Yea, I'm still not sure why it's considered so good. I mean, aren't you essentially using two of your lands to lock down one of your opponent's lands? Is the idea that it gave you a fairly effective way to use any leftover mana you had after your turn was done?
Posted By:
achilleselbow
(5/7/2010 10:03:00 PM)
@Enchantment_Removal: Okay, I get it, it's good in tournaments, but I still don't buy that argument for it being so expensive. Also, I PLAY IN TOURNAMENTS. In fact, I used to play in Masques tournaments, and I know it was good back then. But the argument of "it won tournaments" doesn't fly with me. Craw Giant used to win tournaments (trample and rampage 2!!). I've won tournaments with Ixidron, Sanctuary Cat, Trepanation Blade, Hellrider, Iona, Konda; and none of these cards are as expensive as Rishadan Port. People in my local card shops have tried to defend this too and I've always countered with either "I play a land" or "I destroy/exile/bounce Rishadan Port". If your deck relies so heavily on 1 land, it's time to rethink the deck. In my opinion, you've got to have more than 1 win condition and more than 1 way to achieve a win condition.
For example: I play a Forest and get a Sol Ring out on turn 1 (before you're able to activate Port). I then play a dual land (which you tap with th... (see all)
Posted By:
jimbob123432
(4/10/2012 12:02:58 AM)
@Solarcanix. I don't know what Magic you've been playing, but I'm pretty sure than mana pools empty at the end of each step and phase. If your opponent taps their land in response to the Port during their upkeep, the mana is gone by the time they draw a card. This pretty much means that the only thing you could use that mana (colored or colorless) for would be an instant.
Posted By:
deadapult13
(1/10/2012 10:19:22 AM)
@deadapult
Thanks for the rule instruction. I only play casual games with friends, so I was unaware that unused mana empties during each phase rather than at the end of turn. Knowing this will change my rating of this card as well as my future tactics in the game. Thanks again.
The argument was made that this card was good because it was able to tap an opponents land during his upkeep, causing that land not to be available for his use which might hurt in a multicolored deck. Wouldn't the opponent be able to tap that land in response to the port trying to tap it? Sure, the opponent might not be able to use that color anyway, but he could use it to pay any colorless cost at least. At most, the opponent would be able to use the color to cast something. Even if he couldn't use that mana, now with mana burn gone, he isn't out anything because the land would've been tapped anyway. Still not getting why this land is considered good, other than of course it's effect on Maze of Ith, a... (see all)
Posted By:
Solarcanix
(1/12/2012 12:04:46 AM)
Banned in its own block, but legal everywhere else... oh mercadian masks...
Posted By:
Averyck
(3/31/2012 11:54:10 PM)
I'd use this with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and Spreading Algae. Hey, I'm running Sylvan Scrying or Expedition Map to fetch Urborg anyway, so I probably only need one of these bad boys.
Posted By:
Havrekjex
(5/10/2012 12:11:06 AM)
The artwork is so nice, it almost makes me forget how broken this card is.
Posted By:
BongRipper420
(10/12/2012 8:57:50 PM)
Like many great cards, Rishadan Port is a hidden gem till people realized how powerful it is, so much so that cards in the set after it came out has to make new cards to hose it.
- If you play aggro and faces control, you can tap opponent's blue mana at the end of their turn, ensure they don't have the mana to counter your spell.
- You can tap man-land.
- You can tap any utility land your opponent plays such as Library of Alexandria, Maze of Ith, etc, to prevent them from being used freely.
- Cheaper than Icy Manipulator with Winter Orb combo.
- Being a land (hence non-spell), there's very few way to hinter the Port.
- Many, many more.
Posted By:
Cyberium
(11/18/2012 12:36:11 AM)
They work in many decks, but none better than blue control. General strategy is, always reserve mana for counterspells in your hand, then play important cards if you have them, then lock down opponent's lands during their turn with ports. Why use a counterspell on their card this turn if you can prevent them from casting it entirely and save the counter for another turn?
Posted By:
Technetium
(5/3/2013 10:21:05 AM)
"Hey, I've got an idea! We're trying to lower the power level of the game after the overpowered Urza's block, right? So let's do this. Let's reprint strip mine, but make it cost a mana each turn to keep the target land locked. What can possibly go wrong? One mana will make strip mine balanced, right?"
Posted By:
Aquillion
(5/27/2013 9:03:01 AM)