Land Aid '04 MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Released	2004-11-19
Set symbol
Set name	Unhinged
Set code	UNH
Number	102
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Silver
Illustred by	Jim Nelson
Un-set :-)	This card is part of an Un-set

Key Takeaways

Grants significant mana advantage by untapping lands, enabling powerful plays and card advantage.
Instant speed allows for strategic flexibility and response to opponents’ moves in real time.
Upsides are balanced by a discard requirement and specific mana needs for casting.

Text of card

Search your library for a basic land card, put that card into play tapped, then shuffle your library. If you sang a song the whole time you were searching and shuffling, you may untap that land.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Land Aid ’04 boasts the ability to untap two target lands. This can be particularly powerful as it essentially allows players to reuse lands for mana, thus leading to more options and the potential for drawing additional cards through other spells or abilities that you can now afford.

Resource Acceleration: By untapping lands, Land Aid ’04 facilitates a faster development of your board state. This acceleration can be critical for outpacing opponents, especially in land-focused decks that benefit from having access to more mana ahead of the curve.

Instant Speed: The fact that Land Aid ’04 can be cast at instant speed gives players the flexibility to adapt to the flow of the game. Whether you’re responding to an opponent’s move or maximizing your mana usage during the end step before your turn, the timing of this card can be as crucial as its primary effect.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Land Aid ’04 is that it mandates the discarding of a card as part of its activation. This can put players at a resource disadvantage, especially during the late game when every card in hand counts.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Land Aid ’04 is specific, requiring both green and white mana. This limitation can make it challenging to include in multicolored decks that may not always have the right mana combination available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that is on the higher end for its effect, Land Aid ’04 competes with other cards that could be more mana-efficient. Players looking for land retrieval options might find alternative cards that offer a better return on their mana investment.

Reasons to Include Land Aid ’04 in Your Collection

Versatility: Land Aid ’04 offers players a unique way to ramp up their mana. This enchantment is a solid addition to decks that focus on landfall strategies or require a consistent increase in land presence on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: The ability to place additional land cards onto the field can enable numerous combos, particularly in conjunction with cards that have abilities triggered by land entering the play area. It can be a key component in building powerful synergies within your deck.

Meta-Relevance: With a shifting meta that often places a premium on quick mana acceleration and deck thinning, Land Aid ’04 aligns well, supporting strategies that outpace opponents by establishing a strong mana base early in the game.

How to Beat

Land Aid ’04 presents an intriguing challenge in the world of Magic: The Gathering. Much like other lifecycle-enabling cards such as Life from the Loam, it allows players to return lands from their graveyard to their hand, albeit with a twist. Land Aid ’04 gives an opponent the choice to place lands onto the battlefield instead, which can significantly accelerate their mana development.

To outmaneuver this card, it’s essential to focus on disrupting your opponent’s graveyard synergy. Employing graveyard hate cards like Rest in Peace can neutralize the benefits that Land Aid ’04 offers. Similarly, strategic land destruction with effects from cards like Ghost Quarter can limit the utility of the lands returned by Land Aid ’04. This combined approach of attacking graveyards alongside land resources forms an effective blueprint to diminish Land Aid ’04’s potential impact on the game.

The key lies in maintaining control of the board and being vigilant against the acceleration strategies enabled by Land Aid ’04. Denying opponents the extra resources and keeping a tight rein on their graveyard interactions is paramount in securing victory against decks that exploit this unique recovery card.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Land Aid '04 MTG card by a specific set like Unhinged, 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 Land Aid '04 and other MTG cards: