Okay, so today I decided to mess around with “Cultivate” in Magic: The Gathering. I’ve always liked the card, it just feels good to ramp up your mana, you know?
First, I grabbed my green-white deck. It’s got a good mix of creatures and spells, and I figured “Cultivate” would slot in nicely. I shuffled the deck a bunch of times – gotta make sure those lands are evenly distributed! – and then I started a game against my buddy, Mark.
The first few turns were pretty standard. I played a Forest, he played a Plains. Nothing too exciting. But then, on turn three, bam! I drew “Cultivate”. Perfect timing.
Playing Cultivate
- I tapped three mana – two Forests and an Island (had one of those dual lands out).
- Then, I cast “Cultivate”.
- I searched my deck for two basic land cards. I grabbed another Forest and a Plains.
- The Plains went straight onto the battlefield tapped. That’s fine, I’ll take it.
- The Forest went into my hand. More fuel for later!
Mark groaned a little. He knows how quickly things can snowball when you get extra lands out early.
For the rest of the game, “Cultivate” really helped me. That extra land drop gave me a bit of an advantage, allowing me to cast my bigger creatures a turn or two earlier than Mark. I ended up winning that game, mostly because I was able to overwhelm him with bigger threats faster. “Cultivate” for the win! Simple as that.