Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers MTG Card

Okina provides utility and card advantage, boosting creatures without sacrificing your valuable hand resources. Its instant-speed activation offers tactical advantages, essential for adaptability in varying game phases. While potent, Okina’s activation cost requires careful mana management to maximize its in-game benefits.

Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)

Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
2004-10-01 - Number 280

Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers - The List (PLST)

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number CHK-280

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Rarity	Rare
Type	Legendary Land

Text of card

: Add to your mana pool. , : Target legendary creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

If a land can be said to have a heart, Okina is the heart of Kamigawa.

Cards like Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers

Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers is an intriguing land card that offers more than just mana. As a Legendary Land with “Tap: Add Green.” it seems straightforward, much like other singular mana-producing lands. However, its ability to empower a legendary creature sets it apart. With a small investment of just one green mana, it grants a +1/+1 boost until the end of the turn. This compares to Pendelhaven, another land providing a similar buff, but limited to only creatures with 1/1 stats.

Cards like Oran-Rief, the Vastwood also come into play in terms of utility lands for boosting creatures. Oran-Rief, however, has a broader impact by strengthening each green creature that entered the battlefield that turn, but it also requires the land to be tapped and doesn’t focus on legendary creatures specifically. Eiganjo Castle provides another parallel, protecting legendary creatures with its damage prevention ability. Yet, when it comes to pushing through additional damage and enabling pivotal combat wins, Okina’s buff can be decisive.

Analyzing Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers’ value among similar lands reveals its niche role in enhancing legendary creature-based strategies, offering both mana versatility and a combat edge—distinct advantages for players using such themes.

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Decks using this card

MTG decks using Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#	Name	Format	Archetype	Event
	Mono-Green Hardened Scales	Modern	Hardened Scales	Modern Challenge 32 2024-04-19

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers subtly contributes to card advantage by being a land that doubles as a utility card. It can bolster your board presence without costing you a card from your hand. This feature is particularly advantageous in longer games where each card’s value becomes magnified.

Resource Acceleration: While Okina doesn’t directly produce additional mana, its ability to grant a legendary creature +1/+1 until end of turn can be a form of resource acceleration. It can save mana you might otherwise spend on spells to enhance your creatures, potentially speeding up your game plan.

Instant Speed: The power boost provided by Okina can be activated at instant speed, offering surprise advantages during combat or in response to spells. This flexibility allows you to adapt on the fly and use your mana efficiently across different phases of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers does not have a discard requirement per se, it does require sacrificing the land to activate its ability. This can be a significant cost especially if you are in a position where you need all your mana sources, making it a risky play if you do not have ample land resources in play or in hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers asks for green mana to activate its ability. This requirement constrains it mostly to green decks or those that can reliably generate green mana, potentially limiting its versatility across a wide range of deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although the cost to activate Okina’s ability is only one green mana, the need to tap the land itself essentially makes the cost two mana. When you consider that the land is a legendary card and its boost provides only a modest increment to a creature’s power, it’s a considerable investment for a marginally incremental boost, particularly in the late game where maximizing mana efficiency is crucial.

Reasons to Include Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers in Your Collection

Versatility: Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers offers an immediate boost in mana while also serving a dual role as a legendary land with creature enhancement capabilities. It can be slotted into green decks for its ability to increase the power of legendary creatures, which is useful in various deck strategies, including commander and casual play.

Combo Potential: This card can be instrumental in combo setups that revolve around legendary creatures, using the land’s ability to grant a bonus to power could be the edge needed to secure a win. Whether you’re aiming to overwhelm opponents with a single powerful creature or need that extra strength for a crucial attack, Okina can be the linchpin in achieving your in-game objectives.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where legendary creatures are key, having Okina in your deck ensures you have a resource that can adapt to various opponents. It can be particularly effective in games where incremental advantages lead to victory. As the MTG landscape evolves, versatile cards like Okina remain valuable for their ability to influence the board with minimal investment.

How to beat

Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers can be a pivotal card in the right deck, imbuing legendary creatures with an extra punch that might turn the tides of a match. Dealing with this legendary land requires strategic thinking and resource management. One straightforward way is through land destruction spells or abilities that can target nonbasic lands. Fulminator Mage, Field of Ruin, and Ghost Quarter can dismantle an opponent’s mana base including formidable lands like Okina.

Alternatively, one might consider utilizing card effects that remove abilities from lands for a turn such as with Blanket of Night. This move allows a temporary reprieve from the land’s boons and can disrupt your opponent’s plans. If direct confrontation isn’t feasible, shifting strategies toward indirect means, such as enhancing your own board state to overshadow the benefits Okina provides, is another valid approach. Finally, countering key legendary creatures that would benefit from Okina’s effect minimizes the land’s impact and can keep the battlefield in your favor.

Gauging the ideal time and method to impede or erase Okina’s influence from the game is crucial. With these insights, players can better prepare to neutralize Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers and maintain control over the game’s progression.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers MTG card by a specific set like Champions of Kamigawa and The List, 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 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2004-10-01 and 2004-10-01. Illustrated by Keith Garletts.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2004-10-01	Champions of Kamigawa	CHK		280	2003	Normal	Black	Keith Garletts
2	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST		CHK-280	2003	Normal	Black	Keith Garletts

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal