Pin to the Earth MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2014-05-02
Set symbol
Set name	Journey into Nyx
Set code	JOU
Number	45
Frame	2003
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	Johann Bodin

Key Takeaways

Neutralizes threats without card loss, maintaining hand size while weakening enemy creatures.
Slows opponents indirectly, saving resources by hindering their creatures’ combat roles.
Flexible casting timing maximizes impact by responding to enemy plays reactively.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets -6/-0.

"Mortal strength, like mortal hope, is so easily crushed." —Thassa, god of the sea

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Pin to the Earth can be an unexpected setback for your opponent. When applied to a powerful creature, it can effectively neutralize a threat without having to use an additional card, thus maintaining your hand’s size while diminishing the threat on the board.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly a tool for resource acceleration, Pin to the Earth can be considered a form of indirect acceleration by stymieing your opponent’s creature’s ability to attack or block efficiently, essentially saving resources you would have otherwise used for blocking or removing their threats in combat.

Instant Speed: Despite being an enchantment, Pin to the Earth operates at a pace that allows you to play reactively. Waiting until your opponent has attacked or committed to a play before casting it can be a crucial tactical move, letting you maximize the spell’s impact at a moment when your opponent’s options to respond are limited.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Even though Pin to the Earth doesn’t incorporate a discard requirement, its rather narrow effect can sometimes feel as though resources are being wasted, especially when dealing with opponents using creatures without significant flying abilities.

Specific Mana Cost: Pin to the Earth requires a specific combination of mana types to cast—blue and generic mana. This can sometimes be constrictive for multicolored decks that struggle with mana fixing or for decks that aim to keep mana open for more versatile responses.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes two mana, one of which must be blue, its investment is substantial when compared to other enchantments or removal spells. Players might find better value in other cards that disrupt opponents’ strategies for a lower mana cost and offer more tempo or card advantage.

Reasons to Include Pin to the Earth in Your Collection

Versatility: Pin to the Earth is a flexible card that can be a valuable addition to blue decks looking to control the battlefield. Its ability to reduce a creature’s power and negate its abilities makes it useful against a variety of threats.

Combo Potential: This enchantment opens up interactions with cards that benefit from enchanting creatures or from creatures having a certain power. It’s great for triggering heroic abilities or for use in constellation mechanics.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where flying creatures dominate the skies, Pin to the Earth can be a game-changer. By curtailing their strength, it levels the playing field, making it a smart pick in such metas.

How to beat

Confronting a card like Pin to the Earth can be a true test of strategy for Magic the Gathering players. This enchantment card not only cripples a creature’s power and toughness, reducing them to a mere fraction of their former glory, but also strips away their ability to soar through the skies. The imposing aura seizes the once-mighty behemoth and anchors it firmly to the battlefield, rendering it nearly ineffective.

To navigate this challenge, players should consider leveraging enchantment removal spells or abilities. Green spells like Naturalize or white spells such as Disenchant provide clean solutions, which not only liberate your creature from the ensnaring magic but also clear the path for your deck’s strategy to proceed unhindered. Take advantage of the fact that Blue often lacks direct ways to remove enchantments, making your use of removal even more pivotal in reclaiming the upper hand.

In essence, defusing the effects of a card such as Pin to the Earth hinges on smart deck building and timely removal. Including these answers in your arsenal ensures that not even the most binding of enchantments can hold your creatures down for long, maintaining your momentum and your march towards victory.

Cards like Pin to the Earth

Pin to the Earth is an intriguing enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that offers a mix of creature control and power reduction. It’s often measured against other cards like Claustrophobia, as both aim to neutralize threats by restricting the enchanted creature’s abilities. Claustrophobia completely immobilizes the creature, preventing it from attacking or blocking. Pin to the Earth, while permitting the creature to remain on the battlefield, vastly diminishes its power, making it significantly less of an offensive or defensive tool.

Encase in Ice is another card that can be compared, as it not only taps the creature but also prevents it from untapping during the controller’s untap step; however, it is limited to red or green creatures. On the flip side, Pin to the Earth’s effect is broader, affecting creatures regardless of color but lacking the immediate tap effect. Additionally, Lignify is worth mentioning for its ability to completely erase a creature’s power and toughness, though it leaves behind a Treefolk with a minimal defensive presence.

Ultimately, in the realm of creature control, Pin to the Earth offers a cost-effective and versatile solution, reducing any creature’s impact on the game while not being constrained by color or requiring a tap effect to take hold.

Cards similar to Pin to the Earth by color, type and mana cost

Invisibility - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)

Phantasmal Terrain - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)

Lifetap - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)

Psychic Venom - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)

Dance of Many - Masters Edition III (ME3)

Mana Maze - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)

In Too Deep - New Capenna Commander (NCC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Pin to the Earth MTG card by a specific set like Journey into Nyx, 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 Pin to the Earth and other MTG cards: