Thran Quarry MTG Card
1998-10-12 - Number 329
1999-12-01 - Number 1
2000-08-02 - Number nl329
2002-06-24 - Number 36128
2020-09-26 - Number USG-329
| Card sets | Released in 5 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
At the end of each turn, if you control no creatures, sacrifice Thran Quarry. oc T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Cards like Thran Quarry
Thran Quarry is a unique land card in Magic: The Gathering that offers a very specific and potentially game-changing ability. It shares characteristics with lands like Tolarian Academy in that it can provide a substantial mana boost under the right conditions. Unlike Tolarian Academy, which taps for blue mana based on the number of artifacts you control, Thran Quarry requires you to control a creature to avoid sacrificing it, but it provides you with any color of mana, enhancing mana fixing capabilities.
City of Brass is another land that can produce any color of mana which compares to Thran Quarry’s versatility in mana generation. However, the Quarry’s potential downside of having to sacrifice itself if you control no creatures can be a significant drawback when compared to the guarantee of mana from City of Brass at the cost of life. Ancient Ziggurat also offers any color of mana for creature spells, providing more stability as it doesn’t have the same risks as Thran Quarry poses, albeit with a limitation to its usage only for creature spells.
While assessing various utility land cards, Thran Quarry stands out due to its ability to generate any color mana without a cost if you fulfill its creature condition. This can offer powerful and nimble support in creature-heavy decks within Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Thran Quarry by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Thran Quarry provides an upper hand by potentially granting you access to more of your deck’s power players, streamlining the path to achieving card superiority on the battlefield.
Resource Acceleration: This land is paramount for thrusting your gameplay forward swiftly, permitting you to tap into a pool of any color mana, thus propelling your mana curve and enabling more daunting plays earlier than usual.
Instant Speed: While Thran Quarry itself isn’t an instant, it enables you to tap into mana at instant speed, ensuring you have the resources available for pivotal spells when you need them the most, keeping opponents on their toes.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Thran Quarry necessitates the sacrifice of a creature at the beginning of your upkeep if you wish to avoid losing this land. This steep price can quickly drain your board presence, especially in creature-light decks.
Specific Mana Cost: While Thran Quarry can provide mana of any color, it requires you to control a creature for it to remain on the battlefield. This can be problematic in decks that do not consistently have creatures out or rely on creature tokens that are susceptible to various removals.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Thran Quarry might seem to offer a mana advantage, but the upkeep cost can end up being too high, particularly in the early stages of the game when establishing board presence is vital. Other lands or mana-fixing options that don’t demand such a continuous sacrifice may be preferable.
Reasons to Include Thran Quarry in Your Collection
Versatility: Thran Quarry offers mana fixing capabilities as it can provide one mana of any color. This makes it a flexible addition to multicolored decks looking to ensure a smooth mana curve.
Combo Potential: With the right setup, Thran Quarry can be a powerhouse in a deck designed to summon creatures every turn, avoiding its downside of sacrificing it if you control no creatures. Imaginative players can find interesting synergies making this land a strategic piece of a well-oiled combo machine.
Meta-Relevance: In a fast-paced environment where establishing a strong board presence quickly can be crucial, Thran Quarry allows decks to accelerate their game plan. Being able to deploy high-impact spells ahead of schedule can give players an edge against slower, more controlling opponents.
How to beat
Overcoming Thran Quarry in MTG requires a calculated approach to disrupt its land advantage. This card’s ability to provide any color of mana makes it a flexible resource for your opponent. To counter this, focusing on land destruction strategies can be effective. Cards like Ghost Quarter can directly target and eliminate Thran Quarry from play, stunting your opponent’s mana flexibility. Additionally, strategies that limit land activations, such as those found on cards like Linvala, Keeper of Silence, can also neutralize the advantage Thran Quarry provides.
It’s also beneficial to apply pressure by ramping up your own board presence. Since Thran Quarry demands creature control to remain active, pushing for removal spells to clear your opponent’s creatures can render the Quarry useless, causing it to sacrifice itself. Effective creature control cards, such as Doom Blade or Path to Exile, can help ensure Thran Quarry’s conditional aspect becomes a liability for your opponent rather than an asset.
Understanding Thran Quarry’s strengths and weaknesses allows players to strategize capably against it. Ensuring preparedness in your deck-building will help maintain a competitive edge, keeping the Quarry’s potential in check during gameplay.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Thran Quarry MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and Junior Super Series, 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 Thran Quarry 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Thran Quarry Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 1998-10-12 and 2000-08-02. Illustrated by Michael Sutfin.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1998-10-12 | Urza's Saga | USG | 329 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Michael Sutfin | |
| 2 | 1999-12-01 | Junior Super Series | PSUS | 1 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Michael Sutfin | |
| 3 | 2000-08-02 | World Championship Decks 2000 | WC00 | nl329 | 1997 | Normal | Gold | Michael Sutfin | |
| 4 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 36128 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Michael Sutfin | ||
| 5 | The List | PLST | USG-329 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Michael Sutfin |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Thran Quarry has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Thran Quarry card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | Triggers at the end of every player’s turn. |