Is it allowed to take the pictures from magiccards.info?
So this is about Land Tax, one of the classic cards.
I recently have the feeling that this card isnt as good as it was two or three years ago. I know that there are still awesome cards to combine with like Forbid but it seems like in the decks Land Tax fits there are just so much spells I would play before. Am I the only one?
It works great in conjunction with other cards. Take Scroll Rack for example. During upkeep, Land Tax triggers, grab 3 lands, then activate scroll rack to put back at least the 3 lands. During your next turn, land tax shuffles the lands away, grab 3 new lands, scroll rack them, repeat.
Bounce lands also work well with land tax.
It is not always the first card drawn, but it helps support multiple color mana bases.
If you combine it with Scroll Rack, you get a hell of a draw engine.
Find the Plains, Scroll rack them away for a draw 3. Repeat until CA has won you the game.
I routinely get 3-6 cards (lands) off of Land Tax. That is a level of card advantage unmatched by any other card in the cube. It assures you never miss a land drop, have back-up lands for post Armageddon/Wildfire/Desolation Angel, makes a fun combo with Forbid/Scroll Rack/Wild Mongrel, breaks any symmetrical discard like Balance or Liliana of the Veil, and often puts your opponent in the position of giving you card advantage simply by dropping his land. It's savage! I rank it as roughly the 5th best white card (Balance, Armageddon, Elspeth 1.0, and Gideon being my likely top 4).
Land Tax is easily one of the 5 best white spells in the entire cube. Ensuring you're never out-resourced is worth the 1 mana by itself. Not to mention that it's often a 3, 6, or even 9-for-1 in terms of card advantage. The card is absolutely ridiculous.
Land Tax and Forbid is definitely one of my favorite combos; it works even in Peasant. It's an astounding card, and has great synergy with many things, including sacrificing your own lands and guaranteeing landfall.
One game I had an opening of "Mox Pearl, Land Tax, go." That hopeless feeling of "pretty much no matter what he's getting 3 basics" from my opponent was sweet.
I see a lot of best case scenario and a few notable synergies here. Certainly land tax is fantastic in those situations. It's not even that hard to set them up, so it is a good card. However, it's worst case scenario is pretty abysmal. On the play, it is often a de facto mulligan. And later in the game, it's worse to draw into than many other white 1 drops like mom, swords, path, or even a lion. It tends to go mid-pack, around pick 7 or 8, which I think is about right.
The WCS on Land Tax implies that your opponent isn't out-resourcing you, which is actually a good sign. And as a topdeck, it can still generate some massive CA towards the end of the game, which can be a big deal for control mirrors (which are the games that typically run long anyways). And I don't think it's an auto-mulligan when you're on the play. Land Tax saves more mulligans than it causes, even when you're going first. Even though you don't have to do it to make it good, it's very often worth skipping a land drop to generate 3-for-1 card advantage, secure your next 3 land drops and fix your mana perfectly.
When Land Tax is bad, its mediocre. When its good, it can put you in a position to easily win.
The only time you dont want Land Tax out is in aggro, and maybe even there I could see it (I dont care if I geddon, because 1.I'll search out lands and 2. I dont need lands with my field, where you do.... which leads to 3. Less lands on deck=less chance of drawing one = better chance of drawing gas.)
I really hate this card and it has been on the brink of being cut for years. Whenever Land Tax is discussed, most comments explain how insane it can be or what you can do with the extra lands. Yeah, the effect is great, but it comes with a condition that makes it often hard to trigger. In fact, half the time where this card is drawn, it does absolutely nothing. Sure, I had games where I "drew" 12 basic lands with it which is obviously insane card advantage and if you look at the average amount of lands "drawn", then it would probably be around 3. Which is pretty good for a cost of only W. It seems that all the Land Tax fans here look at that pretty good average performance and at the insane best case scenarios, but I can't get over the fact that it does absolutely nothing half the time where it is drawn!
I also find it ironic that the decks that could trigger it the easiest (low curve aggro decks) are the decks that would want the extra lands the least and also usually don't run all those cards that let you turn the extra lands into spells.
Whenever someone mentions that Land Tax is one of the top ten white cards, I shake my head. It isn't even in of the top twenty!
I'm not going to "rank" this card among other white cards, but I'm going to say this: when it works, it's really powerful, and I think that alone still grants the card its slot in a cube. I like this kind of high variance, silly, offbeat effects as I think they are very good for exercizing your creativity and deckbuilding. I wouldn't fault anyone for not playing it in favor of more reliable cards, though.
Definitely top ten white card material for me, and one of my personal favourites (feel free to shake your head, Star Slayer). Yes, there are occasions where it does nothing. Overall those occasions are ones where I already have equal or better mana resources than my opponent, so it's not as important for it to do something. It's also entirely common to just skip a land drop mid-late game and throw my Land Tax down just to start stripping lands out my deck. There are many one drops with minimal late game impact, and this one has at least a few cool uses at that point unless you're miles ahead in terms of lands. It's just amazing early on in the game though. It's really not difficult to engineer it to work even on the play if you're smart about it (auto-mulligan? What nonsense), and of course it's extremely simple to do on the draw. Just one activation fixes your mana completely for the next three turns, and further activations just generate chaff for looters, improve your draw quality and so on. Very cool.
I agree with OP. Cube designers should reevaluate this card (and all others which they consider as staples). I say this card falls on the side of sentimentality.
Great on its own. Cheap. Powerful synergy everywhere. Fits in everything from white weenie to U/W control. What's to debate?
Is this true? I'm not questioning Phantizle, I just have very little experience with the card. Is this something you should be doing turn 1 in an aggro deck?
Great on its own. Cheap. Powerful synergy everywhere. Fits in everything from white weenie to U/W control. What's to debate?
Is this true? I'm not questioning Phantizle, I just have very little experience with the card. Is this something you should be doing turn 1 in an aggro deck?
No problem at all. I'm not sure it's something I'd go out of my way to get into an aggro deck (certainly not over other aggressive one drops) but I've played it in many WW decks. It assures you have all the mana you'll need, when you need it, and not drawing lands in the mid/late game is amazing. Plus, it works well with all the landfall critters and geddons.
My overall point is that the card is powerful, synergistic, and flexible. So if you only do two man Winchesters, play it, and if you only do 8 mana roasts, play it.
There can certainly be situations that this does nothing, but as others have pointed out, those are usually pretty good situations for you. I played this on my last MTG Online cube draft. I was on the draw and turn 1 Land Tax. Turn 2 I got extra lands and discarded some. T3 got even more lands, drew Mox Diamond, played the diamond and played Oracle of Mul Daya and proceeded to play another land. At that point my opponent conceded Too much value for him I guess.
For me, it's not one of the best white cards anymore, but it can still do some neat things and is unique enough to warrant a place in my cube. I don't consider it uncuttable in the future though.
I mean, no one is ever gonna dispute its potential on T1. However, the rate one draws it T1 every game is disputable. This is why I have huge reservations on this card. Handsize, or card advantage isn't as important nowaydays.
Now that basic 2-for-1 CA is represented all over the place (especially in the cube setting) and more by creatures than ever before, players need to strive to find ways to win that card advantage battle. And it's even more important when you're losing the resource battle; Land Tax happens to prevent both.
And no matter what phase of the game you draw it in, it's still good. Even late, if you're being out-resourced by your opponent, it'll still fix mana, generate card advantage, fill your hand for various effects and uses and keep you from losing the resource fight in the long run. If you're losing the resource battle, Land Tax shores up that weakness. If you've been losing the card advantage battle, you're probably lower on lands than your opponent is, and this helps get you to even footing. The only time it ever fails to do its job is when you're ahead on resources and ahead on card advantage. AKA, winning.
I like this kind of high variance, silly, offbeat effects as I think they are very good for exercizing your creativity and deckbuilding.
I like silly, offbeat effects, too, but I despise high variance cards. Especially cards that are insane if they are in your starting hand, but useless later. This just leaves it to the luck of the (initial) draw if you clobber your opponent with that card or if you draw a total dud later. It's not only Land Tax, I hate Black Vise and super fast mana cards like Sol Ring for similar reasons.
The deck that can trigger it the easiest is not the 15 lands aggro deck, but the deck that can afford to not increase their land count for 1 turn.
The only decks that I can think of that can afford to not increase their land count for 1 turn early are aggro decks and decks with many cheap non-land mana cards (like mana elves or Signets). However, the latter are usually the ones that also run lots of expensive spells and few cards to pressure the opponent early, so the opponent can just skip his land drop, too, while your big spells sit in your hand and you have nothing to punish him for it. I have tried Tax in aggro, Wildfire, Pox and several midrange decks and even though I sometimes successfully triggered Tax there, there were just as many games where it didn't trigger at all. Maybe it would help if you could give specific advise how a deck that can play with Tax best should look like?
Many cards have the caveat of not doing a whole lot if drawn later (and this is even arguable in regards to Land Tax specifically). Black Lotus is a terrible top deck if you're hellbent for instance. If a cube card is super powerful (or has an important job in building a curve, like Llanowar Elves) in your starting hand, I feel it is worth considering. Cube to me thrives on early game options; there are so many awesome, game warping mid game cards that I feel like you can include a bunch of starting hand all stars in good conscience.
Also, the art is hilarious.
Yes, there are many 1-drops that are bad top decks, but they all do at least something. Even Savannah Lions or Llanowar Elves are at least a body on turn seven. Tax often does stone-cold nothing if drawn late. I hate that!
Personally, I find the original art really ugly. I think the only reason why I haven't cut Tax yet is that I have the beautiful Judge promo.
The only time it ever fails to do its job is when you're ahead on resources and ahead on card advantage. AKA, winning.
Having more lands than the opponent does not mean that you are winning. If you are out of gas and are in topdeck mode, it doesn't matter how many lands you have. And that is the exact moment where drawing a card that does absolutely nothing is the most misereable.
Maybe I have just been insanely unlucky with the card. As I said above, I tried it in many different decks (basically everything but hard control, since those just can't afford to skip their land drop early). No matter what I played, there were so many games where I either drew Tax late in a situation where my opponent had less lands than myself or my opponent was playing an aggressive deck that could just skip land drops, too, while keeping up the pressure.
Lol you know card advantage? As in classic card advantage? haha cards in hand aren't as vogue as 1995...
Board advantage (to be more technical and precise) is clearly in rhythm now, and for the foreseeable future. I agree with star slayer... too much high variance.
So this is about Land Tax, one of the classic cards.
I recently have the feeling that this card isnt as good as it was two or three years ago. I know that there are still awesome cards to combine with like Forbid but it seems like in the decks Land Tax fits there are just so much spells I would play before. Am I the only one?
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Bounce lands also work well with land tax.
It is not always the first card drawn, but it helps support multiple color mana bases.
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Find the Plains, Scroll rack them away for a draw 3. Repeat until CA has won you the game.
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The only time you dont want Land Tax out is in aggro, and maybe even there I could see it (I dont care if I geddon, because 1.I'll search out lands and 2. I dont need lands with my field, where you do.... which leads to 3. Less lands on deck=less chance of drawing one = better chance of drawing gas.)
540 Peasant cube- Gold EditionSomething SpicyI also find it ironic that the decks that could trigger it the easiest (low curve aggro decks) are the decks that would want the extra lands the least and also usually don't run all those cards that let you turn the extra lands into spells.
Whenever someone mentions that Land Tax is one of the top ten white cards, I shake my head. It isn't even in of the top twenty!
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UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
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No problem at all. I'm not sure it's something I'd go out of my way to get into an aggro deck (certainly not over other aggressive one drops) but I've played it in many WW decks. It assures you have all the mana you'll need, when you need it, and not drawing lands in the mid/late game is amazing. Plus, it works well with all the landfall critters and geddons.
My overall point is that the card is powerful, synergistic, and flexible. So if you only do two man Winchesters, play it, and if you only do 8 mana roasts, play it.
For me, it's not one of the best white cards anymore, but it can still do some neat things and is unique enough to warrant a place in my cube. I don't consider it uncuttable in the future though.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
You mean, it's more important than ever nowadays?
Now that basic 2-for-1 CA is represented all over the place (especially in the cube setting) and more by creatures than ever before, players need to strive to find ways to win that card advantage battle. And it's even more important when you're losing the resource battle; Land Tax happens to prevent both.
And no matter what phase of the game you draw it in, it's still good. Even late, if you're being out-resourced by your opponent, it'll still fix mana, generate card advantage, fill your hand for various effects and uses and keep you from losing the resource fight in the long run. If you're losing the resource battle, Land Tax shores up that weakness. If you've been losing the card advantage battle, you're probably lower on lands than your opponent is, and this helps get you to even footing. The only time it ever fails to do its job is when you're ahead on resources and ahead on card advantage. AKA, winning.
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The only decks that I can think of that can afford to not increase their land count for 1 turn early are aggro decks and decks with many cheap non-land mana cards (like mana elves or Signets). However, the latter are usually the ones that also run lots of expensive spells and few cards to pressure the opponent early, so the opponent can just skip his land drop, too, while your big spells sit in your hand and you have nothing to punish him for it. I have tried Tax in aggro, Wildfire, Pox and several midrange decks and even though I sometimes successfully triggered Tax there, there were just as many games where it didn't trigger at all. Maybe it would help if you could give specific advise how a deck that can play with Tax best should look like?
Yes, there are many 1-drops that are bad top decks, but they all do at least something. Even Savannah Lions or Llanowar Elves are at least a body on turn seven. Tax often does stone-cold nothing if drawn late. I hate that!
Personally, I find the original art really ugly. I think the only reason why I haven't cut Tax yet is that I have the beautiful Judge promo.
Having more lands than the opponent does not mean that you are winning. If you are out of gas and are in topdeck mode, it doesn't matter how many lands you have. And that is the exact moment where drawing a card that does absolutely nothing is the most misereable.
Maybe I have just been insanely unlucky with the card. As I said above, I tried it in many different decks (basically everything but hard control, since those just can't afford to skip their land drop early). No matter what I played, there were so many games where I either drew Tax late in a situation where my opponent had less lands than myself or my opponent was playing an aggressive deck that could just skip land drops, too, while keeping up the pressure.
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG
Lol you know card advantage? As in classic card advantage? haha cards in hand aren't as vogue as 1995...
Board advantage (to be more technical and precise) is clearly in rhythm now, and for the foreseeable future. I agree with star slayer... too much high variance.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG