Pine Barrens MTG Card

Tempest (TMP)
1997-10-14 - Number 321

Vintage Masters (VMA)
2014-06-16 - Number 307

Tempest Remastered (TPR)
2015-05-06 - Number 240

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Rarity	Rare
Type	Land

Key Takeaways

Pine Barrens enhances mana resources, allowing for diverse spell casting and strategic advantage.
Its entrance conditions may slow tempo, making it less ideal in fast-paced matches.
The card’s utility makes it worth considering for multicolor deck strategies.

Text of card

Pine Barrens comes into play tapped. oc T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. oc T: Add o B or o G to your mana pool. Pine Barrens deals 1 damage to you.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Pine Barrens provides the option of tapping for colorless mana without further consequence, which can equate to having an additional land card in play when managing your resources. Furthermore, the ability to tap for either black or green mana at the expense of just one life can be critical in maintaining a smooth flow of your spells, keeping you ahead in the game.

Resource Acceleration: As a versatile land card, Pine Barrens can boost your mana pool’s diversity. This not only accelerates your ability to cast a wider array of spells sooner but also allows for greater flexibility in a multi-color deck strategy, enabling swifter execution of your game plan.

Instant Speed: While Pine Barrens itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its mana generating capability can crucially facilitate the casting of instant spells. Having access to any color of mana at the right moment can be the difference between a game-winning counter or removal and simply falling short at a crucial juncture.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When considering Pine Barrens, be aware that while there is no direct discard requirement, there is an opportunity cost of having a land that doesn’t yield immediate, unconditional mana. This can be particularly detrimental in fast-paced games where tempo is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: The land enters the battlefield tapped unless you pay 2 life, which can be a significant drawback in decks that need every point of life. Also, its mana-fixing ability is specific to green or black mana, limiting its versatility compared to other lands that offer more flexibility in mana generation.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Pine Barrens provides a fix for green or black mana, the initial investment of coming into play tapped or costing 2 life can be quite high compared to other land options. There are lands with similar functions that do not carry these downsides, potentially making them more attractive for deck builders aiming for efficiency.

Reasons to Include Pine Barrens in Your Collection

Versatility: Pine Barrens offers a unique blend of mana fixing and utility for decks in Magic the Gathering. It taps for colorless or can be used to generate green or black mana with a simple trade-off of one life — a minor cost for the flexibility it provides in multicolor decks.

Combo Potential: As a land with the ability to provide two different colors of mana, Pine Barrens can be crucial in executing combos that require a diverse mana base. It’s especially useful in commander formats where color accessibility is key to casting various spells in a single turn.

Meta-Relevance: In formats where the mana base can make or break a game, Pine Barrens holds its ground. It’s particularly adept in environments where players need to adapt quickly to ever-changing board states and being able to pay life for mana can be a strategic advantage.

How to beat

Pine Barrens presents a tactical aspect in MTG, offering both mana fixing and a touch of life payment for flexibility. Much like other utility lands in the game, it finds its strength in the resource versatility it provides. To efficiently counteract Pine Barrens, players should consider land disruption strategies. Utilizing cards that target nonbasic lands, such as Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin, can remove Pine Barrens from play, diminishing an opponent’s mana base versatility.

Another approach is to apply pressure with an aggressive deck that doesn’t give the opponent time to capitalize on the advantages Pine Barrens offers. By prioritizing a fast pace and early board presence, players can reduce the overall impact of such utility lands. Directly responding to Pine Barrens isn’t always necessary; instead, focusing on a solid strategy that undermines the long-term value provided by such lands can be an effective way to triumph in a match.

Ultimately, the key to overcoming Pine Barrens lies in recognizing the tempo of the game and either disrupting the land itself or outpacing the strategic benefits it grants the opponent within the scope of the match.

Cards like Pine Barrens

Pine Barrens stands out in the realm of dual lands within Magic: The Gathering, offering players both forest and swamp mana abilities. Its closest relatives in terms of utility are lands like the Karplusan Forest and Yavimaya Coast, which combine different mana types and similarly give players the flexibility to tap for colorless mana. However, Pine Barrens provides a unique take on this concept by enabling the storage of mana with a slight cost.

Lands such as Brushland and Caves of Koilos also offer a duality of colors, but they differ from Pine Barrens as they deal damage to the player instead of costing mana to deliver the option of storing for future use. This subtle difference makes Pine Barrens a strategic choice for players not averse to a modest investment for later turns. Moreover, Pine Barrens can tap for mana without any penalty, a feature not all its counterparts can boast.

Assessing the landscape of dual lands, Pine Barrens presents an intriguing choice for MTG deck builders looking to shore up their mana base with an eye on utility and future play considerations, blending well with diverse strategies and mana demands.

Cards similar to Pine Barrens by color, type and mana cost

Darkbore Pathway // Slitherbore Pathway - MTG Card versions

Svogthos, the Restless Tomb - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Pine Barrens MTG card by a specific set like Tempest and Vintage Masters, 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 Pine Barrens and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Pine Barrens Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1997-10-14 and 2015-05-06. Illustrated by Rebecca Guay.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1997-10-14	Tempest	TMP	321	1997	Normal	Black	Rebecca Guay
2	2014-06-16	Vintage Masters	VMA	307	2015	Normal	Black	Rebecca Guay
3	2015-05-06	Tempest Remastered	TPR	240	2015	Normal	Black	Rebecca Guay