Ravaged Highlands MTG Card


Ravaged Highlands - Odyssey
RarityCommon
TypeLand
Released2001-10-01
Set symbol
Set nameOdyssey
Set codeODY
Number324
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byDavid Martin

Key Takeaways

  1. Ravaged Highlands supports mana consistency, facilitating strategies that lead to a sustained card advantage.
  2. It aids resource acceleration, although it enters tapped, by providing specific color mana to advance gameplay.
  3. Despite a discard cost and limited mana capability, its versatility makes it valuable in red-centric decks.

Text of card

Ravaged Highlands comes into play tapped. oc T: Add o R to your mana pool. oc T, Sacrifice Ravaged Highlands: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ravaged Highlands doesn’t directly enable you to draw more cards, but it supports strategies that lead to card advantage by ensuring you have the necessary mana to play your spells without interruption.

Resource Acceleration: Although this land enters the battlefield tapped, once active, it contributes to resource acceleration by tapping for a specific color, aiding in casting pivotal cards sooner in the game.

Instant Speed: While Ravaged Highlands doesn’t operate at instant speed, its presence allows for smoother plays, enabling you to keep mana open for instant speed interactions knowing your land drops are supporting your mana base consistently.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To leverage Ravaged Highlands, players often grapple with discarding an additional card. This steep price may deter use, especially in situations where card advantage is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: The activation of this card dictates a precise mana expenditure. Stipulating red mana can be restrictive, thereby confining the card’s integration to certain deck archetypes that can fulfill its color requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The deployment of Ravaged Highlands comes with a relatively hefty mana cost. When building a deck, players may consider alternative land cards that provide mana acceleration or other utilities without such a significant expense.


Reasons to Include Ravaged Highlands in Your Collection

Versatility: Ravaged Highlands offers the flexibility to fit into various deck types across different formats. It provides both colorful mana support and a slight edge in life gain, making it useful in multi-colored decks or those that could use the extra buffer.

Combo Potential: As a nonbasic land with the ability to tap for red mana, Ravaged Highlands can be part of landfall strategies or help enable combos that require specific mana allocations, benefiting red-centric synergies and interactions.

Meta-Relevance: This card can be particularly relevant in environments where land destruction is prevalent, allowing you to maintain access to your red mana sources. Plus, in slower-paced games, the life gain, albeit minimal, can give you that slight advantage for survival.


How to beat Ravaged Highlands

Ravaged Highlands enters the battlefield of Magic: The Gathering as a non-basic land card that presents an interesting tactical edge. Upon being sacrificed, it grants one red mana to its controller’s mana pool. While seemingly modest, this effect can tip the scales in mana-hungry decks that need a burst of resources at critical moments.

To counteract the advantage provided by Ravaged Highlands, it’s crucial to deny the one-time mana boost it offers. Utilizing land destruction cards or land-bounce spells can effectively remove it from play before the opponent finds an opportune moment to cash in on its benefit. Furthermore, strategic play timing can limit its effectiveness. By forcing actions during the opponent’s upkeep or at the end of their turn, players can dictate when the land is least advantageous to sacrifice.

Ultimately, understanding when to disrupt an opponent’s mana base and counteracting those pivotal moments can ensure that Ravaged Highlands does not become a turning point in a match. Considering the card’s function and utility gives players a clearer path to mitigating its potential impact in diverse MTG strategies.


Cards like Ravaged Highlands

Ravaged Highlands is often weighed against other land cards within the manifold expanses of Magic: The Gathering. This card provides both colorless mana and an opportunity to gain a splash of red mana for your spells. When looking at related cards, Swiftwater Cliffs comes to mind. It enters the battlefield tapped but immediately offers you a life point, a subtle yet potentially game-altering bonus. It also taps for blue or red mana, offering dual utility.

Comparatively, we see Stone Quarry, which, akin to Ravaged Highlands, offers colorless mana and also enters the battlefield tapped. It, however, extends the mana palette by providing access to both red and white mana. Another card to consider is Evolving Wilds, which while entering the battlefield tapped, provides incredible versatility with its ability to search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped.

In evaluating these options, Ravaged Highlands holds a respectable position in the category of simple, yet effective land cards. Its straightforward utility in a red-centric deck without the frills of life gain or color diversity makes it a reliable choice for many MTG players looking to bolster their mana bases.

Swiftwater Cliffs - MTG Card versions
Stone Quarry - MTG Card versions
Evolving Wilds - MTG Card versions
Swiftwater Cliffs - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)
Stone Quarry - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)
Evolving Wilds - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Cards similar to Ravaged Highlands by color, type and mana cost

Mountain - MTG Card versions
Dwarven Ruins - MTG Card versions
Dormant Volcano - MTG Card versions
Sandstone Needle - MTG Card versions
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle - MTG Card versions
Ghitu Encampment - MTG Card versions
Vivid Crag - MTG Card versions
Snow-Covered Mountain - MTG Card versions
Castle Embereth - MTG Card versions
Desert of the Fervent - MTG Card versions
Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs - MTG Card versions
Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge - MTG Card versions
Spikefield Hazard // Spikefield Cave - MTG Card versions
Shivan Gorge - MTG Card versions
Flamekin Village - MTG Card versions
Goblin Burrows - MTG Card versions
Den of the Bugbear - MTG Card versions
Smoldering Crater - MTG Card versions
Mines of Moria - MTG Card versions
Kher Keep - MTG Card versions
Mountain - Bloomburrow (BLB)
Dwarven Ruins - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Dormant Volcano - Visions (VIS)
Sandstone Needle - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Ghitu Encampment - Tenth Edition (10E)
Vivid Crag - Commander 2013 (C13)
Snow-Covered Mountain - MTG Arena Promos (PANA)
Castle Embereth - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)
Desert of the Fervent - Commander 2020 (C20)
Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Spikefield Hazard // Spikefield Cave - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Shivan Gorge - The List (PLST)
Flamekin Village - The List (PLST)
Goblin Burrows - The List (PLST)
Den of the Bugbear - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (AFR)
Smoldering Crater - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Mines of Moria - The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR)
Kher Keep - Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ravaged Highlands MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey, 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 Ravaged Highlands and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ravaged Highlands has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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