Salt Flats MTG Card

Tempest (TMP)
1997-10-14 - Number 324

Vintage Masters (VMA)
2014-06-16 - Number 310

Tempest Remastered (TPR)
2015-05-06 - Number 242

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Rarity	Rare
Type	Land

Key Takeaways

Salt Flats facilitates card advantage with dual mana options, allowing for diverse card plays.
Accelerates resources, but necessitates careful play due to the land discard requirement.
Dual mana utility comes with life point cost, a factor to consider in deck building.

Text of card

Salt Flats comes into play tapped. oc T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. oc T: Add o W or o B to your mana pool. Salt Flats deals 1 damage to you.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Salt Flats offers dual mana options, aiding players in optimizing their hand by providing the flexibility to play a wider variety of cards, therefore ramping up the possibilities for card advantage on the field.

Resource Acceleration: As a land card, Salt Flats is instrumental in resource acceleration. It taps for colorless or can be sacrificed for a burst of a specific color, thereby potentially propelling you ahead in mana availability.

Instant Speed: While Salt Flats itself is not an instant, it supports instant speed plays by contributing to a diverse mana base, allowing players to cast powerful instant spells without a hitch when the need arises.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Salt Flats presents a stipulation for players, necessitating the discard of an untapped land which might hinder hand advantage, particularly detrimental in the late game when every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Its activation requirement for colorless mana doesn’t integrate seamlessly into all deck types, possibly restricting its inclusion to those with heavy colorless mana strategies or necessitating additional mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The land provides color fixing at a steep price. Tapping for one colorless mana without a life payment or two specific mana at the cost of one life can be costly compared to other lands available, potentially setting back life total strategies commonly found in aggressive or mid-range decks.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Salt Flats is adaptable to numerous deck archetypes, particularly those that necessitate a specific color balance. Its ability to tap for colorless or be sacrificed for a splash of white or black mana makes it a useful addition to your mana base.

Combo Potential: Salt Flats can be integral in setting up powerful two-color combos, enabling you to play your heavy-hitting cards earlier or more consistently. It’s particularly savvy for decks that revolve around life total manipulation.

Meta-Relevance: With a format that favors multicolor decks or where having the right mana at the right time is critical, Salt Flats becomes a precious asset. It supports your strategy against a variety of opponents by smoothing out your mana curve and therefore is a wise pick for players looking to stay competitive.

How to beat

Salt Flats poses a unique challenge in MTG due to its versatility as a land card with additional utility. It provides both colorless mana and the ability to tap for both black and white mana, but at the cost of returning an untapped land you control to your hand. Players can take advantage of the nuances of Salt Flats by disrupting the opponent’s mana base. Cards like Ghost Quarter can force them to search for a basic land, potentially nullifying the benefit of Salt Flats for a turn.

Direct land destruction spells like Sinkhole or, for more contemporary formats, Field of Ruin can outright remove Salt Flats from the game. This strips opponents of its dual mana benefits entirely. When facing decks that utilize Salt Flats, it’s critical to maintain pressure and be proactive about land control. Preventing opponents from establishing a strong mana foundation can quickly turn the tide of the match, as they may find themselves falling behind on crucial turns where Salt Flats’ tempo loss is felt most.

Keep in mind, Salt Flats’ greatest strength also introduces a weakness to exploit. Taking advantage of this can inhibit your opponent’s strategy and help secure your victory on the battlefield.

Cards like Salt Flats

Salt Flats is an intriguing land card within Magic: The Gathering, bearing resemblance to cards like Ancient Tomb and Tainted Field. Like Ancient Tomb, Salt Flats offers the ability to tap for two mana, though it comes with the downside of doing damage to you. Conversely, Ancient Tomb does not limit the color of mana it produces and inflicts damage regardless of what it’s used for. Meanwhile, Tainted Field also taps for colorless mana, but has the added capability to provide white or black mana if you control a Swamp, without the self-inflicted damage at all.

Another card worth mentioning is City of Brass, a card that not only provides any color of mana but also deals damage to you whenever it becomes tapped. The trade-off lies in the flexibility of mana it provides versus the consistent life loss. Salt Flats requires no life sacrifice for colorless mana but still offers dual color flexibility at a cost. This ability to choose makes Salt Flats a strategic option for certain decks.

In essence, each of these cards showcases unique advantages and drawbacks. For players seeking flexible mana sources that can balance their deck’s color needs while managing health, Salt Flats stands as a strong contender, balancing risk and reward effectively within MTG.

Cards similar to Salt Flats by color, type and mana cost

Brightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway - MTG Card versions

Vault of the Archangel - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Salt Flats MTG card by a specific set like Tempest and Vintage Masters, 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 Salt Flats and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Salt Flats Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1997-10-14 and 2015-05-06. Illustrated by Scott Kirschner.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1997-10-14	Tempest	TMP	324	1997	Normal	Black	Scott Kirschner
2	2014-06-16	Vintage Masters	VMA	310	2015	Normal	Black	Scott Kirschner
3	2015-05-06	Tempest Remastered	TPR	242	2015	Normal	Black	Scott Kirschner