Ice Tunnel MTG Card

Rarity	Common
Type	Snow Land — Island Swamp
Released	2021-02-05
Set symbol
Set name	Kaldheim
Set code	KHM
Number	262
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Johannes Voss

Key Takeaways

Ice Tunnel enhances mana flexibility and supports a diverse range of spells in your hand.
It accelerates multi-color decks by providing access to two mana types from one land.
Mana availability at instant speed allows for strategic responses during gameplay.

Text of card

(: Add or .) Ice Tunnel enters the battlefield tapped.

"The ice cracked underfoot; strange shapes swam beneath the surface. Who else has walked this blighted path?" —Iskene, Kannah storyteller

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ice Tunnel stands out as a powerful card in MTG for maintaining a solid flow of mana resources. With its ability to produce either blue or black mana, it ensures that players have the flexibility to cast a broader range of cards from their hand, thereby indirectly contributing to card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: As a dual land card, Ice Tunnel accelerates resource management by providing access to two colors of mana from a single land. This aspect of resource acceleration is essential for multicolored decks that require consistent mana-fixing to run efficiently.

Instant Speed: While Ice Tunnel itself doesn’t function at instant speed, it contributes to a strategy that allows players to keep mana open for instant-speed responses. By providing mana of two colors, it increases the chances of casting instant spells when they are most impactful in the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Ice Tunnel, as part of its utility, doesn’t require a discard which is beneficial for players who want to maintain a full hand. However, in some deck archetypes, not having an outlet for strategic discard can be a missed opportunity for synergy.

Specific Mana Cost: The Ice Tunnel enters the battlefield tapped unless you control two or more other lands, catering specifically to two mana types: blue and black. This mana specificity means it finds its best fit in decks designed around Dimir colors, potentially excluding it from a wider range of mana bases.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Ice Tunnel doesn’t have a casting cost, its comparative advantage is gauged by its ability to produce two types of mana. In fast-paced games, having a land enter the battlefield tapped can be a significant drawback, slowing down your ability to build up mana for crucial plays. Additionally, in a game where mana efficiency is key, players might opt for lands with more versatility or those that can enter untapped under easier conditions.

Reasons to Include Ice Tunnel in Your Collection

Versatility: Ice Tunnel stands out as a dual land capable of tapping for either blue or black mana, making it a practical addition to multicolored decks focusing on these colors. The flexibility it offers for mana fixing is invaluable in formats like Commander, where consistency in land drops is key.

Combo Potential: As part of the snow land subtype, Ice Tunnel can synergize with spells that capitalize on snow mana, thus enabling combo chains or enhancing the efficacy of snow-centric strategies in a deck’s game plan.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where mana consistency can make or break matches, having access to dual lands like Ice Tunnel can be the difference-maker. It can smoothly slot into Dimir control decks or support powerhouse archetypes that require a solid mana base to execute their strategy effectively.

How to beat

Ice Tunnel stands out in the MTG arena as a dual land card, enabling players to tap for either blue or black mana, essential for multicolor decks. The ability to enter the battlefield tapped unless you control a snow land is a strategic point to consider when facing Ice Tunnel. The limitation can be exploited by prioritizing the destruction or control of snow permanents on the battlefield, thus hindering your opponent’s mana curve and delaying their play.

Applying land destruction cards like Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin can systematically dismantle your opponent’s mana base, making Ice Tunnel’s conditions harder to meet. Additionally, incorporating cards that disrupt your opponent’s strategies, such as Blood Moon, can transform all non-basic lands into Mountains, thereby nullifying the benefits of cards like Ice Tunnel.

Essentially, understanding the dynamics of tempo and applying pressure through land control can shift the balance in your favor. Utilizing strategic plays that undercut the value of dual lands like Ice Tunnel could be the linchpin in outmaneuvering your opponent and securing victory in the nuanced world of MTG.

Cards like Ice Tunnel

Ice Tunnel stands out in the realm of dual lands within Magic: The Gathering. Its most direct comparison is to the vast array of taplands that come into play tapped, offering two types of mana such as the Submerged Boneyard. Ice Tunnel can be seen as an upgrade, contributing to the snow land subtype which can be crucial for activating other snow synergies.

Another akin card is Woodland Chasm, which shares Ice Tunnel’s snow subtype and enters the battlefield tapped, but it provides different mana resources which cater to specific deck builds. Gateway Plaza also taps for any color like Ice Tunnel, though it requires a mana to be paid when it comes into play or is sacrificed, a heavy toll that Ice Tunnel deftly avoids.

Comparatively speaking, these cards offer insight into the balance between accessibility and strategic depth in dual lands. Ice Tunnel provides certain deck archetypes with the essential mana consistency they need without any immediate cost, while also being a pivotal part of snow-centric strategies. This capability to produce two types of mana and also qualify as a snow land gives it a subtle edge in the right deck construction.

Cards similar to Ice Tunnel by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ice Tunnel MTG card by a specific set like Kaldheim, 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 Ice Tunnel and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ice Tunnel has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2021-02-05	Snow is a supertype, not a card type. It has no rules meaning or function by itself, but spells and abilities may refer to it.
2021-02-05	Snow isn’t a type of mana. If an effect says you may spend mana as though it were any type, you can’t pay for {S} using mana that wasn’t produced by a snow source.
2021-02-05	Some cards have additional effects for each {S} spent to cast them. You can cast these spells even if you don’t spend any snow mana to cast them; their additional effects simply won’t do anything.
2021-02-05	The Kaldheim set doesn’t have any cards with mana costs that include {S}, but some previous sets do. If an effect says such a spell costs less to cast, that reduction doesn’t apply to any {S} costs. This is also true for activated abilities that include {S} in their activation costs and effects that reduce those costs.
2021-02-05	The {S} symbol is a generic mana symbol. It represents a cost that can be paid by one mana that was produced by a snow source. That mana can be any color or colorless.