Tree of Tales MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
RarityCommon
TypeArtifact Land

Key Takeaways

  1. This artifact land accelerates mana without delaying land drops, boosting green-centric gameplay strategies.
  2. Tree of Tales’ synergy with artifact-based abilities can significantly enhance a deck’s artifact count and potency.
  3. Despite its strengths, vulnerability to both artifact and land removal demands careful inclusion in a deck.

Text of card

(Tree of Tales isn't a spell.) : Add to your mana pool.

Tel-Jilad, sanctum of the ancient trolls, keepers of the secret of Mirrodin's origin.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tree of Tales doesn’t offer direct card draw, yet its trait as an artifact can be leveraged in decks that capitalize on artifact count. By being both land and artifact, it can enhance the synergy with cards seeking to optimize the number of artifacts you control, leading to indirect card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although this card doesn’t produce multiple mana, it taps for green without entering the battlefield tapped. This provides an immediate mana boost, aiding in a swift development of your board presence. As part of the artifact land cycle, it can also be a target for abilities that untap artifacts, potentially ramping your resources even further.

Instant Speed: While Tree of Tales itself is not an instant, it plays well within strategies that prioritize instant-speed interaction. As a land that’s also an artifact, it allows for instant speed responses using cards that benefit from artifacts being in play, without sacrificing land drops or tempo. Thus, it seamlessly integrates into decks that operate on the axis of playing on the opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Despite the allure of mana acceleration, Tree of Tales necessitates a discard when targeted by spells or abilities that punish artifact possession, potentially setting you back.

Specific Mana Cost: As an artifact land, it can only provide green mana, which means it’s less flexible than other mana resources that offer a variety of colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Tree of Tales doesn’t have a direct mana cost, its value can seem less compared to basic lands when facing artifact hate, making it a risky inclusion in some decks.


Reasons to Include Tree of Tales in Your Collection

Versatility: Tree of Tales is an artifact land, which means it’s immune to summoning sickness and can tap for green mana immediately. This trait allows it to seamlessly integrate into decks that capitalize on landfall or require a speedy mana ramp, as well as those that synergize with artifacts.

Combo Potential: It has a natural synergy with cards that benefit from artifacts on the field. It can be sacrificed to aid in metalcraft requirements or used alongside cards like Atog for an efficient resource conversion, providing both mana and combo fuel.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where fast mana and high synergy with artifacts are key, Tree of Tales stands out as an enabler. It works well within an affinity deck framework or any strategy that leverages the potency of artifacts, playing a critical part in outpacing opponents by deploying threats earlier than expected.


Understanding Tree of Tales’ Impact in MTG

In the world of MTG, Tree of Tales presents a unique blend of land utility and artifact synergy. As an artifact land, Tree of Tales does not count towards your land drop for the turn, enabling you to accelerate your mana without setting back your land plays. Additionally, being an artifact, it has the potential to trigger numerous artifact-related abilities and enhance strategies that benefit from artifacts in play.

How to beat

Overcoming the presence of Tree of Tales in an opponent’s deck requires a strategy to mitigate the advantages it provides. A proven approach is through land destruction or artifact removal spells, which can target the duality of Tree of Tales. Utilizing cards like Shatterstorm that simultaneously address multiple artifacts can disrupt your opponent’s game plan, especially if they heavily rely on artifacts for their strategy. It’s vital to remember that an artifact land like Tree of Tales is vulnerable to both land and artifact hate, a double-edged sword that can be turned against the user when faced with targeted removal.

In your gameplay, always be mindful of the potential for Tree of Tales to be a linchpin in artifact-centric decks and adapt your sideboard to include efficient removal options that can handle both artifacts and lands efficiently. This way, Tree of Tales won’t stand a chance of tipping the scales in your opponent’s favor.


Cards like Tree of Tales

Tree of Tales stands as a unique artifact land within the world of MTG, sharing some similarities with other cards in its category such as Seat of the Synod. Both serve as artifact lands, lending resilience against land destruction, yet Tree of Tales is distinct for tapping for green mana, aligning it with green deck strategies. In contrast, Seat of the Synod produces blue mana, catering to a different set of deck archetypes.

Apart from that, we encounter Ancient Den. This is another artifact land which taps for white mana. While these lands provide colored mana without the cost of life or coming into play tapped, they share the vulnerability of being susceptible to artifact removal, unlike basic lands. Although they each assist in mana generation, their impact and synergy will vary greatly depending on the deck’s theme and strategy.

As a result, when comparing Tree of Tales to its counterparts, it not only secures a spot in green artifact-centric decks but also enhances strategies related to cards like Atog or Glissa, the Traitor, which benefit from the presence of artifacts. Despite the ban in Modern format, Tree of Tales continues to see play in formats where it remains legal, underpinning its specialized yet potent role in MTG.

Seat of the Synod - MTG Card versions
Ancient Den - MTG Card versions
Atog - MTG Card versions
Glissa, the Traitor - MTG Card versions
Seat of the Synod - Mirrodin (MRD)
Ancient Den - Mirrodin (MRD)
Atog - Antiquities (ATQ)
Glissa, the Traitor - Mirrodin Besieged Promos (PMBS)

Cards similar to Tree of Tales by color, type and mana cost

Mox Emerald - MTG Card versions
Sap Sucker - MTG Card versions
Mox Emerald - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Sap Sucker - Unstable (UST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tree of Tales MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin and World Championship Decks 2004, 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 Tree of Tales and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Tree of Tales Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2003-10-02 and 2019-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12003-10-02MirrodinMRD 2852003normalblackJohn Avon
22004-09-01World Championship Decks 2004WC04 mb2852003normalgoldJohn Avon
32009-09-04PlanechaseHOP 1402003normalblackJohn Avon
42019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 3042015normalborderlessDXTR
52020-09-26The ListPLST MRD-2852003normalblackJohn Avon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tree of Tales has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernBanned
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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