Bubbling Muck MTG Card


Bubbling Muck - Urza's Destiny
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Released1999-06-07
Set symbol
Set nameUrza's Destiny
Set codeUDS
Number54
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byGreg Hildebrandt & Tim Hildebrandt

Key Takeaways

  1. Bubbling Muck can trigger powerful turns but requires a swamp-heavy hand for optimal use.
  2. It excels in black mana decks, offering massive mana boosts for game-changing plays.
  3. Effective counterplay focuses on restricting swamp access and mana acceleration.

Text of card

Until end of turn, whenever a player taps a swamp for mana, it produces an additional o B.

The muck claims a hundred living things for each meager treasure it spews forth.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Bubbling Muck doesn’t directly translate into card advantage, but it facilitates powerful plays that can lead to gaining superior board positions or can be instrumental in casting multiple spells in a single turn which indirectly leads to card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Akin to a black mana version of High Tide, Bubbling Muck is a significant resource accelerator in MTG. By doubling the mana produced by each swamp for a turn, it allows for a surge in mana resources which can be pivotal for executing high-cost spells early or enabling game-changing combos.

Instant Speed: While Bubbling Muck is not an instant – it’s a sorcery – its ability to unlock the potential of your lands instantly for the duration of a turn enables numerous strategies. It can set the stage for instant speed interactions by providing the necessary mana boost when it’s your turn, ensuring you have the resources available when needed.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Bubbling Muck doesn’t directly require you to discard a card, it necessitates a critical mass of swamps to be effective. In scenarios where your hand is swamp-heavy, you might find yourself discarding to hand size before you can make full use of the mana acceleration.

Specific Mana Cost: Bubbling Muck requires a single black mana to cast. However, its effectiveness is closely tied to how many swamps you control, making it less versatile than other mana accelerants that don’t depend on a particular land type.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When compared to other one-drop mana acceleration cards such as Dark Ritual, Bubbling Muck’s impact is conditional and potentially delayed. It essentially costs you a turn without immediately impacting the board, which can be costly in a fast-paced game.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Bubbling Muck is an adaptable card that can seamlessly slot into various black mana decks, enhancing their mana production significantly – especially in decks that thrive on high mana outputs.

Combo Potential: This card is a powerhouse in combination with cards that benefit from large amounts of mana in a single turn. It’s often used to fuel game-ending spells or a series of cascading plays that can overwhelm opponents.

Meta-Relevance: With the ongoing changes in the MTG landscape, Bubbling Muck has maintained its relevance, serving as a pivotal role in strategies that require a sudden surge of mana to outpace adversaries in crucial turns.


How to beat

Bubbling Muck, in the world of Magic: The Gathering, shines in decks looking to dramatically increase black mana production for a single turn. Operating similarly to the classic High Tide for blue mana, Bubbling Muck doubles the output of each Swamp you tap after its casting. This could potentially unlock rapid deployment of high-cost spells or enable a devastating combo.

Confronting the power surge Bubbling Muck provides requires a cunning approach. One effective strategy is to limit your opponent’s access to Swamps. Land destruction or conversion, such as with “Blood Moon” or “Spreading Seas,” can neutralize the Muck’s effectiveness. Additionally, preemptive measures like “Damping Sphere” can curtail the mana acceleration that Bubbling Muck offers, securing you a better position before your rival capitalizes on their amped mana base. Overall, acknowledging the conditions that make Bubbling Muck a powerhouse is key to suppressing its explosive potential.

Ultimately, denying your opponent the chance to maximize Bubbling Muck’s advantage is crucial, whether by land alteration, imposing mana restrictions, or timing your disruption accurately. By staying ahead of the tide, you can prevent being overwhelmed by the mana-fueled onslaught Bubbling Muck aims to unleash.


BurnMana Recommendations

Delving into the depths of MTG strategy enhances your understanding of potent cards like Bubbling Muck. Recognizing when to harness its power to fuel punishing combos or cast daunting spells makes all the difference. Whether you dabble in the dark arts of black mana or seek to fortify your deck’s resilience, understanding Bubbling Muck’s capabilities is key. Fine-tune your strategy, predict your opponent’s moves, and prepare contingencies. Curious about integrating this unique card into your arsenal or devising ways to thwart it? Journey further into our insights to elevate your game and outmaneuver your opponents with cunning precision.


Cards like Bubbling Muck

The allure of Bubbling Muck lies in its ability to amplify mana production for a single turn in Magic: The Gathering. This trait aligns it with cards like High Tide, which shares the same cost but targets blue mana and has been a staple in mono-blue decks. The difference, however, is subtle yet significant. High Tide affects only Islands, while Bubbling Muck amplifies any swamp you tap for mana. This single distinction can be crucial in decks that look to generate massive amounts of black mana in one go.

Cabal Coffers is another familiar name when discussing prodigious mana generation in black. Though it isn’t a spell but a land, it has the power to provide an abundance of mana, scaling with the number of swamps controlled. Unlike Bubbling Muck, Cabal Coffers is a persistent effect but lacks the surprise element of an instant boost in mana. Then there’s Dark Ritual, a classic for providing a quick mana surge. With a lower cost and instant speed, players often use it for an explosive early game advantage, while Bubbling Muck caters to a larger scale, later in the game.

Evaluating these cards demonstrates Bubbling Muck’s unique place in MTG. It may not always be the first choice for speed, but for a well-timed onslaught using black mana, its capability is unparalleled.

High Tide - MTG Card versions
Cabal Coffers - MTG Card versions
Dark Ritual - MTG Card versions
High Tide - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Cabal Coffers - Torment (TOR)
Dark Ritual - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Bubbling Muck by color, type and mana cost

Raise Dead - MTG Card versions
Mind Twist - MTG Card versions
Contract from Below - MTG Card versions
Spoils of War - MTG Card versions
Tendrils of Despair - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdling Scream - MTG Card versions
Organ Harvest - MTG Card versions
Duress - MTG Card versions
Reanimate - MTG Card versions
Soul Strings - MTG Card versions
Cabal Therapy - MTG Card versions
Confront the Past - MTG Card versions
Stir the Grave - MTG Card versions
Cry of Contrition - MTG Card versions
Deathmark - MTG Card versions
Call to the Netherworld - MTG Card versions
Raven's Crime - MTG Card versions
Imperial Seal - MTG Card versions
Bone Splinters - MTG Card versions
Innocent Blood - MTG Card versions
Raise Dead - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Mind Twist - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Contract from Below - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Spoils of War - Ice Age (ICE)
Tendrils of Despair - Weatherlight (WTH)
Bloodcurdling Scream - Portal Second Age (P02)
Organ Harvest - Unglued (UGL)
Duress - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
Reanimate - Jumpstart (JMP)
Soul Strings - Prophecy (PCY)
Cabal Therapy - Premium Deck Series: Graveborn (PD3)
Confront the Past - The List (PLST)
Stir the Grave - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Cry of Contrition - Guildpact (GPT)
Deathmark - Coldsnap (CSP)
Call to the Netherworld - Time Spiral (TSP)
Raven's Crime - Eventide (EVE)
Imperial Seal - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Bone Splinters - The List (PLST)
Innocent Blood - Mystery Booster (MB1)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bubbling Muck MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Destiny, 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 Bubbling Muck and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Bubbling Muck has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Bubbling Muck card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2004-10-04 Affects lands tapped for rest of turn, not just swamps on the battlefield at the time it resolves. This is because it affects players and not the lands themselves.
2004-10-04 Affects lands with type Swamp, not lands that are named “Swamp.”

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