Urban Burgeoning MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Enchant |
| Released | 2012-10-05 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Return to Ravnica |
| Set code | RTR |
| Number | 138 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Nic Klein |
Key Takeaways
- Urban Burgeoning enables consistent land untaps, enhancing mana availability for spell casting and resource management.
- It’s best suited for decks that leverage lands with tap abilities, offering a boost in combo potential and versatility.
- Although powerful, it’s susceptible to enchantment removal and requires strategic deck building to maximize effectiveness.
Text of card
Enchant land Enchanted land has "Untap this land during each other player's untap step."
The ruins of Old Prahv became a wildspace, although all birdsong was silenced by lingering Azorius magic.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Urban Burgeoning has the unique ability to untap a specific land you control during each other player’s untap step. While it doesn’t directly draw more cards, this ability efficiently leverages your resources, effectively allowing you to draw deeper into your deck or utilize mana-heavy draw spells more often with the extra mana.
Resource Acceleration: With Urban Burgeoning in play, the enchanted land can be utilized twice in a full turn cycle—once on your turn and once on an opponent’s turn. This effectively doubles the output of that land, accelerating your resource growth and granting you the ability to play high-cost cards ahead of schedule.
Instant Speed: While Urban Burgeoning itself is an enchantment, its benefit allows for greater flexibility with your mana. With a land untapping during each other player’s turn, you maintain open mana for instant speed interactions. This constant threat of available resources can deter opponents from taking certain actions or force them to play around potential instant speed responses you may have.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One aspect of Urban Burgeoning that may be seen as a drawback is the necessity to have it on the board, which could strain your resources when you’re trying to establish a presence or fight for control.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring green mana can make Urban Burgeoning less versatile as it’s primarily suited for mono-green or green-inclusive multi-color decks, potentially restricting its inclusion in a broad range of strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The investment needed to play Urban Burgeoning can be considerable given its singular focus on untapping one land. This might deter players when more flexible or lower-cost alternatives are available that provide broader utility or immediate board impact.
Reasons to Include Urban Burgeoning in Your Collection
Versatility: Urban Burgeoning is a unique enchantment that can be applied to any land, instantly offering the flexibility to untap it during other players’ turns. This can be particularly beneficial in decks that capitalize on land abilities or need extra mana during opponents’ turns.
Combo Potential: This card opens up a variety of combo possibilities. Imagine pairing it with lands that have tap effects for multiple uses per round, or with cards that benefit from untapping mechanics, leading to potentially game-changing plays.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where mana advantage often dictates the pace and power plays, Urban Burgeoning allows players to stay ahead in mana utilization. With the constantly evolving meta, having access to additional mana at critical moments could give you the edge needed to outmaneuver opponents.
How to beat
The Urban Burgeoning card is an intriguing tool that amplifies land utility in Magic the Gathering. Ensuring your lands are untapped during each player’s untap step, this enchantment can offer a significant advantage. Nevertheless, there are strategies to mitigate its impact on the game.
Targeted removal of enchantments is one of the most direct ways to handle Urban Burgeoning. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant can quickly neutralize this advantage at very little cost. Another approach is to focus on land destruction, rendering the extra untapping irrelevant. Strategies that inhibit the ability to leverage additional mana each turn, such as taxing effects or counterspells for key spells the extra mana could fund, are also effective.
In summary, while Urban Burgeoning may initially seem daunting, it’s important to remember that MTG is a game of checks and balances. With a plan that includes enchantment removal, land disruption, or strategic control, players can overcome the challenges posed by this particular card and maintain the upper hand in their matches.
Cards like Urban Burgeoning
Urban Burgeoning stands out in the subset of Magic: The Gathering’s land untapping effects. When you compare it to cards like Early Harvest, what emerges is a strategy centered on mana acceleration. Urban Burgeoning untaps a single land at each untap step, whereas Early Harvest can untap all basic lands at once – a one-time burst of mana as opposed to ongoing utility.
Analogous in function is Voyaging Satyr, offering the versatility of untapping any land, not just basics. It’s an on-demand effect, unlike Urban Burgeoning, which operates autonomously at each untap step. Arbor Elf is yet another comparable card, specifically focusing on untapping forests, which can be incredibly beneficial in a deck centered around forest lands or forest synergies.
Distinguishing itself through continuous untap potential, Urban Burgeoning allows for a persistent acceleration of resources, a boon for decks exploiting land usage. It serves as a solid choice in land-focused strategies, contributing to both mana development and enchantment synergies within the game of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Urban Burgeoning by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Urban Burgeoning MTG card by a specific set like Return to Ravnica, 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 Urban Burgeoning 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 Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Urban Burgeoning has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Urban Burgeoning card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2012-10-01 | Effects that state that the enchanted land doesn’t untap during your untap step won’t apply during another player’s untap step. |
| 2012-10-01 | The enchanted land untaps at the same time as the active player’s permanents. You can’t choose to not untap it at that time. |
