Grounded MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2012-05-04
Set symbol
Set name	Avacyn Restored
Set code	AVR
Number	181
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Greg Staples

Key Takeaways

Grounded offers an edge by negating enemy flying abilities, balancing the battlefield in your favor.
Instant speed casting grants flexibility and unexpected plays, enhancing your strategic options.
It requires specific mana and card discards, which may restrict deck builds and strategy.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature loses flying.

"We've tracked Ludevic's monster across four provinces. When it lands, make sure it stays put." —Alena, trapper of Kessig, to Halana of Ulvenwald

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Grounded provides subtle yet essential card advantage by modifying the battlefield dynamics. Its effect can essentially negate the abilities of your opponent’s creatures that rely on flying, potentially causing them to hold less value or effectiveness in the game. Overtime, this can translate to a significant advantage as you level the playing field, taking away one of your opponent’s avenues for evasion or direct attacks.

Resource Acceleration: While Grounded itself may not directly accelerate your resources in the form of mana or tokens, it contributes to resource acceleration by potentially preventing loss of life and critical assets on the board. By grounding flying creatures, it allows you to preserve your creatures for blocking or attacking, thus helping maintain your presence on the board and keeping the pace of resource development steady.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Grounded at instant speed is a tactical asset. It gives players the flexibility to respond to threats immediately or adjust their strategy on the fly, without committing mana resources during their own turn. This can lead to more efficient turns and surprise interactions that tilt the flow of the game in your favor, especially when maneuvering around your opponents’ expectations.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Integrating Grounded into your deck means you have to be prepared to discard a card. This can hinder your gameplay, especially during tight situations where every card in hand counts towards your strategy and potential victory.

Specific Mana Cost: Grounded demands specific mana types to cast. This inherently restricts its inclusion to decks that may feature green mana sources or are configured to generate the needed mana types, potentially hindering deck diversity and limiting strategic options.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Grounded’s mana cost may seem economical at first glance, but when pitted against other options within the game, its efficiency is debatable. Some cards may offer similar or better effects at a lower or equivalent mana investment, questioning Grounded’s cost-effectiveness in a format where efficiency often determines the outcome of matches.

Reasons to Include Grounded in Your Collection

Versatility: Grounded is an adaptable card that can be slotted into a variety of decks. Its ability to alter flying dynamics makes it an excellent tool against decks that rely heavily on air superiority.

Combo Potential: In decks focused on creature-based strategies or those that manipulate the abilities of creatures, Grounded can serve as a key piece to neutralize threats or enable surprise tactics against opponents expecting to dominate with flying creatures.

Meta-Relevance: As metagames evolve, flying creatures often become prevalent for their evasive qualities. Grounded offers a countermeasure to these strategies, becoming increasingly relevant in environments where air-based attacks are commonplace.

How to Beat

Grounded is a unique enchantment card in MTG that targets creatures with flying, stripping them of their loft and attaching them to the ground. This card is often a surprise play to negate the advantages of an opponent’s key flying creatures, instantly neutralizing aerial threats and making them easy targets for your ground creatures.

Overcoming the limitations imposed by Grounded starts with recognizing the foresight needed in creature selection. Incorporate creatures into your deck that boast robust abilities irrespective of their flying status. Alternatively, equip your deck with targeted removal or enchantment destruction spells to directly remove Grounded or free your creature from its effects. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant shine in these scenarios by clearing away problematic enchantments affixed to your most valued assets.

In essence, to beat Grounded, smart deck construction is paramount. Invest in versatile responses that equip you to handle enchantments efficiently. Integrating these strategies into your gameplay will help mitigate the impact of Grounded and retain your advantage on the battlefield, ensuring that your creatures keep soaring high, regardless of grounded restraints.

Cards like Grounded

Grounded stands out in the realm of creature enchantments in MTG. It bears a resemblance to enchantments like Spider Umbra that also grant the ability to block flying creatures. What sets Grounded apart is its specificity, focusing solely on negating the flying advantage without the added Totem Armor benefit that Spider Umbra provides.

Looking at another peer, Canopy Cover, we see some overlap since it provides the power to block flying creatures as well. Yet, Canopy Cover goes further by offering hexproof to keep the enchanted creature safe from targeted spells or abilities. While Grounded is straightforward with its singular purpose, Canopy Cover serves as a more protective enchantment at a slightly higher cost.

Considering these enchantments alongside Grounded, MTG players can appreciate the mechanical nuances that differentiate them. Grounded may offer a simpler and more focused solution for dealing with aerial threats, while alternatives like Spider Umbra and Canopy Cover bring additional defensive capabilities to the table. Each card finds its place in player decks based on the strategy and protection they desire for their creatures.

Cards similar to Grounded by color, type and mana cost

Survival of the Fittest - MTG Card versions

Shigeki, Jukai Visionary - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Grounded MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored, 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 Grounded and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Grounded has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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