Radiant Fountain MTG Card
2014-07-18 - Number 245
2017-11-17 - Number 244
2020-07-03 - Number 248
2021-04-23 - Number 310
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Land |
Key Takeaways
- Grants vital life boost upon entry, often tipping the scales in closely fought matches or against burn strategies.
- It melds into various deck types, offering a straightforward yet effective boost to both mana and life totals.
- Despite competition from similar lands, Radiant Fountain’s instant utility makes it a subtly strong inclusion.
Text of card
When Radiant Fountain enters the battlefield, you gain 2 life. : Add to your mana pool.
"All peoples treasure a place where the weary traveler may drink in peace." —Ajani Goldmane
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While most lands provide mana without additional effects, Radiant Fountain offers a unique benefit by granting you 2 life upon entering the battlefield. This extra cushion can help you stabilize in the game, effectively negating the damage from an opponent’s early aggression or giving you an edge in races against burn decks.
Resource Acceleration: Although Radiant Fountain does not produce Treasure tokens or multiple mana, it plays a crucial role in decks that can re-utilize lands or need specific mana filters. It is also a non-demanding way to support your mana base while incrementally improving your life total.
Instant Speed: While Radiant Fountain’s effect does not occur at instant speed, its instant benefit when you play the land can be a subtle yet impactful way to surprise your opponent, potentially altering their calculus during combat or in response to their spells aimed at reducing your life total.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Radiant Fountain does not directly enforce a discard requirement but its spot in a deck could potentially supplant a card that offers superior utility or fulfills a crucial role, thus making its inclusion a subtle form of card disadvantage in certain strategies.
Specific Mana Requirement: While it provides colorless mana and a small life gain, Radiant Fountain might not fit seamlessly into decks heavily dependent on colored mana sources, potentially hindering your mana curve when you urgently need specific color combinations to cast spells on schedule.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: In comparison to other utility lands in MTG, Radiant Fountain doesn’t demand a high mana cost, yet it competes for a land spot in your deck. In scenarios where maximizing mana efficiency is key, it may be overshadowed by lands that serve dual purposes or offer greater long-term value.
Reasons to Include Radiant Fountain in Your Collection
Versatility: Radiant Fountain’s ability to slot into nearly any deck makes it a utility player in the land slot. Its simple mana boost and life gain can be a subtle yet pivotal advantage in games.
Combo Potential: This land’s life gain can seamlessly integrate with strategies focused on life total as a resource, boosting archetypes that benefit from such interactions.
Meta-Relevance: In environments rife with aggressive decks, the incremental life gain from Radiant Fountain provides a cushion that might just turn the tides in your favor, making it a relevant addition to many collections.
How to Beat
Radiant Fountain is a land card that can be both a thorn in an opponent’s side and a minor source of life gain in the game of Magic: The Gathering. As a card that enters the battlefield and instantly boosts a player’s life total by 2, it can be a subtle yet important factor in the race for life supremacy. Unlike spell-based life gain cards, Radiant Fountain can be utilized without spending mana, making it a free incremental advantage.
To effectively counter this card, it is crucial to focus on strategies that either minimize the impact of life gain or negate it entirely. Applying consistent pressure with aggressive creatures can make the life gained from Radiant Fountain negligible. Another strategy is the use of land destruction or conversion cards to directly target and remove Radiant Fountain from play, thus eliminating its benefit. Lastly, integrating cards that punish the opponent for gaining life, or utilizing life loss effects that outpace their life gain can also serve as a potent answer to this land.
Although the impact of Radiant Fountain can be marginal on its own, it’s key to address it within the scope of an opponent’s broader life gain strategy. Approached tactically, defeating a player relying on Radiant Fountain’s incremental advantage becomes much simpler.
Cards like Radiant Fountain
Radiant Fountain stands out in the realm of land cards in MTG due to its immediate life-gaining ability. Comparable to the Fountain is Kabira Crossroads, which also provides a life boost upon entering the battlefield. However, Kabira Crossroads enters play tapped, delaying its mana availability, whereas Radiant Fountain offers instant colorless mana.
Another card that echoes this instant health uptick is Seraph Sanctuary, which not only adds one life when it comes into play but also each time an Angel enters the battlefield under your control. While Radiant Fountain provides a reliable two life with no further conditions, Seraph Sanctuary can potentially yield a higher life total in Angel-centric decks. Finally, Tranquil Cove offers both life gain and colored mana, granting a similar but more restrictive utility compared to the versatility of Radiant Fountain’s colorless mana provision.
Ultimately, while other cards offer life gain and mana utilities, Radiant Fountain’s immediate impact and lack of restrictive conditions make it a subtly powerful choice for decks needing a touch of life support without losing tempo.
Cards similar to Radiant Fountain by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Radiant Fountain MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2015 and Iconic Masters, 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 Radiant Fountain and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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 Magic products
Printings
The Radiant Fountain Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2014-07-18 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by Adam Paquette.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2014-07-18 | Magic 2015 | M15 | 245 | 2015 | normal | black | Adam Paquette | |
| 2 | 2017-11-17 | Iconic Masters | IMA | 244 | 2015 | normal | black | Adam Paquette | |
| 3 | 2020-07-03 | Core Set 2021 | M21 | 248 | 2015 | normal | black | Adam Paquette | |
| 4 | 2021-04-23 | Commander 2021 | C21 | 310 | 2015 | normal | black | Adam Paquette |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Radiant Fountain has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
