Waterfront District MTG Card


Extra card draws for maintaining a full hand when controlling at least four lands. Enables instant-speed land transformation for surprise mana ramping during critical moments. Though powerful, requires specific mana, land discards, and may slow early game momentum.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
RarityCommon
TypeLand

Text of card

Waterfront District enters the battlefield tapped. : Add or . , , Sacrifice Waterfront District: Draw a card.


Cards like Waterfront District

The allure of Waterfront District lies in its versatility as a land card in the expansive universe of Magic the Gathering. Much like Command Tower, it serves a crucial role in mana fixing, but offers an additional layer of utility via its tap ability. While Command Tower is restricted to just generating one mana of any color in your commander’s color identity, Waterfront District raises the bar by potentially unleashing a creature onto the battlefield, emphasizing its dual functionality.

Dockside Extortionist is another card that strikes a resemblance, renowned for its capacity in Treasure token generation. The Extortionist, however, is a creature that triggers its benefit upon entering the battlefield, rather than through an ongoing ability like Waterfront District. By the same token, Gilded Lotus presents as a premium mana source, offering three mana of any one color – yet it lacks the interactive element and creature synergy of Waterfront District’s design.

Comparatively assessing these alternatives points to Waterfront District being a valuable asset, especially in decks that capitalize on creature abilities or seek reliable multi-colored mana sources without clogging the precious non-land slots in a deck. Its ability to adapt to various strategic needs definitely carves a niche for it in MTG deck building strategies.

Command Tower - MTG Card versions
Dockside Extortionist - MTG Card versions
Gilded Lotus - MTG Card versions
Command Tower - MTG Card versions
Dockside Extortionist - MTG Card versions
Gilded Lotus - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Waterfront District. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Dimir DrawsDimir Draws StandardDimir DrawsTraditional Standard Ranked Decklists: April 8, 2024
Dimir FaeriesDimir Faeries PauperDimir FaeriesC'mon! Pozna
Grixis SacrificeGrixis Sacrifice StandardGrixis SacrificeAfter Showdown: Murders at Karlov Manor
Dimir PoisonDimir Poison Free formStandard Pauper Tournament Feb 2024
UB ControlUB Control PauperPoznańska Liga Paupera Winter 2023 #4

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Waterfront District, you’re given an opportunity to draw additional cards simply by controlling four or more lands, keeping your hand filled and giving you more options during play.

Resource Acceleration: Waterfront District can be tapped for colorless mana or transformed by sacrificing two islands, which can efficiently ramp up your mana resources and speed up your gameplay, allowing you to cast high-cost spells earlier than usual.

Instant Speed: Although Waterfront District is a land and not an instant, its transformative ability can be activated at instant speed. This unexpected gameplay feature can substantially benefit the strategy of your deck by providing resource acceleration at the most critical moments of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Waterfront District card requires players to discard another land card to activate its ability. This can be costly, especially when hand size is crucial to maintaining a strategic advantage in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Activation of Waterfront District’s benefits is constrained by a specific mana requirement, which means that diversifying mana sources is essential to optimize its use. This can pose a challenge for decks that aren’t heavily invested in mana-fixing or ones that operate on a tight mana curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To get the most out of Waterfront District, a substantial investment of mana is necessary. This high upfront cost can hinder early game momentum, as there are other land cards or mana sources in the MTG universe that provide similar benefits for less, thereby offering a quicker ramp-up in play.


Reasons to Include Waterfront District in Your Collection

Versatility: Waterfront District offers an immense flexibility for mana generation, seamlessly integrating with various deck archetypes and enhancing their mana base without much hassle.

Combo Potential: This card thrives when paired with strategies keen on landfall mechanics or those that capitalize on untapping lands, propelling intricate and powerful combos into the forefront of your gameplay.

Meta-Relevance: Given its adaptability and synergy with common deck themes, Waterfront District aligns well with many prevailing meta-games, providing a consistent and reliable resource to anyone’s collection.


How to beat

Waterfront District is a land card that, upon entering the battlefield, allows you to draw a card, provided you control four or more lands. This beneficial card draw mechanic is akin to offerings from other lands such as the storied Mikokoro, Center of the Sea. Yet, unlike these options, Waterfront District’s ability is contingent on land count, which can be manipulated.

To effectively counter Waterfront District, disrupting your opponent’s land base is key. Land destruction spells like Sinkhole or Field of Ruin can prevent the condition from being met. On another front, counterspells are potent against land-based strategies, with Negate being a prime candidate to interfere with activated abilities triggered from land cards. Moreover, to thwart card advantage gains, tools such as Ashiok, Dream Render can be employed, removing the threat of potent land tutors thus limiting the effectiveness of Waterfront District.

Ultimately, managing to restrict the benefits provided by Waterfront District can tilt the scales in your favor. Through targeted land removal, strategic counterspells, and graveyard disruption, Waterfront District can be rendered less of a game-changer in competitive MTG play.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Waterfront District MTG card by a specific set like Streets of New Capenna and Streets of New Capenna, 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 Waterfront District and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Waterfront District Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2022-04-29 and 2022-04-29. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 3572015NormalBlackMatteo Bassini
22022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 2592015NormalBlackAlexander Forssberg

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Waterfront District has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal