Survivors' Encampment MTG Card

Survivors' Encampment - Hour of Devastation

Rarity	Common
Type	Land — Desert
Released	2017-07-14
Set symbol
Set name	Hour of Devastation
Set code	HOU
Number	184
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jonas De Ro

Key Takeaways

Converts creatures into mana, optimizing card use and increasing mana availability for diverse strategies.
Enables instant speed reactions, providing strategic flexibility and adaptability against opponents moves.
Requires a creature to tap, potentially restricting its use when creature count is low or preservation is needed.

Text of card

: Add to your mana pool. , Tap an untapped creature you control: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

"What will happen to us?" they asked. The vizier paused. "I think . . . I think that's up to us now."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Survivors’ Encampment doesn’t directly give card draw but ensures you make the most out of the cards in play. Tapping a creature that may not be of use during a particular turn, like a summoning-sick creature, translates the unused card into an immediate resource.

Resource Acceleration: By effectively turning any creature into a mana dork, Survivors’ Encampment offers flexible resource acceleration. Whether smoothing out your mana curve or ramping up for a costly spell, it expands your mana base without taking up additional card slots specifically for the production of mana.

Instant Speed: Though the land itself doesn’t have a speed, it allows you to tap any creature you control at instant speed. This flexibility enables you to decide on the best course of action in response to your opponent’s moves, keeping your strategy adaptive and dynamic throughout the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Survivors’ Encampment demands a tap of another untapped creature you control to generate mana. This can be limiting, especially in situations where you need to keep creatures untapped for defense or other abilities.

Specific Mana Cost: Although Survivors’ Encampment offers a flexible mana ability, it requires a specific setup to utilize, namely having a creature to tap. This can make it less valuable in decks without a steady stream of creatures or in the early game where creature presence is minimal.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: As a land card that doesn’t produce mana by itself without tapping another creature, it can be seen as a less efficient choice compared to other lands or mana sources available which don’t have such prerequisites. This is especially notable in decks aiming for high-speed performance or those that cannot afford the delay in mana generation.

Reasons to Include Survivors’ Encampment in Your Collection

Versatility: Survivors’ Encampment offers a flexible land choice for any deck, capable of providing mana fixing by tapping creatures without a summoning sickness. This makes it a practical inclusion in decks with a wide range of creatures, ensuring you’re never short on the mana of the color you need.

Combo Potential: This card seamlessly integrates into strategies emphasizing tapping and untapping creatures. Its ability to tap any creature for an additional benefit elevates synergies with cards that thrive on such mechanics, expanding the potential for powerful combos.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where the importance of every land drop cannot be understated, Survivors’ Encampment stands out. Whether you’re facing slow-paced control decks or fast combo opponents, the added utility of turning creatures into mana sources can be a game-changer, giving it a solid position in various metagames.

How to beat

Survivors’ Encampment is a unique nonbasic land card in Magic: The Gathering that taps for colorless mana or can tap any of your creatures to generate one mana of that creature’s color. Understanding this utility is key in disrupting your opponent’s strategies. This card becomes most effective when used in decks with abundant creatures, enabling a player to maximize their mana pool and maintain a strong board presence.

To counteract Survivors’ Encampment, focus on reducing your opponent’s creature count, making it harder for them to exploit the card to its full potential. Utilizing removal spells, board wipes, and creature control mechanics can significantly weaken the advantage Survivors’ Encampment provides. Timing is also crucial; disrupt the opponent’s plans during their turn before they can benefit from the additional mana, especially in the early to mid-game where tempo is critical.

Overall, combating Survivors’ Encampment involves a keen sense of anticipation and control over the opponent’s creatures. By restricting their ability to produce a diverse mana base, you effectively diminish the utility of this flexible land, preserving the pace of the game in your favor.

Cards like Survivors' Encampment

Survivors’ Encampment is a distinctive land card in Magic: The Gathering that provides both mana versatility and utility. It draws parallels with Holdout Settlement, which operates on a similar mechanic; both cards tap an untapped creature you control to generate one mana of any color in your mana pool. However, what separates Survivors’ Encampment is its ability to be utilized even when you have no creatures on the battlefield, as it can tap for colorless mana without requiring a creature.

Comparatively, we have cards like Springleaf Drum which also taps for one mana of any color by tapping an untapped creature you control. The Drum’s advantage lies in its one-cost artifact nature, making it accessible earlier in the game but missing the utility of being a land itself. Then there’s Cryptolith Rite, an enchantment that can turn all your creatures into mana sources, vastly expanding mana generation capabilities, but differs by not providing an alternative way to tap for mana on its own.

When assessing playability and utility, Survivors’ Encampment holds a solid spot in Magic: The Gathering as a land that provides color fixing and resource management, serving as a key component in decks that utilize tap-untap synergies or require mana diversity.

Cards similar to Survivors' Encampment by color, type and mana cost

Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions

Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Survivors' Encampment MTG card by a specific set like Hour of Devastation, 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 Survivors' Encampment and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Survivors' Encampment has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2017-04-18	Desert is a land subtype with no special meaning. It doesn’t grant the land an intrinsic mana ability. Other cards may care about which lands are Deserts.
2017-07-14	To activate the last ability, you may tap any untapped creature you control, including one you haven’t controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn. (Note that tapping the creature doesn’t use -he tap symbol].)