Prairie Stream MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 27 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeLand — Plains Island

Key Takeaways

  1. Facilitates smooth mana bases in control and midrange decks through its dual land utility.
  2. Enhances deck efficiency, enabling a variety of spells without multiple basic lands.
  3. Supports instant-speed interactions, pivotal for maintaining competitive edge.

Text of card

(: Add or .) Prairie Stream enters the battlefield tapped unless you control two or more basic lands.

The continent of Ondu is a vast plateau crisscrossed by deep trenches and meandering rivers.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Prairie Stream enters the battlefield tapped unless you control two or more basic lands. This condition is often easily met, ensuring you maintain a smooth mana base without sacrificing tempo. Furthermore, as part of the land itself, it ensures that your decks have access to both blue and white mana, fitting nicely into control and midrange decks that value consistent land drops.

Resource Acceleration: As a dual land, Prairie Stream accelerates your resources by providing two types of mana. This dual capability is essential for playing a variety of spells from your hand without the need to draw into multiple specific basic lands, keeping your options open and your plays efficient.

Instant Speed: While Prairie Stream does not operate at instant speed itself, it supports your ability to cast crucial instant-speed interaction. By diversifying your mana base, it facilitates the casting of countermagic, removal, or flash creatures critical to disrupting opponents at pivotal moments of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Prairie Stream enters the battlefield untapped if you control two or more basic lands, if it’s drawn later in the game when you have few cards in hand, it may not synergize well with strategies that require a full grip of cards, potentially hindering your play options.

Specific Mana Cost: This land is specifically geared towards White-Blue decks, presenting a limitation for multicolored or other monocolor decks that could benefit from flexible mana sources. Players not running both colors may find Prairie Stream an inefficient land choice.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: As a land, Prairie Stream doesn’t have a mana cost, but the requirement to have two or more basic lands can be considered a high “cost” in formats like Modern where land bases are often nonbasic to enable diverse strategies. This makes Prairie Stream less attractive compared to other lands that provide immediate value upon entering the battlefield.


Reasons to Include Prairie Stream in Your Collection

Versatility: Prairie Stream’s dual land status allows it to seamlessly integrate into Blue and White deck strategies. Its ability to tap for either color of mana without entering the battlefield tapped, if you control two or more basic lands, makes it an asset for ensuring a smooth and flexible mana curve.

Combo Potential: As a land with basic land types, Prairie Stream works exceptionally well with cards that search for specific land types, optimizing landfall triggers or enabling domain abilities, which further expands the range of possible deck synergies.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where the mana base can make or break a match, having Prairie Stream in your deck gives you an edge in multi-color decks within the current meta. Its compatibility with fetch lands and other mana fixing capabilities ensures that you can maintain tempo against a wide variety of decks.


How to beat Prairie Stream

Prarie Stream is a unique addition to the land category in Magic: The Gathering, as it belongs to the subset of lands known as “Battle lands” or more formally, “Tango lands.” What sets Prairie Stream apart from basic lands is its capacity to tap for either white or blue mana, provided you control two or more basic lands, at which point it enters the battlefield untapped. Its duality is useful, however, it does come with its limitations.

The card is inherently less threatening than those that alter the flow of the game more aggressively, yet it is pivotal in enabling multi-color decks mainly in formats like Standard, Pioneer, and Commander. To counteract Prairie Stream, you may employ land destruction cards like Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin to disrupt your opponent’s mana base, especially in the early game where they’re still setting up their land count. Moreover, utilizing aggressive land denial strategies such as Tectonic Edge can slow down decks that rely on non-basic lands like Prairie Stream, giving you a significant tempo advantage.

Overall, understanding the timing and controlling the board can be crucial when playing against decks that include Prairie Stream. A careful strategy of land disruption can throw off your opponent’s pace and give you the upper hand, enabling you to lead the game towards victory.


Understanding Prairie Stream’s Place in MTG

Prairie Stream has cemented its position in the roster of dual lands available to MTG players, eliciting comparisons with other similar land cards. Reminiscent of the original dual lands like Tundra, Prairie Stream offers both Plains and Island types at no life cost. However, it distinguishes itself with its unique entrance condition; it comes into play tapped unless you control two or more basic lands.

Cards like Prairie Stream

Reflecting on Prairie Stream’s characteristics, its analogy to cards like Glacial Fortress is undeniable. Both lands offer a blue and white mana source, yet there’s a subtle difference in their play conditions. Glacial Fortress requires you to have a Plains or Island to enter untapped, presenting a slightly less restrictive condition compared to Prairie Stream that demands two basic lands for the same effect.

Another relative in the family of dual lands is Hallowed Fountain, which can be played untapped at the expense of 2 life. This cost grants flexibility in mana management at the price of life points, positioning it as a more aggressive option for players who value tempo. Additionally, Sunken Hollow also shares the same land type requisites as Prairie Stream, embodying the trade-off between speed and condition fulfillment.

Examining these comparisons aids players in making informed deck-building choices, positioning Prairie Stream as a reliable option for decks that are less pressured to have immediate mana accessibility.

