Sacred Foundry MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 14 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeLand — Mountain Plains

Key Takeaways

  1. A vital land for Boros decks, Sacred Foundry provides crucial mana flexibility without losing tempo.
  2. Enables powerful combos and synergies by tapping for two colors, essential for competitive play.
  3. Its dual-typed nature makes it a target, yet knowing its vulnerabilities can offer strategic advantages.

Text of card

(: Add or to your mana pool.) As Sacred Foundry comes into play, you may pay 2 life. If you don't, Sacred Foundry comes into play tapped instead.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Enhances your strategy by increasing your mana base, allowing for more consistent plays and reducing the chances of being mana-screwed in critical turns.

Resource Acceleration: As a land that taps for two colors of mana, Sacred Foundry can help fix your mana requirements, enabling a smoother curve and faster deployment of multicolored spells.

Instant Speed: While Sacred Foundry itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it enables the casting of powerful instant speed spells by providing the necessary color of mana without the delay of entering the battlefield tapped, if the life payment is made.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Sacred Foundry does not have an inherent discard requirement, which is beneficial for maintaining hand advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: As a dual land card, Sacred Foundry comes with a specific mana cost requirement, entering the battlefield tapped unless you pay 2 life. This payment is essential when immediate mana acceleration is needed, which can be a strategic decision and potential disadvantage for life-sensitive decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although not a spell with a mana cost, if considered in terms of land efficiency, Sacred Foundry’s option to come in untapped at the cost of life might be compared unfavorably to basic lands or other dual lands without such a life payment, especially in formats where the life loss is critical.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Sacred Foundry is an all-star land capable of tapping for both red and white mana, seamlessly integrating into Boros-colored decks without slowing down your game plan.

Combo Potential: As a shock land, it enables various multicolor combos and can be fetched with land search cards, enhancing decks that thrive on mixing colors and strategies.

Meta-Relevance: Whether your local meta favors aggressive tactics or a more control-oriented approach, Sacred Foundry fits in by offering stable mana fixing in a variety of competitive standard and modern decks.


How to beat

Sacred Foundry is a powerhouse among dual lands in Magic: The Gathering, combining both Mountain and Plains land types. Its ability to come into play untapped at the cost of 2 life makes it a flexible choice for decks that need both red and white mana. Nevertheless, as with any card, it’s not unbeatable.

Players can leverage land destruction strategies, such as using cards like Field of Ruin or Ghost Quarter, to target and eliminate Sacred Foundry from the battlefield. This can disrupt an opponent’s mana base, especially if they are reliant on this dual land for color fixing. Moreover, running cards that penalize nonbasic lands like Blood Moon can transform Sacred Foundry into a basic Mountain, negating its dual-type advantage. Lastly, life loss from Sacred Foundry’s optional untapped entrance can be exploited in aggressive strategies aimed at reducing the opponent’s life total quickly.

While Sacred Foundry remains a staple in many competitive decks, understanding the dynamics of targeted land destruction and nonbasic land punishment can give players an edge against decks that rely heavily on this versatile dual land.


Cards like Sacred Foundry

The Sacred Foundry card stands proud among lands in MTG, providing both a strategic and tactical advantage to any deck. It’s comparable to the powerful Steam Vents, another dual land that supplies both red and blue mana. The two lands are nearly identical with the option to come into play untapped at the expense of 2 life. Yet, Sacred Foundry offers access to red and white mana, a combination that caters to different deck archetypes and strategies.

Further comparison leads us to Stomping Ground. Much like Sacred Foundry, Stomping Ground is a part of the “shock lands” set, offering the choice between an untapped land at a life cost or a tapped land with no penalty. Stomping Ground supports red and green mana, serving a unique sector of the MTG color pie that favors creatures and aggression.

Considering the blend of speed, versatility, and the life cost for immediate mana access, Sacred Foundry holds a prime position within its category. Its worth within MTG decks is affirmed through its ability to foster swift plays and bolster multi-colored decks with a stable mana base.

Steam Vents - MTG Card versions
Stomping Ground - MTG Card versions
Steam Vents - Guildpact (GPT)
Stomping Ground - Guildpact (GPT)

Cards similar to Sacred Foundry by color, type and mana cost

Plateau - MTG Card versions
Scabland - MTG Card versions
Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway - MTG Card versions
Sundown Pass - MTG Card versions
Boros Garrison - MTG Card versions
Temple of Triumph - MTG Card versions
Furycalm Snarl - MTG Card versions
Battlefield Forge - MTG Card versions
Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion - MTG Card versions
Ancient Amphitheater - MTG Card versions
Rugged Prairie - MTG Card versions
Boros Guildgate - MTG Card versions
Wind-Scarred Crag - MTG Card versions
Needle Spires - MTG Card versions
Inspiring Vantage - MTG Card versions
Stone Quarry - MTG Card versions
Clifftop Retreat - MTG Card versions
Sunbaked Canyon - MTG Card versions
Slayers' Stronghold - MTG Card versions
Spectator Seating - MTG Card versions
Plateau - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Scabland - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Sundown Pass - Doctor Who (WHO)
Boros Garrison - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Temple of Triumph - Fallout (PIP)
Furycalm Snarl - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
Battlefield Forge - The Brothers' War (BRO)
Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion - Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)
Ancient Amphitheater - Lorwyn (LRW)
Rugged Prairie - Double Masters (2XM)
Boros Guildgate - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Wind-Scarred Crag - March of the Machine (MOM)
Needle Spires - Oath of the Gatewatch Promos (POGW)
Inspiring Vantage - Kaladesh Promos (PKLD)
Stone Quarry - Commander Legends (CMR)
Clifftop Retreat - Fallout (PIP)
Sunbaked Canyon - Doctor Who (WHO)
Slayers' Stronghold - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Spectator Seating - Commander Masters (CMM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sacred Foundry MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Ravnica: City of Guilds, 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 Sacred Foundry and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sacred Foundry Magic the Gathering card was released in 10 different sets between 2005-10-07 and 2024-02-23. Illustrated by 8 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 723092015normalblackChris Ostrowski
22005-10-07Ravnica: City of GuildsRAV 2802003normalblackRob Alexander
32013-02-01GatecrashGTC 2452003normalblackSam Burley
42015-10-02Zendikar ExpeditionsEXP 142015normalblackNoah Bradley
52018-10-05Guilds of RavnicaGRN 2542015normalblackAdam Paquette
62018-10-05Guilds of Ravnica PromosPGRN 254p2015normalblackAdam Paquette
72019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 1312015normalblackMagali Villeneuve
82022-10-07UnfinityUNF 5362015normalborderlessCliff Childs
92022-10-07UnfinityUNF 2852015normalborderlessCliff Childs
102024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 2852015normalblackRob Alexander
112024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 2972015normalborderlessChris Ostrowski
122024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 409z2015normalblackRob Alexander
132024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 4091997normalblackRob Alexander
142024-02-23Ravnica: Clue EditionCLU 2792015normalborderlessAlexander Forssberg

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sacred Foundry has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-10-05 If an effect puts this land onto the battlefield tapped, you may pay 2 life, but it still enters tapped.
2018-10-05 Unlike most dual lands, this land has two basic land types. It's not basic, so cards such as District Guide can't find it, but it does have the appropriate land types for effects such as that of Drowned Catacomb (from the Ixalan set).

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