Ancient Tomb
Land
: Add 
. This land deals 2 damage to you.
*There is no glory to be gained in the kingdom of the dead.
—Vec tomb inscription*
Set
Ultimate Masters
Rarity
Rare
Mana Value
0
Artist
Yeong-Hao Han
Collector #
236
Reprints
10x printed
1997–2025
Fast mana acceleration makes this land essential for decks that need to deploy expensive threats ahead of curve.
Why Play Ancient Tomb
Fast mana acceleration makes this land essential for decks that need to deploy expensive threats ahead of curve. The two colorless mana enables turn-one Sol Ring into turn-two four-drop plays, or powers out early artifacts like Thought-Knot Seer and Reality Smasher in Eldrazi strategies. While the 2 damage adds up over multiple activations, the tempo advantage usually outweighs the life loss in aggressive or combo-focused builds.Format Notes
Legacy remains the primary competitive home, where it appears in Eldrazi Stompy, Show and Tell, and various artifact-based strategies. The card sees extensive play in Commander as a colorless ramp staple that fits into virtually any deck running expensive commanders or artifact packages. Its ban in Historic demonstrates Wizards' concern about fast mana in digital formats, though it remains legal in paper's eternal formats.Combos & Synergies
Pairs excellently with Sol Ring for explosive opening turns that can lead to turn-two Planeswalkers or other high-impact permanents. Eldrazi creatures like Thought-Knot Seer and Reality Smasher benefit tremendously from the colorless acceleration, often hitting the battlefield a full turn early. The life loss becomes negligible in artifact combo decks that can quickly assemble winning positions through cards like Karn, the Great Creator or Urza, Lord High Artificer.Featured in These Decks
- Opposition Agent Timeless
- Turn 1 Emrakul Timeless
- Mono-Red Prison Timeless
- Sami, Wildcat Captain Brawl
- Combo off with Donatello, Mutant Mechanic in Commander! Commander
- Dimir Tinker Vintage
Learn More
Cards That…
Get MTG news in your inbox
Weekly deck roundups, strategy articles, and card spotlights — free, no spam.
Subscribe Free