Sacred Foundry

Why collectors notice it

Shock lands have been reprinted in several sets, making them a popular target for collectors who like land cards.

It built an entire set around two-color guild identities. Read more about Ravnica: City of Guilds.

A closer look

Reading this card

Look at the type line first. Sacred Foundry reads Land, Mountain Plains. Those two names are basic land types, and they tell you the land taps for red or white mana, the two colors of the Boros guild. Lands are not cast like spells, and most decks include many of them, so this card sits on the table as part of your mana engine instead of acting as a spell.

The featured print is a Rare from Ravnica: City of Guilds. Rarity here is a label for the print, and it says little about how often you will meet the card, because shock lands have been reprinted in several sets. The trait "shock land" refers to the group of ten dual lands, one for each guild pair. The choice to enter untapped by paying life is what gives the group its name.

How it compares

Compare it with Dark Confidant, which comes from the same set. Both ask you to spend life, but in different ways: the creature does it automatically, and the land lets you choose when. That makes Sacred Foundry a handy example of a flexible cost.

The Mana and the Five Colors page explains why a two-color land matters when a deck uses more than one color.

Questions readers ask

Does a land have a color?

Not in the way a creature does. It produces colored mana, and this one makes red or white.

Which print should I look for?

It depends on what you like. This site does not give prices, so compare frames and art.

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