Azorius Chancery MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 23 setsSee all
RarityCommon
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Azorius Chancery enhances landfall strategies and ensures consistent land drops for resource management.
  2. Its double mana ability accelerates casting, particularly beneficial for color-intensive decks.
  3. An ideal fit for control decks, the land’s double mana aids instant-speed spell casting.

Text of card

Azorius Chancery comes into play tapped. When Azorius Chancery comes into play, return a land you control to its owner's hand. : Add to your mana pool.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Azorius Chancery has the unique ability to return a land to its owner’s hand upon entering the battlefield. This effectively bounces a land you’ve already played, which can be utilized strategically to replay lands with enter-the-battlefield effects or simply to guarantee a land drop on the following turn.

Resource Acceleration: As part of the Ravnica block’s bounce land cycle, Azorius Chancery is capable of tapping for two mana once it’s on the battlefield. This characteristic provides mana acceleration by offering access to two colors of mana with a single land, assisting in casting more demanding spells ahead of schedule.

Instant Speed: While the Azorius Chancery itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it synergizes well with instant-speed spells. Its ability to produce two mana of different colors allows you to efficiently keep mana open for those crucial instant-speed interactions, aligning perfectly with the control-oriented playstyle of the Azorius guild.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Azorius Chancery provides a solid mana fix for Azorius decks, it requires you to return a land you control to your hand when it enters the battlefield. This can set you back a turn, especially if played early, which isn’t ideal in a swift-paced game.

Specific Mana Cost: This land produces specific mana that is exclusive to Azorius color identity, blue and white. The strict color combination may not suit all decks, particularly those employing a diverse color strategy that demands a more flexible mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though not a spell, the setback upon entering the battlefield tapped effectively levies a high ‘cost’ in tempo. In environments where speed is crucial, having a land come into play tapped can mean losing out to faster, more aggressive strategies that utilize lands with immediate impact.


Reasons to Include Azorius Chancery in Your Collection

Versatility: Azorius Chancery is a land card that provides a mix of blue and white mana, crucial for any deck capitalizing on these color combinations. Its ability to bounce a land back to your hand is also beneficial for reusing landfall abilities or saving lands from removal.

Combo Potential: This card pairs well with effects that trigger upon lands entering the battlefield. By returning a land to your hand, you can repeatedly activate such abilities, leading to potent combos that can turn the tide of the game.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where control or bounce strategies prevail, Azorius Chancery can become an essential piece of the puzzle, offering consistent mana fixing while setting up strategic plays that require specific color combinations. Its presence helps ensure that your deck remains competitive against a wide array of deck archetypes.


How to beat

Azorius Chancery is a nuanced nonbasic land card often found in MTG decks geared towards control strategies. Its ability to return a land to its owner’s hand upon entering the battlefield can be leveraged for a variety of tactical advantages, such as replaying lands with beneficial enter-the-battlefield effects or simply ensuring land drops in subsequent turns. This versatility makes Azorius Chancery a valuable asset in prolonged matches.

Countering Azorius Chancery’s impact involves a strategy that limits its benefits or exploits its setback. Aggressive land destruction or land bouncing strategies can throw off your opponent’s tempo, as Azorius Chancery comes into play tapped, slowing them down. Cards that force or allow multiple plays per turn can also pressure decks relying on the Chancery’s slower pace, capitalizing on the window where the opposing player might be more vulnerable. Additionally, utilizing spells that restrict the opponent’s ability to play nonbasic lands can severely hamper their strategy, especially in formats where Azorius Chancery shines.

To effectively neutralize the advantages bestowed by Azorius Chancery, it’s crucial to adapt a dynamic game plan that can thwart the slower, more deliberate pace these lands introduce. By maintaining pressure and employing disruption, you can negate the strategic edge that Azorius Chancery provides to control-heavy decks.


Cards like Azorius Chancery

The Azorius Chancery stands out in the realm of land cards within Magic: The Gathering for its ability to tap for two mana, one White and one Blue. It’s akin to other cards in the Ravnica bounce land cycle like Dimir Aqueduct and Gruul Turf, which also return a land to the owner’s hand upon entry and tap for two mana of their respective guild’s colors. However, the Chancery’s synergy with the Azorius guild’s law-and-order theme offers unique strategic advantages, particularly in control decks that benefit from both colors.

Comparing the Azorius Chancery to common dual lands such as Tranquil Cove highlights its potential for increased mana production in mid to late game, despite entering the battlefield tapped. While Tranquil Cove offers a one-time life gain, the Chancery’s ongoing advantage is often pivotal in the decks that utilize it. Another related card is Sejiri Refuge, which shares Tranquil Cove’s lifegain attribute but lacks the robust mana utility provided by the Chancery’s double mana ability.

