Rootbound Crag MTG Card
2009-07-17 - Number 227
2009-11-20 - Number 32
2010-07-16 - Number 227
2011-07-15 - Number 228
2012-07-13 - Number 228
2016-11-11 - Number 317
2017-09-29 - Number 256p
2017-09-29 - Number 256
2017-09-29 - Number 256s
2023-10-13 - Number 300
2023-10-13 - Number 511
2023-10-13 - Number 891
2023-10-13 - Number 1102
2024-03-08 - Number 1032
2024-03-08 - Number 812
2024-03-08 - Number 284
2024-03-08 - Number 504
2019-12-02 - Number 459
2020-09-26 - Number M10-227
| Card sets | Released in 19 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
Rootbound Crag enters the battlefield tapped unless you control a Mountain or a Forest. : Add or to your mana pool.
Cards like Rootbound Crag
Rootbound Crag is a standout land card in Magic: The Gathering, playing a pivotal role in mana fixing for red and green multi-colored decks. Its closest relatives in functionality are the ‘check lands’ like Sunpetal Grove and Glacial Fortress. All check for the presence of basic land types before they can enter the battlefield untapped, granting them a flexible role in deck building. Rootbound Crag, in particular, aligns well with strategies favoring the combination of speed and color stability.
Another card worth mentioning is Stomping Ground. Although it’s a shock land that can be paid 2 life to enter untapped, it’s also a forest and a mountain and therefore allows Rootbound Crag to enter untapped without any additional conditions. Cards such as Karplusan Forest also provide similar color mana but at a cost. It produces either red or green mana without entering tapped but deals damage to its controller, leading to a strategic decision related to life resources.
In conclusion, while each land offers unique benefits and trade-offs, Rootbound Crag holds a valuable place in MTG as a dependable land option, perfectly marrying accessibility with the necessary speed for competitive gameplay in red and green decks.
Cards similar to Rootbound Crag by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Rootbound Crag. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Niv to Light | Pioneer | Niv to Light | Pioneer Challenge 32 2024-04-21 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Rootbound Crag doesn’t directly provide card advantage, but as a land that can potentially tap for two types of mana, it allows for a smoother play of multicolored hands, reducing the need for mulligans and therefore preserving card quantity in hand.
Resource Acceleration: While Rootbound Crag itself doesn’t accelerate resources like a ramp spell, it does enter the battlefield untapped if you control a Mountain or a Forest, which is instrumental in ensuring that your mana base keeps up with your spell curve without losing tempo.
Instant Speed: As a land, Rootbound Crag isn’t played at instant speed, but its ability to provide mana for either color instantly without coming into play tapped (under the right conditions) is invaluable for casting spells at crucial moments without delay.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: This land enters the battlefield tapped unless you control a Mountain or a Forest, which may slow down your gameplay if you are unable to meet this requirement early on.
Specific Mana Cost: Rootbound Crag provides specific colored mana (Red and Green), which restricts its flexibility in decks that could benefit from a more varied mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Compared to basic lands, Rootbound Crag might seem like it has a “higher cost” in the sense that it has a conditional requirement to enter untapped, potentially setting you back a turn if you can’t satisfy the conditions straightaway.
Reasons to Include Rootbound Crag in Your Collection
Versatility: Rootbound Crag is a valuable land card that can seamlessly slot into any deck that runs both red and green mana. Its ability to provide either color of mana without coming into play tapped (under the right conditions) makes it a flexible choice for a multitude of deck builds, from aggro to control.
Combo Potential: This card allows you to streamline your mana base when using multicolor combos within the red and green spectrum. It serves as an ideal setup for powerful plays without slowing down your tempo, a key component in optimally executing your strategy.
Meta-Relevance: With a dynamic and ever-shifting meta, having a stable mana foundation is crucial. Rootbound Crag provides this stability for red and green decks, ensuring they remain competitive. Given its recurrence in various competitive formats, Rootbound Crag holds its ground in adapting to the meta’s demands.
How to beat
Rootbound Crag is a potent land card in Magic: The Gathering, prized for its capacity to provide mana of two different colors without coming into play tapped, under the right conditions. This card shines in multi-colored decks, giving players the flexibility to cast a variety of spells efficiently. To successfully navigate against a deck utilizing Rootbound Crag, it’s essential to focus on land disruption strategies.
Employing cards that hamper or destroy your opponent’s lands can be a key tactic. Field of Ruin stands out as a straightforward way to target this valuable land, offering a way to exchange it for a basic land and potentially disrupting their mana base. Ghost Quarter provides a similar function, with the added benefit of not providing your opponent with a land search opportunity. Another effective strategy is to take advantage of cards like Blood Moon that can restrict the abilities of nonbasic lands, converting them into basic Mountains and nullifying their advantages.
By implementing these strategies and cards within your gameplay, you can counteract the benefits that Rootbound Crag offers, tilting the scales in your favor and increasing your chances of victory against decks that rely on its mana-fixing prowess.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Rootbound Crag MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2010 and Premium Deck Series: Slivers, 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 Rootbound Crag and other MTG cards:
BUY NOW BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- eBay
- 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 MTG Products
Printings
The Rootbound Crag Magic the Gathering card was released in 12 different sets between 2009-07-17 and 2024-03-08. Illustrated by 5 different artists.
Show/hide all sets| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009-07-17 | Magic 2010 | M10 | 227 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Matt Stewart | |
| 2 | 2009-11-20 | Premium Deck Series: Slivers | H09 | 32 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Matt Stewart | |
| 3 | 2010-07-16 | Magic 2011 | M11 | 227 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Matt Stewart | |
| 4 | 2011-07-15 | Magic 2012 | M12 | 228 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Matt Stewart | |
| 5 | 2012-07-13 | Magic 2013 | M13 | 228 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Matt Stewart | |
| 6 | 2016-11-11 | Commander 2016 | C16 | 317 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Matt Stewart | |
| 7 | 2017-09-29 | Ixalan Promos | PXLN | 256p | 2015 | Normal | Black | Grzegorz Rutkowski | |
| 8 | 2017-09-29 | Ixalan | XLN | 256 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Grzegorz Rutkowski | |
| 9 | 2017-09-29 | Ixalan Promos | PXLN | 256s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Grzegorz Rutkowski | |
| 10 | Secret Lair Drop | SLD | 459 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Matt Jukes | ||
| 11 | The List | PLST | M10-227 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Matt Stewart | ||
| 12 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 300 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jeremy Paillotin | |
| 13 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 511 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jeremy Paillotin | |
| 14 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 891 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jeremy Paillotin | |
| 15 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 1102 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jeremy Paillotin | |
| 16 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 1032 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Samuele Bandini | |
| 17 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 812 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Samuele Bandini | |
| 18 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 284 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Samuele Bandini | |
| 19 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 504 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Samuele Bandini |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Rootbound Crag has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Rootbound Crag card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2009-10-01 | As this is entering the battlefield, it checks for lands that are already on the battlefield. It won't see lands that are entering the battlefield at the same time (due to Warp World, for example). |
| 2009-10-01 | This checks for lands you control with the land type Mountain or Forest, not for lands named Mountain or Forest. The lands it checks for don't have to be basic lands. For example, if you control Temple Garden (a nonbasic land with the land types Forest and Plains), Rootbound Crag will enter the battlefield untapped. |