Walking Atlas MTG Card


Walking Atlas - Worldwake
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeArtifact Creature — Construct
Released2010-02-05
Set symbol
Set nameWorldwake
Set codeWWK
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number131
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byRob Alexander

Key Takeaways

  1. Boosts land-based strategies by allowing additional land drops from your hand each turn.
  2. Enhances deck-building versatility and enables powerful combos with its land placement ability.
  3. Can be countered by removal spells, land disruption, and limiting opponent’s hand size.

Text of card

: You may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.

Crafted by lullmages and bound to the land, it alters itself to match the tumultuous terrain.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Walking Atlas enables players to put additional land cards from their hand onto the battlefield, thus indirectly contributing to card advantage. With more lands in play, you can utilize the rest of your hand more efficiently and maintain the upper hand in resource management.

Resource Acceleration: This artifact creature allows you to accelerate your mana base without expending extra mana to do so. This kind of repeatable land drop significantly ramps up your potential to play higher-cost cards earlier in the game, setting the pace and often putting your opponent on the back foot.

Instant Speed: While Walking Atlas itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it allows you to play land cards during other players’ turns. This is possible when Walking Atlas’s ability is combined with card effects that let you draw cards at instant speed, effectively creating a surprise land drop when least expected by your adversaries.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Walking Atlas does not inherently require a player to discard cards, but its value depends heavily on the player having lands in hand. Given this, the card can become functionally redundant or a dead draw if you’re unable to maintain a steady influx of lands in your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Despite Walking Atlas itself having a generic mana cost, which allows it to fit into any deck, it does implicitly dictate a need for a deck structure that can ensure a land-rich hand. This specificity can skew the construction of your deck and potentially make it less versatile in responding to an opponent’s threats.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Walking Atlas can be brought into play with two generic mana, the opportunity cost can be high in the early game. Considering it does not contribute to board presence or offer immediate impact without lands in hand, other two-mana plays could potentially provide more immediate value or board impact.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Walking Atlas is a colorless artifact creature, meaning it can be slotted into any deck regardless of its color identity. Its ability to put lands onto the battlefield from your hand can be an asset in landfall decks or any strategy looking to ramp up quickly and efficiently.

Combo Potential: This card’s land placement ability works fantastically well with cards that have tap/untap synergies or with effects that allow you to play multiple lands per turn. Thus, creating opportunities for powerful plays and synergistic combos.

Meta-Relevance: With the constantly shifting landscape of deck-building, Walking Atlas can be a formidable addition, especially in formats where the ability to accelerate your mana base is crucial to outpace opponents, or in games where stalling isn’t just an option but a necessity for victory.


How to beat

Walking Atlas, a utility artifact creature found in the extensive multiverse of Magic: The Gathering, is a unique inclusion in any deck focused on land manipulation. As a passive artifact creature, it exhibits the capacity to put land cards from your hand onto the battlefield, a powerful ability that can rapidly accelerate your mana base and therefore your entire game strategy. To effectively counter this, one must disrupt the land-centric synergy it provides.

Addressing the threat of Walking Atlas involves a few pivotal steps. First, prioritize removal spells that can dispose of artifacts and creatures alike, such as Abrade or Shatter. Additionally, keeping land destruction or denial spells on hand can nullify the benefits that Walking Atlas’s controller would reap from it. Strategies that limit the number of cards in an opponent’s hand can also be advantageous since Walking Atlas requires a land to be available to utilize its ability. Overall, halting the land advantage that Walking Atlas bestows on your opponent is key to neutralizing its impact on the game.

By employing these tactics, you can ensure the Atlas’s efforts to map out a rapid victory for your opponent are effectively shut down, paving the way for your success in this complex and ever-evolving game.


BurnMana Recommendations

With the strategic deep dive into Walking Atlas, we see how this card can become a keystone in land-heavy decks. Understanding the strengths and evaluating the weaknesses is paramount for optimum use. The Walking Atlas thrives in the right environment, meshing with strategies that value land plays and rapid resource acceleration. If you seek to enhance your deck with this versatile artifact creature, or are looking for ways to counter its influence in your MTG matchups, we’ve got you covered. Join us to further explore how to integrate Walking Atlas into your arsenal, or deftly navigate around it, ensuring your deck is not only competitive but formidable. Dive into the depths of MTG strategy with us and unlock the full potential of your collection.


Cards like Walking Atlas

Walking Atlas is a unique fixture in MTG for players who appreciate ramping up their mana resources. This artifact creature stands out by allowing you to put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield as a tap ability. This effect is reminiscent of the capabilities found in Terrain Generator, which also permits you to put a land onto the battlefield; however, the Generator requires mana in addition to a tap to activate.

Another parallel can be drawn with Llanowar Scout. Like Walking Atlas, the Scout lets you drop an extra land during your turn. The distinction lies in their card types; the Scout is a creature that demands green mana, providing a marginal benefit in decks that interact with creature types or green mana specifically. Additionally, there’s Ghirapur Orrery—a card that benefits every player but can offer a significant edge for those strategizing around land drops.

Ultimately, Walking Atlas offers undeniable utility for decks that have a treasure trove of land cards waiting to hit the battlefield. While similar in effect to other cards, its cost-free activation and artifact nature make it an adaptable and potentially game-accelerating addition.

Terrain Generator - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Scout - MTG Card versions
Ghirapur Orrery - MTG Card versions
Terrain Generator - Nemesis (NEM)
Llanowar Scout - Dominaria (DOM)
Ghirapur Orrery - Kaladesh Promos (PKLD)

Cards similar to Walking Atlas by color, type and mana cost

Chaos Orb - MTG Card versions
Winter Orb - MTG Card versions
Amulet of Kroog - MTG Card versions
Nacre Talisman - MTG Card versions
Howling Mine - MTG Card versions
Essence Bottle - MTG Card versions
Emerald Medallion - MTG Card versions
Scrying Glass - MTG Card versions
Cursed Totem - MTG Card versions
Tsabo's Web - MTG Card versions
Millikin - MTG Card versions
Ark of Blight - MTG Card versions
Surestrike Trident - MTG Card versions
Energy Chamber - MTG Card versions
Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions
Angel's Feather - MTG Card versions
Demon's Horn - MTG Card versions
Steel Overseer - MTG Card versions
Wurm's Tooth - MTG Card versions
Liquimetal Coating - MTG Card versions
Chaos Orb - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Winter Orb - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Amulet of Kroog - Rinascimento (RIN)
Nacre Talisman - Ice Age (ICE)
Howling Mine - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Essence Bottle - Tempest (TMP)
Emerald Medallion - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Scrying Glass - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Cursed Totem - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Tsabo's Web - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Millikin - Odyssey (ODY)
Ark of Blight - Scourge (SCG)
Surestrike Trident - Darksteel (DST)
Energy Chamber - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Water Gun Balloon Game - Unhinged (UNH)
Angel's Feather - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Demon's Horn - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Steel Overseer - Magic 2011 (M11)
Wurm's Tooth - Magic 2011 (M11)
Liquimetal Coating - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Walking Atlas MTG card by a specific set like Worldwake, 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 Walking Atlas and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Walking Atlas has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2010-03-01 Putting a land onto the battlefield as a result of Walking Atlas’s ability isn’t the same as playing a land. You may do put a land onto the battlefield even if it’s an opponent’s turn or you’ve played a land this turn. Similarly, putting a land onto the battlefield during your turn doesn’t preclude you from playing a land later in that turn.
2010-03-01 The word “artifact” was inadvertently omitted from Walking Atlas’s type line. The card has received errata to correct this omission; it is an artifact creature.

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