Gaea's Touch MTG Card
1994-08-01 - Number 77
1994-08-01 - Number 77†
2009-09-07 - Number 120
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Enchantment |
Key Takeaways
- Allows playing an extra land each turn, intensifying card and mana advantage.
- Sacrifice it at instant speed for an unexpected resource boost.
- Constrained by green mana cost, it best fits mono-green decks.
Text of card
You may put one additional land in play during each of your turns, but that land must be a basic forest. You may sacrifice Gaea's Touch to add o Go G to your mana pool. This ability is played as an interrupt.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Gaea’s Touch offers the opportunity to play an additional land on each of your turns. This effectively thins your deck, making it more likely to draw into non-land cards, which can be crucial for maintaining the upper hand.
Resource Acceleration: Doubling your land drop capacity, Gaea’s Touch can significantly speed up your mana base. This advantage allows for quicker deployment of high-cost cards, giving you an edge in overwhelming your opponent with powerful creatures and spells ahead of schedule.
Instant Speed: Though Gaea’s Touch itself is not an instant, it has the unique ability to be sacrificed at instant speed to add {G}{G} to your mana pool. This feature provides flexibility, letting you keep mana open for other instant-speed interactions, and then if unused, can boost your resources right before your next turn begins.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Gaea’s Touch allows for an additional land play, but it comes at the cost of discarding the card itself. This can prove to be a major drawback when you’re aiming to maximize every card in hand, especially in decks that rely on maintaining a sizeable grip on resources.
Specific Mana Cost: This enchantment requires both green mana for its activation, which can limit deck-building flexibility. Players wanting to incorporate Gaea’s Touch are often confined to mono-green decks or those with heavy green mana bases to consistently make use of its land play ability.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While offering the potential for ramp, its two green mana cost can be steep compared to other one-mana green spells that accelerate mana growth. In some scenarios, the initial investment in Gaea’s Touch could hinder early game development, as it may compete for the mana normally reserved for creature spells or other key early plays.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Gaea’s Touch offers an extra land play on each of your turns, which can be seamlessly included in decks that aim to ramp quickly. Its ability to accelerate mana development makes it a valuable addition not only in mono-green builds but also in multi-colored decks that rely on a steady flow of green mana.
Combo Potential: This card holds the potential to be a crucial piece in combos centered around landfall triggers or cards that capitalize on the number of lands in play. Furthermore, for decks that manipulate the sacrifice of permanents for gain, Gaea’s Touch can be used to great effect, returning it back to the hand for repeated use.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta with a focus on quick ramp and land-related synergies, including Gaea’s Touch can significantly boost your deck’s performance. Its ability to easily merge with the land-centric strategies that often dominate the competitive scene makes it a card worth considering for your arsenal.
How to beat
Gaea’s Touch is a classic green enchantment from the Dark expansion of Magic: The Gathering, known for its ability to both ramp and provide a burst of mana. This card’s power lies in its potential to offer an additional land drop each turn and its secondary function of being sacrificed for GG mana. To counter this card effectively, removal of enchantments is critical. A smart move is to use cards like Disenchant or Naturalize, which directly target and destroy enchantments, suppressing the card’s value and hampering your opponent’s mana acceleration.
Besides direct removal, Gaea’s Touch can also be mitigated by leveraging land disruption strategies. Utilizing cards that limit land plays, such as Zo-Zu the Punisher or land destruction cards like Stone Rain, can thwart the Touch’s advantages. Additionally, players can adopt an aggressive game plan, aiming to pressure opponents before they can benefit from the extra mana and land drops. By applying early pressure, you force the Gaea’s Touch player to react defensively rather than expanding their mana base, ultimately negating the card’s impact.
Gaea’s Touch presents a unique challenge; however, by incorporating enchantment removal, land disruption, or rapid aggression into your strategy, you can effectively counteract its potential and maintain control of the game.
Cards like Gaea's Touch
Gaea’s Touch is a unique card in Magic: The Gathering that specifically caters to players looking to advance their mana resources. One could liken it to Verdant Touch, which also offers the ability to convert lands into creatures temporarily. Gaea’s Touch, however, has the added advantage of allowing players to play an additional land on each of their turns.
Exploration is another card that mirrors this ability to play an additional land during your turn. Yet Exploration is more flexible since it has no stipulations on land type, unlike Gaea’s Touch which requires basic Forest cards. Furthermore, while Gaea’s Touch can be sacrificed for two green mana, Exploration remains on the battlefield providing continuous effect without the need for sacrifice.
Considering the pros and cons of similar cards, Gaea’s Touch offers a specific boon for decks that lean heavily on Forests and can benefit from the sudden burst of mana it generates when sacrificed. While not as flexible as some other mana acceleration cards, it can be a game-changer in the right setting.
Cards similar to Gaea's Touch by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Gaea's Touch MTG card by a specific set like The Dark and The Dark, 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 Gaea's Touch 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 Magic products
Printings
The Gaea's Touch Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1994-08-01 and 2009-09-07. Illustrated by Mark Poole.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1994-08-01 | The Dark | DRK | 77 | 1993 | normal | black | Mark Poole | |
| 2 | 1994-08-01 | The Dark | DRK | 77† | 1993 | normal | black | Mark Poole | |
| 3 | 2009-09-07 | Masters Edition III | ME3 | 120 | 1997 | normal | black | Mark Poole |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Gaea's Touch has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Gaea's Touch card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2014-02-01 | The land enters the battlefield directly from your hand, but it is not “played”. This means it does not count towards the number of lands played this turn and doesn’t trigger abilities that would trigger if the Forest had been played. |