In the landscape of dual lands in Magic: The Gathering, Azorius Chancery may require a slower start but presents a valuable resource engine in decks that can accommodate the tempo change. Its inclusion in decks is a strategic choice for players leveraging the long-term gains over immediate, albeit smaller, benefits.

Dimir Aqueduct - MTG Card versions
Gruul Turf - MTG Card versions
Tranquil Cove - MTG Card versions
Sejiri Refuge - MTG Card versions
Dimir Aqueduct - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Gruul Turf - Guildpact (GPT)
Tranquil Cove - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)
Sejiri Refuge - Zendikar (ZEN)

Cards similar to Azorius Chancery by color, type and mana cost

Tundra - MTG Card versions
Adarkar Wastes - MTG Card versions
Thalakos Lowlands - MTG Card versions
Coastal Tower - MTG Card versions
Port Town - MTG Card versions
Hallowed Fountain - MTG Card versions
Hengegate Pathway // Mistgate Pathway - MTG Card versions
Prahv, Spires of Order - MTG Card versions
Calciform Pools - MTG Card versions
Wanderwine Hub - MTG Card versions
Mystic Gate - MTG Card versions
Glacial Fortress - MTG Card versions
Moorland Haunt - MTG Card versions
Sejiri Refuge - MTG Card versions
Temple of Enlightenment - MTG Card versions
Prairie Stream - MTG Card versions
Meandering River - MTG Card versions
Irrigated Farmland - MTG Card versions
Azorius Guildgate - MTG Card versions
Tranquil Cove - MTG Card versions
Tundra - Legacy Championship (OLGC)
Adarkar Wastes - Dominaria United Promos (PDMU)
Thalakos Lowlands - Tempest (TMP)
Coastal Tower - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Port Town - Doctor Who (WHO)
Hallowed Fountain - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Hengegate Pathway // Mistgate Pathway - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Prahv, Spires of Order - Dissension (DIS)
Calciform Pools - Time Spiral (TSP)
Wanderwine Hub - Lorwyn (LRW)
Mystic Gate - Double Masters (2XM)
Glacial Fortress - Fallout (PIP)
Moorland Haunt - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Sejiri Refuge - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Temple of Enlightenment - Fallout (PIP)
Prairie Stream - Fallout (PIP)
Meandering River - Global Series Jiang Yanggu & Mu Yanling (GS1)
Irrigated Farmland - Fallout (PIP)
Azorius Guildgate - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Tranquil Cove - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Azorius Chancery MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Dissension, 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 Azorius Chancery and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Azorius Chancery Magic the Gathering card was released in 22 different sets between 2006-05-05 and 2024-02-23. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 1023512015normalblackCarl Critchlow
22006-05-05DissensionDIS 1702003normalblackJohn Avon
32010-11-08Magic Online Theme DecksTD0 A1212003normalblackJohn Avon
42011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 2652003normalblackJohn Avon
52012-03-30Duel Decks: Venser vs. KothDDI 332003normalblackJohn Avon
62013-11-01Commander 2013C13 2742003normalblackJohn Avon
72015-05-22Modern Masters 2015MM2 2352015normalblackJohn Avon
82016-11-11Commander 2016C16 2822015normalblackJohn Avon
92017-06-09Commander AnthologyCMA 2392015normalblackJohn Avon
102017-11-17Iconic MastersIMA 2322015normalblackJohn Avon
112018-06-08Commander Anthology Volume IICM2 2362015normalblackJohn Avon
122018-08-09Commander 2018C18 2332015normalblackJohn Avon
132019-02-15RNA Guild KitGK2 252015normalblackJohn Avon
142019-08-23Commander 2019C19 2282015normalblackJohn Avon
152020-04-17Commander 2020C20 2562015normalblackJohn Avon
162021-02-05Kaldheim CommanderKHC 1062015normalblackJohn Avon
172021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 2242015normalblackJohn Avon
182021-11-19Crimson Vow CommanderVOC 1712015normalblackJohn Avon
192022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 4002015normalborderlessCarl Critchlow
202022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 3182015normalblackJohn Avon
212022-11-18The Brothers' War CommanderBRC 1751997normalblackJohn Avon
222024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 2492015normalblackJohn Avon
232024-02-23Ravnica: Clue EditionCLU 2292015normalblackJohn Avon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Azorius Chancery has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-04-15 If this land enters the battlefield and you control no other lands, its ability will force you to return it to your hand.

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