Sunken Field MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Enchant |
| Released | 2000-06-05 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Prophecy |
| Set code | PCY |
| Number | 51 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Donato Giancola |
Key Takeaways
- Sunken Field offers card advantage by disrupting plays and cycling hands with enchant land abilities.
- It needs blue mana and sacrifices lands, potentially hindering early-game development and deck diversity.
- Despite a higher activation cost, its versatility in control decks makes it a worthy collection addition.
Text of card
Enchanted land has "oc T: Counter target spell unless its controller pays o1."
The land is heavy with promise, the harvest ripe with betrayal.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Sunken Field provides a strategic edge through its unique enchant land ability, effectively letting you cycle into new options while disrupting your opponent’s plays.
Resource Acceleration: This card can transform any land into a potential counterthreat, subtly increasing your resources as your opponent must now navigate around the activated ability of Sunken Field’s enchanted land.
Instant Speed: The ability to counter spells at instant speed by simply sacrificing a land gives players the flexibility to respond to threats immediately and on the fly, keeping opponents on their toes and giving you the upper hand during crucial moments of play.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Sunken Field card mandates the sacrifice of a land, presenting a steep price, especially in the early game where land plays are critical to development.
Specific Mana Cost: This card’s activation is contingent upon a blue mana source, thus confining it to blue or multicolor decks that can consistently provide blue mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Sunken Field’s counter ability costs two mana to activate, in addition to the land it necessitates to be sacrificed. In a format where tempo plays a vital role, this can be less efficient compared to other lower-cost counter options.
Reasons to Include Sunken Field in Your Collection
Versatility: Sunken Field offers strategic flexibility that’s uncommon for a land. By tapping and sacrificing it, you can counter an opponent’s spell unless they pay an additional one mana. This ability makes it valuable in control decks needing every edge over opponents.
Combo Potential: This card can easily slot into a deck with other taxing effects to increase your control over the game’s pace. In combination with cards that tap opponents’ resources, it amplifies the difficulty for your opponent to maintain a strong board presence.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state where players often run tight on mana, Sunken Field can become particularly disruptive. It aligns well with a slower, more controlling meta, where forcing an opponent to miss a crucial spell cast can lead to a pivotal shift in control of the match.
How to Beat Sunken Field
Sunken Field is a unique enchantment card within Magic: The Gathering that enables players to tap an untapped land and sacrifice it to counter a target spell unless its caster pays an additional 1 mana. This can pose a significant disruption to an opponent’s strategy and can be difficult to play around if resources are limited.
Overcoming the challenge of Sunken Field relies on careful planning and resource management. Ensure that you have extra mana available when casting crucial spells, as the threat of Sunken Field looms when spell costs might be increased. This allows a cushion against the activation of the enchantment. Additionally, baiting out the activation with less critical spells can deplete your opponent’s land resources, ultimately diminishing their overall mana base and weakening their board presence.
The vulnerability of Sunken Field lies in its dependence on the land. Therefore, direct land destruction or cards that allow your spells to be uncounterable can render Sunken Field ineffective. Strategic deck building that includes such measures can markedly decrease the efficacy of Sunken Field in your opponent’s strategy, granting you a significant advantage in the game.
Cards like Sunken Field
Sunken Field presents a unique angle to control strategies in Magic: The Gathering. This card’s ability to counter an opponent’s spell unless they pay an additional two mana bears resemblance to the function of cards like Mana Leak. However, Sunken Field’s enchant land mechanic adds a layer of subtlety, allowing a player to keep their counter threat hidden in plain sight until it is most advantageous.
Comparable in concept is the card Mystic Remora, which also lies dormant, offering card advantage through its cumulative upkeep cost that can deter opponents from casting non-creature spells. While Sunken Field doesn’t draw cards, it compensates by being reusable every turn without the extra cost. Daze is another similar card, featuring the ability to counter spells unless the caster pays one more mana, which can be free if a land is returned to the owner’s hand.
Assessing these options, Sunken Field proves to be a robust choice for players who value the strategic placement and potential for repeated use, particularly suiting decks that aim to prolong the game and outmaneuver opponents through guile and surprise.
Cards similar to Sunken Field by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sunken Field 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 Sunken Field 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
See Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Sunken Field has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sunken Field card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | The spell’s controller gets the option to pay when the ability resolves. |