Tundra - MTG Card versions
Glacial Fortress - MTG Card versions
Hallowed Fountain - MTG Card versions
Sunken Hollow - MTG Card versions
Tundra - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Glacial Fortress - Magic 2010 (M10)
Hallowed Fountain - Dissension (DIS)
Sunken Hollow - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)

Cards similar to Prairie Stream by color, type and mana cost

Tundra - MTG Card versions
Adarkar Wastes - MTG Card versions
Thalakos Lowlands - MTG Card versions
Coastal Tower - MTG Card versions
Port Town - MTG Card versions
Hallowed Fountain - MTG Card versions
Hengegate Pathway // Mistgate Pathway - MTG Card versions
Celestial Colonnade - MTG Card versions
Prahv, Spires of Order - MTG Card versions
Calciform Pools - MTG Card versions
Wanderwine Hub - MTG Card versions
Mystic Gate - MTG Card versions
Glacial Fortress - MTG Card versions
Seachrome Coast - MTG Card versions
Azorius Chancery - MTG Card versions
Moorland Haunt - MTG Card versions
Sejiri Refuge - MTG Card versions
Temple of Enlightenment - MTG Card versions
Meandering River - MTG Card versions
Azorius Guildgate - MTG Card versions
Tundra - Legacy Championship (OLGC)
Adarkar Wastes - Dominaria United (DMU)
Thalakos Lowlands - Tempest (TMP)
Coastal Tower - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Port Town - Doctor Who (WHO)
Hallowed Fountain - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Hengegate Pathway // Mistgate Pathway - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Celestial Colonnade - Doctor Who (WHO)
Prahv, Spires of Order - Dissension (DIS)
Calciform Pools - Time Spiral (TSP)
Wanderwine Hub - Lorwyn (LRW)
Mystic Gate - Double Masters (2XM)
Glacial Fortress - Fallout (PIP)
Seachrome Coast - Phyrexia: All Will Be One Promos (PONE)
Azorius Chancery - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Moorland Haunt - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Sejiri Refuge - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Temple of Enlightenment - Fallout (PIP)
Meandering River - Global Series Jiang Yanggu & Mu Yanling (GS1)
Azorius Guildgate - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Prairie Stream MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar Promos and BFZ Standard Series, 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 Prairie Stream and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Prairie Stream Magic the Gathering card was released in 19 different sets between 2015-10-02 and 2024-03-08. Illustrated by 6 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-10-02Battle for Zendikar PromosPBFZ 241p2015normalblackAdam Paquette
22015-10-02BFZ Standard SeriesPSS1 2412015normalblackTitus Lunter
32015-10-02Battle for ZendikarBFZ 2412015normalblackAdam Paquette
42015-10-02Battle for Zendikar PromosPBFZ 241s2015normalblackAdam Paquette
52015-10-02Zendikar ExpeditionsEXP 12015normalblackTitus Lunter
62019-08-23Commander 2019C19 2652015normalblackAdam Paquette
72020-04-17Commander 2020C20 2992015normalblackAdam Paquette
82021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 2562015normalblackAdam Paquette
92021-11-19Crimson Vow CommanderVOC 1792015normalblackAdam Paquette
102022-02-18Neon Dynasty CommanderNEC 1752015normalblackAdam Paquette
112022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 4212015normalblackAdam Paquette
122022-09-09Dominaria United CommanderDMC 2252015normalblackAdam Paquette
132022-10-07Warhammer 40,000 Commander40K 2902015normalblackHenry Peters
142022-10-07Warhammer 40,000 Commander40K 290★2015normalblackHenry Peters
152022-11-18The Brothers' War CommanderBRC 1931997normalblackAdam Paquette
162023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 4202015normalblackAdam Paquette
172023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 3242015normalblackDavid Frasheski
182023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 10202015normalblackAdam Paquette
192023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 8862015normalblackJB Casacop
202023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 2952015normalblackJB Casacop
212023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 10992015normalblackJB Casacop
222023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 5082015normalblackJB Casacop
232024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 2812015normalblackAdam Paquette
242024-03-08FalloutPIP 2802015normalblackMarina Ortega Lorente
252024-03-08FalloutPIP 10312015normalblackMarina Ortega Lorente
262024-03-08FalloutPIP 8082015normalblackMarina Ortega Lorente
272024-03-08FalloutPIP 5032015normalblackMarina Ortega Lorente

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Prairie Stream has restrictions

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

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Prairie Stream card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2015-08-25 Even though these lands have basic land types, they are not basic lands because "basic" doesn't appear on their type line. Notably, controlling two or more of them won't allow others to enter the battlefield untapped.
2015-08-25 However, because these cards have basic land types, effects that specify a basic land type without also specifying that the land be basic can affect them. For example, a spell or ability that reads "Destroy target Forest" can target Canopy Vista, while one that reads "Destroy target basic Forest" cannot.
2015-08-25 If one of these lands enters the battlefield at the same time as any number of basic lands, those other lands are not counted when determining if this land enters the battlefield tapped or untapped.

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