Deserted Temple MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Utility land that untaps other lands, causing a ripple effect of resource and opportunity maximization.
  2. Instant speed activation allows tactical responses, enhancing mana efficiency and in-game flexibility.
  3. Despite advantages, its discard and mana cost requirements can present strategic challenges in gameplay.

Text of card

oc T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. o1, oc T: Untap target land.

A monument to long-forgotten gods, it stands as a tribute to the fleeting nature of human ways.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Deserted Temple provides a significant edge in the form of utility land that can untap other valuable lands with powerful tap abilities, effectively letting you harness those abilities twice in a single turn. This multiplicative effect can equate to drawing into more opportunities as you squeeze extra value out of your land base.

Resource Acceleration: With the capability to untap lands like those that produce more than one mana or have other beneficial effects, Deserted Temple serves as a tool for resource acceleration. It boosts your mana efficiency and can unexpectedly ramp you ahead, enabling bigger plays sooner than your opponents anticipate.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of Deserted Temple’s activation at instant speed is a tactical advantage that shouldn’t be underestimated. It gives you the freedom to remain responsive during your opponent’s turn, untapping a land to generate the extra mana or utility you need in reaction to changes in the game state.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Deserted Temple offers flexibility in mana generation, it requires a card to be discarded in order to untap another land. This can be a significant setback when card advantage is crucial and your hand size is dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: Deserted Temple’s activation cost necessitates one generic mana. Although seemingly minimal, in mana-tight situations, especially early in the game, this cost can potentially hinder the execution of your game plan.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When assessing mana sinks in MTG, Deserted Temple’s activation cost may appear steep when compared to other utility lands that provide similar or better effects without the mana investment. This can make Deserted Temple a less attractive option in certain decks where efficiency is key.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Deserted Temple adds exceptional flexibility to your deck, as it can untap not only itself but any land. This enables it to synergize with a vast array of strategies, particularly those that are reliant on critical land-based abilities or mana acceleration.

Combo Potential: Deserted Temple can be pivotal in executing combos by untapping lands that are enchanted or have landfall abilities. Its ability to untap powerful lands such as Gaea’s Cradle or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx makes it a staple in decks looking to generate massive mana in a single turn.

Meta-Relevance: Given the versatility of metagames in MTG, the ability to maximize your land use each turn is crucial. Deserted Temple’s utility can pivot a close match in your favor, especially in formats where land-based strategies dominate or where the extra mana can be the difference between victory and defeat.


How to beat

The Deserted Temple is a unique land card that can become a dynamic element on the battlefield, offering players the ability to untap a chosen land. With this tactical advantage, it can be tricky to face, especially when combined with lands that have powerful tap abilities. It can turn a single-use land into a formidable reusable resource, crucial for any opponent who relies on land-based strategies. To counter this card effectively, one must rely on denying access to or removing critical lands. Cards that can quickly destroy or exile problematic lands, such as Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin, can be instrumental in dismantling a strategy centered around the Deserted Temple.

Another effective countermeasure is to disrupt the Temple’s synergy with other nonbasic lands. Players may introduce widespread land disruption, catches like Blood Moon, to transform powerhouse lands into basic Mountains, thereby negating their interaction with the Deserted Temple. Targeted removals that limit an opponent’s ability to tap for color-specific mana, such as a Pithing Needle naming a versatile land card, can also be pivotal. Through strategic land control and pinpoint removals, the advantages offered by the Deserted Temple can be mitigated or even turned into a liability for the unwary player.


Cards like Deserted Temple

Deserted Temple finds its niche among versatile land cards within Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to untap a target land resonates strongly with the functions of other lands like Maze of Ith, which untaps target attacking creature and removes it from combat. However, Deserted Temple offers a unique flexibility that Maze of Ith doesn’t, as it targets lands instead of creatures which can potentiate mana generation.

Comparatively, cards like Mischievous Workshop also share the trait of untapping another permanent. However, the Workshop’s restriction to only artifacts can be limiting, whereas Deserted Temple does not discriminate, having the power to untap any land, which could be crucial in multi-color decks or those focusing on landfall abilities. The potential of Deserted Temple truly shines when combined with lands that have powerful tapped abilities, as it effectively doubles their usage.

Evaluating the cards side by side, Deserted Temple is a formidable option for players who seek to optimize their land’s utility. While not as direct in affecting combat as Maze of Ith or as narrowly focused as Mischievous Workshop, its expansive applications secure Deserted Temple’s status as a card of strategic depth within the game.

Maze of Ith - MTG Card versions
Maze of Ith - The Dark (DRK)

Cards similar to Deserted Temple by color, type and mana cost

Mishra's Factory - MTG Card versions
Griffin Canyon - MTG Card versions
Ice Floe - MTG Card versions
Ghost Town - MTG Card versions
City of Brass - MTG Card versions
Bloodstained Mire - MTG Card versions
Zoetic Cavern - MTG Card versions
Grixis Panorama - MTG Card versions
Rupture Spire - MTG Card versions
Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions
Tectonic Edge - MTG Card versions
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions
Buried Ruin - MTG Card versions
Wasteland - MTG Card versions
Eldrazi Temple - MTG Card versions
Maze of Ith - MTG Card versions
Homeward Path - MTG Card versions
Arid Mesa - MTG Card versions
Field of Ruin - MTG Card versions
Arcane Lighthouse - MTG Card versions
Mishra's Factory - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Griffin Canyon - Visions (VIS)
Ice Floe - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Ghost Town - Tempest (TMP)
City of Brass - World Championship Decks 2002 (WC02)
Bloodstained Mire - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Zoetic Cavern - Future Sight (FUT)
Grixis Panorama - Commander 2013 (C13)
Rupture Spire - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Terramorphic Expanse - Commander 2018 (C18)
Tectonic Edge - Zendikar Expeditions (EXP)
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - Theros (THS)
Buried Ruin - Commander 2014 (C14)
Wasteland - Zendikar Rising Expeditions (ZNE)
Eldrazi Temple - Duel Decks: Zendikar vs. Eldrazi (DDP)
Maze of Ith - Eternal Masters (EMA)
Homeward Path - Judge Gift Cards 2017 (J17)
Arid Mesa - Modern Masters 2017 (MM3)
Field of Ruin - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (MID)
Arcane Lighthouse - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Deserted Temple MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey and Tales of Middle-earth Commander, 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 Deserted Temple and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Deserted Temple Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2001-10-01 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-10-01OdysseyODY 3201997normalblackRob Alexander
22023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 393z2015normalborderlessCalder Moore
32023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 3932015normalborderlessCalder Moore
42023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 3632015normalborderlessCalder Moore

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Deserted Temple has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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