Base Camp MTG Card

Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Land
Released	2020-09-25
Set symbol
Set name	Zendikar Rising
Set code	ZNR
Number	257
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jokubas Uogintas

Key Takeaways

Base Camp accelerates your tribal deck functions by providing quick mana of any color for key creatures.
The card’s niche focus offers tailored support for “Party” mechanic strategies, enhancing deck synergy.
Understanding Base Camp’s strengths and limitations is crucial for effective utilization and counterplay.

Text of card

Base Camp enters the battlefield tapped. : Add . : Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, or Wizard spell or to activate an ability of a Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, or Wizard.

A new dawn, a new adventure.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Base Camp enters untapped, offering an immediate mana source for playing spells. This fast access helps you to swiftly build up your resources, maintaining a solid pace against opponents.

Resource Acceleration: Designed to support a specific archetype, Base Camp efficiently ramps your mana. It taps for colorless to play any spell, but crucially produces one mana of any color for casting a Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, Wizard, or Ally spell. This accelerates your deck’s functionality by enabling the casting of key tribal spells earlier in the game.

Instant Speed: While Base Camp itself is a land and not an instant, it provides instant speed potential by efficiently fixing your mana, giving you flexibility to cast your spells at instant speed. The card supports a strategy that leaves mana open to respond to an opponent’s actions, increasing your reactive capabilities within the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Base Camp doesn’t ask you to discard cards, it’s important to note that it can only tap for colorless mana to cast nonland cards unless they’re Clerics, Rogues, Warriors, or Wizards. This specificity might feel like a discard of potential if your deck isn’t aligned with these types.

Specific Mana Cost: The land provides no immediate mana acceleration as it enters the battlefield tapped unless you control a Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, or Wizard. This can slow down your gameplay significantly, especially in the early stages where speed is key to building a strong presence on the board.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Base Camp has the advantage of helping with mana fixing within the party mechanic, its utility is quite niche compared to other lands in the game that either enter untapped or offer more versatile mana acceleration. For decks not utilizing the party theme, the value of Base Camp might be lacking, given the multitude of mana sources available.

Reasons to Include Base Camp in Your Collection

Versatility: Base Camp is a land card that supports a wide array of tribal decks. This card is beneficial in any deck that relies on party mechanics, such as Clerics, Rogues, Warriors, and Wizards, providing crucial mana fixing for multicolored strategies.

Combo Potential: Synergizing with the party mechanics, Base Camp has the ability to seamlessly integrate and enable combos across various creature-centered decks. It can be a pivotal piece to access colors for casting essential spells that bring your game-changing creatures into play.

Meta-Relevance: With changing metagames, a card like Base Camp becomes increasingly valuable as more party-centric or tribal decks emerge. As the pool of creatures with these types it expands, having a land that can potentially tap for any color needed for party members becomes a strategic advantage.

How to Beat Base Camp

Base Camp in Magic: The Gathering serves as a powerful support land for tribal decks, particularly those focusing on the Party mechanic introduced in the Zendikar Rising set. As a land that taps for colorless mana or mana of any color specifically for your Clerics, Rogues, Warriors, and Wizards, it can be the key to unleashing a diverse and synergistic onslaught.

However, there are ways to disrupt the advantage Base Camp provides. Employing land destruction cards or transforming abilities can effectively neutralize its benefits. Direct land removal spells like Field of Ruin can dismantle the intricate mana base that Base Camp supports. Alternatively, playing strategies that don’t rely heavily on your opponent’s lands allows you to circumvent Base Camp’s impact, keeping the focus on proactive plays rather than reactive tactics.

Ultimately, whether you opt to attack the land directly or simply build a deck that can operate independently of your opponent’s configurations, countering the utility of Base Camp lies in readiness and strategic deck building. Integrating this into your gameplay can improve your chances against decks leveraging the specific tribal supports that Base Camp offers.

Cards like Base Camp

Base Camp serves as a unique land card within the rich tapestry of Magic: The Gathering. It provides mana fixing for a tribal-focused deck, specifically supporting “Party” creatures – Clerics, Rogues, Warriors, and Wizards. This role is reminiscent of other tribal lands like Unclaimed Territory. While Unclaimed Territory provides mana for any creature type, it does not offer the colorless mana option that Base Camp does for non-creature spells. However, Base Camp is similar in that it comes into play untapped, allowing for immediate impact on the game.

Another card to consider alongside Base Camp is Cavern of Souls. Cavern provides mana for creatures and renders them uncounterable, which can be game-deciding in a meta populated with control decks. Unlike Base Camp, Cavern of Souls offers unconditional mana for creatures of the chosen type but lacks the broader “Party” mechanic support. Additionally, Cavern of Souls enters the battlefield untapped, which is always a highly valued trait in lands.

Assessing Base Camp within the context of its peers, it holds a niche position for “Party” mechanic decks, enabling mana diversity while supporting multiple creature types. Its instant utility and tribal synergy make it a valuable land card among MTG’s vast array of options for deck builders.

Cards similar to Base Camp by color, type and mana cost

Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions

Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions

Temple of the False God - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Base Camp MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar Rising, 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 Base Camp and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Base Camp has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2020-09-25	The mana generated by Base Camp’s last ability can’t be spent to activate abilities of cards that aren’t on the battlefield or to pay a cost in a resolving triggered ability.