Crawling Barrens MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Its growth mechanic provides continuous threat elevation without depleting hand resources, becoming a lasting force.
  2. Doubles as mana generation and creature threat, allowing strategic flexibility and space-saving in deck construction.
  3. Instant speed activation makes it a versatile asset, capable of reactionary plays during opponent’s turns.

Text of card

: Add . : Put two +1/+1 counters on Crawling Barrens. Then you may have it become a 0/0 Elemental creature until end of turn. It's still a land.

Zendikar is restless.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Crawling Barrens doesn’t directly cause you to draw cards, it steadily grows and becomes a more formidable creature, effectively giving you a reusable and increasing threat without expending additional cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: As a land, Crawling Barrens contributes to your mana base without occupying a slot in your deck that might be used for a traditional spell. Over time, its ability to add to its own power and toughness can turn it into a major player on the battlefield without needing to invest in separate creature cards.

Instant Speed: The ability to invest mana into Crawling Barrens at instant speed provides flexibility, allowing you to end your turn without using the ability but respond to your opponent’s actions by growing the Barrens if the mana would otherwise go unused.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Crawling Barrens doesn’t explicitly require you to discard a card, its ability competes for valuable resources within your hand. Activating its growth may come at the opportunity cost of discarding other potent cards that could be vital at critical gameplay moments.

Specific Mana Cost: Crawling Barrens requires colorless mana for its ability, which might not always align seamlessly with your mana-base, especially in multicolored decks. Ensuring the availability of colorless mana could present a challenge, potentially complicating your gameplay.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To both activate its ability and tap for mana in the same turn, the investment is a minimum of four mana. Given that Crawling Barrens grows incrementally with each activation, utilizing it to its full potential can be mana-intensive. It might take several turns before you garner substantial benefits, which can be inefficient compared to other land cards or strategies available to players.


Reasons to Include Crawling Barrens in Your Collection

Versatility: Crawling Barrens stands out as a flexible land card, able to add colorless mana to your mana pool or become a powerful creature when the need arises. This dual functionality makes it an asset for numerous deck archetypes that value land cards with added utility.

Combo Potential: With the ability to grow its power and toughness through its own ability, Crawling Barrens can become a formidable threat. It synergizes well with decks focused on land animation or with cards that count the number of lands you control or their abilities, paving the way for potent combinations.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state dominated by control decks or in environments where board wipes are commonplace, Crawling Barrens thrives. As a land that dodges sorcery-speed removal and can be activated in response to threats, its relevance in such metas cannot be overstated, offering a resilient and ever-present danger to your opponents.


How to Beat Crawling Barrens

Crawling Barrens is a versatile land card in MTG that can become a significant threat if left unchecked. As a card that can gradually grow larger with each activation, it presents a unique challenge as a manland. When facing such a card, there are several effective strategies players can employ. First, using instant-speed removal when your opponent animates Crawling Barrens can be a game-changer. This ensures that you utilize your mana efficiently while disrupting their game plan.

Another effective tactic is to apply continuous pressure on the opponent, forcing them to use mana defensively rather than investing it into Crawling Barrens. Cards that cause land destruction or can exile lands are particularly useful in this regard. Furthermore, taking advantage of cards that hamper land abilities, such as Stony Silence, can impede the utility of Crawling Barrens, essentially rendering it a basic land.

Timing is crucial when playing against Crawling Barrens. Swift responses and strategic plays that align with your deck’s strengths can help maintain control of the game. By applying these techniques, players can significantly increase their chances of overcoming the challenge posed by this formidable MTG card.


Cards like Crawling Barrens

Crawling Barrens joins the ranks of adaptable land cards in Magic the Gathering, offering an edge during the late game phases. Comparable to Mutavault, which can also become a creature, Crawling Barrens has the unique ability to grow without limit thanks to its +1/+1 counter addition. This capability often outstrips Mutavault’s constant power and toughness. However, Mutavault has the advantage of needing only one mana to activate, providing flexibility in mana use.

Celestial Colonnade is another land with creature transformation abilities, but it leans into control strategies with its flying and vigilance traits, and commands a more substantial mana investment to become a creature. Despite this, it presents an immediate offensive and defensive power, unlike Crawling Barrens which requires time to become a substantial threat.

Lastly, Mishra’s Factory is a lesser discussed option that can provide early defense with its summoning sickness immunity. However, Crawling Barrens’ potential for growth and mana sink utility in the later stages of the game render it a more formidable force over the course of a match. In the landscape of land creature cards, Crawling Barrens claims a spot for offering a valuable balance between immediate impact and long-term strategic advantages.

Mutavault - MTG Card versions
Celestial Colonnade - MTG Card versions
Mishra's Factory - MTG Card versions
Mutavault - Champs and States (PCMP)
Celestial Colonnade - Worldwake (WWK)
Mishra's Factory - Antiquities (ATQ)

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

Urza's Tower - MTG Card versions
Ice Floe - MTG Card versions
Ghost Town - MTG Card versions
City of Brass - MTG Card versions
Bloodstained Mire - MTG Card versions
Zoetic Cavern - MTG Card versions
Grixis Panorama - MTG Card versions
Rupture Spire - MTG Card versions
Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions
Wasteland - MTG Card versions
Eldrazi Temple - MTG Card versions
Tectonic Edge - MTG Card versions
Maze of Ith - MTG Card versions
Homeward Path - MTG Card versions
Field of Ruin - MTG Card versions
Forge of Heroes - MTG Card versions
Ancient Tomb - MTG Card versions
Temple of the False God - MTG Card versions
Sanctum of Eternity - MTG Card versions
Urza's Tower - Commander Masters (CMM)
Ice Floe - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Ghost Town - Tempest (TMP)
City of Brass - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Bloodstained Mire - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Zoetic Cavern - Future Sight (FUT)
Grixis Panorama - Commander 2013 (C13)
Rupture Spire - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Terramorphic Expanse - March of the Machine Commander (MOC)
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - Theros (THS)
Wasteland - Zendikar Rising Expeditions (ZNE)
Eldrazi Temple - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Tectonic Edge - Friday Night Magic 2012 (F12)
Maze of Ith - Eternal Masters (EMA)
Homeward Path - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Field of Ruin - The List (PLST)
Forge of Heroes - Commander 2018 (C18)
Ancient Tomb - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Temple of the False God - Commander 2019 (C19)
Sanctum of Eternity - Commander 2019 (C19)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Crawling Barrens MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Zendikar Rising Promos, 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 Crawling Barrens and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Crawling Barrens Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2020-09-25 and 2020-09-25. Illustrated by Jonas De Ro.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 837322015normalblackJonas De Ro
22020-09-25Zendikar Rising PromosPZNR 262p2015normalblackJonas De Ro
32020-09-25Zendikar RisingZNR 3782015normalblackJonas De Ro
42020-09-25Zendikar Rising PromosPZNR 262s2015normalblackJonas De Ro
52020-09-25Zendikar RisingZNR 2622015normalblackJonas De Ro

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Crawling Barrens has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks