Steam Vines MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Enchant |
| Released | 2001-10-01 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Odyssey |
| Set code | ODY |
| Number | 223 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Anthony S. Waters |
Key Takeaways
- Steam Vines enables resource acceleration by untapping lands, facilitating advantageous gameplay tempo.
- It offers card advantage via drawing a card, mitigating losses typically incurred by land destruction.
- The card’s instant speed play allows for flexible and tactical in-game responses to opponents.
Text of card
When enchanted land becomes tapped, destroy it and Steam Vines deals 1 damage to that land's controller. That player moves Steam Vines to a land of his or her choice.
Card Pros
Resource Acceleration: Steam Vines offers players the potential to jump ahead by untapping lands, a form of resource acceleration that can be crucial for casting more spells or activating abilities sooner than expected.
Card Advantage: This card can potentially replace itself by drawing a card when it destroys an opponent’s land, maintaining parity in an exchange that typically benefits the caster by setting the opponent back.
Instant Speed: The ability to play Steam Vines at instant speed gives players flexibility, allowing them to respond to an opponent’s plays or end-of-turn actions, which can be a tactical advantage in many game scenarios.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Steam Vines requires players to discard another card from their hand when casting it. While this could synergize with graveyard strategies, it becomes a deficit when your hand is already depleted or when every card you hold is crucial for your strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: Featuring a green mana cost, Steam Vines can’t simply fit in any deck. This exclusivity means it’s primarily relegated to green-centric or multicolored decks that can support its mana needs, potentially limiting its versatility across the wider spectrum of MTG decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that’s on the higher end for its effects, players might find Steam Vines less appealing compared to other options. Given the fast pace of many MTG games, allocating resources for a card with such a cost demands careful consideration, as it could slow down your game progress if not timed well.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Steam Vines offers a unique twist on enchantment control, blending seamlessly into decks that capitalize on punishing opponents for casting spells or those wanting to protect valuable board states.
Combo Potential: This card excels in synergies with strategies that manipulate spell casts or benefit from recurring enchantments, providing a layer of complexity and surprise to your gameplay.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where spellslinger decks are prevalent, Steam Vines serves as an effective countertactic, making it a crucial inclusion for maintaining a competitive edge.
How to beat
Steam Vines represents a cunning obstacle for players navigating the fluid battlefields of Magic: The Gathering. This enchantment entwines itself into the game’s dynamics by compelling a player to pay an additional cost for casting their coveted spells. To effectively overcome Steam Vines, strategic planning is crucial. It challenges opponents to rethink their strategy by adding a taxing layer upon their spellcasting. Optimizing mana resources and prioritizing the importance of spells becomes integral to outmaneuver this enchantment.
One adept approach to dismantling the grip of Steam Vines is to employ low-cost removal spells, ensuring that your mana pool remains robust enough to execute essential plays. Additionally, incorporating spells with alternative costs or leveraging permanent abilities that circumvent the casting process can be a subtle way to sidestep Steam Vines’ demand. Creature-based strategies also stand as a pivotal means to press an advantage while conserving spells until the momentous occasion to safely remove the vines from the field arises.
Ultimately, patience coupled with judicious resource management underpins the strategy to beat Steam Vines. By aligning your play style to gradually build board presence while minimizing the tax imposed by the enchantment, triumph against Steam Vines can be meticulously orchestrated.
Cards like Steam Vines
Steam Vines introduces a novel disruption strategy to Magic: The Gathering’s arsenal of enchantments. It shares strategic proximity with cards like Winter Orb which also slows down the opponent by restricting their land usage. Where Steam Vines mandates the discarding of a card for any land played beyond the first each turn, Winter Orb limits untapping to only one per turn but, crucially, does not trigger discard.
Root Maze is another enchantment that creates a snag in opponents’ plans, making all lands and artifacts enter the battlefield tapped. Though not directly enforcing discard, its ability to delay an opponent’s game can be similarly crippling. Ice Storm, which destroys lands, pushes the envelope further in land control strategies, trading the gradual impact of Steam Vines for immediate disruption.
Assessing Steam Vines against its counterparts, we can appreciate its potential in decks that thrive on hindering others’ resources. While it may not provide the outright denial of Winter Orb or the quick sabotage of Ice Storm, Steam Vines offers a unique middle ground, pressuring opponents’ hand while subtly taxing their land plays.
Cards similar to Steam Vines by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Steam Vines MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey, 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 Steam Vines and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Steam Vines has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Steam Vines card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | If this card leaves the battlefield after it triggers but before it resolves, then the trigger will deal damage and destroy the land, but it will not bring this card back to the battlefield. |
| 2004-10-04 | Moving this card to another land does not target the land. |
| 2005-08-01 | If there are no other lands to move it to, this card goes to the graveyard as would any Aura that lost the thing it enchants. |
