Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway MTG Card
2020-05-29 - Number 19
2020-09-25 - Number 288†
2020-09-25 - Number 263s
2020-09-25 - Number 288
2020-09-25 - Number 263
2023-05-08 - Number 75
2002-06-24 - Number 88418
2002-06-24 - Number 83854
| Card sets | Released in 8 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
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Cards like Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway
Pillarverge Pathway serves as a versatile mana source in Magic: The Gathering, offering a dual-faced nature that provides great flexibility. It’s akin to other modal double-faced cards like Branchloft Pathway, which offers a choice between a forest or a plains when it hits the field. Unlike typical dual lands, the Pathway series lands, including Pillarverge Pathway, enter untapped and ready to use without the penalty of coming into play tapped or life point costs that cards like Temple of Triumph might incur.
Battlefield Forge is another land with similarities to Pillarverge Pathway, granting access to red or white mana, but it comes at the cost of 1 life—a downside that Pillarverge Pathway avoids. Additionally, Clifftop Retreat presents a parallel option but with conditional entry untapped only if you control a mountain or a plains, potentially delaying the immediate mana availability.
In essence, Pillarverge Pathway boasts an indispensable role in decks that pivot on mana stability without the drawbacks of life loss or the risk of entering play tapped. Its ability to be played on either side offers tactical decisions that keep opponents guessing and provides consistent mana from the get-go.
Cards similar to Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Pillarverge Pathway offers a unique kind of card advantage by effectively serving as two lands in one. This versatility can outpace an opponent by ensuring you don’t miss your land drops and providing the right color of mana when you need it.
Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t produce additional mana like some ramp spells, this dual-faced card accelerates your resources by increasing your mana stability. Having access to two different colors without the downside of entering the battlefield tapped like many dual lands is a subtle yet powerful form of acceleration.
Instant Speed: Although the Pathway itself isn’t played at instant speed, it allows you to smoothly transition between colors so you can react at instant speed with other spells in your hand. This keeps your options open and makes it more difficult for an opponent to predict your plays.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Pillarverge Pathway provides flexibility in mana production, it doesn’t challenge the issue of hand depletion. Unlike some dual lands, this card doesn’t offer card draw or discard benefits, potentially putting players at a disadvantage when trying to maintain card advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: Pillarverge Pathway taps for either red or white mana, which works well within Boros decks. However, its specificity means it’s unsuitable for multicolor decks that do not include these specific mana types, potentially limiting its inclusivity in diverse mana base strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The efficiency of mana cost is not directly applicable to Pillarverge Pathway, as it enters the battlefield untapped without a cost. But in the context of deck building, the card may compete with other utility lands or dual lands that offer additional abilities or have lower opportunity costs in terms of deck space and utility.
Reasons to Include Pillarverge Pathway in Your Collection
Versatility: The dual nature of Pillarverge Pathway allows players to adapt to the evolving needs of their deck during a game. It’s capable of tapping for red or white mana, crucial for a smooth mana curve in multicolored decks.
Combo Potential: As part of a land combo within a deck, Pillarverge Pathway can contribute to an effective mana base for executing multi-color strategies without entering the battlefield tapped, keeping your tempo fast.
Meta-Relevance: Given the shifting landscape of competitive play, a land like Pillarverge Pathway retains value for its ability to provide crucial mana accessibility in decks that are dominant in the current meta, particularly in two-color aggro or midrange decks.
How to beat
Pillarverge Pathway is a versatile land card in MTG that provides immense flexibility for players, allowing them to choose between two colors of mana upon entry. One might compare its duality to the adaptability of lands like Evolving Wilds, although without the sacrifice and search mechanism. However, to strategize effectively against Pillarverge Pathway, considering the timing of land destruction or counterspells is key. By disrupting the opponent’s mana base, especially in a game where they’re depending on the color fixing that the Pathway provides, one can gain significant tactical advantage.
Spell cards like Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin can dismantle an opponent’s land strategy when used judiciously. These provide the means to target Pillarverge Pathway, removing a pivotal source of mana and limiting the player from casting spells with more demanding color requirements. It’s important to note that these interactions are more impactful when your opponent is heavily relying on the dual nature of the Pathway for their mana curve.
In essence, understanding and anticipating your opponent’s dependencies on flexible mana sources like Pillarverge Pathway can turn the tide of the game. Assessing when to deploy land disruption will play a pivotal role in navigating against decks that include such a land card, potentially steering the match towards victory.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway 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 Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway and other MTG cards:
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Printings
The Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2020-05-29 and 2023-05-08. Illustrated by 4 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 88418 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Alayna Danner | ||
| 2 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 83854 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Noah Bradley | ||
| 3 | 2020-05-29 | Secret Lair: Ultimate Edition | SLU | 19 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Borderless | Adam Paquette | |
| 4 | 2020-09-25 | Zendikar Rising | ZNR | 288† | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Alayna Danner | |
| 5 | 2020-09-25 | Zendikar Rising Promos | PZNR | 263s | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Piotr Dura | |
| 6 | 2020-09-25 | Zendikar Rising | ZNR | 288 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Borderless | Noah Bradley | |
| 7 | 2020-09-25 | Zendikar Rising | ZNR | 263 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Piotr Dura | |
| 8 | 2023-05-08 | From Cute to Brute | PCTB | 75 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Piotr Dura |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2020-09-25 | A modal double-faced card can’t be transformed or be put onto the battlefield transformed. Ignore any instruction to transform a modal double-faced card or to put one onto the battlefield transformed. |
| 2020-09-25 | If an effect allows you to play a land or cast a spell from among a group of cards, you may play or cast a modal double-faced card with any face that fits the criteria of that effect. |
| 2020-09-25 | If an effect allows you to play a specific modal double-faced card, you may cast it as a spell or play it as a land, as determined by which face you choose to play. If an effect allows you to cast (rather than “play”) a specific modal double-faced card, you can’t play it as a land. |
| 2020-09-25 | If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name, the name of either face may be chosen. If that effect or a linked ability refers to a spell with the chosen name being cast and/or a land with the chosen name being played, it considers only the chosen name, not the other face’s name. |
| 2020-09-25 | If an effect puts a double-faced card onto the battlefield, it enters with its front face up. If that front face can’t be put onto the battlefield, it doesn’t enter the battlefield. |
| 2020-09-25 | In the Commander variant, a double-faced card’s color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered. |
| 2020-09-25 | The converted mana cost of a modal double-faced card is based on the characteristics of the face that’s being considered. On the stack and battlefield, consider whichever face is up. In all other zones, consider only the front face. This is different than how the converted mana cost of a transforming double-faced card is determined. |
| 2020-09-25 | There is a single triangle icon in the top left corner of the front face. There is a double triangle icon in the top left corner of the back face. |
| 2020-09-25 | To determine whether it is legal to play a modal double-faced card, consider only the characteristics of the face you’re playing and ignore the other face’s characteristics. |