Icebind Pillar MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeSnow Artifact

Key Takeaways

  1. Icebind Pillar offers control by consistently freezing opponent’s creatures or artifacts, creating card advantage.
  2. Snow mana dependency limits its inclusion to specific deck builds, reducing its broad applicability.
  3. Despite the mana expense of activation, its repeatable control offers significant value in the right deck.

Text of card

{S}, : Tap target artifact or creature. ({S} can be paid with one mana from a snow source.)

"Oh, Valki. I'm disappointed in you. How could the god of lies be so gullible?" —Tibalt


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Icebind Pillar provides a powerful control option, essentially freezing an opponent’s creature or artifact every turn. This consistent ability to neutralize threats can potentially deny your opponent valuable draw steps and crucial plays, translating into a significant card advantage over time.

Resource Acceleration: While Icebind Pillar itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, it synergizes with decks that benefit from snow mana. By incorporating snow lands into your deck, you ensure that Icebind Pillar can activate its ability while you develop your mana base, keeping pace with or even surpassing the resource development of your opponent.

Instant Speed: Icebind Pillar operates at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to react to your opponent’s actions during their turn. You can tap down a newly summoned creature before it has a chance to attack or use an ability, or you can wait until the most opportune moment before committing to a line of play, keeping your opponents guessing and on the defensive.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Icebind Pillar doesn’t have a discard requirement itself, it can indirectly contribute to hand depletion. Often, you’re required to maintain card advantage to fully utilize the pillar’s tap ability, leading to a faster discard of other valuable cards in an effort to keep the board under control.

Specific Mana Cost: Icebind Pillar’s activation necessitates snow mana, which requires a deck built around snow lands and possibly snow permanents. This can significantly restrict its inclusion in decks that aren’t tailored to the snow-themed mechanic, limiting its versatility across various MTG strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although its initial cast cost is moderate, consistently activating Icebind Pillar’s effect can be mana-intensive over the course of a game. Each activation requires a snow mana, and that can add up, making it cost-prohibitive in situations where mana efficiency is key to victory.


Reasons to Include Icebind Pillar in Your Collection

Versatility: Icebind Pillar displays a high degree of versatility as it can be included in decks that prioritize control over the board. Its ability to tap target creatures or artifacts means it can be seamlessly integrated into any build that aims to dictate the tempo of the game.

Combo Potential: The Icebind Pillar can serve as a powerful enabler for combo decks. Pairing it with cards that untap permanents allows you to lock down multiple opponents’ resources, effectively disrupting their strategy while you set up your win condition.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature and artifact-based strategies are prevalent, Icebind Pillar becomes a highly relevant card. It allows you to keep key pieces of your opponents’ strategies at bay, making it a strategic addition to your arsenal in such an environment.


How to beat

Icebind Pillar is an artifact that can certainly give its controller an icy grip over the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. This artifact with snow synergy can tap down your creatures, effectively stalling your offense or even your defenses. It’s a card that demands an answer, or else it can control the pace and flow of the game with its freezing touch.

Resolving the icy deadlock requires a strategy that includes artifact removal spells or abilities that can target and destroy or exile Icebind Pillar before it completely overwhelms you. Consider incorporating versatile removal like Abrupt Decay or Nature’s Claim in your deck that can deal with various threats including bothersome artifacts. Additionally, instant speed interaction allows you to respond to the activation of Icebind Pillar, potentially removing it before it can tap down your key creatures. Being proactive in managing your resources and maintaining a board presence despite the potential freeze can also mitigate the impact of Icebind Pillar on your strategy.

It’s essential to adapt to the chilling challenge posed by Icebind Pillar. By equipping your deck with the right answers and staying one step ahead, you can thaw its frosty control and keep the game in your favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’re aiming to fortify your MTG deck with a spellbinding blend of control and flexibility, Icebind Pillar is a card that shouldn’t escape your notice. Adept at freezing your opponent’s assets in their tracks, this crafty artifact could be the key to your next icy victory. Combining strategy with Icebind Pillar’s chilling capabilities can revolutionize how you play the game. Harboring the potential to dominate the board, this card is perfectly suited for players who revel in maintaining control and disrupting their opponent’s flow. Expand your MTG knowledge, uncover strategies, and refine your deck-building skills with us. Ready to explore how Icebind Pillar can keep your opponents on thin ice? Dive into our insights and elevate your game today.


Cards like Icebind Pillar

Icebind Pillar stands out in the realm of control tools within Magic: The Gathering. It mirrors effects found in Frost Lynx which also taps down opponents’ creatures, but Icebind Pillar holds the advantage of being a repeatable effect, limited only by available snow mana. Contrastingly, Frost Lynx has a one-time impact upon entry to the battlefield.

Another notable comparison is with Icy Manipulator, a classic control piece that taps artifacts, creatures, or lands. However, Icy Manipulator requires one mana of any type for activation, which makes Icebind Pillar uniquely efficient for decks running heavy snow land bases. Furthermore, enabling multiple activations in a single turn cycle means Icebind Pillar can become a strategic lynchpin in maintaining a locked-down state on the battlefield.

Concluding the analysis, Icebind Pillar’s specialty in harnessing snow mana for repeatable control provides distinctive value for MTG players looking to optimize interactions and board presence. Its utility within the snow archetype makes it a card that can influence the tide of a game with its strategic freezing capabilities.

Frost Lynx - MTG Card versions
Icy Manipulator - MTG Card versions
Frost Lynx - MTG Card versions
Icy Manipulator - MTG Card versions

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Proteus Staff - MTG Card versions
Crystal Shard - MTG Card versions
Wizard Replica - MTG Card versions
Chronatog Totem - MTG Card versions
Sarcomite Myr - MTG Card versions
Master of Etherium - MTG Card versions
Skill Borrower - MTG Card versions
Esperzoa - MTG Card versions
Neurok Replica - MTG Card versions
Parasitic Strix - MTG Card versions
Trespassing Souleater - MTG Card versions
Spined Thopter - MTG Card versions
Implement of Examination - MTG Card versions
Portal of Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Midnight Clock - MTG Card versions
Rod of Absorption - MTG Card versions
Etherium Spinner - MTG Card versions
Tome of the Infinite - MTG Card versions
Poppet Stitcher // Poppet Factory - MTG Card versions
Mysterious Tome // Chilling Chronicle - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Icebind Pillar MTG card by a specific set like Kaldheim and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Icebind Pillar and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Icebind Pillar Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-02-05 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Wisnu Tan.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-02-05KaldheimKHM 622015NormalBlackWisnu Tan
22022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 3082015NormalBlackWisnu Tan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Icebind Pillar has restrictions

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

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Icebind Pillar 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.

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