Explore is a solid common sorcery that provides flexibility and card advantage. Its primary benefit is allowing the player to play an additional land this turn, enabling them to ramp up mana more efficiently. This synergy works particularly well with Llanowar Elves and Elvish Piper, which can accelerate mana development. Explore also draws a card, providing additional value.

Power level: 3/5 (useful but not game-changing)

Main use cases:

• Green Stompy decks that need to ramp up quickly
• Explorer-style midrange decks looking for card advantage

Popular formats: Commander, Casual, Limited

Note that Explore's impact is more significant in formats where mana acceleration and flexibility are valuable. In competitive environments, its benefits might be less pronounced due to the presence of more efficient mana acceleration options.

Explore

Mana Cost: {1}{G}

Type: Sorcery

Oracle Text:

• You may play an additional land this turn.
• Draw a card.

As a sorcery, Explore can be played at any time during your main phase or beginning of combat phase. Its effects resolve in order, so if you choose to play an additional land, that happens first, and then you draw a card.

Keyword Abilities: None

The oracle text is divided into two separate lines, but they are treated as a single effect: the permission to play an additional land and the draw step. When resolving Explore, you can only choose one of these options; once chosen, it's resolved before moving on to other effects on the stack.

Stack Interactions:

• Explore does not interact with cards like Tolarian Academy, which generates mana during the beginning phase.
• If you play an additional land as a result of Explore, any subsequent lands you play that turn will also follow this new total. This can lead to unusual interactions, such as playing multiple lands in a single turn with Mistveil Plains on the battlefield.
• When resolving Explore, if another effect would prevent drawing a card (e.g., Banshee's Ulcer, which prevents all players from gaining life or drawing cards), Explore's draw step will be prevented.

Commander-Specific Quirks:

• In some Commander decks, Explore can serve as an additional land drop to help ramp up your mana curve. This can lead to situations where you play a creature with Vivid Cavern or Mnajwa the doomsman, which generate lands when sacrificed.
• As a common sorcery, Explore is often included in decks that rely on playing multiple colors and lands in the same turn. In these cases, it can be used to smooth out mana development while drawing an extra card.

Keep in mind that Explore's effects are straightforward and don't interact with most other cards. However, its ability to generate additional land drops can have significant implications for your game plan, especially when paired with other Commander staples like Mnajwa the doomsman or Rafiq of the Many.

Explore in Strategic Decks

Explore is a versatile and powerful card that sees play in various Commander strategies, color identities, and archetypes. Its ability to allow an additional land to be played during the turn, combined with drawing a card, makes it a valuable addition to many decks.

Color Identities: Green Stompy and Ramp Decks

Green is the primary color associated with Explore, and it's often included in stomp and ramp decks that aim to quickly develop a board presence. In these builds, Explore enables the player to play additional lands more efficiently, accelerating their mana development and allowing for the casting of more expensive creatures.

• Example: Bant Stompy is a popular Commander archetype featuring cards like Llanowar Vanguard and Elvish Mystic, which heavily rely on green's ramping potential. Explore fits right in with this theme, enabling players to rapidly accelerate their mana development.
• Example: Selesnya Tokens is another archetype that incorporates Explore, using its additional land and card draw to create a robust token generation engine.

Other Color Combinations

Explore isn't limited to green-centric decks; it's also seen in various hybrid and multicolor combinations:

• Azorius Token: This deck employs Serra Ascendant and other tokens that benefit from the additional mana provided by Explore.
• Golgari Midrange: Explore can be used here to play more lands, facilitating a smoother transition into mid-game.

Casual and Competitive Builds

Explore is a common inclusion in casual decks, as its benefits are easily understood. However, it also sees competitive use in formats like Modern and Commander:

• Modern Ramp: In this format, Explore provides an efficient way to play additional lands while also drawing cards, supporting ramp strategies that accelerate mana development.
• Commander: As mentioned earlier, Explore is a staple in various Commander archetypes, from stomp and ramp decks to hybrid combinations. Its versatility makes it appealing for players looking to create unique builds.

In conclusion, Explore's value lies in its ability to provide an additional land play, coupled with drawing a card. This synergy is particularly effective in green-centric and ramp-focused decks but can also be applied across various multicolor combinations and competitive formats.

Synergies with Land-Based Cards

• Explore pairs perfectly with cards like Tolaria West and Stomping Ground, which allow you to play an additional land on your turn. By playing Explore, you can take advantage of this extra land drop and potentially play more spells or lands.
• Another great combination is with Sylvan Caryatid, a creature that allows you to tap it for mana as if it were a 2/2 creature without tapping it down as a land. With Explore, you can play an additional land and then use Sylvan Caryatid's ability to generate more mana.

Combinations with Other Sorceries

• Explore works well with Growth Spiral, which allows you to add three mana of any one color to your pool. If you have Explore in hand, you can use its ability to play an additional land and then tap it for the extra mana provided by Growth Spiral.
• Another interesting combination is with Rampant Growth, a sorcery that lets you gain 3 life and create a 2/2 green Plant creature token. By playing Explore first, you can add more lands to your board and set up Rampant Growth's powerful effect.

Rules Tricks

• Explore can be used as a way to cheat out Bloom Mocker, which has an extremely high mana cost but would be incredibly valuable in a Bloom Titan or similar deck. By playing Explore early on, you can generate the necessary mana for Bloom Mocker and potentially swing the game in your favor.
• You can also use Explore to play around cards like Vandalblast, which would otherwise destroy one of your lands. By playing an additional land with Explore's ability, you can keep your lands safe from destruction.

Advanced Deckbuilding Strategies

• Explore can be used as a way to fuel Fog-based or Emerge-based decks, where you need to play an additional land on each turn to generate more mana.
• Another approach is to pair Explore with cards like Noble Hierarch, which provides an extra mana source. By playing Explore and then using Noble Hierarch's ability, you can tap into a vast pool of mana and cast more spells.

These examples illustrate how Explore can be used in various ways to generate additional value from your deck and create new synergies with other cards.

Timing Issues

• Playing Explore too late in the turn can negate its benefits. It's essential to cast it early, ideally on the second or third turn, when you have a solid land development plan.
• Misjudging your land drop and playing Explore after casting all your desired spells and abilities can leave you with unnecessary mana up.

Misunderstood Rules

• Some players think Explore allows them to play multiple lands in one turn. This is not the case; it merely grants permission to play an additional land on top of their normal land drops.
• Failing to recognize that Explore's ability only applies for a single turn can lead to inconsistent play.

Poor Synergies

• Pairing Explore with cards like Mnajia, Disciple of Menkaure or Karametra, God of Growth, which offer additional draw effects, can create a powerful late-game engine. However, this synergy is often overlooked due to the card's perceived simplicity.
• Using Explore in conjunction with cards that provide conditional land drops, such as City of Brass, can result in inconsistent mana development and wasted potential.

General Considerations

• Explore's value lies in its ability to adapt to changing game circumstances. Players should consider using it when their opponent has a strong board presence or they need to respond to an unexpected threat.
• As with many sorceries, timing is crucial for Explore. Players must carefully plan their land drops and spellcasting to maximize its effects.

Explore is a common sorcery from the War of the Spark set, released in April 2019. It's a quintessential green mana spell that allows players to play an additional land during their turn and draw a card.

Key Features:

• Mana Cost: {1}{G} - Explore can be played on turn 2 or even earlier with the right cards.
• Land Manipulation: Allows you to play an additional land this turn, which is crucial for accelerating your mana development and fueling aggressive plays.
• Card Draw: Draws a card from your deck, providing a reliable way to dig through your library and find the right cards at the right moment.

Notable Appearances:

• Explore has been featured in various high-profile decks and tournaments, including Simic Ascendancy and Azorius Charm.
• It's often paired with other green permanents like Elvish Mystic and Fertile Ground to enhance card draw and land acceleration.

Budget-Friendliness:

• Explore is relatively affordable, with prices ranging from 0.03 Tix to 4.44 EUR foil (average cost: around 0.28 USD).
• Its reprint status is favorable, making it an excellent option for players who want to build a budget-friendly Commander deck.

Comparison to Similar Cards:

• Some alternatives to Explore include Farseek and Llanowar Wastes.
• However, Explore's unique combination of land manipulation and card draw capabilities makes it a valuable addition to any green deck.

Explore is a versatile common sorcery that can be built around to create powerful and consistent decks. Here are some key Commanders, color identities, themes, and engines that work well with Explore:

Green Stompy

• Commander: Eternity Surge, Lathliss, Tiger Summoner
• Synergy cards:
  • Sylvan Caryatid for additional mana acceleration
  • Elvish Mystic for consistent mana generation
  • Fertile Ground to increase land drop on subsequent turns

Green Tokens

• Commander: Atraxa, Praetors' Voice, Kemba, Kha Regent
• Synergy cards:
  • Sylvan Caryatid for additional mana acceleration
  • Elvish Mystic for consistent mana generation
  • Verdant Force to create token swarms

Bloom

• Commander: Ezuri, Renowned Leader, Zurgo Bellstriker
• Synergy cards:
  • Fertile Ground to increase land drop on subsequent turns
  • Kasmina, Enigmatic Strategist for additional card draw and filtering
  • Mwonvuli Acid-Moss to create a bloom engine

Explore-based combo

• Use Explore in combination with lands that have mana abilities, such as Flooded Strand, Polluted Delta, or Watery Grave. This can enable the player to play additional lands and draw cards quickly.

When building around Explore, it's essential to include cards that generate additional mana and accelerate land drop. This will allow the deck to take advantage of Explore's ability to play an additional land on its turn and draw a card. By incorporating synergy cards and engines that complement Explore's effect, players can create powerful and consistent decks that excel at generating value.

Explore in Commander

Explore is a staple card in many Commander decks, and its impact can't be overstated. This common sorcery from War of the Spark provides a simple yet powerful effect: allowing you to play an additional land this turn and drawing a card.

Its primary advantage lies in enabling players to accelerate their mana development, which complements cards like Bloom Tutor or Explore itself. By playing an extra land, commanders can more readily access spells with high mana costs, such as Jaddi Offalchemist or Estrid, the Masked. This also pairs well with tokens generators like Falkenrath Marauders, which generate a 1/1 G creature token for each land you play.

Competitive Considerations

In competitive Commander decks, Explore is often used to accelerate into powerful spells or sweepers. A notable example is in the "Jund" archetype, where cards like Eid-Alada Archmage and Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim create an efficient combo with Explore:

• Play a land (e.g., Rootbound Crag) using Explore
• Use the extra mana to play Eid-Alada Archmage or Ayli on the following turn
• Utilize their abilities to generate tokens, protect your commander, or sweep the board

Explore's versatility makes it an excellent fit for many Commander archetypes.

Casual and Budget-Friendly Aspects

For casual players, Explore serves as a budget-friendly way to accelerate into more complex spells. It pairs particularly well with simpler commanders like Gonti, Lord of Triage or Lurrus of the Dream-Den. Players can build an efficient deck around cards like Hate Earl, Vraska's Contempt, and Dauth Izzet, taking advantage of Explore to play their more expensive spells earlier.

Format-Specific Considerations

In addition to Commander, Explore is playable in Modern and Pauper formats. In Modern, it can be used alongside cards like Nyi-Tdexi, Karn, the Great Creator, or Fellwar Stone to accelerate into powerful spells. However, its inclusion depends on the specific deck strategy.

Rarity and Price

As a common card, Explore is relatively affordable, with prices ranging from $0.03 (in Tix) to $4.14 (in USD foil). Its accessibility makes it an attractive choice for players building or upgrading their Commander decks.

Overall, Explore is a staple in many Commander decks due to its ability to accelerate mana development and draw cards.

Key Scenarios & Matchups

Explore excels in situations where additional mana is crucial, such as:

• Combo decks: When paired with Sylvan Caryatid or other card draw engines, Explore can accelerate the development of a combo and increase the chances of resolving it.
• Ramp spells: In combination with ramp spells like Elvish Piper, Explore allows for an additional land drop on the same turn, further enabling the ramp strategy.

In contrast, Explore struggles in matchups where:

• Aggro decks are prevalent: Aggressive strategies often prioritize dealing damage over generating mana or drawing cards, making Explore less impactful.
• Token generation: When facing token-generating cards like Soul Wist, Explore's benefits are neutralized as the opponent's token output can outpace the additional land drop.

In multiplayer Commander games, Explore can be a valuable addition to:

• Land-heavy decks: Decks with high land counts benefit from Explore's ability to play an additional land and draw a card.
• Card advantage strategies: When combined with cards like Demonic Tutor, Explore amplifies the deck's card draw potential.

However, Explore may fall short in multiplayer situations where:

• Other players are generating tokens: In cases where multiple opponents are producing tokens at will, Explore's benefits become less relevant.
• The table is dominated by aggro strategies: When multiple aggressive decks are present, Explore's value as a ramp spell or card draw engine diminishes.

Printings and Reprints

Explore has been printed in the following sets:

• War of the Spark (WWK) - its first printing
• Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
• Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)

Reprints of Explore have appeared in various sets, including the above-mentioned GRN and IKO.

EDHREC Stats

Explore holds a rank of 236 on EDHREC, indicating its relative popularity in Commander decks. This is not surprising given its ability to generate card advantage while allowing an additional land play.

Notable Decks and Tournament Presence

Explore has been featured in various high-profile decks and tournaments:

• Simic Ascendancy, a popular Simic Guild deck archetype, often includes Explore for its synergistic value with the guild's land manipulation abilities.
• The deck Azorius Charm, which showcases the Azorius colors, frequently features Explore to enhance card draw and land acceleration.

While not as highly played as other cards in Magic: The Gathering, Explore has carved out a niche for itself in certain Commander and casual formats. Its straightforward benefits of additional land play and card draw make it an attractive choice for players seeking to establish a strong foundation for their deck's development.

In the world of Magic: The Gathering, Explore is a sorcery card from the War of the Spark set. It's a quintessential green mana spell that embodies the spirit of exploration and discovery.

The flavor text of Explore hints at its ability to expand one's horizons and uncover new possibilities. In the context of the Izzet League, a group of mages who seek to understand and control the power of magic, Explore represents a chance to push beyond the boundaries of what's known and understood. It's a tool for Izzet scientists like Jace Beleren, who would use it to further their research and uncover new secrets of the multiverse.

On a more practical level, Explore allows players to play an additional land during their turn, granting them greater flexibility in terms of mana development. This can be especially useful in combination with cards like Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic, which provide additional green mana sources and enable players to accelerate their mana curve.

The card's drawing ability is also noteworthy, as it provides a reliable way for players to dig through their deck and find the right cards at the right moment. This can be especially valuable in combination with cards like Premature Burial or Vraska's Contempt, which allow players to manipulate the top card of their library.

Overall, Explore is a solid addition to any green-based strategy, offering a versatile suite of abilities that can help players explore new possibilities and discover hidden advantages.