Witch's Cottage MTG Card


Witch’s Cottage can selectively recur creatures, enhancing draw quality without extra cost. Requires three other Swamps for optimal effect, possibly hindering early game plans. Compares favorably to other recursion lands by potentially not entering tapped.
Witch's Cottage - Throne of Eldraine
RarityCommon
TypeLand — Swamp
Released2019-10-04
Set symbol
Set nameThrone of Eldraine
Set codeELD
Number249
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byGabor Szikszai

Text of card

(: Add .) Witch's Cottage enters the battlefield tapped unless you control three or more other Swamps. When Witch's Cottage enters the battlefield untapped, you may put target creature card from your graveyard on top of your library.


Cards like Witch's Cottage

Witch’s Cottage is a unique land card that offers a distinct advantage in Magic: The Gathering. It’s akin to Mortuary Mire in that both have the capability to return a creature from your graveyard to the top of your library. Yet, Witch’s Cottage takes it a step further by not entering the battlefield tapped if you control three or more other Swamps, enabling an immediate impact on the game.

Comparatively, there’s Volrath’s Stronghold, which also returns creatures to the top of your library. However, the stronghold necessitates two mana to activate this ability, whereas Witch’s Cottage does this for free upon entry under the right conditions. Surprisingly, we also have Haunted Fengraf in the mix, which can randomly return a creature from your graveyard to your hand, offering a different form of recurrence.

Pinpointing the value of Witch’s Cottage within MTG reveals that it stands out in decks heavy with Swamps. It snugly fits into strategies that require frequent creature recovery without incurring extra mana costs, thus enhancing consistency in gameplay and optimizing the crucial land drops each turn.

Mortuary Mire - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Stronghold - MTG Card versions
Haunted Fengraf - MTG Card versions
Mortuary Mire - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Stronghold - MTG Card versions
Haunted Fengraf - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Witch's Cottage by color, type and mana cost

Swamp - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Stronghold - MTG Card versions
Spawning Pool - MTG Card versions
Agadeem's Awakening // Agadeem, the Undercrypt - MTG Card versions
Lake of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Takenuma, Abandoned Mire - MTG Card versions
Cabal Coffers - MTG Card versions
Crypt of Agadeem - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Salvage - MTG Card versions
Bojuka Bog - MTG Card versions
Ifnir Deadlands - MTG Card versions
Barren Moor - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Tower - MTG Card versions
Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince - MTG Card versions
Snow-Covered Swamp - MTG Card versions
Hostile Hostel // Creeping Inn - MTG Card versions
Polluted Mire - MTG Card versions
The Black Gate - MTG Card versions
Barad-dûr - MTG Card versions
Thriving Moor - MTG Card versions
Swamp - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Stronghold - MTG Card versions
Spawning Pool - MTG Card versions
Agadeem's Awakening // Agadeem, the Undercrypt - MTG Card versions
Lake of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Takenuma, Abandoned Mire - MTG Card versions
Cabal Coffers - MTG Card versions
Crypt of Agadeem - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Salvage - MTG Card versions
Bojuka Bog - MTG Card versions
Ifnir Deadlands - MTG Card versions
Barren Moor - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Tower - MTG Card versions
Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince - MTG Card versions
Snow-Covered Swamp - MTG Card versions
Hostile Hostel // Creeping Inn - MTG Card versions
Polluted Mire - MTG Card versions
The Black Gate - MTG Card versions
Barad-dûr - MTG Card versions
Thriving Moor - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Witch's Cottage. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Golgari GardensGolgari Gardens PauperGolgari GardensPauper League 2024-05-14
BGBG PauperPauper League 2024-05-16
BRGBRG PauperPauper League 2024-05-15
Jund GardensJund Gardens PauperTOP 8 | Lega Pauper Mediavalle e Garfagnana 2023/24 - Road to Paupergeddon Pisa

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Witch’s Cottage offers a unique form of card advantage by potentially returning a creature card from your graveyard to the top of your library. This subtle form of card selection ensures you draw into threats or key pieces without spending extra resources.

Resource Acceleration: As a land, Witch’s Cottage does not accelerate your mana on its own. However, it’s invaluable in decks that require a specific threshold of Swamps to fully capitalize on their abilities, effectively accelerating your strategy’s potential by meeting these conditions seamlessly.

Instant Speed: While Witch’s Cottage’s ability does not function at instant speed, its trigger upon entering the battlefield can be strategically timed with other land play mechanics. The nuances of this setup can provide surprise advantages over an opponent, readying your hand with vital creatures when most needed.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Witch’s Cottage doesn’t necessitate discarding to activate its abilities, enhancing its utility without sacrificing hand advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Witch’s Cottage requires one black mana to play, which restricts its inclusion to decks that can produce or accommodate black mana in their manabase.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Witch’s Cottage itself is inexpensive to play, its ability to return a creature card from your graveyard to the top of your library only triggers if you control three or more other swamps. This can be a high land count requirement, particularly in the early game or in multi-color decks where having three swamps in play isn’t always feasible.


Reasons to Include Witch’s Cottage in Your Collection

Versatility: Witch’s Cottage offers a seamless integration into various black-based decks. Its unique ability to put a creature card from your graveyard on top of your library ensures a valuable recursion effect in creature-heavy strategies.

Combo Potential: This land synergizes well with decks that capitalize on graveyard mechanics. In combination with self-mill or sacrifice themes, Witch’s Cottage can repeatedly enable key creatures to return to your hand, thereby enhancing your overall strategy.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where recursion can tip the scales, Witch’s Cottage finds its place. As the competitive scene adapts to graveyard manipulation and value-oriented play, this card emerges as a solid utility land in any black deck seeking to exploit these dynamics.


How to beat

Witch’s Cottage is a unique land card in Magic: The Gathering that has the potential to give players a strategic edge by returning a creature card from their graveyard to the top of their deck. It’s a valuable asset for decks that rely on key creatures, easily weaving into the flow of the match by seamlessly bringing back those crucial components.

When facing Witch’s Cottage, it’s essential to manage your opponent’s graveyard. Utilize cards like Tormod’s Crypt to remove targets before the Cottage’s ability triggers. Graveyard hate cards are also formidable tools, such as Leyline of the Void, which can negate the Cottage’s effectiveness entirely by exiling creatures before they hit the graveyard, disrupting your opponent’s game plan significantly.

It’s equally important to control the board and maintain pressure, ensuring the game state doesn’t favor the activation of Witch’s Cottage’s ability. Aggressive strategies might prevent your opponent from having the threshold of three or more other Swamps, thus keeping their powerful creatures at bay. By understanding and interrupting your opponent’s strategies, you ensure that Witch’s Cottage doesn’t become the turning point of the game.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Witch's Cottage MTG card by a specific set like Throne of Eldraine, 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 Witch's Cottage and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Witch's Cottage has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2019-10-04 As these lands are entering the battlefield, they check for lands that are already on the battlefield. They won't see lands that are entering the battlefield at the same time (due to Scapeshift, for example).
2019-10-04 If another effect puts these lands onto the battlefield tapped, they enter tapped, even if you control enough lands with the appropriate basic land type.