Tainted Peak MTG Card

Torment (TOR)
2002-02-04 - Number 142

Tainted Peak - Forgotten Realms Commander (AFC)

Forgotten Realms Commander (AFC)
2021-07-23 - Number 266

Tainted Peak - Crimson Vow Commander (VOC)

Crimson Vow Commander (VOC)
2021-11-19 - Number 184

Fallout (PIP)
2024-03-08 - Number 828

Fallout (PIP)
2024-03-08 - Number 300

Card sets	Released in 5 setsSee all
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Land

Key Takeaways

Facilitates effective mana flow crucial for maintaining a strong presence and executing strategies in-game.
Enables faster, more versatile gameplay, particularly beneficial in multicolored deck structures.
Strategic use can support instant-speed plays, keeping you prepared for any in-game scenario.

Text of card

oc T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. oc T: Add o B or o R to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control a swamp.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tainted Peak facilitates seamless mana flow, ensuring that your hand translates effectively into battlefield presence and strategy execution without missing crucial land drops.

Resource Acceleration: This land card accelerates your mana resources by tapping for different colors, thus enabling a more flexible and faster development of your gameplay, especially in multicolored decks where mana diversity is key.

Instant Speed: Though Tainted Peak doesn’t operate at instant speed itself, it supports instant-speed plays by providing the necessary mana without delay, ensuring you’re always ready to cast spells or react to your opponent’s moves at a moment’s notice.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Tainted Peak card demands you to part ways with another card to capitalize on its full potential, a situation that may not always be favorable, especially when your hand is already running on empty.

Specific Mana Cost: One of the nuances of including Tainted Peak in your arsenal is its need for black mana. Without this mana type at your beck and call, the card’s utility can be significantly hampered, relegating it to more specialized decks that can reliably produce black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When it comes to the mana economy, Tainted Peak’s cost can seem burdensome. There are scenarios in the game where efficiency reigns supreme, and lower-cost lands that provide similar benefits might outpace Tainted Peak in a race for deck space.

Reasons to Include Tainted Peak in Your Collection

Versatility: Tainted Peak is a nonbasic land card that can be effortlessly slotted into any black or red deck, increasing the consistency of your mana base without the downside of coming into play tapped if you control a Swamp.

Combo Potential: This card works well in multi-color decks focusing on casting cost-intensive spells. It seamlessly integrates with strategies that exploit land-based synergies or benefit from having an assortment of color options.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where adapting to the evolving meta is crucial, Tainted Peak offers the flexibility needed to match pace with the dominant deck types, whether they are aggressive red decks or controlling black decks.

How to beat

Tainted Peak is a land card that taps for extra value but also comes with a condition. It can add a crucial layer of speed and versatility to mana bases, especially in decks that capitalize on the colors it provides. Players often rely on such lands for mana fixing in multicolor decks. Understanding the relationship between Tainted Peak and the mana base becomes essential in creating an effective strategy against it.

To challenge decks that utilize Tainted Peak, disrupting the opponent’s mana base can be highly effective. Using land destruction cards or abilities that force players to sacrifice lands can tilt the balance in your favor. Additionally, employing cards that tax or limit land abilities can reduce the effectiveness of any land, including Tainted Peak. Also, enhancing your deck with cards that benefit from your opponent playing nonbasic lands can turn the tables against them. Strategic plays and targeted removal will make Tainted Peak less of a threat.

Moreover, keeping pressure on your opponent can prevent them from fully leveraging the advantages of Tainted Peak. Swiftly deploying threats that must be answered will often leave little room for your opponent to use their mana advantage, thus mitigating the impact of Tainted Peak in their game plan.

Cards like Tainted Peak

Tainted Peak is a unique land card that has proven to be a valuable asset in many MTG decks, particularly in those that run black and red colors. It shares a commonality with other lands like Dragonskull Summit, which also taps for black or red mana. However, Tainted Peak’s condition for coming into play untapped depends on the presence of a Swamp, as opposed to Dragonskull Summit which requires you to control a Swamp or a Mountain previously.

Another card worth comparing is the Blood Crypt land, as it can be either brought into play tapped without a cost or untapped at a cost of two life. Blood Crypt doesn’t rely on other lands, unlike Tainted Peak, thus providing immediate mana accessibility at a life price. Graven Cairns is also a related card in the discussion—it filters mana but unlike Tainted Peak, it is not constrained by land type conditions and offers versatility for the black and red mana needs.

While Tainted Peak might not be as flexible as some other dual lands, the absence of a life cost or stringent play conditions makes it a strategic choice for decks that can readily meet its Swamp requirement, enabling consistent mana flow without additional life payment.

Cards similar to Tainted Peak by color, type and mana cost

Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway - MTG Card versions

Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tainted Peak MTG card by a specific set like Torment and Forgotten Realms Commander, 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 Tainted Peak and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Tainted Peak Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2002-02-04 and 2024-03-08. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2002-02-04	Torment	TOR	142	1997	Normal	Black	Tony Szczudlo
2	2021-07-23	Forgotten Realms Commander	AFC	266	2015	Normal	Black	Tony Szczudlo
3	2021-11-19	Crimson Vow Commander	VOC	184	2015	Normal	Black	Tony Szczudlo
4	2024-03-08	Fallout	PIP	828	2015	Normal	Black	Gabriel Tanko
5	2024-03-08	Fallout	PIP	300	2015	Normal	Black	Gabriel Tanko