Drownyard Temple MTG Card
2016-04-08 - Number 271
2016-04-08 - Number 271s
2019-08-23 - Number 240
2022-06-10 - Number 892
2024-02-09 - Number 259
| Card sets | Released in 5 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
Key Takeaways
- Benefits any MTG deck archetype with its sustainable mana base and return-from-graveyard ability.
- Instant-speed reanimation enhances flexibility and counters sorcery-speed land destruction.
- Triple mana activation cost and specific non-colored resource can be limiting in multi-colored decks.
Text of card
: Add to your mana pool. : Return Drownyard Temple from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
"This is it! All the cryptoliths point here!" —Jace Beleren
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Drownyard Temple doesn’t draw cards directly, its recursive ability to return from the graveyard to the battlefield equates to sustainable card advantage. Control decks benefit significantly as they effectively never run out of land drops, maintaining a robust mana base throughout the game.
Resource Acceleration: As a land, Drownyard Temple contributes to resource acceleration simply by entering the battlefield. Its potential to come back from the graveyard also means you can repeatedly use it to ramp up mana without depleting resources from your hand, which can be especially powerful in the late game where mana can be the key to victory.
Instant Speed: The standout feature of Drownyard Temple is its capability to return to play at instant speed. This flexibility allows you to return it during the end step of your opponent’s turn, thereby keeping mana open for other instant-speed interactions and tricks without losing tempo. Additionally, this can be a strategic play to circumvent certain sorcery-speed land destruction strategies opponents may employ.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Drownyard Temple comes with no discard penalty, which means you retain more cards in hand to respond to the flow of the game or build your strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: Drownyard Temple asks for three generic mana to activate its reanimation ability. While versatile across all decks, the specific triple mana investment may be cumbersome in a pinch, particularly in multicolored decks craving colored mana sources for pivotal plays.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Drownyard Temple can be returned from your graveyard to the battlefield, doing so costs you three mana. It’s a significant investment, especially compared to other mana-generating cards or the utility lands that can be more immediately impactful or offer more versatile abilities for a lower cost.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Drownyard Temple has the unique ability to return itself to the battlefield, a feature that can be useful across various deck archetypes. This resiliency makes it valuable in land-centric decks and those that might sacrifice lands for greater benefits.
Combo Potential: In combination with cards that require land sacrifices or effects that care about land cards in the graveyard, Drownyard Temple can be a key component. This can synergize with various graveyard-related mechanics the game offers.
Meta-Relevance: As metas evolve, having access to a land that can continuously contribute to your mana base is crucial, especially in slower-paced or control match-ups where every resource counts. Drownyard Temple ensures you’re less likely to run out of land plays as the game progresses.
How to beat
Drownyard Temple is a land card that can be quite the resilient adversary in Magic: The Gathering matches. Its ability to return from the graveyard to the battlefield makes it an exceptional card for strategies that involve land sacrifice or discard. Unlike typical land cards, Drownyard Temple offers players a persistent resource that can be difficult to permanently control or remove from the game.
To effectively combat Drownyard Temple, it’s crucial to focus on strategies that impede the opponent’s ability to utilize the graveyard. This can include using cards that exile lands from the graveyard or that restrict players from interacting with their graveyards. Additionally, land destruction cards alone won’t suffice, as this card’s regeneration capability will circumvent such effects. Aim to apply consistent pressure and build a strategy that can outpace the mana advantage provided by Drownyard Temple’s return ability. By ensuring that your opponent gains minimal benefit from this persistent resource, you can mitigate its impact and keep the upper hand in your Magic: The Gathering battles.
Understanding its strengths and limitations is key to overcoming the strategic advantage that Drownyard Temple may confer upon your opponent. Staying ahead of the game with a well-thought-out game plan will make this land card less of a threat on the battlefield.
Cards like Drownyard Temple
The unique aspects of Drownyard Temple make it a standout land card in Magic: The Gathering, offering a level of resiliency not often found in the game’s mana bases. Its closest relative is Petrified Field, which also allows players to return a land card from the graveyard to their hand. However, Drownyard Temple steps up the game by allowing a return directly to the battlefield and at instant speed. This makes it a fine companion in decks that utilize land sacrifice for strategic advantages.
Another similar card is Crucible of Worlds, granting the ability to play land cards from the graveyard. Though not a land itself, it does echo the recursion theme akin to Drownyard Temple’s. While the Temple operates on its own, Crucible of Worlds requires the lands to still be played from hand, requiring a touch more setup. Ramunap Excavator offers a similar effect to Crucible of Worlds but in creature form, providing a body on the board alongside the utility. Both are powerful, yet neither matches the immediacy of Drownyard Temple’s recursion.
Essentially, Drownyard Temple’s ability to consistently ensure land drops and support land-focused strategies while evading common disruption tactics elevates its role in MTG deck building, making it a versatile choice for a variety of strategies.
Cards similar to Drownyard Temple by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Drownyard Temple MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Shadows over Innistrad Promos, 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 Drownyard Temple 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 MTG Products
Printings
The Drownyard Temple Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by John Avon.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-04-08 | Shadows over Innistrad | SOI | 271 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Avon | |
| 2 | 2016-04-08 | Shadows over Innistrad Promos | PSOI | 271s | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Avon | |
| 3 | 2019-08-23 | Commander 2019 | C19 | 240 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Avon | |
| 4 | 2022-06-10 | Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate | CLB | 892 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Avon | |
| 5 | 2024-02-09 | Murders at Karlov Manor Commander | MKC | 259 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Avon |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Drownyard Temple has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
