Ghitu Encampment MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
RarityUncommon
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Ghitu Encampment ensures land drops and adds depth by doubling as an on-demand creature.
  2. Though versatile, it requires careful mana management to utilize its transformation feature effectively.
  3. Its first strike capability makes it a unique card, standing out from similar creature lands.

Text of card

Ghitu Encampment comes into play tapped. oc T: Add one red mana to your mana pool. o1oo R Ghitu Encampment becomes a 2/1 red creature with first strike until end of turn. This creature still counts as a land.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ghitu Encampment provides strategic depth by offering dual utility. As a land, it ensures you’re making your land drops, but it can also turn into a creature to apply pressure or block in a pinch without costing you an additional card from hand.

Resource Acceleration: While this card does not directly accelerate your mana resources, it allows you to maintain mana efficiency by being a land that doubles as a threat. This ensures your resources aren’t tied up in creatures alone and can be used for other spells when necessary.

Instant Speed: Ghitu Encampment’s ability to become a creature can be activated at instant speed. This flexibility means you can adapt to the battlefield on the fly, turning it into a creature after your opponent’s turn, thereby maintaining the element of surprise and making it more difficult for them to plan their attacks or defenses effectively.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Ghitu Encampment offers versatile utility as both a land and a creature, it does not come without its drawbacks. To activate its creature ability, the card requires its controller to have an adequate amount of mana open, potentially forcing them to forego other plays or leaving them open to an opponent’s strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: The transformation into a creature demands a specific mana investment, one red and one of any color. This can be restrictive for mana bases that are not heavily weighted towards red or those that are managing resources for multicolored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Ghitu Encampment converts into a 2/1 red Warrior creature with first strike, the investment to do so can be steep considering the card’s entrant position on the battlefield tapped. This high mana cost in relation to its offensive and defensive capabilities must be weighed against other options which may provide more bang for your buck or demand less of a mana commitment.


Reasons to Include Ghitu Encampment in Your Collection

Versatility: Ghitu Encampment is a land card that transforms into a creature, offering a solid utility in many red-based or aggressive decks. Its ability to switch roles from mana source to attacker makes it adaptable to various in-game situations.

Combo Potential: As a land with the potential to become a creature, Ghitu Encampment has synergy with strategies that revolve around landfall triggers or cards that interact with creature entering the battlefield, thereby opening up space for creative and potent card interactions.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Ghitu Encampment serves as an unassuming threat that can provide additional pressure while evading sorcery-speed removal. Its dual function ensures that it stays relevant in numerous game scenarios and meta shifts.


How to beat

Ghitu Encampment serves as a tactical asset on the battlefield within Magic: The Gathering, transforming from a land to a creature at critical moments. This duality allows players to catch their opponents off-guard with a 2/1 creature, presenting both offensive and defensive capabilities. Yet, despite its versatility, overcoming this card is far from an insurmountable task.

Playing around Ghitu Encampment requires strategic land destruction or employing timely creature removal spells when it transforms. Techniques such as instant-speed removal like Path to Exile or Rapid Hybridization can effectively deal with the creature before it has a chance to strike or block. Moreover, mass removal spells clear the board of pesky creature-lands entirely, negating any potential threats.

Ultimately, recognizing the most opportune moment to address Ghitu Encampment is key. Anticipating when your opponent might leverage its creature form allows proactive measures, ensuring that this flexible land card won’t stand in the way of victory. With smart play and precise answers, Ghitu Encampment’s impact can be minimized, bringing you one step closer to dominating the game.


Cards like Ghitu Encampment

Ghitu Encampment serves as a unique land card in Magic: The Gathering, akin to creatures such as Mutavault and Mishra’s Factory which also transform into creatures. Like Ghitu Encampment, these cards morph to become offensive or defensive tools, yet Ghitu Encampment distinguishes itself with its first strike ability during combat.Comparing it to Mutavault highlights similar versatility, with Mutavault having the advantage of becoming any creature type which can be crucial for tribal synergies. Nevertheless, it lacks the first strike ability, which puts Ghitu Encampment ahead in terms of combat prowess.Then we have the classic Mishra’s Factory. Like our focal card, it can become a creature; however, it’s able to boost other Assembly-Worker creatures. It may be a minor advantage, but in certain decks, this can tip the scales. Still, Mishra’s Factory doesn’t possess the first strike ability either, which often gives Ghitu Encampment the edge in direct battles.In essence, while there are several lands with similar functionalities, Ghitu Encampment holds its place in the strategic landscape of Magic: The Gathering with its considerable combat advantage.

Mutavault - MTG Card versions
Mishra's Factory - MTG Card versions
Mutavault - Champs and States (PCMP)
Mishra's Factory - Antiquities (ATQ)

Cards similar to Ghitu Encampment by color, type and mana cost

Mountain - MTG Card versions
Dwarven Ruins - MTG Card versions
Dormant Volcano - MTG Card versions
Sandstone Needle - MTG Card versions
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle - MTG Card versions
Teetering Peaks - MTG Card versions
Vivid Crag - MTG Card versions
Blighted Gorge - MTG Card versions
Memorial to War - MTG Card versions
Snow-Covered Mountain - MTG Card versions
Forgotten Cave - MTG Card versions
Castle Embereth - MTG Card versions
Desert of the Fervent - MTG Card versions
Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs - MTG Card versions
Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge - MTG Card versions
Spikefield Hazard // Spikefield Cave - MTG Card versions
Shivan Gorge - MTG Card versions
Flamekin Village - MTG Card versions
Goblin Burrows - MTG Card versions
Den of the Bugbear - MTG Card versions
Mountain - Bloomburrow (BLB)
Dwarven Ruins - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Dormant Volcano - Visions (VIS)
Sandstone Needle - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Teetering Peaks - Premium Deck Series: Fire and Lightning (PD2)
Vivid Crag - Commander 2015 (C15)
Blighted Gorge - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)
Memorial to War - Dominaria (DOM)
Snow-Covered Mountain - MTG Arena Promos (PANA)
Forgotten Cave - Modern Horizons (MH1)
Castle Embereth - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)
Desert of the Fervent - Commander 2020 (C20)
Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Spikefield Hazard // Spikefield Cave - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Shivan Gorge - The List (PLST)
Flamekin Village - The List (PLST)
Goblin Burrows - The List (PLST)
Den of the Bugbear - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (AFR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ghitu Encampment MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Legacy and World Championship Decks 1999, 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 Ghitu Encampment and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Ghitu Encampment Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1999-02-15 and 2014-09-05. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11999-02-15Urza's LegacyULG 1411997normalblackDon Hazeltine
21999-08-04World Championship Decks 1999WC99 mlp1411997normalgoldDon Hazeltine
32007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 3532003normalblackJohn Avon
42007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 353★2003normalblackJohn Avon
52014-09-05Duel Decks: Speed vs. CunningDDN 332015normalblackJohn Avon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ghitu Encampment has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Ghitu Encampment card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2008-08-01 A noncreature permanent that turns into a creature can attack, and its abilities can be activated, only if its controller has continuously controlled that permanent since the beginning of their most recent turn. It doesn’t matter how long the permanent has been a creature.
2009-10-01 Activating the ability that turns it into a creature while it’s already a creature will override any effects that set its power and/or toughness to a specific number. However, any effect that raises or lowers power and/or toughness (such as the effect created by Giant Growth, Glorious Anthem, or a +1/+1 counter) will continue to apply.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks