Sokenzan MTG Card
2009-09-04 - Number 36
2018-12-25 - Number 72
2023-04-21 - Number 157
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Plane — Kamigawa |
Key Takeaways
- Sokenzan’s creature creation provides a persistent board threat and tactical advantage in games.
- Specific mana requirements and discard costs impose strategic planning, enhancing or hindering gameplay.
- Versatile and meta-relevant, Sokenzan fits various strategies and adapts to competitive play.
Text of card
All creatures get +1/+1 and have haste. Whenever you roll chaos, untap all creatures that attacked this turn. After this main phase, there is an additional combat phase followed by an additional main phase.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When you bring Sokenzan into play, it offers the potential to amass a considerable army over time, giving you an upper edge in maintaining board presence.
Resource Acceleration: This land is paramount for decks seeking a boost in mana resources, as it taps for red mana or can help generate a wealth of creatures to be utilized as blockers, attackers, or simply as a formidable presence threatening your adversary.
Instant Speed: Although Sokenzan itself doesn’t directly interact at instant speed, the creatures it creates can instantly affect combat dynamics, shifting the scales in your favor at critical moments during the battle.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Engaging with the Sokenzan card can be a strategic setback when it requires you to let go of a potentially valuable card from your hand. This trade-off might leave you with fewer options during crucial turns, impacting your ability to respond to opponents’ threats effectively.
Specific Mana Cost: Sokenzan necessitates a particular combination of mana colors that might not always align with your deck’s mana base, which can cause a hiccup in your game flow, making it somewhat restrictive and less versatile in multi-colored deck schemes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Allocating mana to summon Sokenzan can be costly, and when you compare it to other cards within the same mana range, you might find alternatives that provide greater value or impact on the board state. This could lead to it being an overlooked option in deck construction, especially when efficiency is the key.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Sokenzan offers a unique flexibility as it can be used in a variety of deck strategies. Its ability to act as mana fixing for red spells or to provide a land that turns into a potential threat makes it a valuable addition to decks that require a mix of utility and aggression.
Combo Potential: Recognizing the card’s transformation ability opens up combo possibilities in formats like Commander where land-centric strategies shine. Not only does it serve as land early game, but it can transform into a creature that can be utilized with cards that capitalize on creature presence or landfall triggers.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment that values speed and resilience, Sokenzan can play a pivotal role. Being a card with innate flexibility means it will often find relevance, ensuring your deck adjusts better to the evolving competitive landscape.
How to beat
Sokenzan, a formidable card in MTG, commands respect on the battlefield with its potential to overwhelm opponents. This card, like any other in the game, is not unbeatable. Players can employ removal spells as a countermeasure, ensuring Sokenzan is off the field before its controller can capitalize on its benefits. Cards like Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile offer an efficient solution as they exile it directly, mitigating any on-death effects.
Counterplay strategies also include outpacing the card with aggressive strategies or employing your own creature-based tactics that can block or outclass Sokenzan’s creatures in combat. Moreover, including cards in your deck that restrict your opponent from attacking or playing creatures can significantly lower Sokenzan’s impact, making it an easier threat to manage or sidestep altogether.
Understanding the match-up and assessing the board state is always pivotal. If you anticipate facing Sokenzan in a game, adapting your deck to include targeted disruption or pertinent board wipes can give you the upper hand. In the end, staying ahead in resource management while being prepared with appropriate answers often dictates the outcome against cards like Sokenzan in MTG.
Cards like Sokenzan
Sokenzan stands out in the roster of impactful lands in Magic: The Gathering, bearing a resemblance to cards like Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep. Both lands offer red mana without coming into play tapped, enabling quick plays. However, Sokenzan differs by not having Shinka’s legendary status, allowing multiple copies on the battlefield without the restriction of the legend rule.
Further comparison can be drawn with Keldon Megaliths, another land that supports red strategies. While Keldon Megaliths can deal damage to any target once you have no cards in hand, Sokenzan offers the flexibility to enhance your creatures on board instantly. This makes Sokenzan a highly tactical choice in the later stages of the game where board presence becomes critical for victory.
Sokenzan’s ability to grant haste to creatures is a game-changer akin to Flamekin Village, yet without the need to sacrifice another land. Such an advantage is instrumental in aggressive red decks that thrive on speed and element of surprise. As players weigh their options for a swift red land card, Sokenzan undoubtedly holds a valuable spot for its versatility and strategic depth.
Cards similar to Sokenzan by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sokenzan MTG card by a specific set like Planechase Planes and Planechase Anthology Planes, 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 Sokenzan 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
Printings
The Sokenzan Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2009-09-04 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by Brian Snõddy.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009-09-04 | Planechase Planes | OHOP | 36 | 2003 | Planar | Black | Brian Snõddy | |
| 2 | 2018-12-25 | Planechase Anthology Planes | OPCA | 72 | 2015 | Planar | Black | Brian Snõddy | |
| 3 | 2023-04-21 | March of the Machine Commander | MOC | 157 | 2015 | Planar | Black | Brian Snõddy |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sokenzan card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2009-10-01 | A face-up plane card that's turned face down becomes a new object with no relation to its previous existence. In particular, it loses all counters it may have had. |
| 2009-10-01 | A plane card is treated as if its text box included “When you roll {PW}, put this card on the bottom of its owner's planar deck face down, then move the top card of your planar deck off that planar deck and turn it face up.” This is called the “planeswalking ability.” |
| 2009-10-01 | If an ability of a plane refers to “you,” it's referring to whoever the plane's controller is at the time, not to the player that started the game with that plane card in their deck. Many abilities of plane cards affect all players, while many others affect only the planar controller, so read each ability carefully. |
| 2009-10-01 | If you roll {CHAOS} twice in the same main phase, two new combat phases will be created. However, all creatures that attacked this turn untap as the chaos abilities resolve, not as the combat phases start. Any creature that attacks in the second combat phase will remain tapped during the third combat phase (unless you roll {CHAOS} again). |
| 2009-10-01 | The controller of a face-up plane card is the player designated as the “planar controller.” Normally, the planar controller is whoever the active player is. However, if the current planar controller would leave the game, instead the next player in turn order that wouldn't leave the game becomes the planar controller, then the old planar controller leaves the game. The new planar controller retains that designation until they leave the game or a different player becomes the active player, whichever comes first. |
