 8 at the cost of five mana without the card draw that Revitalize provides.
Looking at another counterpart, Healing Salve, we find an economical alternative with the duality of preventing damage or healing for a modest three life at a single mana. It’s a quicker solution but pales in comparison to the substantial life gain that Natural Spring delivers. Stream of Life enters the fray as a variable contender, with its life gain scalable to the amount of mana invested. This offers flexibility compared to Natural Spring’s fixed return, but lacks the potential for a large, immediate impact.
Assessing the scope of life-gaining cards, Natural Spring holds a distinct spot by offering a hefty increment to one’s life total in a single turn, making it a substantial pick, particularly in the late game where large life swings can be game-changing.
Cards similar to Natural Spring by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While not directly a card-drawing spell, Natural Spring effectively translates to multiple uses of your spells and creatures by replenishing your life total, giving you a buffer to use resources more freely.
Resource Acceleration: By gaining a substantial amount of life, Natural Spring indirectly aids your long-term strategy, sustaining you during the matches and allowing for a more flexible use of life as a resource in tandem with cards like “Thoughtseize” or “Shock Lands” that require life payment.
Instant Speed: Although Natural Spring is a sorcery, having ample life means you can leverage your health total to dictate the pace of the game, waiting patiently for the right moment to cast your instant spells without the need to preemptively protect your life total.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Natural Spring doesn’t ask you to discard cards, but it’s worth noting that as a card advantage tool it lacks the ability to immediately impact the board or replenish your hand, which can be essential in fast-paced games.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires both green and colorless mana, which might not be as flexible for decks that are not green-centric or those that have a strict color requirement for mana curve optimization.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana for eight life, Natural Spring faces competition from other life-gain or defensive cards that might offer additional benefits such as creature tokens or enchantment synergies for the same or lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Natural Spring offers a substantial life gain, which enables it to be slotted into various deck types, particularly those that require life as a resource or play within a lifegain strategy.
Combo Potential: This card can trigger synergies with cards that benefit from life gain, potentially unlocking powerful combinations or bolstering your defensive capabilities.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state dominated by aggressive tactics, Natural Spring can be a crucial addition, providing the necessary sustainability to outlast and outmaneuver burn strategies and fast-paced assault decks.
How to beat
Natural Spring is a card that offers a significant health boost, granting its controller eight additional life. This card typically finds a place within decks that are focused on life gain strategies or those looking to stabilize against fast, aggressive opponents. As a substantial part of these decks’ arsenal, understanding how to counteract Natural Spring’s effects can be crucial for maintaining the upper hand.
When facing this card, the key is to employ disruption and pressure strategies, such as using counter spells or hand disruption to prevent it from ever hitting the table. If the spell does resolve, it’s important to continue applying pressure to nullify the life gained. Including cards that can deal direct damage or provide recurring threats can offset the life gained and keep the opponent within reach. Cards like Lightning Bolt or creatures with the ability to deal consistent damage each turn can readily chip away at the opponent’s life total, diminishing the impact of their life gain.
To effectively neutralize Natural Spring and similar cards, it’s essential to maintain a strategy that counters life gain while keeping the board under control. Direct damage, creature aggression, and strategic use of removal can all play a part in overcoming the temporary setback that Natural Spring presents.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Natural Spring MTG card by a specific set like Portal and Tempest, 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 Natural Spring 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Natural Spring Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 1997-05-01 and 2010-06-04. Illustrated by 3 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1997-05-01 | Portal | POR | 176 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Janine Johnston | |
| 2 | 1997-10-14 | Tempest | TMP | 239 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Susan Van Camp | |
| 3 | 1998-06-24 | Portal Second Age | P02 | 134 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Jeffrey R. Busch | |
| 4 | 1999-07-01 | Starter 1999 | S99 | 134 | 1997 | Normal | White | Jeffrey R. Busch | |
| 5 | 2005-07-29 | Ninth Edition | 9ED | 257 | 2003 | Normal | White | Janine Johnston | |
| 6 | 2005-07-29 | Ninth Edition | 9ED | 257★ | 2003 | Normal | Black | Janine Johnston | |
| 7 | 2007-07-13 | Tenth Edition | 10E | 281 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Jeffrey R. Busch | |
| 8 | 2010-06-04 | Duels of the Planeswalkers | DPA | 75 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Jeffrey R. Busch |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Natural Spring has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |