Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is a Mythic-Rarity Legendary Land that's a staple in many Commander decks. Its ability to convert every land into a Swamp makes it an excellent addition to Orzhov and Golgari decks, which already rely heavily on Swamps for their card advantage. With its 0-mana cost, Urborg can be played as soon as possible, providing a rapid way to generate life loss and fuel for your deck's spells.

In Commander, Urborg is particularly popular in Orzhov and Golgari shells, where it synergizes with cards like Grave Titan and Liliana of the Veil. Its ability also pairs well with Dark Confidant, allowing you to accelerate your mana development while generating life loss for your opponents.

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth: A Swampy Twist on Legendary Lands

As a Legendary Land, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is a unique addition to any Commander deck. Its Oracle Text reads: "Each land is a Swamp in addition to its other land types." This seemingly innocuous effect has far-reaching implications for gameplay.

Mana Cost and Colors Urborg's mana cost is 0.0, making it a free land that can be played on the first turn of the game. Its colorless nature means it doesn't contribute to any specific mana pool, but its impact on other lands is where things get interesting.

Stack and Battlefield Interactions

• Stack: When Urborg enters the battlefield, its ability doesn't trigger immediately. Instead, it waits for you to play additional lands. As soon as another land is played, Urborg's ability resolves, making each of those lands a Swamp in addition to their original type.
• Battlefield: With multiple lands now being Swamps, you can take advantage of the increased mana production from these dual-typed lands. For example, if you have an Evolving Wilds, it will become a 2/4 creature and produce two colorless mana when it enters the battlefield.

Edge Cases and Unusual Interactions

• Plains and Swamps: If you play a Plains alongside Urborg, it becomes a Swamp, but it doesn't change the Plains' type. You can still use this land to tap for one colorless mana.
• Fellwar Stone: If you have a Fellwar Stone in your deck, its ability will now trigger on each of the Swamps created by Urborg's ability. This could lead to some interesting interactions and combos with cards like Goblin Guide or Ranger-Captain of Eos.
• Urborg and Other Dual-Typed Lands: If you have multiple dual-typed lands in play, such as a dual Swamp/Forest land, each one will now be a Swamp. This can lead to increased mana production, but it also means you'll need to pay attention to the type-changing effects of other cards.

Commander-Specific Quirks

• Banned Cards: Keep in mind that Urborg's ability doesn't interact with banned cards like Eternal Witness or Sylvan Caryatid, which have their own rules and interactions.
• Deckbuilding: When building a Commander deck around Urborg, consider the types of lands you'll be playing alongside it. You may want to focus on other dual-typed lands or create a more Swamp-heavy landbase to maximize the benefits of Urborg's ability.

In summary, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth offers a unique twist on legendary lands by making each played land a Swamp in addition to its original type. Its interactions with other cards and lands can lead to interesting combos and strategies, but also require attention to detail when building your deck and playing games.

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is a highly sought-after card that shines in various Commander strategies, particularly those centered around black and multicolored decks.

Golgari Midrange: Urborg's ability to convert all lands to Swamps creates a synergistic relationship with Liliana of the Veil and other Golgari commanders. With this setup, players can generate an overwhelming amount of life gain while still ramping into powerful spells. In this archetype, Urborg is often paired with cards like Carrion Feeder, Bribery, and [Sanguine Bond to create a formidable life-draining gameplan.

Jund Midrange: This strategy leverages Urborg's ability to provide an abundance of black mana sources, allowing for more frequent activations of Liliana, Heretical Healer and other key Jund pieces. Players can then efficiently ramp into their combo pieces or maintain a strong board presence with cards like Shriekmaw, Mogg Fanatic, and [Darkblast.

Merfolk: Although less conventional, Urborg can also contribute to Merfolk decks by providing an alternative source of blue mana in addition to its ability to generate Swamps. This setup allows players to more easily cast Lord of Atlantis or other Merfolk commanders while still benefiting from the life gain provided by Urborg's ability.

Other Notable Mentions:

• Simic Ramp: In this archetype, Urborg serves as a critical component for generating black mana sources, which are essential for Simic's aggressive playstyle.
• Eldrazi Ramp: As a land with multiple types, Urborg can help accelerate the Eldrazi ramp into their powerful spells and artifacts.

When building around Urborg, it is crucial to balance its life-gaining potential with more competitive cards. By combining Urborg with aggressive threats and removal spells, players can maintain an advantage on the board while leveraging the card's unique abilities to generate Swamps and support a midrange or control strategy.

Synergies and Interactions with Other Cards

• Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth can be played in combination with Sylvan Caryatid to create a massive token generating engine. The creature's ability allows it to generate 1 mana for each Swamp on the battlefield, which is augmented by Urborg's effect, effectively making all lands Swamps.
• When paired with Undergrowth, Urborg can further enhance the already-synergistic relationship between Undergrowth and land types. This creates a cycle of generating tokens and increasing land value, allowing for explosive combos.
• In some cases, Urborg can also be played as an enabler for Sakashima the All-Seeing's ability to draw cards when casting spells that hit opponents with a single spell.

Land Type Manipulation

Urborg's Oracle text allows it to change land types on the battlefield. This effect can have far-reaching implications in various deck archetypes: * In combination with Verdant Catacombs, Urborg enables the creation of multiple Swamplands, effectively allowing for more life gain through Life Gain cards and increasing the availability of tokens through Garruk Primal Hunter. * By adding a single land type to an existing land, Urborg can disrupt opponents' plans and force them to adapt their strategy. For example, if they are relying on Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin or Kodama's Reach, playing Urborg could change the land type of that particular card.

Token Generation

Urborg is often seen as an enabler for token-generating cards: * With a large number of Swamps generated by Urborg and other effects, Golgari Findbroker can generate numerous tokens to provide a steady stream of small creatures. * Similarly, playing Kuldotha Rebirth alongside Urborg allows for mass recursion and creation of multiple 4/4 Beast tokens.

Common Mistakes with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Mistaking the land types on Urborg is a common error. Players often overlook that it's a Legendary Land, meaning only one can be played per deck, and its ability doesn't change its basic land types.

• Many players forget to count Urborg as a Swamp in addition to its other land types when determining mana costs or applying effects.
  • For example, if you have an effect that says "play this card from the top of your library," it will still be treated as a non-Island basic land.

Timing and sequencing are crucial with Urborg. Players often misunderstand how to use its ability in combination with other cards.

• A common mistake is playing Urborg on the same turn you cast a spell that requires multiple colors, thinking the Swamp bonus will help. However, if you play a non-Island basic land on the same turn as casting a spell, it won't be able to use its abilities until the next turn.
  • Instead, consider playing Urborg in the following turn after casting your spells or using it to make up for missing Swamps in your deck.

Synergies and interactions with other cards can also lead to mistakes. Players often overlook how Urborg interacts with cards that affect land types or basic lands.

• Be cautious when combining Urborg with cards like Mistbind Clique or Rite of the Raging Storm, which care about land types.
  • These interactions might not always be beneficial and can lead to missed opportunities for synergies in your deck.

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is a powerful and versatile legendary land card that has made its mark in various Magic: The Gathering formats. Its unique ability to convert every land into a Swamp has earned it a spot as a staple in EDH (Commander) decks.

History and Notable Appearances

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth was first introduced in the Vintage 12 set and has since become a sought-after card in various formats. Its impact can be seen in its inclusion in several iconic Commander decks, including those featuring Meren of Clan Nel Toth and Atraxa, Praetors' Voice. In these decks, Urborg serves as a key enabler for powerful Ancestral Recall-like effects, allowing players to generate an abundance of Black mana.

Budget-Friendliness and Reprint Status

Urborg's price point is around $62 in foil and non-foil formats on average. As it's a rare and older card, its value can fluctuate over time. For those looking to build a budget-friendly deck around Urborg's ability, consider these alternatives:

• Scavenging Geist: A 2-color (Blue-Black) creature that can turn any land into a Swamp.
• Blighted Caves: An older card from the Apocalypse set, Blighted Caves is a 1-color (Black) legendary land that turns all lands into Swamps.

Flavor & Lore

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is a haunted city nestled deep within the treacherous jungles of Dominaria. This forsaken place serves as a mausoleum for the malevolent entity who once sought to reshape the world in his image. The card's oracle text hints at the profound impact of Yawgmoth's presence on this corrupted environment, making it a hotbed of twisted life and unnatural growth.

Players who wield Urborg in their decks are essentially embracing this corrupted environment, seeking to tap into its dark power and unleash unholy terrors upon their opponents. In a sense, they're acknowledging the terrible consequences of Yawgmoth's ambition and channeling that chaos into their own gameplay.

Overall, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth excels in decks that heavily rely on Swamp-based synergy and token generation. Its ability to convert any land into a Swamp creates new possibilities for powerful combos and board presence.

Building Around Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Urborg's ability to convert any land into a Swamp in addition to its other types makes it an extremely versatile and valuable card. It can be used to support various Commander decks that rely on black-based strategies, as well as those that feature Swamps or other lands with multiple types.

Color Identities:

• Black is the primary color for decks built around Urborg, but it's not the only option. Green-Black and Multi-Color decks can also utilize this card effectively.
• For a more budget-friendly approach, consider building an EDH deck using cards from the Lorwyn or Mirrodin blocks.

Commanders:

Some notable Commanders that work well with Urborg include:

• Griselbrand: A legendary creature that benefits greatly from an abundance of black mana and Swamps.
• Kozilek, the Great Distortion: A Commander that can leverage Urborg's ability to generate multiple Swamps per turn, enabling more spells and combos.

Themes:

Urborg is particularly effective in decks with the following themes:

• Swamp-heavy deck archetypes, such as Simic or Golgari.
• Black-based aggro strategies, which can utilize Urborg to accelerate their mana development.
• Combo decks that rely on multiple colors, like Azorius or Dimir.

Synergy Cards:

To maximize the potential of Urborg in your deck:

• Include a mix of basic Swamps (e.g., Swamp) and other lands with multiple types (e.g., Misty Rainforest).
• Add cards that generate additional mana, such as Tatyova, Benthic Druid or Eternal Witness.
• Consider including spell cards like Griselbrand's Reanimator or Kozilek's Return, which benefit from an abundance of Swamps.

Combo Notes:

Be aware that Urborg can create complex interactions with other lands and spells, potentially allowing you to manipulate the game state in unexpected ways. Take care when building your deck around this card to ensure the overall strategy remains cohesive and balanced.

Format Impact: Commander and Beyond

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is a versatile, high-demand legendary land in the Commander format. Its ability to convert any land into a Swamp makes it an excellent addition to Golgari and Simic decks.

• Commander: As a 0-mana land with no additional costs, Urborg is an ideal fix for color-fixing issues. It pairs well with cards like Sylvan Caryatid and Fertile Ground, which help accelerate early game development.
• EDH (Elder Dragon Highlander): The same considerations apply as in Commander. Players often use Urborg to gain access to the life-gain potential of Swamp, while also fixing for other colors if needed.

Urborg sees less play outside of these formats due to its high mana cost and lack of direct power.

• Modern: With the rise of more efficient lands like Arbor Colossus and Regrowth, Urborg falls short in competitive Modern decks.
• Standard: It's even more underwhelming in Standard, where newer lands with added functionality are preferred.

Competitive Considerations

While not a staple in competitive formats, Urborg has niche applications:

• Golgari or Simic Combo: When paired with the right combo pieces like Ethereal Abomination, Burning Hands, and Tarns's Gauntlet], it can create explosive turns.
• Land-Hungry Strategies: Combos involving Urborg often rely on having a high number of lands to activate its ability. When combined with other powerful land manipulators, such as Chandra's Defiance, it can provide an advantage.

Casual and Casual-Competitive Players

Players looking for flexible color fixing or seeking ways to enable life-gain strategies may find Urborg appealing. However, its higher price point might deter some players from investing in this card.

Key Scenarios & Matchups

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth excels in decks that heavily rely on Swamp-based synergy and token generation. In these scenarios, its ability to convert any land into a Swamp becomes invaluable.

• Golgari Midrange: Pairing Urborg with cards like Ruthless Knuckleball and Liliana of the Veil creates a powerful midrange strategy that can generate a large number of tokens while maintaining a strong defense.
• Bolas's Thronehaven: This card is particularly potent in this set, where players often prioritize token generation. Urborg's ability to turn any land into a Swamp synergizes perfectly with Slaughter Pact and Thraben Inspector, leading to an explosion of token production.

In multiplayer games, Urborg's versatility shines when combined with other cards that benefit from its Swamp conversion:

• Multicolor Control: When paired with cards like Phantasmal Terrain and Minds Aglow, Urborg becomes a nightmare for opponents trying to play lands without access to Swamps.
• Token Swarm: With the help of Ajani's Pridemate or Conclave Cavalier, Urborg can quickly flood the board with tokens, making it difficult for opponents to keep up.

On the other hand, Urborg struggles in scenarios where token generation is not a priority:

• Mono-Red Aggro: Against aggressive decks that focus on dealing direct damage, Urborg's ability to convert lands into Swamps becomes less relevant.
• Combo Decks: In combo-oriented strategies like Estrid and Kemba, Kha Regent, Urborg's utility is overshadowed by the need for specific card combinations.

Overall, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth excels in decks that heavily rely on Swamp-based synergy and token generation. Its ability to convert any land into a Swamp creates new possibilities for powerful combos and board presence.

History and Notable Appearances

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is a mythic-rarity legendary land card from the Vintage 12 set. Its unique ability to convert every land into a Swamp has made it a staple in various formats, particularly in EDH (Commander) decks.

The card's impact can be seen in its inclusion in several iconic Commander decks, including those featuring Meren of Clan Nel Toth and Atraxa, Praetors' Voice. In these decks, Urborg serves as a key enabler for powerful Ancestral Recall-like effects, allowing players to generate an abundance of Black mana.

EDHREC statistics indicate that Urborg is ranked 63rd among all Commander cards, demonstrating its consistent popularity in the format. As for tournament presence, while it may not be a dominant force in Modern or Standard tournaments, its inclusion in certain Vintage and Commander decks has led to notable performances.

In terms of reprints, there have been no official reprints of Urborg since its initial release in the Vintage 12 set. However, its high price point (€44.24 for foil) may incentivize players to consider alternatives or budget-friendly options when building their collections.

Overall, Urborg's versatility and ability to impact gameplay make it a valuable addition to various decks, solidifying its place as a staple in the Magic: The Gathering community.

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is a legendary land that stands as a testament to the dark legacy of Yawgmoth, one of Magic's most infamous and powerful beings. This haunted city, nestled deep within the treacherous jungles of Dominaria, serves as a mausoleum for the malevolent entity who once sought to reshape the world in his image.

As you step into Urborg's crumbling streets, you're immediately enveloped by an eerie sense of foreboding. The air is thick with the scent of decay and death, and the very ground beneath your feet seems to whisper dark secrets. It's as if the land itself has been corrupted by Yawgmoth's influence, forever altering its natural balance.

The card's oracle text, "Each land is a Swamp in addition to its other land types," hints at the profound impact of Yawgmoth's presence on this forsaken place. Swamps, already notorious for their malevolent energies and dark magic, are further tainted by the lingering essence of the Black Vortex. This corruption seeps into every aspect of Urborg, making it a hotbed of twisted life and unnatural growth.

Players who wield Urborg in their decks are essentially embracing this corrupted environment, seeking to tap into its dark power and unleash unholy terrors upon their opponents. In a sense, they're acknowledging the terrible consequences of Yawgmoth's ambition and channeling that chaos into their own gameplay.

In the world of Magic, few locations evoke as much dread and reverence as Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. This foreboding city serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of unchecked power and the importance of balancing one's ambitions with humility and respect for the natural order. As a legendary land, it offers players a glimpse into the twisted history of Dominaria, where even the most malevolent forces can leave an indelible mark on the world.