Swiftwater Cliffs
Land
This land enters tapped.
When this land enters, you gain 1 life.
: Add 
or 
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*When spring melted the snow, fishers downstream of the Qadat Fire Rim learned of conflict between Temur and Jeskai from the gruesome flotsam.*
Why Play Swiftwater Cliffs
Budget Izzet decks appreciate this dual land when faster options like Spirebluff Canal are too expensive. The one life gain provides marginal value against aggressive strategies, helping stabilize in the early game. While entering tapped is a significant drawback, it's acceptable in slower control builds or casual mana bases where consistency matters more than speed.Format Notes
Swiftwater Cliffs sees most play in Pauper, where it's one of the few legal dual lands for red-blue strategies. Standard decks occasionally run it as budget mana fixing, though competitive lists prefer untapped alternatives. Commander players often include it in casual mana bases since the format's multiplayer nature reduces the tempo cost of tapped lands.Combos & Synergies
Landfall triggers from cards like Akoum Hellkite benefit from any land entering the battlefield, making the tapped drawback less relevant. The lifegain synergizes with cards that care about gaining life, such as Ajani's Pridemate or Soul Warden effects in casual builds. Deck thinning strategies using Evolving Wilds can help ensure you draw more spells later while still providing the red-blue mana this provides.Featured in These Decks
- The Ruinous Powers Commander
- Seize Control Commander
- Mystic Intellect Commander
- Exquisite Invention Commander
- Entropic Uprising Commander
- Arcane Wizardry Commander
