Otawara, Soaring City MTG Card
2022-02-18 - Number 271p
2022-02-18 - Number 271
2022-02-18 - Number 414
2022-02-18 - Number 271s
2022-02-18 - Number 503
2002-06-24 - Number 98125
2002-06-24 - Number 98123
| Card sets | Released in 7 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Land |
| Abilities | Channel |
Key Takeaways
- Offers card advantage through transformation and strategic tactical plays at instant speed.
- Provides resource acceleration and flexibility within Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty cycle of legendary lands.
- Restrictive activation cost and requirement can limit early game potential and board presence.
Text of card
: Add . Channel — , Discard Otawara, Soaring City: Return target artifact, creature, enchantment, or planeswalker to its owner's hand. This ability costs less to activate for each legendary creature you control.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Otawara, Soaring City is more than just a land card; it stands out in your deck for its ability to potentially turn the tide of the game. By transforming into an evasive creature, it allows strategic plays that can both protect your assets and pressure opponents, indirectly contributing to card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: As part of the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty cycle of legendary lands, Otawara offers flexibility in mana production. It accelerates your resources by providing not only the conventional mana but also an additional option for when you need that crucial blue mana to cast an essential spell on time.
Instant Speed: One of Otawara’s most compelling attributes is its access at instant speed. This can provide an unexpected blocker or an attacker at the end of your opponent’s turn. Instant speed interaction is invaluable in MTG, and Otawara brings this to the table as a land card, which is comparatively rare and thus highly prized.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Activating the ability of Otawara, Soaring City comes at the cost of returning a legendary creature you control to its owner’s hand. This can set you back by requiring you to discard a valuable asset, influencing your board presence negatively.
Specific Mana Cost: Otawara requires a specific set of mana to cast – one blue and one white mana, part of its total cost. This requirement makes it less flexible than colorless lands and demands a precise mana base, which could constrain deck-building options and strategic diversity.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although it comes with the ability to untap at no cost, being a land that taps for only one mana might not be considered a trade-off given its initial steep casting price of five mana. This can be especially restrictive in the early game, where rapid mana development is crucial.
Reasons to Include Otawara, Soaring City in Your Collection
Versatility: Otawara, Soaring City serves multiple roles in gameplay, seamlessly fitting into control, midrange, or tempo decks. As a land card, it’s immediately useful for mana-fixing, and its activated ability offers protection for key creatures or disruption against opponents.
Combo Potential: Otawara can be a central piece in decks that capitalize on return-to-hand mechanics. It synergizes well with enter-the-battlefield effects or creatures with evasion abilities, setting up plays that can catch an opponent off guard.
Meta-Relevance: Given that competitive formats often feature nuanced exchanges of resources, having a reliable card like Otawara can be pivotal. Its presence on the field can influence game decisions, making it a staple in decks that strive for strategic advantage over prevalent meta choices.
How to beat
Otawara, Soaring City is a powerhouse of flexibility and control in the world of Magic: The Gathering. Its capacity to swiftly untap any permanent you control can be a game-changer in safeguarding your board or exploiting new combo opportunities. However, every card has its Achilles’ heel. To effectively counter Otawara, you’ll want to focus on strategies that impede activated abilities. Cards like Damping Sphere or Linvala, Keeper of Silence can restrict or neutralize abilities, slowing down an opponent’s game plan.
Additionally, quick removal of legendary lands is essential. Direct land destruction spells like Ghost Quarter can take Otawara out of play before it becomes an issue. Leverage the element of surprise by waiting to play these cards until your opponent tries to use Otawara’s ability—this maximizes your value while disrupting their strategy. Effectively planning against Otawara, Soaring City involves a mixture of clever timing and selecting the right answers from your card arsenal.
Keep these tactics in mind, and you’ll transform a potentially despairing sight into a solvable puzzle on the battlefield. Turn the tide in your favor and seize victory from the clutches of Otawara, Soaring City’s influential presence.
Cards like Otawara, Soaring City
Otawara, Soaring City is a unique land card in Magic: The Gathering, presenting an intriguing combination of utility and flexibility that is akin to other notable cards in the game. Cards like Celestial Colonnade share the characteristic of transforming into a creature, albeit Otawara requires no mana investment to do so and can become a creature until end of turn simply by returning a Spirit you control to its owner’s hand. Unlike Celestial Colonnade, Otawara does not offer vigilance or lifelink, but instead, it pairs well with decks centering around Spirit synergy.
Another card for comparison is Raging Ravine, which also turns into a powerful creature. However, Raging Ravine requires a mana investment to activate each turn and gets stronger with each attack due to its +1/+1 counters. Otawara stands out by offering immediate impact and evasion through flying, giving it access to more strategic options during gameplay. Meanwhile, Ghitu Encampment serves as a cheaper alternative in terms of activation cost, but lacks the scale of effect and evasion that Otawara provides with its flying attribute.
Evaluating these comparisons highlights Otawara, Soaring City’s distinct place in Magic: The Gathering as a land with significant strategic potential and adaptability, particularly in decks that leverage the Spirit tribe.
Cards similar to Otawara, Soaring City by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Otawara, Soaring City MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Magic Online Promos, 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 Otawara, Soaring City and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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 Otawara, Soaring City Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2022-02-18 and 2022-02-18. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 98125 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Alayna Danner | ||
| 2 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 98123 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Yuta Shimpo | ||
| 3 | 2022-02-18 | Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Promos | PNEO | 271p | 2015 | Normal | Black | Alayna Danner | |
| 4 | 2022-02-18 | Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty | NEO | 271 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Alayna Danner | |
| 5 | 2022-02-18 | Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty | NEO | 414 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Yuta Shimpo | |
| 6 | 2022-02-18 | Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Promos | PNEO | 271s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Alayna Danner | |
| 7 | 2022-02-18 | Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty | NEO | 503 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Alayna Danner |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Otawara, Soaring City has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Otawara, Soaring City card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-02-18 | Discarding the card is part of the cost to activate a channel ability. |
| 2022-02-18 | If a channel ability requires a target, you may not activate it without a target just to discard the card. |