Planar Birth MTG Card


Planar Birth enables massive landfall, accelerating gameplay and allowing the casting of high-cost spells sooner. While game-changing, Planar Birth requires careful hand management and is specific to decks with white mana. Its unique land recovery effect can significantly impact various deck strategies and metagame dynamics.
Planar Birth - Urza's Saga
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Released1998-10-12
Set symbol
Set nameUrza's Saga
Set codeUSG
Number31
Frame1997
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byAdam Rex

Text of card

Put all basic lands from all graveyards into play under their owners' control, tapped.

"From womb of nothingness sprang this place of beauty, purity, and hope realized." —*Song of All*, canto 3


Cards like Planar Birth

Planar Birth stands out in the realm of land recursion effects within Magic: The Gathering. This card revives all basic lands from the graveyard to the battlefield, compared to other cards like Splendid Reclamation which returns all types of lands, not just basics. However, Planar Birth is unique because it’s specifically synergistic with decks that operate heavily on basic lands, potentially unleashing a wave of mana in a single turn.

Examining another parallel, Roiling Regrowth offers a different take by sacrificing a land to search for two basic land cards and put them onto the battlefield tapped. While not a direct recursion, it helps by thinning the deck and setting up for subsequent land plays. Crucible of Worlds, though not a spell, allows for consistent land recovery directly from the graveyard to the battlefield, albeit singularly and with land drop limit per turn. Crucible’s advantage, though, is its permanence on the field providing ongoing value.

Comparing the nuance between these cards and their varied use cases shows Planar Birth’s potential in a dedicated strategy. It delivers a significant one-time effect rather than the incremental value found in other land-related cards.

Splendid Reclamation - MTG Card versions
Roiling Regrowth - MTG Card versions
Crucible of Worlds - MTG Card versions
Splendid Reclamation - MTG Card versions
Roiling Regrowth - MTG Card versions
Crucible of Worlds - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Planar Birth by color, type and mana cost

Balance - MTG Card versions
Shahrazad - MTG Card versions
Martyr's Cry - MTG Card versions
Gift of Estates - MTG Card versions
Starlight - MTG Card versions
Renewing Dawn - MTG Card versions
Tariff - MTG Card versions
Pegasus Stampede - MTG Card versions
Flicker - MTG Card versions
Steadfastness - MTG Card versions
Sacred Nectar - MTG Card versions
False Dawn - MTG Card versions
Morningtide - MTG Card versions
Academic Probation - MTG Card versions
Gather the Townsfolk - MTG Card versions
Servo Exhibition - MTG Card versions
Revoke Existence - MTG Card versions
Glare of Heresy - MTG Card versions
Return to the Ranks - MTG Card versions
Martial Coup - MTG Card versions
Balance - MTG Card versions
Shahrazad - MTG Card versions
Martyr's Cry - MTG Card versions
Gift of Estates - MTG Card versions
Starlight - MTG Card versions
Renewing Dawn - MTG Card versions
Tariff - MTG Card versions
Pegasus Stampede - MTG Card versions
Flicker - MTG Card versions
Steadfastness - MTG Card versions
Sacred Nectar - MTG Card versions
False Dawn - MTG Card versions
Morningtide - MTG Card versions
Academic Probation - MTG Card versions
Gather the Townsfolk - MTG Card versions
Servo Exhibition - MTG Card versions
Revoke Existence - MTG Card versions
Glare of Heresy - MTG Card versions
Return to the Ranks - MTG Card versions
Martial Coup - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Planar Birth is a unique card that refills a player’s land resources by returning all basic lands from the graveyard to the battlefield tapped. This can drastically tip the scales in your favor, ensuring a steady stream of land drops to support late-game strategies or recover from mass land destruction.

Resource Acceleration: By enabling the simultaneous play of numerous lands, Planar Birth provides a significant boost in resource acceleration. This massive landfall can be the key to quickly deploying high-cost spells or activating abilities that require substantial mana investments, thereby speeding up your gameplay.

Instant Speed: Although Planar Birth is not an instant, the strategic timing of its sorcery speed can mimic instant-like responses by setting up a transformative play right before your turn begins. It allows for an unexpected surge in resources, preparing you for a formidable move when the turn passes back to you.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unleashing Planar Birth’s potential requires players to part ways with valuable cards in hand, often forcing tough decisions about resource allocation. When holding pivotal cards for your strategy, triggering Planar Birth’s effect might work against your game plan by diminishing your options.

Specific Mana Cost: Locked behind a white mana requirement, Planar Birth might not find a home in every deck, especially those that operate outside or only lightly touch the realms of white’s magical spectrum. The card’s demand for white mana could limit its flexibility and integration in various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Planar Birth can be a game-changer, its two white mana and an additional cost make it a heavier investment in the early game. Many similar-cost or cheaper spells offer significant board impact without such a restrictive mana requirement, potentially rendering Planar Birth less appealing in a competitive format where efficiency is key.


Reasons to Include Planar Birth in Your Collection

Versatility: Planar Birth is a card with a unique ability to return all basic lands from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped. This feature allows it to slide into various deck types, particularly in land-focused strategies or those decks that utilize lands as a resource beyond just mana.

Combo Potential: This card’s capability to mass reanimate lands pairs well with effects that sacrifice lands for benefits, setting up potential game-winning combos. Think of interactions with cards that let you sacrifice lands for draw, damage, or other effects, and Planar Birth becomes a valuable engine in your deck.

Meta-Relevance: In any metagame where graveyard play and land destruction are prevalent, Planar Birth offers a resilient response. It can counteract mass land destruction decks or enable you to recover swiftly from your own ‘land-sacrifice’ plays. Its utility in such scenarios makes it a sideboard contender at the very least, if not a mainboard staple in certain metas.


How to beat

In the realm of Magic the Gathering, dealing with potent cards like Planar Birth calls for strategic countermeasures. This card, known for its ability to instantly rejuvenate land cards from the graveyard to the battlefield, can rapidly turn the tides in favor of the user. To effectively neutralize this play, it’s crucial to disrupt the card’s setup. This can include countering it with spells such as Counterspell or Dispel, that target and negate it when cast. Another tried and true method is preemptive graveyard management through cards like Relic of Progenitus or Bojuka Bog, cleansing the graveyard of lands before Planar Birth can take effect.

Maintaining control over the game is key; removing Planar Birth from the opponent’s hand through Thoughtseize or Duress before they get a chance to cast it undermines their strategy. In scenarios where Planar Birth has resolved, land destruction cards or bounce effects can help to rectify the situation, resetting the advantage. Overall, staying one step ahead of Planar Birth and controlling graveyard and hand interactions are your best bets for beating this powerful card’s capabilities on the battlefield.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Planar Birth MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga, 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 Planar Birth and other MTG cards:

TCGPlayerBUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Planar Birth has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2004-10-04 They enter the battlefield tapped. They do not enter the battlefield and then tap afterwards.