Is it odd that the first thing I noticed about
this card was that Vintage Masters, an
online-only set, nonetheless has the holographic
seal on the bottom of the card? I mean, if it's
an online-only set, it can't be counterfeited,
right? There's probably an official explanation
of some sort, but I don't recall seeing it
myself!
Aside from that, though, this is one of the most
infamous cards in Magic for a good reason. As
far as I know it's always been restricted in
tournament Magic, but it didn't take long for
people to discover how powerful it is in
multiples (and it was not designed for the
possibility of someone owning more than one). I
assume at least one person made a 20 Strip Mine,
20 Mishra's Factory deck back in the days of
such things, which would undoubtedly be
incredibly annoying but probably not quite as
powerful as it sounds.
Joking aside, this card is basically restricted
(and banned in Legacy) because you can't play
around it with basic lands or fetchlands, unlike
with Wasteland. It's still an interesting and
often-imitated effect, because it illuminates
deck design tension between tempo and disruption
(ie. should I lose a land to deprive my opponent
of his?) that a player might not always
consider. Just make sure your playgroup
restricts it, or at least has a gentleman's
agreement to only target nonsense like Gaea's
Cradle.
Today's card of the day is Strip Mine which is
a land that can tap for one mana or tap to be
sacrificed and destroy a target land. This is
the original form of land-based land destruction
and has inspired several variations with cards
like Dust Bowl, Wasteland, Tectonic Edge, Ghost
Quarter, and Encroaching Wastes. This is a
direct one for one trade with no mana cost and
the only additional payment of counting as a
land drop for a turn. This will always see
play in formats it is legal in and it the fact
that it is restricted in Vintage and banned in
formats like Legacy is the clearest example of
how strong and useful it really is.
Today's card is pretty cut and dry. Strip Mine
is pretty much
a 1 for 1 in terms of land destruction. Of
course, it's banned or restricted in almost any
format it would be legal in (I.E. Not modern or
standard) because, well, it's incredibly strong
against decks running more than one color. Even
against mono-color. Want to kill that Gaea's
cradle and stall green for more than a few
times? Play this and watch your opponent
restrain himself from smacking you. To be
completely honest, it's just one of those cards
that tests friendships. But as we know, there's
no friends in magic. :P
Constructed: 5
Casual: 4
Limited: 3.5
Multiplayer: 1 (Because everyone may just try to
pick you off for playing it)
Commander [EDH]: 5 (against multicolor), 4.5
(Mono)
