Trace of Abundance MTG Card


Trace of Abundance - Alara Reborn
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant
Released2009-04-30
Set symbol
Set nameAlara Reborn
Set codeARB
Number142
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byDave Kendall

Key Takeaways

  1. Enhances mana and offers land protection, crucial for decks requiring a stable mana base.
  2. Key in land synergy strategies, its shroud ability protects from targeted destruction.
  3. Strategically you can counter it by using player-focused spells or global effects.

Text of card

Enchant land Enchanted land has shroud. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities.) Whenever enchanted land is tapped for mana, its controller adds one mana of any color to his or her mana pool (in addition to the mana the land produces).


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Trace of Abundance can be a subtle form of card advantage thanks to its ability to protect the enchanted land. While it doesn’t draw you cards directly, ensuring your critical land remains untapped and safe from land destruction can keep you ahead in the long game.

Resource Acceleration: This enchantment elevates your mana production by making the enchanted land able to tap for an additional mana of any color. This boost can be pivotal in playing high-impact spells earlier than your opponent anticipates, giving you a significant lead in resource acceleration.

Instant Speed: Though Trace of Abundance is not an instant itself, it lends itself to strategies that rely on instant-speed interaction. By shoring up mana and protecting a key land, it allows players to keep their options open and mana available to react at instant speed with other cards in their hand.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Trace of Abundance doesn’t specifically necessitate discarding, it does require a land to enchant, which could be a potential setback if you’re facing land destruction or needing to preserve every land for other spells.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost of Trace of Abundance includes both green and white mana, making it a bit restrictive. This limitation means that it inherently fits into fewer decks, particularly those running Naya, Selesnya, or other green and white combinations, but is less optimal in multicolor decks that may not support these colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: This enchantment costs three mana, which includes a hybrid green/white, potentially competing with other impactful three-drop cards in your deck. In faster-paced games, investing three mana on a ramp enchantment might not be as advantageous compared to using lower-cost ramp solutions that allow for quicker board development or other disruptive plays.


Reasons to Include Trace of Abundance in Your Collection

Versatility: Trace of Abundance is a compelling addition because it allows for multiple land enchantments, ramping your mana and coloring it at the same time. This makes it useful in decks that need a stable mana base to cast multicolored spells efficiently.

Combo Potential: This card serves as a cornerstone in decks that capitalize on land-related synergies. Its ability to shield a land from being targeted can be integral to strategies that rely on key lands, making it a valuable part of any combo that involves lands at its core.

Meta-Relevance: With a metagame that includes strategies that can disrupt mana bases, Trace of Abundance ensures your land remains intact. Its Shroud ability keeps your mana source safe from spot removal, which is crucial when facing an oppressing land-destruction strategy or targeted removal that’s prevalent in the meta.


How to beat

Trace of Abundance is a notable enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that provides a significant boost by shrouding the enchanted land and enhancing its mana production. Overcoming this card can be a challenge due to the protection it confers. However, one effective strategy involves leveraging spells that target the player rather than their lands. Direct land destruction might not be viable, so focusing on cards that can cause a player to sacrifice enchantments or utilize global effects that don’t target, such as Planar Cleansing, can be key to dismantling the advantage gained from Trace of Abundance.

Utilizing counter spells to prevent Trace of Abundance from entering the battlefield is another proactive approach. Keeping open mana for reactive plays enables players to interrupt combos and strategies reliant on such mana acceleration. Additionally, employing enchantment removal like Disenchant that bypasses shroud by not targeting the enchanted land directly can also work effectively. Buffing your own board presence to maintain pressure and focusing on your win condition could force the opposing player to make unfavorable trades, reducing the impact of their enhanced mana base.

Ultimately, taking the card’s strengths and weaknesses into account, and selecting the right counterplay or strategic pivot is crucial to outmaneuvering an opponent who relies on Trace of Abundance to fuel their game strategy.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the strengths and nuances of Trace of Abundance can shape the tide of your MTG battles. By encapsulating mana acceleration with a defensive shroud, it’s a card that reinforces your mana base against an array of threats. Whether you’re casting it to secure your pivotal land or as part of a combo that thrives on land enchantments, Trace of Abundance is a multifaceted card worth considering. Are you ready to weave Trace of Abundance into your deck-building strategies and safeguard your mana sources? Explore the depths of its potential and solidify your MTG prowess with us.


Cards like Trace of Abundance

Trace of Abundance is a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering, providing both mana acceleration and protection for your lands. Karametra’s Favor is another card that turns your land into a mana producer, adding one mana of any color. However, it lacks Trace of Abundance’s crucial ability to shield your land from spells or abilities that could destroy it.

Looking at another comparable card, Market Festival doubles your land’s mana output, netting you two mana of any one color. While it’s quite effective for ramping up your resources, unlike Trace of Abundance, Market Festival doesn’t offer the same protective property. Overgrowth is a simpler option, granting an additional two green mana whenever the enchanted land is tapped. Again, it’s a strong ramp spell but it doesn’t safeguard your land from being targeted.

Assessing enchantments that ramp and bolster your mana base, Trace of Abundance has the edge with its added layer of protection. This card not only accelerates your gameplay but also ensures your key land remains a dependable asset turn after turn. It strikes an impressive balance between resource accumulation and strategic defense.

Karametra's Favor - MTG Card versions
Market Festival - MTG Card versions
Overgrowth - MTG Card versions
Karametra's Favor - Born of the Gods (BNG)
Market Festival - Journey into Nyx (JOU)
Overgrowth - Stronghold (STH)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Trace of Abundance MTG card by a specific set like Alara Reborn, 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 Trace of Abundance and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Trace of Abundance has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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