Sunken Ruins MTG Card
2008-05-02 - Number 280
2015-10-02 - Number 27
2020-08-07 - Number 326
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
: Add to your mana pool. {UB}, : Add , , or to your mana pool.
Without the care of the tideshapers, the Lanes lie neglected. Some have flooded entire towns; others dried to cracked mud.
Cards like Sunken Ruins
Sunken Ruins is a unique land card in Magic: The Gathering, offering versatile mana fixing capabilities. It draws a parallel to other filter lands like Darkwater Catacombs which also enable players to refine mana from one color to another. Sunken Ruins stands out by allowing the conversion of one colorless mana into a combination of blue and black mana, without the card entering the battlefield tapped. This feature allows for immediate impact in a game, setting it apart from other similar lands.
Comparably, Drowned Catacomb offers a different approach to mana fixing. It can produce either blue or black mana albeit with the condition that you control an Island or Swamp, which may restrict its use early in the game. Despite this, Drowned Catacomb doesn’t require the sacrifice of mana to activate its ability, providing a more straightforward but less flexible solution.
When evaluating their roles in deck-building, Sunken Ruins might be preferred in decks where the exact combination of blue and black mana is crucial at any stage of the game. Its flexibility in mana production without entering tapped can be seen as an edge over other alternatives, solidifying its valued place among dual lands in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Sunken Ruins by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Sunken Ruins. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Living End | Modern | Living End | Modern League 2024-05-03 |
 | Dimir Control | Modern | Dimir Control | Modern Challenge 64 2024-05-04 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Sunken Ruins provides a strategic edge by enabling color fixing without sacrificing the quantity of available mana. This functionality is invaluable in decks that require multiple mana colors to efficiently cast spells and maintain a competitive presence throughout the match.
Resource Acceleration: This card expertly contributes to resource acceleration by allowing players to tap unused lands for a more advantageous mana combination. This capability assists in casting high-impact spells sooner, providing a tactical advantage in progressing your game state.
Instant Speed: While Sunken Ruins does not operate at instant speed, its passive ability synergizes well with instant speed spells. It ensures that mana resources can be optimized at a moment’s notice, leaving options open to respond to an opponent’s actions immediately and efficiently.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Sunken Ruins does not directly impose a discard requirement, managing your hand to accommodate its color-fixing abilities can sometimes feel as stringent as discarding. Ensuring you have the right cards to filter through Sunken Ruins can lead to having fewer options in hand for other strategies or responses.
Specific Mana Cost: Sunken Ruins demands exact mana to be utilized effectively. It requires either a blue or black mana to start with, potentially complicating your turn if your hand or battlefield is not properly set up to provide these specific colors. This can limit its versatility in multicolor decks that may prioritize other types of mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: To leverage the full potential of Sunken Ruins, players must be prepared to invest a substantial amount of mana. This can prove to be costly when trying to maintain tempo, as there are other lands or mana sources that offer immediate access to multiple colors without the initial cost Sunken Ruins entails.
Reasons to Include Sunken Ruins in Your Collection
Versatility: Sunken Ruins offers a flexible mana base, allowing players to refine their deck’s color needs, particularly in two-color blue and black decks. This card can effortlessly correct mana ratios, ensuring you’re never color-locked during a critical play.
Combo Potential: With the ability to provide two mana of a single color from one land drop, Sunken Ruins can be pivotal for enabling combos. It fuels high-impact spells and abilities that require intense color dedication, thus acting as a linchpin for intricate play sequences in competitive matches.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where land destruction isn’t prevalent, Sunken Ruins secures its value as a dependable mana source. As control and combo decks gain traction, having a land that adapts to various scenarios means you’ll be one step ahead, making your deck resilient and adaptable to the ever-shifting meta landscape.
How to beat
Sunken Ruins is a versatile land card in Magic: The Gathering that provides mana fixing for decks that utilize blue and black colors. By allowing a player to filter one color of mana into a combination of blue and black mana, it becomes a staple in strategic deck building. Being able to adapt your mana base seamlessly can greatly empower your game plan. Yet, there are strategies to outmaneuver opponents who rely on Sunken Ruins.
Utilizing land destruction cards can disrupt your opponent’s mana base, leaving them struggling to cast their spells efficiently. Cards like Ghost Quarter can target Sunken Ruins directly, removing its benefits from play. Blood Moon is another powerful card that can neutralize the advantage provided by Sunken Ruins by turning all nonbasic lands into basic Mountains. Additionally, employing cards that limit the types of mana an opponent can generate—such as Pithing Needle or Sorcerous Spyglass to name activated abilities—can also be effective. By keeping pressure on your opponent’s resources and anticipating their strategies, you can overcome the advantages that Sunken Ruins offers.
Ultimately, beating Sunken Ruins requires understanding its role in your opponent’s deck and carefully timing disruptions to impede their game plan, ensuring your path to victory.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sunken Ruins MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor and Zendikar Expeditions, 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 Sunken Ruins 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
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Printings
The Sunken Ruins Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2008-05-02 and 2020-08-07. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2008-05-02 | Shadowmoor | SHM | 280 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Warren Mahy | |
| 2 | 2015-10-02 | Zendikar Expeditions | EXP | 27 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Adam Paquette | |
| 3 | 2020-08-07 | Double Masters | 2XM | 326 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Warren Mahy |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Sunken Ruins has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |