Tolaria MTG Card
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Legendary Land |
| Released | 1994-06-01 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Legends |
| Set code | LEG |
| Number | 308 |
| Frame | 1993 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Nicola Leonard |
Text of card
oc T: Add o U to your mana pool oc T: During upkeep remove the banding or bands with other ability from target creature until end of turn.
"Fairest Isle, all isles excelling,/ Seat of Pleasures, and of loves . . ." —John Dryden
Cards like Tolaria
Tolaria is a unique land card that holds a special place among Magic: The Gathering’s myriad of locations. It shares similarities with Academy Ruins, another land that notably taps for mana and provides control over the top of your library. While Academy Ruins gears towards artifact recursion, Tolaria has its distinctive ability to untap target legendary permanent, which includes creatures, artifacts, or even land.
Comparable to Minamo, School at Water’s Edge, which also untaps legendary permanents, Tolaria adds a layer of utility in the form of tapping for blue mana, a crucial difference for decks that lean heavily on that color. Minamo allows flexibility with its no-mana activation cost, but doesn’t offer the direct mana benefit. Additionally, we have Riptide Laboratory at our disposal, which rather than untapping, provides a safe haven for returning Wizard creatures to hand, an advantage in certain deck strategies focused on creature abilities.
Even though these cards fetch a similar function by interacting with legendary permanents or specific creature types, Tolaria’s blend of mana acceleration and legendary synergy makes it a card to consider for any deck that can leverage those legendary card interactions.
Cards similar to Tolaria by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Tolaria offers a unique take on card advantage by potentially granting access to an arsenal of powerful artifacts. Rather than simply drawing cards, it allows savvy players to dig through their decks for exactly what they need, effectively turning their entire artifact section into a toolbox. This aspect of Tolaria can shift the tide by providing the right tool for any situation.
Resource Acceleration: As a location steeped in mana and lore, Tolaria excels at ramping up your resources, propelling you ahead of your opponent. It’s a land card that transcends its basic utility by potentially untapping other lands or artifacts, effectively doubling their use and allowing for explosive plays that can outpace your adversary. It’s the key to unlocking a vault of possibilities, turn after turn.
Instant Speed: Although Tolaria itself isn’t an instant, the support it provides can elevate your instant-speed plays to new heights. By preparing the ground for swift artifact activation or untapping crucial mana sources, Tolaria ensures you’re always ready to react. Whether it’s disrupting an opponent’s strategy or launching a surprise counteroffensive, the incremental speed advantage can be decisive.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Tolaria demands that you discard another card, which could be taxing on your hand, especially during the critical early or mid-game phases.
Specific Mana Cost: Tolaria’s activation cost is stringent, requiring both blue mana and another of any color. This makes it inherently less flexible, potentially clashing with non-blue-centric strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an activation cost that’s relatively steep compared to other land cards, Tolaria may seem unwieldy. It necessitates a significant investment that may not always align with the pace and resource allocation your deck strategy requires.
Reasons to Include Tolaria in Your Collection
Versatility: Tolaria is an asset in decks that seek to manipulate land counts and have access to utility lands. Its ability to untap legendary lands allows for repeated use of land-based abilities within the same turn.
Combo Potential: This card can be a critical piece in land-focused combos, enabling the activation of abilities from legendary lands multiple times. It’s a cornerstone in strategies that revolve around land synergies.
Meta-Relevance: With a game that frequently pivots around powerful land-based strategies, Tolaria finds its relevance. It’s especially useful in metas where leveraging every advantage from your land can be the difference between victory and defeat.
How to beat
Tolaria is a land card that has carved its niche in the realm of Magic: The Gathering due to its ability to untap target legendary permanent. This unique feature allows for a variety of strategic plays, especially in decks built around legendary creatures or artifacts, giving a player the chance to utilize them multiple times within a single turn. Its potential for combo plays makes it an asset to any deck that can accommodate such synergies.
To effectively counter Tolaria, disrupting the synergy it creates is key. Employing instant spells that can target and destroy lands can catch your opponent off guard, breaking the cycle Tolaria enables. Cards such as Ghost Quarter can prove invaluable in such strategies. It’s also important to anticipate and prepare for the legends Tolaria might untap, utilizing removal spells or abilities that can neutralize those threats before they can be reused. Hand disruption is also a critical tactic, stripping away the impactful permanent before it can be played, hence nullifying Tolaria’s purpose.
Ultimately, when faced with Tolaria, the approach should be two-pronged—aim to either remove Tolaria itself or mitigate its ability to turn the tide of the game by targeting the key legendary permanents it aims to untap. A mastery of disruption and control can assure dominance over this strategic land card.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Tolaria MTG card by a specific set like Legends, 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 Tolaria 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Tolaria has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |