Territorial Baloth MTG Card


Landfall boosts Territorial Baloth’s stats, synergizing with ramp decks to enhance both mana and power. Rapid growth under landfall pressure creates an intimidating board presence, demanding opponents’ attention. Instant speed land drops can unexpectedly bolster this creature, contributing to strategic combat advantages.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Beast
Abilities Landfall
Power 4
Toughness 4

Text of card

Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Territorial Baloth gets +2/+2 until end of turn.

Its territory is defined by wherever it is at the moment.


Cards like Territorial Baloth

In the realm of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering, Territorial Baloth stands as a formidable beast. Its closest relatives include cards like Baloth Woodcrasher—a creature that not only grows bigger but also requires lands entering the battlefield. Although Baloth Woodcrasher offers a sizable power increase, Territorial Baloth has the advantage of triggering with any land drop, including nonbasic lands, making it more versatile in landfall-centric decks.

Another kin in this category is the Rampaging Baloths. It shares the landfall ability but instead of gaining size, it churns out 4/4 Beast tokens, creating multiple threats over time. While Rampaging Baloths requires more mana investment, it can overwhelm opponents with board presence. Territorial Baloth, on the other hand, is a simpler and more straightforward addition to a green deck looking for a steadfast beatstick.

Ultimately, Territorial Baloth offers green players a solid choice when constructing a landfall deck. Its simplicity and reliability to increase in power can be a surprising force in games, making it an enticing option for players who enjoy watching a single creature becoming a monumental threat with each turn.

Baloth Woodcrasher - MTG Card versions
Rampaging Baloths - MTG Card versions
Baloth Woodcrasher - MTG Card versions
Rampaging Baloths - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Territorial Baloth by color, type and mana cost

Thicket Basilisk - MTG Card versions
Cockatrice - MTG Card versions
Ironroot Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Elvish Bard - MTG Card versions
Durkwood Boars - MTG Card versions
Elven Riders - MTG Card versions
Redwood Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Spined Wurm - MTG Card versions
Rabid Wolverines - MTG Card versions
Deadly Insect - MTG Card versions
Vintara Elephant - MTG Card versions
Crashing Boars - MTG Card versions
Kavu Chameleon - MTG Card versions
Spring-Leaf Avenger - MTG Card versions
Okina Nightwatch - MTG Card versions
Consuming Blob - MTG Card versions
Primeval Force - MTG Card versions
Spitting Spider - MTG Card versions
Copperhoof Vorrac - MTG Card versions
Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - MTG Card versions
Thicket Basilisk - MTG Card versions
Cockatrice - MTG Card versions
Ironroot Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Elvish Bard - MTG Card versions
Durkwood Boars - MTG Card versions
Elven Riders - MTG Card versions
Redwood Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Spined Wurm - MTG Card versions
Rabid Wolverines - MTG Card versions
Deadly Insect - MTG Card versions
Vintara Elephant - MTG Card versions
Crashing Boars - MTG Card versions
Kavu Chameleon - MTG Card versions
Spring-Leaf Avenger - MTG Card versions
Okina Nightwatch - MTG Card versions
Consuming Blob - MTG Card versions
Primeval Force - MTG Card versions
Spitting Spider - MTG Card versions
Copperhoof Vorrac - MTG Card versions
Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While the Territorial Baloth itself doesn’t directly result in card draw, it significantly benefits from landfall triggers. Each land played can potentially beef up this creature, making land drops even more valuable. In decks that prioritize land ramp, playing additional lands not only advances your mana base but also turns into a recurring boost for this creature, synergizing well with the deck’s overall strategy and increasing your board presence without needing to play additional cards.

Resource Acceleration: Territorial Baloth shines in decks that focus on resource acceleration. By leveraging ramp spells that put extra lands onto the battlefield, you ensure that the Baloth grows larger at an accelerated pace. This growth translates directly into increased pressure on your opponent and can force them to deal with a threatening creature much sooner than they’d like, all while you continue to develop a resource advantage.

Instant Speed: While Territorial Baloth operates at sorcery speed, its reaction to landfall can occur at near-instant speed because it triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control – which can happen on your turn or as an instant during an opponent’s turn. This responsiveness means you can surprise an unwary opponent by playing a land on their turn via other card effects, bolstering your Baloth unexpectedly and turning the tides in combat scenarios or when they least expect it.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While this creature doesn’t have a direct discard requirement, it relies on landfall to trigger its ability, which can be demanding in a tight game where every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Territorial Baloth demands a specific blend of mana with its cost, which could potentially conflict with a player’s curve in multicolor decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value of 5, other creatures or spells could provide more immediate impact or versatility at a lower cost, potentially making it a less attractive option in faster-paced matches.


Reasons to Include Territorial Baloth in Your Collection

Versatility: Territorial Baloth is a solid choice for decks that take advantage of landfall abilities. Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, this creature gets bigger. This makes it an adaptable force in green decks that focus on ramping up quickly to overwhelm the opponent.

Combo Potential: With its inherent landfall trigger, this card can work in tandem with cards that allow multiple land drops per turn or cards that bounce lands back to your hand to be replayed. Such synergies can create powerful swings in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where midrange creatures dominate, Territorial Baloth can be a game-changer. Its ability to grow with each land drop can outpace the opponent’s threats, making it a critical addition for battle-focused green decks.


How to beat

When facing off against the Territorial Baloth in MTG, it’s key to understand its Landfall ability, which may embolden the beast during each turn. This particular card thrives in decks that consistently play lands, amassing considerable power and toughness. To counteract this threat, swift removal is critical. Utilizing spells that exile or destroy creatures can nip the growing threat in the bud before the Baloth becomes uncontrollable.

Control tactics are highly effective as well, such as countering the spells that enable land drops which in turn fuel the Baloth’s power. Additionally, maintaining board control by limiting the number of lands an opponent can play with cards that restrict land plays or by using land destruction strategies can also thwart the Baloth’s scaling advantage. One more strategy is to employ flying creatures which the Territorial Baloth cannot block, giving you an aerial edge. With these approaches, you can ensure the beast remains just a minor obstacle rather than a game-ending juggernaut.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Territorial Baloth MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar and Duel Decks: Zendikar vs. Eldrazi, 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 Territorial Baloth and other MTG cards:

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

Printings

The Territorial Baloth Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2009-10-02 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12009-10-02ZendikarZEN 1882003NormalBlackJesper Ejsing
22015-08-28Duel Decks: Zendikar vs. EldraziDDP 242015NormalBlackJesper Ejsing
32015-10-02Battle for ZendikarBFZ 1962015NormalBlackMatt Stewart
42019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 13522015NormalBlackJesper Ejsing
52020-09-26The ListPLST DDP-242015NormalBlackJesper Ejsing

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Territorial Baloth has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2009-10-01 The landfall ability triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. It triggers whenever you play a land, as well as whenever a spell or ability (such as Rampant Growth) causes you to put a land onto the battlefield under your control. It will even trigger when a spell or ability causes another player to put a land onto the battlefield under your control (as can happen with Yavimaya Dryad’s ability, for example).
2009-10-01 When a land enters the battlefield under your control, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one that resolves.
2015-08-25 A landfall ability triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. It triggers whenever you play a land, as well as whenever a spell or ability puts a land onto the battlefield under your control.
2015-08-25 If the ability has an additional or replacement effect that depends on the land having a certain basic land type, the ability will check that land’s type as the ability resolves. If, at that time, the land that entered the battlefield is no longer on the battlefield, use its types when it left the battlefield to determine what happens.
2015-08-25 When a land enters the battlefield under your control, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one to resolve.