Ruins of Trokair MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
RarityUncommon
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Ruins of Trokair maintains hand size, allowing players to keep action cards ready for strategic plays.
  2. Its ability to produce and ramp up white mana at key moments makes it a valuable asset in matches.
  3. Instant mana generation from sacrifice gives players a tactical advantage during crucial phases of the game.

Text of card

Comes into play tapped. oc T: Add o W to your mana pool. oc T: Sacrifice Ruins of Trokair to add o Wo W to your mana pool.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ruins of Trokair, as a land, doesn’t occupy a spell slot in your deck, effectively keeping your hand flush with more opportunity for action cards, an integral part of maintaining card advantage during matches.

Resource Acceleration: This land has the upside of tapping for white mana effortlessly, supporting a smooth mana curve early in the game. Upon its eventual sacrifice, it generates an additional white mana for a crucial play, aiding in the vital resource acceleration needed for timely board impacts.

Instant Speed: While Ruins of Trokair itself is a land and doesn’t operate at instant speed, its simple mechanic of sacrificing for an extra mana can be utilized at instant speed. This allows you to continue with your game plan and suddenly ramp up when the moment is opportune, catching opponents off guard.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Ruins of Trokair card can be an asset, it requires you to sacrifice the land itself. This means you are discarding a valuable land resource which could be utilized for generating mana in future turns.

Specific Mana Cost: This card produces white mana exclusively. This singular mana output confines the card’s versatility, presenting challenges in multicolor decks where a variety of mana colors might be in demand.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: In the context of land cards, the Ruins of Trokair taps for a single mana, yet also provides an additional option to sacrifice for white mana. Despite this, other lands may offer greater mana flexibility or additional abilities with lower activation costs, potentially making the Ruins of Trokair a less favorable choice in certain deck builds.


Reasons to Include Ruins of Trokair in Your Collection

Versatility: Ruins of Trokair offers flexibility in deck building with its ability to produce white mana or be sacrificed for a burst of colorless mana, fitting well in mono-white builds or as a mana-fixing land in multi-color decks.

Combo Potential: By sacrificing Ruins of Trokair for an additional mana, players can enable surprise plays or feed into strategies that pivot around land interaction and recursion, offering exciting possibilities for synergy with cards like Crucible of Worlds.

Meta-Relevance: In a fast-paced meta where land destruction isn’t prevalent, having a land like Ruins of Trokair which can provide a mana boost at a critical moment often swings games, making it a practical addition to reactive or control-oriented decks.


How to beat

Ruins of Trokair is a classic land card within the realm of Magic: The Gathering, known for its plain cycling ability and White mana generation. Players looking to maneuver around this card should consider its one-shot nature and the tempo pause it can introduce when its cycling is activated. The key to countering Ruins of Trokair lies in maintaining a consistent pace and exploiting the turn it’s sacrificed.

To effectively play against it, consider ramping up your land drops or mana acceleration to stay ahead. Lands that tap for multiple mana or spells that untap lands can tilt the mana balance in your favor. Additionally, cards that benefit from land sacrifice or graveyard interactions can turn the tables, making Ruins of Trokair’s cycling an advantage for you rather than your opponent. Tactically, focusing on robust board presence and pressure can also divert your opponent’s plan, potentially causing them to hold off cycling Ruins of Trokair in favor of more immediate defensive actions.

In essence, by staying on top of your land development and applying constant in-game pressure, you can navigate your way past the strategic elements Ruins of Trokair brings to the table and maintain an edge in your MTG matches.


Cards like Ruins of Trokair

Ruins of Trokair is a unique land card in Magic the Gathering, providing a blend of mana generation and late-game utility. Its closest relative is perhaps New Benalia, which also enters the battlefield tapped and provides white mana, but instead of offering a late-game benefit, it allows a player to scry 1 upon entry. This aligns with New Benalia’s role in setting up future plays more so than providing extra resources in the later stages of the game.

Another similar card is the Secluded Steppe, sharing the characteristic of cycling for a new card, although it lacks the tap for white mana ability altogether. Both Ruins of Trokair and Secluded Steppe offer a means to convert a land into a card advantage in the late game, but the latter provides flexibility without the need for sacrificing the land. Drifting Meadow also cycles, but does so at a higher cost, emphasizing Ruins of Trokair’s efficiency and manageability in terms of resource expenditure.

In evaluating these cards, Ruins of Trokair stands out for its potential to serve as both an early-game mana source and a late-game resource. This dual utility can be particularly advantageous in games where balancing mana availability and card advantage is crucial.

New Benalia - MTG Card versions
Secluded Steppe - MTG Card versions
Drifting Meadow - MTG Card versions
New Benalia - Future Sight (FUT)
Secluded Steppe - Onslaught (ONS)
Drifting Meadow - Urza's Saga (USG)

Cards similar to Ruins of Trokair by color, type and mana cost

Plains - MTG Card versions
Snow-Covered Plains - MTG Card versions
Karoo - MTG Card versions
Drifting Meadow - MTG Card versions
Rustic Clachan - MTG Card versions
Emeria, the Sky Ruin - MTG Card versions
Vivid Meadow - MTG Card versions
Kabira Crossroads - MTG Card versions
Shefet Dunes - MTG Card versions
Makindi Stampede // Makindi Mesas - MTG Card versions
Emeria's Call // Emeria, Shattered Skyclave - MTG Card versions
Ondu Inversion // Ondu Skyruins - MTG Card versions
Eiganjo Castle - MTG Card versions
Secluded Steppe - MTG Card versions
Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire - MTG Card versions
Castle Ardenvale - MTG Card versions
Citadel Gate - MTG Card versions
Memorial to Glory - MTG Card versions
Karakas - MTG Card versions
Minas Tirith - MTG Card versions
Plains - Modern Horizons 3 (MH3)
Snow-Covered Plains - Ice Age (ICE)
Karoo - Commander 2014 (C14)
Drifting Meadow - Anthologies (ATH)
Rustic Clachan - Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Tezzeret (DDF)
Emeria, the Sky Ruin - Commander 2014 (C14)
Vivid Meadow - Commander 2015 (C15)
Kabira Crossroads - Commander 2017 (C17)
Shefet Dunes - Amonkhet Remastered (AKR)
Makindi Stampede // Makindi Mesas - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Emeria's Call // Emeria, Shattered Skyclave - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Ondu Inversion // Ondu Skyruins - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Eiganjo Castle - The List (PLST)
Secluded Steppe - Commander 2021 (C21)
Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Castle Ardenvale - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Citadel Gate - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)
Memorial to Glory - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)
Karakas - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Minas Tirith - Tales of Middle-earth Promos (PLTR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ruins of Trokair MTG card by a specific set like Fallen Empires and Pro Tour Collector Set, 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 Ruins of Trokair and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ruins of Trokair Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 1994-11-01 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11994-11-01Fallen EmpiresFEM 1001993normalblackMark Poole
21996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC pp1001993normalgoldMark Poole
31996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC ml1001993normalgoldMark Poole
41996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC shr1001993normalgoldMark Poole
51996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC bl1001993normalgoldMark Poole
61997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 4221997normalwhiteLiz Danforth
71999-04-21Classic Sixth Edition6ED 3271997normalwhiteLiz Danforth
82008-09-22Masters Edition IIME2 2341997normalblackMark Poole

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ruins of Trokair has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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