The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale MTG Card
1994-06-01 - Number 307
2009-09-07 - Number 212
2011-01-02 - Number 2022C
2002-06-24 - Number 60450
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Land |
Text of card
All creatures now require an upkeep cost of o1 in addition to any other upkeep costs they may have. If the upkeep cost for a creature is not paid, the creature is destroyed.
Cards like The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale holds a unique place within Magic: The Gathering as a legendary land with a powerful ability to require all creatures to have an upkeep cost. Comparable lands include Pendrell Mists, which mimics The Tabernacle’s creature taxing effect but as an enchantment and with a mana cost to play. Another land, Magus of the Tabernacle, embodies the same taxing effect in creature form; it comes with a body that can be used for defense or as a deterrent, but is more easily removed from the battlefield.
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, can also be seen as a parallel, imposing a different kind of tax by weakening opponents’ creatures while bolstering your own, effectively limiting the viability of opposing creatures without a direct upkeep cost. Glacial Chasm provides protection by preventing damage, much like The Tabernacle helps in controlling the board by taxing creatures, but it comes with a cumulative upkeep cost to the land’s controller, affecting one’s own gameplay strategy delving into life preservation rather than direct creature control.
While these cards share similarities in concept, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale stands out for its passive yet oppressive control over the battlefield, making it a quintessential piece in decks aiming to restrict creature-heavy strategies in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Lands | Legacy | Lands | Legacy Preliminary 2024-04-29 |
| Prison Shops | Vintage | Prison Shops | Vintage Challenge 32 2024-04-28 |
 | Mono-Black Pox | Legacy | Mono-Black Pox | Legacy League 2024-05-05 |
| Mono-Green Cloudpost | Legacy | Green Cloudpost | Legacy Challenge 32 2024-05-04 (1) |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale doesn’t directly add cards to your hand, but it can potentially give you a card advantage by forcing your opponents to pay mana for each creature they control during their upkeep. This can result in your opponent sacrificing creatures, effectively decreasing their board presence and letting you stay ahead in the creature count.
Resource Acceleration: While The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale doesn’t ramp your mana, it can significantly hinder your opponents’ resource acceleration. By draining their available mana to maintain their creatures, it slows down their development and can potentially disrupt their ability to play larger threats or important spells on curve.
Instant Speed: As a land, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale does not operate at instant speed itself. However, its persistent effect at the beginning of the upkeep can mirror the kind of flexibility and control instant-speed interaction grants, as opponents must continuously consider the mana they need to allocate for their creatures, adjusting their plays to accommodate this requirement.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale does not directly require discarding cards, its unique ability to force upkeep costs can deplete your hand as you might need to keep cards to pay for creature costs, indirectly leading to discarding if resources run low.
Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a mana investment upfront for its land type without offering immediate mana production, which could potentially disrupt your mana curve and impact your board development.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The acquisition cost on the secondary market for The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale is exceptionally high due to its rarity and legacy status, presenting a barrier to player access and deck inclusion compared to other cards that accomplish similar roles without such steep financial implications.
Reasons to Include The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale Mtg Card in Your Collection
Versatility: The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale is a unique land with the ability to significantly alter the battlefield’s dynamics. It can slip seamlessly into various decks, particularly those capitalizing on opponents’ creature-heavy strategies. The ongoing taxation of creatures plays well with control and stax archetypes, making it a powerful asset across numerous deck builds.
Combo Potential: This card opens the door for numerous combinations, especially in decks that thrive on locking opponents down or require a way to manage overwhelming creature strategies without resorting to traditional removal spells. It pairs well with cards that limit untapped lands or penalize tapped lands, leading to potential game-winning lockdown scenarios.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where creature-based strategies often dominate, The Tabernacle can serve as an equalizer, keeping swarm tactics and aggressive creature decks at bay. Its relevance increases in environments where summoning multiple creatures is a common occurrence, making it a strategic addition to stay one step ahead in the evolving meta.
How to beat
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale is a legendary land that has the potential to make creature-heavy strategies pay dearly. This card essentially forces a tax on your creatures, requiring you to pay one mana during your upkeep for each creature you control. This can quickly escalate, taxing your mana resources and potentially stifling your board development.
To outmaneuver The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, players might want to consider several strategies. One effective method is to limit the number of creatures you play, thereby reducing the impact of the upkeep cost. Additionally, focusing on non-creature spells or creatures with mana-generating abilities can ensure that the Tabernacle’s tax doesn’t deplete your mana pool.
Another route is to employ artifact or enchantment destruction cards to directly remove the Tabernacle from play. Cards with land destruction effects can also serve as a direct answer to this powerful land. Lastly, including creatures with hexproof or shroud in your deck can safeguard them from being targeted by effects similar to The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, although this won’t affect the required upkeep payments.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale MTG card by a specific set like Legends and Magic Online Promos, 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 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale and other MTG cards:
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Printings
The The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1994-06-01 and 2011-01-02. Illustrated by 3 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1994-06-01 | Legends | LEG | 307 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Nicola Leonard | |
| 2 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 60450 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Richard Wright | ||
| 3 | 2009-09-07 | Masters Edition III | ME3 | 212 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Nicola Leonard | |
| 4 | 2011-01-02 | Legacy Championship | OLGC | 2022C | 2015 | Normal | Black | Milivoj Ćeran |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Banned |
| Predh | Legal |