Kor Haven MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Land

Key Takeaways

  1. Kor Haven offers card advantage by negating attacks and maintaining board control.
  2. Instant speed activation disrupts enemy combat, keeping strategies adaptable.
  3. Its mana-intensive nature requires careful deck building and play timing.

Text of card

oc T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. o1o W, oc T: Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt by target attacking creature this turn.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Kor Haven’s ability to prevent damage from a creature doesn’t simply protect life totals, it can also equate to card advantage. Neutralizing key attackers means your creatures stay on the board, effectively saving the cards in your hand for other strategic plays and preserving your battlefield presence.

Resource Acceleration: While Kor Haven doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it helps maintain your mana base by deterring opponents from attacking, allowing you to invest in your board development rather than reactive defenses. This subtler form of resource acceleration means you can allocate more mana toward spells that build your advantage.

Instant Speed: Kor Haven’s activated ability can be used at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to respond during the combat phase of your opponent’s turn. This can drastically alter combat outcomes, discourage attacks, and allow for surprise defense, keeping your strategy fluid and reactive to the unfolding game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Kor Haven doesn’t directly require discarding, but using it for its activation could mean forgoing another impactful play, metaphorically discarding an opportunity to develop the board.

Specific Mana Cost: The activation of Kor Haven’s ability demands color-specific mana (white), which can be restrictive for multicolored decks needing diverse mana sources during the game’s crucial turns.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Kor Haven’s effect prevents combat damage from a targeted attacking creature, which can be pivotal, the cost of two mana plus tapping the land itself is higher compared to other fog effect options, potentially stalling the player’s tempo by devoting resources that could be allocated for advancing their own battlefield presence.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Kor Haven’s ability to prevent damage from a single attacking creature without requiring a specific deck archetype makes it a formidable inclusion in any collection. It seamlessly fits into various control or midrange decks, providing a defensive edge against aggressive strategies.

Combo Potential: While not a combo enabler in the traditional sense, Kor Haven synergizes with strategies that aim to prolong the game. Its preventive ability can be a linchpin in decks built around life preservation or “pillow-fort” tactics, effectively mitigating incoming threats.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where combat-centric decks are prevalent, Kor Haven shines by disrupting opponent’s attack plans. It’s an asset in decks that face aggressive creatures and voltron commanders, granting its owner precious time to stabilize and execute their winning strategy.


How to beat

Kor Haven is a potent land card in Magic: The Gathering with an ability that can turn the tide in your opponent’s favor. By preventing damage from an attacking creature, it can be a thorn in the side for aggressive decks aiming to pressure their opponents. The key to outmaneuvering Kor Haven’s defensive capabilities is to overwhelm it with multiple threats. Much like dealing with Maze of Ith, another land with a similar ability, your strategy should involve presenting more attackers than Kor Haven can handle on a given turn.

Alternatively, you can sidestep the obstacle of Kor Haven by utilizing spells and abilities that don’t rely on combat. Direct damage spells, abilities that decrease life totals outside of combat, or various other win conditions that circumvent the traditional attack phase can effectively render Kor Haven’s ability irrelevant. Furthermore, land destruction or land incapacitation methods, while not always favorable in every deck, can also be employed to neutralize this nuisance and secure your path to victory.

Adapting your deck and strategy to handle Kor Haven can be critical in competitive play, especially when anticipating a defensive-heavy meta. Understanding the intricacies of your deck and the wider card pool in MTG can give you the upper hand, making cards like Kor Haven less of a barrier to your success.


Cards like Kor Haven

Kor Haven has earned a special place in the world of Magic: The Gathering as a versatile land card with a defensive ability. In the realm of nonbasic lands that serve a protective role, Kor Haven shares similarities with Maze of Ith. While Maze of Ith does not tap for mana, it also prevents all combat damage that would be dealt by a targeted attacking creature without using any mana.

Another card that resonates with Kor Haven’s purpose is Mystifying Maze. This land can also remove an attacking creature from combat, but it requires a heftier mana investment and temporarily exiles the creature. Though Kor Haven requires mana to activate, unlike Maze of Ith, it still produces mana, giving it a slight edge in terms of resource flexibility.

Taking into account the balance between utility and mana efficiency, Kor Haven stands out for its dual function as a source of mana as well as a shield against attackers. Its ability to influence the battlefield without sacrificing mana generation makes it a unique and strategic choice for deck builders.

Maze of Ith - MTG Card versions
Mystifying Maze - MTG Card versions
Maze of Ith - The Dark (DRK)
Mystifying Maze - Magic 2011 (M11)

Cards similar to Kor Haven by color, type and mana cost

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Minas Tirith - MTG Card versions
Plains - Modern Horizons 3 (MH3)
Snow-Covered Plains - Ice Age (ICE)
Ruins of Trokair - Masters Edition II (ME2)
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Drifting Meadow - Anthologies (ATH)
Rustic Clachan - Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Tezzeret (DDF)
Emeria, the Sky Ruin - Commander 2014 (C14)
Vivid Meadow - Commander 2015 (C15)
Kabira Crossroads - Commander 2017 (C17)
Shefet Dunes - Amonkhet Remastered (AKR)
Makindi Stampede // Makindi Mesas - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Emeria's Call // Emeria, Shattered Skyclave - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Ondu Inversion // Ondu Skyruins - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Eiganjo Castle - The List (PLST)
Secluded Steppe - Commander 2021 (C21)
Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Castle Ardenvale - New Capenna Commander (NCC)
Memorial to Glory - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)
Karakas - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Minas Tirith - Tales of Middle-earth Promos (PLTR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kor Haven MTG card by a specific set like Nemesis and Zendikar Expeditions, 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 Kor Haven and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Kor Haven Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2000-02-14 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12000-02-14NemesisNEM 1411997normalblackDarrell Riche
22015-10-02Zendikar ExpeditionsEXP 412015normalblackJonas De Ro
32023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 3982015normalborderlessErikas Perl
42023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 3682015normalborderlessErikas Perl
52023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 398z2015normalborderlessErikas Perl

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Kor Haven has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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