Temple of the False God MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 37 setsSee all
RarityUncommon
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Boosts card value by enabling earlier casting of potent spells, despite no direct draw.
  2. Demands five lands to activate, potentially hindering early game strategies or draws.
  3. Enhances decks designed for late-game by providing a significant mana advantage.

Text of card

: Add to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control five or more lands.

Those who bring nothing to the temple take nothing away.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Temple of the False God does not directly allow you to draw cards, it indirectly contributes to card advantage by enabling you to cast more powerful spells earlier than you typically could, hence getting more value per card played.

Resource Acceleration: This land is a potent resource accelerator once you meet its requirement of controlling five or more lands. It taps for two colorless mana, effectively doubling the mana output of a typical land drop and propelling you ahead in the game.

Instant Speed: Although Temple of the False God doesn’t operate at instant speed, its ability to provide an extra mana can be crucial in facilitating instant-speed interactions on your turn or even during your opponent’s turn, keeping you responsive and flexible.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Temple of the False God necessitates having five lands in play to activate, discarding your current strategy if you rely on it too early in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: This land generates colorless mana when activated, which may not align with mana requirements for color-intensive spells in your deck, potentially creating a bottleneck.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The condition for its activation can be seen as a high mana cost because it does not provide any benefit until you control at least five lands, making it a dead draw in the early stages of the game when you might need resources the most.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Temple of the False God provides a dual utility as a land card, capable of ramping up your mana resources. It’s particularly useful in commander and other high-cost card strategies, seamlessly fitting into decks that can manage the initial condition.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with strategies focused on land untapping or increased land drop effects, amplifying its mana-generating potential. Integrating it into your deck can lead to powerful turns and enable higher-cost plays earlier in the game.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where games extend into later turns, Temple of the False God holds significant value. Its relevance grows in slower-paced games where reaching the activation condition is more likely, giving you an edge in resource advantage.


How to beat

Temple of the False God is a nonbasic land card that has been a staple in many MTG Commander decks. It’s a land that requires strategy and timing since it does not produce mana unless a player controls five or more lands. Consequently, players facing against it should press their advantage early on. The key to disrupting a strategy relying on Temple of the False God is to keep the land count low. Land destruction or denial strategies using cards like Ghost Quarter or Molten Rain can be particularly effective to keep an opponent from reaching that crucial fifth land.

Resource balancing is also vital, as early-game aggro tactics can outpace the benefits provided by this land. Applying pressure through creature swarms can force an opponent to react, potentially stalling their progress towards the Temple’s activation criteria. Keep in mind to always assess the board state and your opponent’s potential for a comeback. Land ramp decks that quickly get to five lands can utilize Temple of the False God efficiently, so it’s important to anticipate and have a plan to mitigate any tempo gain your opponent might acquire from this powerful utility land.


Cards like Temple of the False God

Temple of the False God stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a unique land card that escalates one’s mana base significantly. It’s akin to Ancient Tomb, both providing a substantial mana boost; however, Temple of the False God demands the presence of four other lands before activation, unlike the immediate effect of Ancient Tomb. This condition can be a double-edged sword, delaying the reward but also not inflicting the life loss that Ancient Tomb does with each use.

Another similar card to consider is Shrine of the Forsaken Gods. While similar to Temple of the False God, offering additional mana for casting colorless spells, it isn’t restricted to having five lands. Instead, it functions only for casting Eldrazi or spells with devoid, which narrowly tailors its applications. Lastly, Myriad Landscape offers a different approach, providing the ability to search for basic lands, but unlike Temple of the False God, it does not directly increase available mana in a single turn.

Ultimately, Temple of the False God finds its niche within decks that smoothly ramp up land count, offering a risk-free mana advantage without the self-punishment that similar high-yield land cards often possess.

Ancient Tomb - MTG Card versions
Shrine of the Forsaken Gods - MTG Card versions
Myriad Landscape - MTG Card versions
Ancient Tomb - Tempest (TMP)
Shrine of the Forsaken Gods - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)
Myriad Landscape - Commander 2014 (C14)

Cards similar to Temple of the False God by color, type and mana cost

Urza's Tower - MTG Card versions
Ice Floe - 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
Sanctum of Eternity - MTG Card versions
Reliquary Tower - MTG Card versions
Labyrinth of Skophos - MTG Card versions
Urza's Tower - Commander Masters (CMM)
Ice Floe - Fifth Edition (5ED)
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 - Ultimate Box Topper (PUMA)
Sanctum of Eternity - Commander 2019 (C19)
Reliquary Tower - Love Your LGS 2020 (PLG20)
Labyrinth of Skophos - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Temple of the False God MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Scourge, 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 Temple of the False God and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Temple of the False God Magic the Gathering card was released in 32 different sets between 2003-05-26 and 2024-03-08. Illustrated by 6 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 596532015normalblackJames Zapata
22003-05-26ScourgeSCG 1431997normalblackBrian Snõddy
32004-09-01World Championship Decks 2004WC04 gn1432003normalgoldBrian Snõddy
42011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 2902003normalblackBrian Snõddy
52013-11-01Commander 2013C13 3272003normalblackBrian Snõddy
62014-11-07Commander 2014C14 3142015normalblackBrian Snõddy
72015-02-27Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. KioraDDO 592015normalblackJames Zapata
82015-11-13Commander 2015C15 3132015normalblackBrian Snõddy
92015-11-18Legendary Cube Prize PackPZ1 1492015normalblackBrian Snõddy
102016-11-11Commander 2016C16 3312015normalblackJames Zapata
112017-06-09Commander AnthologyCMA 2772015normalblackBrian Snõddy
122017-08-25Commander 2017C17 2842015normalblackJames Zapata
132018-06-08Commander Anthology Volume IICM2 2722015normalblackJames Zapata
142018-06-08Commander Anthology Volume IICM2 2712015normalblackBrian Snõddy
152018-08-09Commander 2018C18 2852015normalblackJames Zapata
162019-08-23Commander 2019C19 2802015normalblackJames Zapata
172019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 16912015normalblackJames Zapata
182020-04-17Commander 2020C20 3192015normalblackJames Zapata
192020-09-26The ListPLST C21-3262015normalblackJames Zapata
202020-09-26The ListPLST C18-2852015normalblackJames Zapata
212021-04-23Commander 2021C21 3262015normalblackJames Zapata
222021-09-24Midnight Hunt CommanderMIC 1862015normalblackJames Zapata
232021-11-19Crimson Vow CommanderVOC 1872015normalblackJames Zapata
242022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 4362015normalblackJames Zapata
252022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 9252015normalblackJames Zapata
262022-10-07Warhammer 40,000 Commander40K 3002015normalblackJosu Solano
272022-10-07Warhammer 40,000 Commander40K 300★2015normalblackJosu Hernaiz
282023-02-03Phyrexia: All Will Be One CommanderONC 1722015normalblackJames Zapata
292023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 4372015normalblackBrian Snõddy
302023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 10462015normalblackJames Zapata
312023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine CommanderWOC 1722015normalblackBrian Snõddy
322023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 3202015normalblackShahab Alizadeh
332023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 9112015normalblackShahab Alizadeh
342023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 3592015normalblackJames Zapata
352024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 3052015normalblackJames Zapata
362024-03-08FalloutPIP 8392015normalblackKekai Kotaki
372024-03-08FalloutPIP 3112015normalblackKekai Kotaki

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Temple of the False God has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks