Nimbus Maze MTG Card
2007-05-04 - Number 178
2017-11-17 - Number 242
2021-07-23 - Number 252
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
: Add to your mana pool. : Add to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control an Island. : Add to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control a Plains.
To find its center is to find one's own.
Cards like Nimbus Maze
Nimbus Maze has carved its niche within the land cards of Magic: The Gathering by offering a unique way to add versatility to mana bases. It stands close to cards like Irrigated Farmland, which also provides dual-color mana. However, Nimbus Maze has the added benefit of not entering the battlefield tapped, granting immediate access to mana, a significant advantage over the cycling land like Irrigated Farmland.
Another peer in this landscape is Mystic Gate, which also produces two different types of mana. But unlike Nimbus Maze, Mystic Gate requires you to filter colorless mana, potentially limiting its use. There’s also Prairie Stream, a land that taps for two colors and can come into play untapped, provided you control two or more basic lands, a condition that Nimbus Maze does not require.
Assessing the different attributes of these comparable lands, Nimbus Maze offers a reliable and immediate dual-color resource without stringent entry conditions, setting it apart in deck building strategies for Magic: The Gathering players seeking efficient mana solutions.
Cards similar to Nimbus Maze by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Nimbus Maze. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Hammer Time | Modern | Hammer Time | Modern Challenge 64 2023-12-10 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Nimbus Maze has the unique ability to filter your mana, potentially smoothing out your draws as it ensures you have the correct colors of mana when you need them. This can lead to having the right cards at the right moment, subtly contributing to card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: Unlike some dual lands that come into play tapped, Nimbus Maze helps ramp up your mana resources without the tempo loss. It can tap for either white or blue mana depending on the lands you already control, thereby accelerating your resource availability and enabling multi-colored decks to function more efficiently.
Instant Speed: While Nimbus Maze itself does not function at instant speed, it is instrumental in enabling instant-speed interactions. By providing the necessary mana at a moment’s notice, it ensures you can react to your opponent’s moves without delay – a pivotal aspect of maintaining control during a game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Nimbus Maze doesn’t have a discard mechanic, managing card draw and discard strategies is crucial when incorporating any land with specific abilities into your deck.
Specific Mana Cost: Nimbus Maze requires a solid understanding of your mana base as it taps for colorless by default, only generating colored mana under certain conditions. Ensuring you have the right lands to complement it can be restrictive to deck design.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Nimbus Maze itself doesn’t have a mana cost, its effective use might be limited compared to other lands that provide mana more consistently without prerequisite conditions. Players may opt for lands that offer more predictable mana generation to avoid potentially stalling their game plan.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Nimbus Maze offers unique land synergy, fitting seamlessly into multicolor decks that hinge on having Islands and Plains. It helps maintain a consistent mana base for casting a variety of spells.
Combo Potential: This land has potential to combo with cards that care about land types, enabling some interesting interactions and opening up avenues for creative deck-building strategies.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where mana efficiency is crucial, Nimbus Maze holds its weight by adapting to various metagames, providing essential mana fixing that can be the difference between victory and defeat.
How to beat Nimbus Maze
Nimbus Maze is an intriguing land card in Magic: The Gathering, noted for its unique ability to tap for either white or blue mana based on the other lands a player controls. Facing this card requires a strategy that suppresses its utility. One approach is to target the player’s land base, rendering Nimbus Maze less effective. Land destruction tools such as Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin can take the Maze out directly.
Alternatively, cards that restrict land abilities, like Damping Sphere, can hinder its efficiency. Since Nimbus Maze relies on the presence of Islands and Plains either in play or in the graveyard, graveyard control with cards like Bojuka Bog can also be useful. Lastly, keeping Nimbus Maze tapped with effects from cards like Icy Manipulator minimizes its value across multiple turns.
In essence, a well-rounded strategy that either disrupts the land base, controls the graveyard, or employs means to keep key lands tapped can nullify the advantages granted by Nimbus Maze, maintaining the momentum in your favor during the game.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Nimbus Maze MTG card by a specific set like Future Sight and Iconic Masters, 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 Nimbus Maze 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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Printings
The Nimbus Maze Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2007-05-04 and 2021-07-23. Illustrated by Jason Chan.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2007-05-04 | Future Sight | FUT | 178 | future | Normal | Black | Jason Chan | |
| 2 | 2017-11-17 | Iconic Masters | IMA | 242 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jason Chan | |
| 3 | 2021-07-23 | Forgotten Realms Commander | AFC | 252 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jason Chan |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Nimbus Maze has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Nimbus Maze card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-11-17 | Nimbus Maze's last two abilities check the subtypes of lands you control, not their names. You can activate the appropriate abilities as long as you control a land with the corresponding subtype, Plains or Island. Most nonbasic lands don't have basic land types, even if they produce colored mana. For example, Nimbus Maze itself is neither a Plains nor an Island, while Hallowed Fountain is both. |