Excavation MTG Card


Excavation - Prophecy
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment
Released2000-06-05
Set symbol
Set nameProphecy
Set codePCY
Number33
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byTerese Nielsen

Key Takeaways

  1. Excavation transforms land surplus into valuable draws, enhancing hand options and advancing your strategy.
  2. Its instant speed action offers tactical flexibility, allowing you to respond to opponents’ moves adeptly.
  3. Despite advantages, the need to discard and specific mana requirements can limit Excavation’s versatility.

Text of card

o1, Sacrifice a land: Draw a card. Any player may play this ability.

"There are secrets out there begging to be rediscovered. We just need to look in the right places." —Teferi, planeswalker


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Excavation shines in its ability to potentially turn dead draws into new opportunities. By discarding a land, you’re given the chance to dig deeper into your deck for more valuable resources, thereby keeping your hand filled with actionable cards.

Resource Acceleration: The beauty of Excavation lies in its subtlety as a resource acceleration tool. The card puts you in a position where you’re never truly mana-flooded. Each land can be transformed into a new draw, keeping your game plan moving swiftly forward.

Instant Speed: Playing at instant speed provides a strategic edge, allowing for reactive game play. With Excavation, you have the option to utilize the card in response to your opponent’s actions, making it a versatile piece in any deck that values flexibility and surprise.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Excavation card comes with a stipulation that may put players at a disadvantage; you’re asked to discard another card to trigger its effect. For those moments when you’re holding onto key pieces of your strategy, sending one to the graveyard can be a tough pill to swallow, particularly if you’re already struggling with hand size. It’s a delicate balance to consider whether the excavation’s benefit outweighs the immediate loss of card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Digging into the mana specifics, Excavation requires both blue mana and generic mana to be cast, which could potentially restrict its integration outside of blue-focused or multi-color decks adept at mana fixing. Players running mono-colored or color-scarce decks might find it challenging to consistently meet Excavation’s color demands, leading to it often becoming a dead card in hand.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: In the vast realm of MTG, where efficiency is king, Excavation’s mana cost might be a bit steep for its offered utility. The game is replete with alternative cards that might not only cost less but could also potentially provide a more immediate and lasting impact on the board state. Hence, it’s important for players to weigh their options, considering mana curve and desired deck tempo when deciding if Excavation earns a spot in their 60-card lineup.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Excavation offers adaptability across different deck builds, making it a powerhouse in strategies that revolve around graveyard play and land recycling.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combination with landfall triggers or when exploiting sacrifice mechanics, enabling players to reap value from otherwise dormant lands.

Meta-Relevance: As the meta evolves, Excavation retains relevance by offering an efficient way to churn lands, fueling both aggressive and control-oriented decks in diverse game environments.


How to Beat Excavation

Overcoming the challenge posed by Excavation in Magic: The Gathering requires a strategic approach. This enchantment card allows a player to sacrifice a land to draw a card, offering a steady stream of resources. To effectively disrupt this card’s advantage, employing land destruction or enchantment removal is key. Cards like Wasteland or Ghost Quarter can dismantle the land base, curbing the opponent’s ability to activate Excavation’s ability. Alternatively, direct enchantment removal such as Naturalize or Disenchant can swiftly remove Excavation from the battlefield. It’s vital to consider the timing of these cards to maximize their impact on your opponent’s strategy.

In games where resource management is crucial, the ability to disable a card like Excavation can significantly shift the game’s momentum in your favor. Keeping up counterplay options to respond to your opponent’s strategy or to protect your own resources is also fundamental. Cards such as Counterspell or Negate can prevent Excavation from hitting the field in the first place. Understanding the synergy and potential your deck has to counter such enchantments can be the difference between victory and defeat.


Cards like Excavation

Excavation from Magic: The Gathering introduces intriguing dynamics for players who wish to convert their lands into something more immediately useful. This enchantment bears similarity to cards like Zuran Orb, which allows a player to sacrifice a land for life points. Excavation, however, adds a layer by enabling card draw, thus feeding into potential new strategies not just centered around life gain but deck maneuverability as well.

Comparing this with other land interaction cards like Seismic Assault, which lets you throw lands at opponents for damage, Excavation offers more of a strategic depth rather than direct aggression. While Seismic Assault demands a hefty three red mana, Excavation’s broader mana requirement makes it more accessible in multicolored decks. Then there’s the card Harrow, which also involves sacrificing lands, but instead of drawing cards, you get to search your deck for additional lands. Though Harrow accelerates land presence, Excavation excels in long-term planning by refilling your hand.

The unique ability of Excavation to maintain card flow makes it an appealing option in MTG, particularly in formats where drawing power and land utilization are critical to outmaneuvering opponents.

Zuran Orb - MTG Card versions
Seismic Assault - MTG Card versions
Harrow - MTG Card versions
Zuran Orb - Ice Age (ICE)
Seismic Assault - Exodus (EXO)
Harrow - Tempest (TMP)

Cards similar to Excavation by color, type and mana cost

Invisibility - MTG Card versions
Power Leak - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Terrain - MTG Card versions
Stasis - MTG Card versions
Creature Bond - MTG Card versions
Lifetap - MTG Card versions
Power Artifact - MTG Card versions
Psychic Venom - MTG Card versions
Venarian Gold - MTG Card versions
Soar - MTG Card versions
Flooded Shoreline - MTG Card versions
Dance of Many - MTG Card versions
Teferi's Veil - MTG Card versions
Legacy's Allure - MTG Card versions
Chill - MTG Card versions
Buoyancy - MTG Card versions
Mana Maze - MTG Card versions
Psionic Gift - MTG Card versions
Immobilizing Ink - MTG Card versions
Stupefying Touch - MTG Card versions
Invisibility - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Power Leak - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Phantasmal Terrain - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Stasis - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Creature Bond - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Lifetap - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Power Artifact - Antiquities (ATQ)
Psychic Venom - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Venarian Gold - Legends (LEG)
Soar - Mirage (MIR)
Flooded Shoreline - Visions (VIS)
Dance of Many - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Teferi's Veil - Weatherlight (WTH)
Legacy's Allure - Tempest (TMP)
Chill - Tempest (TMP)
Buoyancy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Mana Maze - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Psionic Gift - Odyssey (ODY)
Immobilizing Ink - Odyssey (ODY)
Stupefying Touch - Torment (TOR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Excavation MTG card by a specific set like Prophecy, 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 Excavation and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Excavation has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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