Poison the Well MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Released	2008-05-02
Set symbol
Set name	Shadowmoor
Set code	SHM
Number	193
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai

Key Takeaways

Disrupts opponents and draws cards, giving you a critical advantage in the resource race.
Instant speed allows for tactical plays, aligning with control strategies in your deck.
Demands specific mana types, potentially influencing deck construction and consistency.

Text of card

Destroy target land. Poison the Well deals 2 damage to that land's controller.

Wells that provide clean, unhaunted water are rare enough to be worth building an entire town around.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Poison the Well can disrupt your opponent’s board while simultaneously offering you the benefit of card draw. This two-pronged approach keeps your hand replenished, ensuring that you’re not falling behind in the resource race.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana, Poison the Well sets back your opponent’s resource development by potentially knocking out a land. This type of acceleration is indirect but can give you a tempo advantage, allowing you to stay ahead on the board.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Poison the Well at instant speed can’t be understated. Responding to an opponent’s actions in real-time gives you significant tactical leverage, allowing you to wait until the most opportune moment to hinder their strategy.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Poison the Well card requires players to discard another card, which can put you at a resource disadvantage. This cost is particularly significant when your hand is already depleted, and every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Poison the Well demands both black and green mana, making it somewhat inflexible. This specificity can be challenging in multicolored decks that might struggle with mana consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that isn’t trivial, Poison the Well’s impact on the board may not always justify its expense, especially when options for removing threats or disrupting an opponent might come at a lower mana value.

Reasons to Include Poison the Well in Your Collection

Versatility: Poison the Well offers players a unique tool, capable of disrupting land bases while also dealing damage to creatures or planeswalkers. This flexibility makes it a valuable addition for any deck that prioritizes control and maintaining an edge on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card can work seamlessly with strategies that benefit from damaging opponents or destroying lands. It can be the catalyst for turning the tide, especially in conjunction with cards that capitalize on opposing setbacks.

Meta-Relevance: With decks that rely heavily on nonbasic lands or have vital creatures and planeswalkers, Poison the Well can serve as a precise answer to those threats. Its presence in your arsenal ensures that you are equipped to handle an array of contemporary deck builds.

How to beat

Poison the Well is a card that can pose significant challenges on the battlefield. It offers players the ability to both disrupt an opponent’s mana base and inflict direct damage. The card’s ability to target a land means it can be used to throw a wrench in an opponent’s color fixing or set them back by destroying a crucial utility land.

To effectively counter Poison the Well, it’s key to have a game plan that reduces its impact. Running basics helps protect against nonbasic land hate. Having land reanimation or regeneration effects can also be invaluable. Cards like Crucible of Worlds, which allow you to play lands from the graveyard, or Life from the Loam, that lets you return lands to your hand, can help recover from the setback of losing a land. Keep in mind that diversification of mana sources, including mana dorks or artifacts, can lessen the reliance on any single land and help maintain your pace in the game.

Finally, proactive measures such as cards offering land indestructibility or countermagic specifically for land destruction spells, such as Tale’s End, are key strategies to ensure Poison the Well doesn’t spoil your game plan.

Cards like Poison the Well

Poison the Well positions itself uniquely in the realm of land destruction and direct damage spells within Magic: The Gathering. It harkens back to cards like Rain of Tears, which allows players to destructively target opponents’ lands. Poison the Well takes this a step further by also inflicting 2 damage to that land’s controller, an added twist not present in Rain of Tears.

Comparably, Stone Rain presents itself as another classic spell in this category, but it solely focuses on the land destruction aspect without additional effects. Molten Rain stands out with its similar destructive capabilities, but it also includes the potential for extra damage if it targets a nonbasic land. Although it doesn’t guarantee damage like Poison the Well, Molten Rain can be more punishing depending on the land type it destroys.

Each of these spells caters to a different strategic approach within Magic: The Gathering, offering a variety of tools for players who wish to disrupt their opponents’ mana base. Despite the versatility of these cards, Poison the Well offers a compelling balance of land removal and assured player damage, marking its place in the pantheon of land interference spells.

Cards similar to Poison the Well by color, type and mana cost

Widespread Brutality - MTG Card versions

In Thrall to the Pit - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Poison the Well MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor, 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 Poison the Well and other MTG cards: