Windbrisk Heights MTG Card
2007-10-12 - Number 281
2012-08-31 - Number 15
2014-05-30 - Number 18
2016-11-11 - Number 336
2020-04-17 - Number 321
2022-04-29 - Number 447
2022-06-10 - Number 930
2023-02-03 - Number 174
2023-06-23 - Number 345
2023-11-17 - Number 370
2024-03-08 - Number 1055
2024-03-08 - Number 527
2024-03-08 - Number 843
2024-03-08 - Number 315
2019-12-02 - Number 436
| Card sets | Released in 15 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
| Abilities | Hideaway |
Text of card
Hideaway (This land comes into play tapped. When it does, look at the top four cards of your library, remove one from the game face down, then put the rest on the bottom of your library.) : Add to your mana pool. , : You may play the removed card without paying its mana cost if you attacked with three or more creatures this turn.
Understanding Windbrisk Heights
Windbrisk Heights has carved its niche within Magic: The Gathering as a unique land card with a powerful hideaway ability. This mechanic allows players to store a card under Windbrisk Heights and play it for a minimal cost, provided certain conditions are met. It’s an interesting blend of tactical foresight and surprise factor that can turn the tide of games at opportune moments.
Cards like Windbrisk Heights
Windbrisk Heights shares the Hideaway mechanic with a family of lands like Mosswort Bridge and Shelldock Isle, but it approaches the game with a distinct advantage. Unlike Mosswort Bridge, which caters to green decks and requires creatures with a total power of 10 or more, Windbrisk Heights is often seen in white token strategies, needing only three attacking creatures to activate. Meanwhile, Shelldock Isle targets blue decks, activating when an opponent’s library has 20 or fewer cards. What sets Windbrisk Heights apart is its ability to provide a strategic edge in aggressive decks that can reliably meet its conditions early in the game.
In summary, Windbrisk Heights shines in Magic: The Gathering as a land that can tip the scales in favor of white-based aggro strategies. Its unique hideaway offering lends a surprise element that, when used aptly, can yield a satisfying payoff.
Cards similar to Windbrisk Heights by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Windbrisk Heights. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Mardu Midrange | Modern | Mardu Midrange | Modern League 2024-04-24 |
 | Affinity | Modern | Affinity | Modern League 2024-04-27 |
| W | Modern | Modern Challenge 64 2024-04-27 | |
 | Humans | Modern | Humans | Modern Preliminary 2024-04-21 |
 | Boros Aggro | Legacy | MO82#CS |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Windbrisk Heights offers a strategic edge as it hides a card away for future use, effectively giving you additional options during the match. This hidden card can turn into a game-changing play once conditions are met.
Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t ramp in the traditional sense, Windbrisk Heights can kind of bypass mana costs by allowing you to cast the exiled card for free. This hastens your game plan significantly by deploying powerful spells sooner than usual.
Instant Speed: The mechanic of Windbrisk Heights could set up a surprise element in your strategy, as you can activate its ability at the end of your opponent’s turn after attacking with three or more creatures. This allows you to utilize the element of surprise to your advantage, much like instant-speed plays.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Windbrisk Heights into your land slot requires a strategic setup, primarily that you have at least three attacking creatures to activate its hideaway ability. This necessity can sometimes force players to overcommit to the board, risking a potential setback from mass removal spells.
Specific Mana Cost: Windbrisk Heights taps for white mana only, which can strain the mana base in multicolored decks. Ensuring the correct mana balance is crucial, and this card can be less flexible for decks running three or more colors that require diverse mana access.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The initial investment of mana to play Windbrisk Heights is zero, but to reap the benefits of the exiled card, one must meet the condition of attacking with three creatures, which is not always a guarantee. Other lands or cards might provide more immediate or less conditional advantages without the need for such a setup.
Reasons to Include Windbrisk Heights in Your Collection
Versatility: Windbrisk Heights is a nonbasic land card that offers a unique twist on deck building in MTG. It seamlessly slots into a variety of white-based decks, from token strategies to control archetypes, by providing an extra card advantage that doesn’t take up a slot in your hand.
Combo Potential: This card shines in its ability to hold a crucial spell until just the right moment, working wonders with cards that flood the board with creatures. The “hideaway” mechanic allows for unexpected plays, offering the potential to cast big game-changing spells ahead of schedule.
Meta-Relevance: Given its capability to outpace opponents, Windbrisk Heights maintains relevance. In a game where creature strategies are ever-present, being able to activate its ability and cheat significant spells into play can tilt the battlefield in your favor, making it a valuable addition to your arsenal in an evolving meta.
How to beat Windbrisk Heights
Windbrisk Heights is often known as a hinge point for many game strategies in MTG, providing a unique hideaway mechanic that can swing the game when leveraged correctly. To effectively counteract Windbrisk Heights, ensuring a swift response to the creature swarm tactic is paramount. This location card allows a player to tuck away a card and cast it for a minimal cost once they have declared attacks with three creatures.
To dismantle the advantage Windbrisk Heights affords, player removal spells and board control cards are essential. Board wipes, such as Wrath of God, disrupt the creature-axis strategy by resetting the playing field. Additionally, spot removal or instant-speed interaction can disrupt the necessary combat conditions, keeping the hidden card just out of reach. It’s also wise to employ counter magic or land destruction to directly target Windbrisk Heights before its ability becomes active. Above all, understanding your opponent’s gameplay and preemptively disrupting their strategy is key. Staying one step ahead will ensure that Windbrisk Heights doesn’t catch you off guard.
Ultimately, while Windbrisk Heights can offer a significant upper hand to those who use it, a strategy that incorporates vigilant removal and disruption can neutralize its impact, keeping the game on even footing.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Windbrisk Heights MTG card by a specific set like Lorwyn and From the Vault: Realms, 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 Windbrisk Heights and other MTG cards:
BUY NOW BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- 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
Printings
The Windbrisk Heights Magic the Gathering card was released in 12 different sets between 2007-10-12 and 2024-03-08. Illustrated by 4 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2007-10-12 | Lorwyn | LRW | 281 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Omar Rayyan | |
| 2 | 2012-08-31 | From the Vault: Realms | V12 | 15 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Omar Rayyan | |
| 3 | 2014-05-30 | Modern Event Deck 2014 | MD1 | 18 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Omar Rayyan | |
| 4 | 2016-11-11 | Commander 2016 | C16 | 336 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Omar Rayyan | |
| 5 | Secret Lair Drop | SLD | 436 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Tomohito | ||
| 6 | 2020-04-17 | Commander 2020 | C20 | 321 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Omar Rayyan | |
| 7 | 2022-04-29 | New Capenna Commander | NCC | 447 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Omar Rayyan | |
| 8 | 2022-06-10 | Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate | CLB | 930 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Omar Rayyan | |
| 9 | 2023-02-03 | Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander | ONC | 174 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Omar Rayyan | |
| 10 | 2023-06-23 | Tales of Middle-earth Commander | LTC | 345 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jokubas Uogintas | |
| 11 | 2023-11-17 | The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander | LCC | 370 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Omar Rayyan | |
| 12 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 1055 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anthony Devine | |
| 13 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 527 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anthony Devine | |
| 14 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 843 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anthony Devine | |
| 15 | 2024-03-08 | Fallout | PIP | 315 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anthony Devine |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Windbrisk Heights has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Windbrisk Heights card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2007-10-01 | At the time the ability resolves, you'll get to play the card if you declared three different creatures as attackers at any point in the turn. A creature declared as an attacker in two different attack phases counts only once. A creature that entered the battlefield attacking (such as a token created by Militia's Pride) doesn't count because you never attacked with it. |
| 2022-04-29 | "Hideaway N" means "When this permanent enters the battlefield, look at the top N cards of your library. Exile one of them face down and put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. The exiled card gains 'The player who controls the permanent that exiled this card may look at this card in the exile zone.'" |
| 2022-04-29 | Any player who has controlled a permanent with a hideaway ability since a card was exiled with it may look at that card. |
| 2022-04-29 | Hideaway now causes you to put the rest of the cards on the bottom of your library in a random order instead of any order. |
| 2022-04-29 | Previously, permanents with hideaway entered the battlefield tapped. This ability has been removed from the definition of hideaway. Older cards have received errata to have an additional paragraph that reads " -his permanent] enters the battlefield tapped," and they now have hideaway 4. |