Cultivate

This common sorcery is a powerful land acceleration tool that can help you ramp into more expensive spells. It allows you to search your library for up to two basic lands, putting one onto the battlefield tapped and keeping the other in hand.

In Commander, Cultivate is often used to accelerate towards more expensive mana rocks like Mythic Rites or Llanowar Elves. Its versatility also makes it a popular choice in casual and multiplayer formats.

Cultivate

This common sorcery from the Mirrodin Besieged set is a reliable way to search for basic lands in your library. The card's effects are straightforward, making it an excellent addition to any green-based deck.

Rules and Keyword Abilities

• Mana Cost: {2}{G}, which is 3 mana total.
• Type Line: Sorcery, indicating that Cultivate is a non-creature spell.
• Oracle Text: The card's primary effect. When played, it searches your library for up to two basic land cards. You then reveal those cards, put one onto the battlefield tapped (if you find a basic land), and return the other to your hand. Finally, you shuffle your library.

Function on the Stack and Battlefield

When Cultivate is cast:

1. The card resolves immediately.
2. It searches for up to two basic land cards in your library.
3. You reveal these cards, which means they're put face-up on top of your library.
4. If you find a basic land (tapped or untapped), you put it onto the battlefield tapped.
5. The other revealed card is put into your hand.
6. Finally, your library is shuffled.

Edge Cases and Interactions

• Multiple Copies: Having multiple copies of Cultivate can lead to an advantage in terms of finding basic lands quickly.
• Library Manipulation: Cards like Mystical Tutor or Llanowar Elves can be used in conjunction with Cultivate to accelerate the search for specific lands.
• Shuffling: After using Cultivate, shuffling your library will put any unused cards back into the shuffled state.

Commander-Specific Quirks

In a Commander deck, Cultivate's primary role is as a flexible land-drawing tool. Its ability to find basic lands can help support a variety of green-based strategies, especially those that rely on ramping mana quickly or finding specific land combinations.

Cultivate is a versatile common sorcery that has found its way into various deck archetypes, from casual to competitive builds. Its ability to search for and add basic lands to the board or hand makes it an attractive addition to green-based strategies.

One of the primary uses of Cultivate is in ramping up mana development, particularly for combo decks and engines like Ancestral Recall and Goblin Guide. By adding a single land to the battlefield while also placing another into hand, Cultivate provides a way to accelerate mana generation without relying on more expensive cards.

In terms of Commander strategies, Cultivate is most beneficial in green-based archetypes such as:

• Boros-less Boros Legion
• Naya Burn
• Jeskai (with a splash of green)

These builds often rely on aggressive creatures and token production, where having an additional land on the board can be crucial for generating power quickly.

Cultivate also sees play in more casual and niche builds, such as:

• Simic Ramp
• Abzan Ramp
• Mono-Green Aggro

In these decks, Cultivate serves as a way to supplement existing ramp spells like Llanowar Elves and Sylvan Caryatid, allowing for faster development of the board.

Furthermore, Cultivate pairs well with cards like Mox Opal and Expedition Map, which enable even more aggressive and explosive starts.

Overall, while Cultivate may not be a flashy or overpowered card, its value lies in its consistency and reliability as a ramp spell.

Cultivate is a versatile sorcery that excels at fixing mana, accelerating land development, and providing card advantage. Its ability to search for two basic lands allows it to support a wide range of green decks, from aggressive ramp strategies to more controlling midrange plans.

Combos with Ramp Spells

One way to leverage Cultivate's power is by combining it with powerful ramp spells like ** Explosive Vegetation, Gilt-Leaf City, or Renewal Zone**. These cards accelerate the player's mana development, enabling them to play lands more efficiently and set up a strong board presence.

Example: Play Cultivate on turn 2 to find two basic lands. Use one of these lands to play Explosive Vegetation, which taps for three colorless mana. On your next turn, use the other land found by Cultivate to play Gilt-Leaf City, which allows you to untap a tapped creature and tap another untapped creature or land.

Synergy with Land-Based Tokens

Cultivate's ability to put one of the found lands onto the battlefield tapped can be used to create a variety of token-producing effects. For instance, playing a land like Elvish Mystic or Folia alongside Cultivate enables the player to generate additional tokens, which can be leveraged for card advantage.

Example: Play Cultivate on turn 2 to find two basic lands and put one onto the battlefield tapped. Use this tapped land to play Elvish Mystic, which generates a 0/1 green creature token when you cast it. The other found land can be used to accelerate your mana development, allowing you to play more powerful spells.

Interactions with Card Draw

Cultivate's ability to put one of the found lands into your hand can also provide card advantage by enabling you to draw additional cards through effects like Llanowar Elves, Nature's Claim, or Sylvan Library. By playing a land that draws an extra card, you can potentially find more powerful spells and accelerate your game plan.

Example: Play Cultivate on turn 2 to find two basic lands and put one into your hand. Use this drawn land to play Llanowar Elves, which generates a 1/1 green creature token when it's cast. The other found land can be used to accelerate your mana development, allowing you to play more powerful spells.

By leveraging these advanced interactions with ramp spells, land-based tokens, and card draw effects, players can maximize the potential of Cultivate in their Commander decks.

Cultivate Mistakes

In Commander, Cultivate is a versatile card that can be used to ramp up your mana or fix your colors. However, there are some common mistakes players make when using this card.

• Poor Timing: One mistake is playing Cultivate too late in the game, when you're already low on life and need to survive for another turn. This means you won't have enough time to use the second land drop from Cultivate effectively.
• Misunderstanding the Oracle Text: Some players think that Cultivate only allows them to draw a card and put one land onto the battlefield. However, it actually allows them to reveal up to two basic lands, put one onto the battlefield tapped, and keep the other in their hand.
• Failing to Synergize with Lands: Cultivate is most powerful when used with other cards that benefit from having multiple basic lands on the battlefield. For example, playing Fertile Ground or Growth Spiral alongside Cultivate can create a strong ramp engine.

Common Mistakes in Specific Commander Decks

• Selesnya Decks: In Selesnya decks, players often forget to include enough green sources to take full advantage of Cultivate. This means they're not getting the most out of their land drops.
• Golgari Decks: Golgari players may neglect to include cards like Grizzly Bears or Elvish Mystic, which synergize well with Cultivate and can help them ramp up their mana more efficiently.

Key Takeaways

• Use Cultivate early in the game, when you have a good chance of developing your board and using its second land drop.
• Make sure to include enough basic lands and other cards that benefit from having multiple lands on the battlefield.
• Consider including cards like Fertile Ground or Growth Spiral to create a strong ramp engine with Cultivate.

Cultivate is a versatile and reliable spell that can be used in various situations to accelerate land development. Its ability to search for and reveal two basic lands, put one onto the battlefield tapped, and add another to your hand makes it an excellent choice for players looking to maintain a strong board presence.

Common Applications:

1. Land-heavy strategies: Cultivate is particularly effective in combo decks that rely on generating card advantage through +1/+1 counters or disrupting opponents' plans.
2. Mana acceleration: By putting a basic land onto the battlefield tapped, Cultivate helps maintain a steady supply of mana, allowing players to sustain their developing board presence.

Notable Interactions:

• Pairing Cultivate with Giant Growth creates an integral part of a land-heavy strategy, ensuring that even as creatures grow in power and numbers, the underlying foundation of mana remains robust.
• Combining it with Urgent Rationality can result in a potent tempo play, allowing players to rapidly accelerate their mana development.

Budget-Friendly Commander Options:

For players looking to build a budget-friendly Commander deck, consider incorporating the following cards:

1. Evolving Wilds: A common land from Khans of Tarkir that allows you to search for and add basic lands to your hand.
2. Llanowar Wastes: A common land from Lorwyn that enables tapping for colorless mana.

These cards can help supplement Cultivate's ability, allowing players to build a robust and budget-friendly Commander deck.

Accessibility:

Cultivate is a common sorcery from the Mirrodin Besieged set, making it easily accessible to players. Its non-foil versions are extremely affordable, with a price point that's less than 1 cent in Tix (the game's internal currency).

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Cultivate is a versatile common sorcery that can be used to build around various Commanders, color identities, and themes. Its ability to search for two basic land cards makes it an excellent addition to any deck focused on ramp or land acceleration.

Commander Pairings:

• Liliana of the Veil: As a midrange Commander, Liliana's ability to generate card advantage and her affinity for black-green colors make her an excellent pairing with Cultivate. The sorcery allows you to dig deeper into your library for additional lands, fueling Liliana's gameplan.
• Zegana, Utopian Architect: This Commander excels at playing lands and drawing cards. Cultivate enables Zegana to find more lands to play and generates additional card advantage, making the combination incredibly powerful.

Color Identities:

• Green-White Stax (Fixed): Cultivate is an excellent addition to a fixed Green-White Stax deck, allowing you to accelerate your ramp and generate card advantage.
• Green-Black Ramp: In this color identity, Cultivate pairs well with cards like Bog Wraith and Dark Depths, enabling you to accelerate your ramp and play more lands.

Themes:

• Land Ramp: Cultivate is a natural fit for any deck focused on land acceleration. It generates card advantage while allowing you to find the necessary lands to fuel your gameplan.
• Card Advantage: The sorcery's ability to search for two basic land cards makes it an excellent addition to decks looking to generate card advantage, such as those featuring Glimpse of Nature or Sylvan Library.

Synergy Cards:

• Llanowar Elves: This creature pairs well with Cultivate, generating additional mana and allowing you to play more lands.
• Blossoming Defence: This enchantment synergizes perfectly with Cultivate, enabling you to generate card advantage while protecting your creatures from destruction.
• Elvish Mystic: As a cheap green creature, Elvish Mystic can be used as a mana source or as a threat in itself. Cultivate enables the player to find additional lands and fuel the Mystic's power.

