Scalding Tarn is a rare land that accelerates your mana development by allowing you to sacrifice it and search for an Island or Mountain card in your library. At the low cost of 0.0 mana, this is a versatile option for decks looking to ramp into more expensive spells. Its power level is moderate, making it suitable for Commander decks seeking to develop their board presence quickly.

Main use cases: * Accelerating mana development * Finding specific lands in your library * Supporting aggressive or midrange strategies

Most popular formats: Scalding Tarn sees play in various formats, but its popularity wanes outside of casual games and Commander. It's an excellent addition to any deck seeking to ramp into more expensive spells quickly.

Price (USD): $24.66

Scalding Tarn is a rare land from the Mirrodin block. As an artifactless, colorless land, it can be played at instant speed without using any of your available colors or adding to your mana pool.

Keyword Abilities and Rules: None

Mana Cost: 0.0 As Scalding Tarn has no mana cost, it can be played from the stack or directly onto the battlefield.

Type: Land This defines its behavior as a basic land source, allowing you to tap it for one colorless mana during your untap step.

Oracle Text: {t}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for an Island or Mountain card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. - T: Tap Scalding Tarn. This costs a single colorless mana. - Pay 1 Life: You lose one life during the turn you cast Scalding Tarn (or tap it). - Sacrifice this land: You must sacrifice Scalding Tarn to activate its ability, which is not on the battlefield anymore at that point.

Functionality on the Stack and Battlefield: 1. Play: Tap Scalding Tarn during your untap step to add one colorless mana. 2. Activation: Pay 1 life and sacrifice Scalding Tarn to search for an Island or Mountain, putting it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.

Edge Cases and Unusual Interactions: - If you have multiple copies of Scalding Tarn in your deck, be aware that each land can only be sacrificed once. - Combining with other lands like Tolaria West allows for more aggressive land interactions. - In combination with Ritual of the Planeswalker, it enables casting powerful spells from the graveyard.

Commander-Specific Quirks: Scalding Tarn's effects can work in unique ways when paired with specific Commander decks. Its life loss aspect might interact poorly with some combo strategies or high-life-gain strategies, but it also offers a chance to generate an Island or Mountain card without using your own resources.

Note that Scalding Tarn is not particularly suited for traditional EDH gameplay due to its life-cost mechanism and need for sacrifice.

Scalding Tarn is a versatile land that offers a unique advantage in various Commander decks. Its ability to search for an Island or Mountain card from your library makes it an attractive addition to many color combinations.

One of the primary benefits of Scalding Tarn is its ability to fix mana on the fly, allowing players to adapt to changing circumstances and play more efficiently. This makes it particularly useful in combo decks that rely on specific mana configurations, such as Eldrazi Disintegrator or Goblin Guide. By providing a way to search for the necessary colors, Scalding Tarn enables these combos to function more smoothly.

Scalding Tarn is also valuable in token and artifact-based strategies. Decks featuring tokens like Serra Angel or Krenko, Mob Boss can benefit from the land's ability to find Islands and Mountains, allowing them to generate more tokens or fuel their artifacts more efficiently. Additionally, Scalding Tarn pairs well with lands like Badlands or Stomping Ground, which provide additional mana fixing and ramp.

In terms of specific Commander strategies, Scalding Tarn is a staple in many Boros (Red-White) decks that rely on token generation and aggressive play. Decks centered around Keldon Marauders or Daxos the Returned can utilize Scalding Tarn to find Islands and fuel their token-generating engines.

Casual players may appreciate Scalding Tarn's ability to add flexibility to their deck-building process. It allows them to experiment with different color combinations and strategies without being locked into a specific mana base.

Competitive players, on the other hand, can use Scalding Tarn as part of more complex strategies that involve manipulating their life total or generating value from sacrificed creatures. In these cases, the land's ability to search for Islands and Mountains serves as a key component in larger combos or planar manipulation schemes.

In summary, Scalding Tarn is an incredibly versatile card that benefits a wide range of Commander decks, from combo-focused strategies to more casual, token-based builds.

Synergy with Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin

Scalding Tarn's ability to sacrifice itself for a search is incredibly powerful when paired with Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin. This land card allows you to pay 2 life to cast an instant or sorcery from your hand without using up one of your limited mana sources. By sacrificing Scalding Tarn and putting an Island or Mountain onto the battlefield, you can then use Azcanta's ability to find a suitable spell to play.

Combining with Fetchlands

Scalding Tarn works in conjunction with fetchlands like Misty Rainforest, Verdant Catacombs, and Wooded Foothills. These lands allow you to search for basic Islands or Mountains at instant speed, essentially giving you two cards for the price of one. By playing a fetchland, then sacrificing Scalding Tarn, you can add an Island or Mountain to your hand while simultaneously putting one onto the battlefield.

Foilproofing with Llanowar Wastes

Including Scalding Tarn in your deck is particularly effective when paired with lands that don't care about being tapped. For example, Llanowar Wastes can be played at instant speed and used to sacrifice Scalding Tarn, allowing you to search for an Island or Mountain without worrying about tapping the land first.

Landfall-Enabling Lands

Cards like Sacred Foundry and Gavony Township create a landfall effect that triggers whenever you play a basic land. Combining these with Scalding Tarn can lead to an explosive mana development, as you'll gain card advantage from sacrificing your lands while still generating an Island or Mountain on the battlefield.

Focusing on Island Production

Scalding Tarn's primary utility lies in producing Islands. By incorporating cards like Jeweled Lotus, Mox Opal, and City of Brass into your deck, you can rapidly accelerate your mana development and generate more Islands than usual. This combination is particularly effective in blue-heavy decks, where Scalding Tarn serves as a versatile tool for producing Islands while navigating the need to pay 1 life each turn.

Using with other cards

Other powerful search lands like Rampant Growth, Ancient Tomb, and Eldrazi Disintegrator can also be paired with Scalding Tarn to create an explosive mana development.

Scalding Tarn is a versatile and powerful land that has been a staple in many Commander decks. However, there are some common mistakes or misplays players make with this card.

Misunderstanding the Sacrifice Cost

One of the most common mistakes players make with Scalding Tarn is failing to pay the 1 life cost when activating its ability. This may seem minor, but it can be a costly mistake, especially if you're trying to ramp into a key spell or creature. Always remember that the 1 life cost must be paid before putting in any other effort to activate Scalding Tarn's ability.

Poor Synergies with Island and Mountain

Another common mistake is pairing Scalding Tarn with too many Island and Mountain cards, which can lead to an overabundance of lands. While it's true that Scalding Tarn allows you to search for either an Island or Mountain card, having too many copies of these cards in your deck can make it difficult to play other relevant spells or creatures.

Timing Issues with Scalding Tarn

Players often struggle with timing the activation of Scalding Tarn's ability. It's essential to remember that you must sacrifice the land after putting the Island or Mountain card onto the battlefield, and then shuffle your library. This means that you should only activate Scalding Tarn when you have a clear plan for the new land and can afford to sacrifice the original one.

Not Considering Alternative Lands

Finally, some players overlook the existence of other lands that offer similar functionality, such as City of Brass or Misty Rainforest. These cards may offer more flexibility or additional benefits that make them preferable choices over Scalding Tarn in certain situations.

In general, mastering the use of Scalding Tarn requires a deep understanding of its costs and timing, as well as careful consideration of your deck's overall strategy and synergy. By being mindful of these common pitfalls, you can get the most out of this powerful land and take your Commander game to the next level.

Scalding Tarn is a rare land card from the Mirrodin Block, specifically from the Magic: The Gathering set Mercadian Masques (MM3). This card has been a staple in many blue and red decks due to its ability to search for Island or Mountain cards.

In terms of gameplay, Scalding Tarn can be used as a mana fixer, allowing you to find the colors you need quickly. Its ability to sacrifice itself in order to search your library makes it an attractive option for players looking to accelerate their mana development.

Scalding Tarn has been reprinted several times, including in the Masterpiece Series and the Zendikar Expeditions. While its price remains relatively high due to its popularity among Commander players, there are affordable alternatives available such as Temple Garden or Arbor Glenn.

In terms of flavor and lore, Scalding Tarn is likely situated near one of the many rivers that crisscross Dominaria. The card's ability reflects the harsh environment of Dominaria, where water is scarce and must be carefully managed to sustain life.

Overall, Scalding Tarn is a versatile land card that can provide a valuable lifeline for players looking to accelerate their mana development. Its unique ability makes it an attractive option for players who need to fix their mana or search for key spells.

Budget-Friendly Alternatives:

• Temple Garden: A common land from Guildpact that provides access to green mana and has been reprinted several times.
• Arbor Glenn: An uncommon land from Planechase that allows you to search for a basic land in your library.

Inclusions in Commander Decks:

• Flooded Strand: A rare land from Fifth Dawn that provides access to blue mana and has been reprinted several times.
• Verdant Catacombs: An uncommon land from Dissension that allows you to search for a basic land in your library.

Scalding Tarn's popularity peaked around 2014-2015 but has since stabilized at around rank 49 on the EDHREC list. Its price ranges from $24.66 USD to $25.87 USD foil, making it a moderate inclusion in the format.

In terms of history and notable appearances, Scalding Tarn was printed in the Mercadian Masques set as a rare land. It has been reprinted several times and is currently priced around $20-26 USD non-foil and $24-30 USD foil.

Scalding Tarn is a versatile and powerful land that can be used to build around several Commanders, color identities, and themes. Its ability to search for basic Islands or Mountains on the battlefield makes it an excellent addition to many different types of decks.

Commander Synergies

One of the most popular uses for Scalding Tarn is in Commander decks featuring Estrid, the Masked. Estrid's ability to tutor for a specific land allows players to search out Scalding Tarn and then use it to find an Island or Mountain. This combination can be especially powerful when combined with other lands that offer similar tutoring abilities.

Another Commander who takes advantage of Scalding Tarn is Griselbrand. Griselbrand's ability to draw a card whenever a player casts a spell from their hand makes it easy to generate value from Scalding Tarn's search ability. By combining Scalding Tarn with other cards that offer life gain or sacrifice synergies, players can create a powerful engine for generating value.

Color Identities and Themes

Scalding Tarn is particularly well-suited to color identities that feature a lot of basic Islands or Mountains. Players building around Azorius or Golgari Commanders may find Scalding Tarn to be an excellent addition to their deck, as it allows them to search out the lands they need to play their spells.

Scalding Tarn is also popular in Azorius and Izzet decks that focus on playing a high number of spells. By searching for basic Islands or Mountains with Scalding Tarn, players can generate card advantage and accelerate their game plan.

Synergy Cards

Some specific synergy cards to consider pairing with Scalding Tarn include:

• Command Tower: This land offers an additional way to search for a basic Island or Mountain, making it easy to generate multiple colors of mana.
• Rings of Brighthearth: These rings allow players to tap their lands to generate additional card advantage and acceleration.
• Sol Ring: By generating two mana with Sol Ring, players can use Scalding Tarn's ability more efficiently and accelerate their game plan.

Combo Notes

One potential combo note to keep in mind when building around Scalding Tarn is the possibility of using it to find a Mox Opal. By sacrificing Scalding Tarn to search for an Island or Mountain, players can then use Mox Opal's ability to generate additional mana and accelerate their game plan. However, this combination requires careful consideration and planning to execute effectively.

Overall, Scalding Tarn is a versatile land that offers many different opportunities for synergy and combo play. By pairing it with the right Commander, color identity, or theme, players can create powerful engines for generating value and winning games.

Scalding Tarn is a staple land in Commander and other formats, providing an efficient way to search for basic Islands or Mountains. Its ability to sacrifice itself to find the desired land is particularly valuable in combinations with cards like Mox Opal Mox Opal, which can accelerate mana development.

In competitive formats like Modern and Legacy, Scalding Tarn's value is more situational due to the presence of other lands that offer similar functionality. Cards like Underground Sea Underground Sea or Badlands Badlands are often preferred for their ability to tap for multiple colors simultaneously. However, in certain deck archetypes, such as those centered around Moxen or Urza's Saga Urza's Saga, Scalding Tarn can still see play.

In casual formats like Commander, Scalding Tarn is a staple due to its versatility and efficiency. It pairs well with cards that generate card advantage, such as Sol Ring Sol Ring or Rings of Brighthearth Rings of Brighthearth. Its ability to sacrifice itself also makes it an attractive option for decks focused on ramping mana quickly.

Despite its value in various formats, Scalding Tarn is not particularly powerful and lacks the ability to impact gameplay significantly. As a result, it tends to be overlooked in favor of more impactful cards that can influence the game's progression.

Scalding Tarn excels in certain scenarios where you need to find Island or Mountain cards quickly, but its value decreases when these cards are readily available on the battlefield. Here's a breakdown of its strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths:

• Early-game acceleration: With Scalding Tarn, you can easily ramp into your Islands or Mountains in the early game, allowing for smoother transitions to your mid-game engine.
• Combo potential: When paired with cards like Ancestral Recall, Ponder, or Mnemonic Network, Scalding Tarn becomes an essential component of a combo deck, enabling you to quickly find and cast crucial spells.
• Land destruction-resistant: As a dual land, Scalding Tarn is resistant to effects that destroy lands, making it a valuable inclusion in decks that rely on this strategy.

Weaknesses:

• Life drain: Paying 1 life each time you use Scalding Tarn can be detrimental, especially if you're already low on life. This might force you to use alternative sources of mana or re-evaluate your land base.
• Limited utility: Outside of finding Island or Mountain cards, Scalding Tarn offers little utility. You won't be able to find other colors or card types using this land.
• Vulnerability in multi-color decks: If you're playing a deck that doesn't focus on Islands and Mountains, the value of Scalding Tarn decreases significantly.

Common matchups:

• Against Control decks: Scalding Tarn can be particularly effective against control strategies, allowing you to quickly find your combo pieces or accelerate into your mid-game engine.
• In Combo-heavy metagames: When combo is prevalent, Scalding Tarn becomes an essential component of many decks. Its ability to quickly find key spells makes it a valuable inclusion in these lineups.
• Versus Aggro decks: In aggro-heavy environments, the life drain associated with using Scalding Tarn can be a liability. Consider alternative sources of mana or adjust your land base accordingly.

In multiplayer scenarios:

• Politics and negotiations: When playing with multiple players, Scalding Tarn's value increases due to its ability to quickly find key spells. This can give you an edge in negotiations and game-long politics.
• Board presence: If you're able to establish a strong board presence, Scalding Tarn becomes less valuable as you'll have fewer issues with life drain or land destruction.

Keep in mind that these scenarios are not exhaustive, and the value of Scalding Tarn can vary depending on your deck's specific strategy and the metagame at large.

Scalding Tarn was printed in the Mirrodin block, specifically in the Mercadian Masques set (MM3) as a rare land. This card has been a staple in many blue and red decks due to its ability to search for Island or Mountain cards.

EDHREC stats indicate that Scalding Tarn is used in approximately 1% of all EDH decks, making it a moderate inclusion in the format. Its popularity peaked around 2014-2015 but has since stabilized at around rank 49 on the EDHREC list.

Tournament presence-wise, Scalding Tarn has seen play in various formats over the years. In the past, it was played in Modern and Commander tournaments to search for key lands or ramp spells. However, its playability in competitive environments has decreased significantly since 2015.

In terms of iconic decks, Scalding Tarn was featured prominently in the "Mono Blue" deck archetype popularized by top players during the Mirrodin block's peak popularity. It also saw use in various other blue and red ramp decks as a means to accelerate mana development.

Foil prices for Scalding Tarn average around $25-26 USD, making it a relatively expensive rare land compared to others in the format. Non-foil versions of the card can be found for around $20-24 USD, depending on market conditions and availability.

Scalding Tarn is a rare land card from the Mirrodin Block, specifically from the Magic: The Gathering set Mercadian Masques (MM3). This card is part of a larger series of lands that tap into the unique geology and climate of the vast plane of Dominaria.

Scalding Tarn's flavor text evokes the harsh environment of Dominaria. In this unforgiving world, water is scarce and must be carefully managed to sustain life. The land's ability reflects this theme, as it requires a player to pay 1 life and sacrifice the land in order to search their library for an Island or Mountain card. This mechanic can be seen as a metaphor for the careful balancing act that inhabitants of Dominaria must perform to survive.

In terms of lore, Scalding Tarn is likely situated near one of the many rivers that crisscross Dominaria. The card's ability suggests that this land is home to unique geological formations or underground waterways that allow for easy access to these scarce resources. This could be a strategic location for an early-drafting player seeking to establish a foothold in the game.

When combined with other cards from the Mercadian Masques set, such as Llanowar Elves and Misty Rainforest, Scalding Tarn can provide a valuable lifeline for players looking to accelerate their mana development.