Balance & Format help

IanLowenthalIanLowenthal
in MTG Gameplay Chat
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/marshland-path

Assuming that this card was part of a cycle, is it better or worse that a normal fetch in the average modern deck? Would it replace normal fetches? What would the aftermarket value of this card be compared to a standard fetch?

Comments

  • Faiths_GuideFaiths_Guide
    edited October 2017
    Well, it's worse (more life+less options). Definitely wouldn't replace them since there's no upside. Considering an average of $10-$20 per fetch, I could see Marshland Path and its related cycle coming in around $2 per?

    (Of course, I don't buy almost any MtG, so maybe I shouldn't be giving my advice.)
  • MagicChessMagicChess
    edited October 2017
    @IanLowenthal, this is worse than a fetch but still pretty good. The first thing I thought was "Fetches for mono!" But then I thought "Wait... that defeats the purpose...."

    When you say "standard fetch" do you mean a fetch land in Standard (one of my worst recurring nightmares), or just the average fetch?

    The problem with this card is that since you can only use it to get a swamp, it's not worth it to put in a Marshland Path instead of a Swamp, since the former just costs you 2 life.
    If it tapped for a different color, but could also be sacrificed to get a Swamp, you might have something.

    I think it's an interesting idea, but it's just not worth it to run it in a deck.
  • IanLowenthalIanLowenthal
    @MagicChess @Faiths_Guide Mission for budget fetch lands fulfilled. Do you think I could lower the life payment to 1 then?
  • TomigonTomigon
    Or maybe you could add something else like "{t}: Add {c} to your mana pool."
  • MagicChessMagicChess
    @IanLowenthal, lowering the life payment still wouldn't help; there's no advantage to running a Marshland Path over a normal Swamp unless you use @Tomigon's idea. Giving the lands the ability to tap for {c} would work.
  • IanLowenthalIanLowenthal
    @MagicChess Why not use it to fetch shocks and the like?
  • Faiths_GuideFaiths_Guide
    edited October 2017
    @MagicChess
    Right, @IanLowenthal hasn't limited it to basics.

    Plus, this card would love it!
  • LujikulLujikul
    @MagicChess
    I'd run it in a mono. It's still mana, but deck thins.
  • TheClayKnightTheClayKnight
    Let's do a simple comparison:

    Marshland Path
    Land (R)
    {t}, Pay 2 life, Sacrifice Marshland Path: Search your library for a Swamp card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.

    Bloodstained Mire
    Land (R)
    {t}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Bloodstained Mire: Search your library for a Swamp or Mountain card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.

    Anything Marshland Path can fetch, Bloodstained Mire can get at a lower cost. But Bloodstained Mire can also get another land type to, so if both are available Mire is strictly better.

    @MagicChess my more experienced MTG playing friends have told me that one of the advantages of a fetch is that it filters your library. You get a land and also have fewer lands in your library so you are more likely to get the cards you win with. Almost like circumventing the minimum deck size rules.
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