Smoldering Crater MTG Card
1998-10-12 - Number 328
2000-10-01 - Number 77
2013-11-01 - Number 325
2014-11-07 - Number 312
2015-11-13 - Number 308
2018-06-08 - Number 268
2020-04-17 - Number 313
2023-01-13 - Number 257
| Card sets | Released in 8 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Land |
| Abilities | Cycling |
Text of card
Smoldering Crater comes into play tapped. oc T: Add o R to your mana pool. Cycling (You may pay and discard this card from your hand to draw a card. Play this ability as an instant.)
Cards like Smoldering Crater
Smoldering Crater joins a niche set of utility lands in Magic: The Gathering, offering players both mana fixing and a potential card draw late in the game. It has a close counterpart in Forgotten Cave, which also taps for red mana and can be cycled away. Yet, Smoldering Crater stands out due to its ability to provide colorless mana without entering the battlefield tapped unless you opt for the cycling feature.
Comparable as well is the Desert of the Fervent, part of the cycle of deserts from the Hour of Devastation set. This desert shares the cycling ability for a red mana, but it always enters the battlefield tapped, sacrificing immediate game tempo for future planning. Looking at a broader spectrum, we have the ubiquitous Evolving Wilds, which fetches specific basic lands but costs the user the land drop for the turn. Smoldering Crater doesn’t fix your mana as efficiently but offers greater versatility over the course of the game.
Considering utility, speed, and strategic depth, Smoldering Crater provides a blend of immediate and long-term benefits. Whether smoothing out mana in the early game or cycling for a new card later, it’s a card that quietly uplifts the potential of many deck builds in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Smoldering Crater by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Smoldering Crater. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | MonoRed TRONO | Pauper | Tron | Tappa LP Comense Pauperissima "Road to Pisa" @Magic Akiba |
| Mono-Red Tron | Pauper | Tron | Liga Gacha de Pauper 2024 - Etapa 1 |
| Tron | Pauper | Tron | Pauper League 2024-01-09 |
| MonoRed Tron | Pauper | Tron | 8° Tappa - Season 6 - Road to Paupergeddon Winter edition 2024 @ Lega Pauper Martesana |
 | Fluctuator | Premodern | Eternal Weekend Europe 2023 Premodern Mainevent |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Smoldering Crater can be cycled away to draw a new card, providing flexibility and helping to ensure you’re not stuck with a land when you’re in need of action.
Resource Acceleration: As part of the cycle lands, Smoldering Crater enters the battlefield tapped but can be tapped for red mana, offering a stable source for mana-intensive strategies.
Instant Speed: The ability to cycle Smoldering Crater is usable at instant speed, allowing you to wait until the end of your opponent’s turn to decide whether you need a new card, optimizing your plays and keeping your options open.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Smoldering Crater comes into play tapped unless you choose to discard it from your hand, presenting a strategic decision about whether to keep it for later use or utilize it immediately at the cost of losing the card altogether.
Specific Mana Cost: When you finally do use Smoldering Crater for mana, it only provides red mana. This specificity makes it less flexible in multi-color decks that may require different types of mana at crucial points in the game.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: To get the benefit of cycling and replace Smoldering Crater with a new card, you must pay two mana. In many situations, there are alternative land cards that offer lower cycling costs, leading to a more efficient turnover of your deck’s resources.
Reasons to Include Smoldering Crater in Your Collection
Versatility: Smoldering Crater offers a flexible land choice in deck construction, serving both as mana acceleration when untapped and a source of card draw via the cycling ability when the land itself is not immediately needed.
Combo Potential: This card synergizes with landfall mechanics or decks that capitalize on cycling. By discarding the Crater, you can trigger effects that boost your strategy or disrupt opponents.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where land disruption is common, having Smoldering Crater can ensure you maintain mana access. Moreover, its cycling feature keeps it relevant as a utility card in various meta environments, helping players avoid mana flooding.
How to beat
Smoldering Crater is a multifaceted land card that finds a place in many MTG decks, offering both mana acceleration and cycling benefits. To gain an edge against this adaptable card, one strategy is to employ land disruption. Cards like Stone Rain can effectively remove Smoldering Crater from the battlefield, cutting off a player’s mana supply and cycle potential. Targeted spells like Ghost Quarter can serve a similar purpose, with the added benefit of replacing the destroyed land with a basic land, potentially disrupting your opponent’s color balance.
Another approach is to play around Smoldering Crater’s enters-the-battlefield tapped disadvantage. By capitalizing on the tempo loss your opponent experiences, you can deploy threats or establish board control more rapidly. Consequently, strategies that emphasize speed and efficiency can naturally outpace decks relying on tapped cycle lands.
Finally, consider that Smoldering Crater’s cycling ability can offer you indirect card advantage, as your opponent is paying a cost to replace a card rather than advancing their board state. By keeping pressure high and forcing them to cycle for better options, your opponent may find themselves at a disadvantage, using their turns to react rather than develop.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Smoldering Crater MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and Beatdown Box Set, 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 Smoldering Crater and other MTG cards:
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- 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 Smoldering Crater Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 1998-10-12 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by Mark Tedin.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1998-10-12 | Urza's Saga | USG | 328 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Mark Tedin | |
| 2 | 2000-10-01 | Beatdown Box Set | BTD | 77 | 1997 | Normal | White | Mark Tedin | |
| 3 | 2013-11-01 | Commander 2013 | C13 | 325 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Mark Tedin | |
| 4 | 2014-11-07 | Commander 2014 | C14 | 312 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mark Tedin | |
| 5 | 2015-11-13 | Commander 2015 | C15 | 308 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mark Tedin | |
| 6 | 2018-06-08 | Commander Anthology Volume II | CM2 | 268 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mark Tedin | |
| 7 | 2020-04-17 | Commander 2020 | C20 | 313 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mark Tedin | |
| 8 | 2023-01-13 | Dominaria Remastered | DMR | 257 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mark Tedin |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Smoldering Crater has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |