Enter the Unknown MTG Card


Enter the Unknown offers deck thinning and potential extra land drops, improving card draw. This sorcery can accelerate mana resources, aiding players in quickly developing their board. Instant-speed synergies with Enter the Unknown allow for flexible and reactive gameplay.
Enter the Unknown - Rivals of Ixalan
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery
Abilities Explore
Released2018-01-19
Set symbol
Set nameRivals of Ixalan
Set codeRIX
Number128
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byHoward Lyon

Text of card

Target creature you control explores. (Reveal the top card of your library. Put that card into your hand if it's a land. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on the creature, then put the card back or put it into your graveyard.) You may play an additional land this turn.


Cards like Enter the Unknown

Enter the Unknown is an intriguing exploration-themed card from MTG that allows players to venture into their deck’s deeper strata. It shares its forest-driven synergy with cards like Growth Spiral. Both cards accelerate your board state by putting lands into play. However, Enter the Unknown requires a creature on the battlefield as it boosts exploration through creature interactions, setting it apart as it potentially strengthens your creature while also sculpting your hand and library.

Comparisons can also be drawn with cards like Explore, which offers additional land plays and card draw without any creature prerequisites, allowing for unfettered land acceleration. While Explore provides immediate draw, Enter the Unknown’s potential to organize the top card of your library could be pivotal for setting up future turns. Another similar card, Wayward Swordtooth, also permits an additional land drop and becomes a formidable creature once the city’s blessing is achieved. Enter the Unknown is unique in that it can serve as a pathway to enable ascend for the Swordtooth’s ability or other permanents requiring the city’s blessing.

To summarize, Enter the Unknown holds a distinctive position. It nudges players towards strategic play sequences and fosters an interaction between creature dynamics and land play, which could lead to a significant advantage for those delving into the domain of exploration within MTG.

Growth Spiral - MTG Card versions
Explore - MTG Card versions
Wayward Swordtooth - MTG Card versions
Growth Spiral - MTG Card versions
Explore - MTG Card versions
Wayward Swordtooth - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Enter the Unknown. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Gruul AggroGruul Aggro PioneerSuper Pioneer - 1 Torneio da Liga de Volta Redonda

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When casting Enter the Unknown, a player not only explores their library but potentially puts an additional land onto the battlefield. This grants the dual benefit of deck thinning, increasing the likelihood of drawing non-land cards, and potential card draw if a non-land card is revealed.

Resource Acceleration: By letting a player play an additional land on the turn it’s cast, Enter the Unknown can ramp up one’s mana resources. This acceleration can be crucial for outpacing opponents in developing your board presence and casting high-cost spells sooner.

Instant Speed: While Enter the Unknown is a sorcery, it synergizes well with instant-speed spells due to its low cost and the ramp it provides. This means after casting Enter the Unknown, you can still keep mana open to react to opponents’ actions with counterspells or instant removals the same turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Enter the Unknown demands that you discard a card in order to explore. This can be a significant setback if you’re already dealing with a depleted hand, potentially forcing you to relinquish a crucial component of your game strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost for Enter the Unknown is especially color-focused, needing green mana. This specificity can restrict deck-building options, as you need to have a reliable source of green mana to cast it, making it less versatile for inclusion in multi-color decks that may not prioritize green.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though Enter the Unknown allows you to play an additional land and potentially draw a card if the library’s top card is a land, its mana cost is a significant investment. Alternative cards exist that might enable a similar or better exploration effect for a smaller mana investment, making them preferable choices in decks focused on ramping up quickly.


Reasons to Include Enter the Unknown in Your Collection

Versatility: Enter the Unknown offers multifaceted gameplay, able to seamlessly blend into decks that capitalize on land ramp or creature strategies. Its ability to play an additional land each turn can be a crucial advantage in many builds.

Combo Potential: With Enter the Unknown, you can craft powerful combos by utilizing its explore mechanic, potentially drawing cards and strengthening creatures simultaneously, making this a key card for synergistic deck designs.

Meta-Relevance: Staying ahead in the ever-shifting MTG meta can be challenging, but Enter the Unknown holds its ground. It’s valuable in environments where setting up your board quickly can make the difference between victory and defeat, ensuring its relevance in various metagames.


How to Beat Enter the Unknown

Enter the Unknown is an intriguing green sorcery card from Magic: The Gathering that offers players a unique explore mechanic. When played, it allows the caster to reveal the top card of their library, and if it’s a land, put it into play. This ability to potentially ramp up significantly in the early game gives the user an advantage in both mana availability and deck thinning.

Counteracting Enter the Unknown relies on disrupting your opponent’s game plan. Utilize instant-speed removals or counterspells to hinder your opponent’s creatures before they get the opportunity to benefit from this card’s explore ability. Cards like Fatal Push or Counterspell can prove to be crucial in maintaining the balance. Also, graveyard manipulation can negate the benefits of deck thinning by shuffling the opponent’s library, for instance with cards like Field of Ruin that force a shuffle.

Strategic use of direct land destruction or land bounce spells, such as Ghost Quarter or Boomerang, can offset the ramp advantage gained by Enter the Unknown. In essence, by actively controlling the board state and staying one step ahead of your opponent’s plays, you can mitigate the advantages Enter the Unknown brings to the table.


BurnMana Recommendations

Deepening your mastery of MTG involves strategic card knowledge and application. With Enter the Unknown, you enhance your gameplay by accelerating resources and cleverly interacting with your deck’s architecture. It’s a card that fits snugly in green-centric decks, urging players to craft builds that center around creature synergy and land dynamics. If you are keen on refining your deck-building skills and piloting a strategy that pushes the envelope, understanding and utilizing cards like Enter the Unknown is pivotal. Set off on an exploratory journey within the MTG multiverse, and let’s uncover more strategies together that will secure your victories.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Enter the Unknown MTG card by a specific set like Rivals of Ixalan, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Enter the Unknown and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Enter the Unknown has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Enter the Unknown card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2018-01-19 Enter the Unknown’s effect allows you to play an additional land during your main phase. Doing so follows the normal timing rules for playing lands.
2018-01-19 If no card is revealed, most likely because that player’s library is empty, the exploring creature receives a +1/+1 counter.
2018-01-19 If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Enter the Unknown tries to resolve, the spell doesn’t resolve. It won’t explore, and you won’t be able to play an additional land.
2018-01-19 If you somehow manage to cast Enter the Unknown when it’s not your turn, the target creature explores when it resolves, but you won’t be able to play a land that turn.
2018-01-19 Once an ability that causes a creature to explore begins to resolve, no player may take any other actions until it’s done. Notably, opponents can’t try to remove the exploring creature after you reveal a nonland card but before it receives a counter.
2018-01-19 The effects of multiples of Enter the Unknown in the same turn are cumulative. They’re also cumulative with other effects that let you play additional lands, such as the one from Wayward Swordtooth.