Combo Notes:

• Cultivate can be used to accelerate ramp and enable more powerful combo pieces, such as Juggernaut or Brahma Zealot.

Cultivate is a staple in many green decks, particularly in Commander. Its ability to search for basic lands and add them to the battlefield or hand makes it an excellent card draw tool.

Commander Impact:

• Cultivate is a competitive card in casual and budget-friendly green Commander decks.
• It works well with Llanowar Elves, Flood ,and other ramp spells to accelerate land development.
• In combination with Vines of Vastwood, it can create a massive board presence by generating an abundance of basic lands.

Other Formats:

• Cultivate is also playable in Modern, where it can help green decks like Jund and Temur develop their mana base quickly.
• In Pioneer, it's used to fuel token generation with Llanowar Elves or Fertile Ground.
• However, its competitive viability decreases in formats like Legacy and Vintage due to the abundance of more powerful cards.

Banned/Legality:

• Cultivate is not banned in any format, but it may be restricted or prohibited in certain Commander variants with specific themes or restrictions.
• It's worth noting that some decks, particularly those relying on Aurelia, the Warleader and Sylvan Caryatid, might consider Cultivate as a key component.

Casual/Overlooked:

• While not particularly overlooked, Cultivate is sometimes undervalued in more aggressive green decks prioritizing early game pressure over long-term card draw.
• However, this mindset overlooks the card's versatility and ability to create a robust board presence through land development.

Cultivate: A Land-Delivering Sorcery

In a Mono-Green deck, Cultivate excels when playing against opponents with limited board presence. By searching for two basic lands, you can immediately establish a strong land advantage and fuel your mana development.

• In the early game, Cultivate allows you to ramp into more expensive spells or generate card advantage through +1/+1 counters.
• Against aggressive decks like Mono-Red or Boros Aggro, Cultivate helps you stay ahead in terms of land advantage, making it harder for them to develop their board.

However, Cultivate falls short when facing opponents with established board presence. In such situations:

• If your opponent has already developed a strong board, Cultivate may not provide the same level of value as other spells that can immediately impact the game state.
• Against control decks or combo decks, Cultivate's benefits are diminished if it doesn't allow you to generate additional card advantage or disrupt their plans.

In Commander matchups, Cultivate's effectiveness depends on the specific metagame and your opponent's strategy:

• In multiplayer games with many lands and creatures already on the board, Cultivate might not provide as much value.
• However, if your opponent is struggling to find mana or has a fragile board presence, Cultivate can help you capitalize on their weaknesses.

Ultimately, Cultivate excels in situations where land advantage and card draw are crucial. It's essential to consider the specific matchup, the state of the board, and the available cards when deciding whether to play Cultivate.

Cultivate has been a part of Magic's history since its introduction in Mirrodin Besieged (M11) as a common sorcery. With a mana cost of {2}{G}, it enables players to search for basic lands, providing a reliable way to accelerate land development.

Reprints of Cultivate have appeared in several sets:

• Core Set 2020 (reprint)
• Guilds of Ravnica (reprint)

In terms of tournament presence, Cultivate has been included in various formats, including Commander (EDH) and Modern. According to EDHREC, it holds the 18th position among all cards by EDH popularity.

Cultivate is often found in iconic green-blue combo decks that leverage its ability to accelerate land development. One notable example is the "Abzan Combo" decklist from the 2014 Pro Tour Season:

• 2x Cultivate
• 1x Sylvan Caryatid
• 1x Prime Speaker Zegana

Cultivate's versatility has led to it being included in various lists, including those focused on green-blue and blue-green strategies.

In the vast expanse of the Mirrodin block, where the remnants of an ancient world struggle to reclaim their place among the stars, Tarmogoyf's verdant companions find solace in the fertile plains. Cultivate, a humble sorcery from the set Mirrodin Besieged (M11), embodies the symbiotic relationship between life and growth.

Its oracle text is deceptively simple: Search your library for up to two basic land cards, reveal those cards, put one onto the battlefield tapped and the other into your hand, then shuffle. This common sorcery serves as a reliable means of ensuring a steady supply of mana in mid-game, allowing players to sustain their developing board presence.

As the world of Mirrodin struggles to heal from the ravages of the artifacts left behind by its ancient creators, Cultivate's quiet resilience resonates with the land itself. The card's utility is not flashy or explosive, but it provides a steady heartbeat in the rhythm of the game. In an environment where Boros Charm's aggressive tempo often clashes with the defensive stances of other factions, Cultivate's understated elegance offers a welcome respite.

In combination with Giant Growth, Cultivate becomes an integral part of a land-heavy strategy, ensuring that even as creatures grow in power and numbers, the underlying foundation of mana remains robust. Conversely, pairing it with Urgent Rationality can result in a potent tempo play, allowing players to rapidly accelerate their mana development.

Cultivate is more than just a utility spell; it's an affirmation of life's persistence even in the harshest environments. As the Mirrodin block's rich tapestry weaves together tales of redemption and renewal, Cultivate remains a testament to the enduring power of nature.