Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
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Complete guide
Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway is a versatile Modal Double-Faced Card (MDFC) that offers flexible mana fixing for Blue and Black decks. Unlike traditional dual lands, you must choose one side to play, locking in that color for as long as it remains on the battlefield. It is an essential tool for ensuring you have the right colors early in the game without the drawback of entering the battlefield tapped.
One Card, Two Faces
As a Modal Double-Faced Card, Clearwater Pathway has two distinct faces. The front face, Clearwater Pathway, produces Blue mana, while the back face, Murkwater Pathway, produces Black mana. When you play this card from your hand, you choose which side you need. Once it is on the battlefield, it stays on that chosen side; you cannot flip it over or transform it to get the other color later.
Playing the Land Step-by-Step
First, check if you have a land play available for the turn. Second, decide which mana color your current hand or board state requires most. Third, place the card onto the battlefield with the chosen face up. If you chose Clearwater Pathway, it enters and can immediately be tapped for Blue mana. If you chose Murkwater Pathway, it enters and can immediately be tapped for Black mana. Note that if an effect puts this card directly onto the battlefield without you 'playing' it, it must enter as the front face, Clearwater Pathway.
Common Pitfalls
A frequent mistake is assuming you can transform the land while it is on the battlefield. Rules state that Modal Double-Faced Cards cannot be transformed; ignore any instruction to do so. Additionally, in your library or graveyard, only the front face (Clearwater Pathway) exists for the purposes of search effects that look for specific characteristics. However, for Commander deck building, the color identity includes both Blue and Black.
When to Play It
This land is best played when you are missing one specific color to cast your spells. Because it enters untapped, it is excellent for aggressive or tempo-oriented decks that cannot afford to wait a turn. If you already have Blue mana sources but lack Black, Murkwater Pathway is the correct choice to round out your mana base.
Interaction examples
Command TowerIf your Commander is Dimir (Blue/Black), playing Clearwater Pathway identifies both colors for your deck's identity. If you have a Command Tower on the field, it will be able to produce either Blue or Black mana regardless of which side of the Pathway you chose to play, as Command Tower looks at the Commander's identity, not the specific lands you have in play.
Exotic OrchardIf you play the back face, Murkwater Pathway, your land can only produce Black mana. If an opponent then plays Exotic Orchard, their land can now produce Black mana because it is a color a land you control could produce. Even though the physical card has a Blue side, the Orchard only sees the face-up Murkwater Pathway.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
There is a single triangle icon in the top left corner of the front face. There is a double triangle icon in the top left corner of the back face.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
To determine whether it is legal to play a modal double-faced card, consider only the characteristics of the face you’re playing and ignore the other face’s characteristics.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect allows you to play a specific modal double-faced card, you may cast it as a spell or play it as a land, as determined by which face you choose to play. If an effect allows you to cast (rather than “play”) a specific modal double-faced card, you can’t play it as a land.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect allows you to play a land or cast a spell from among a group of cards, you may play or cast a modal double-faced card with any face that fits the criteria of that effect.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
The mana value of a modal double-faced card is based on the characteristics of the face that’s being considered. On the stack and battlefield, consider whichever face is up. In all other zones, consider only the front face. This is different than how the mana value of a transforming double-faced card is determined.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
A modal double-faced card can’t be transformed or be put onto the battlefield transformed. Ignore any instruction to transform a modal double-faced card or to put one onto the battlefield transformed.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect puts a double-faced card onto the battlefield, it enters with its front face up. If that front face can’t be put onto the battlefield, it doesn’t enter the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name, the name of either face may be chosen. If that effect or a linked ability refers to a spell with the chosen name being cast and/or a land with the chosen name being played, it considers only the chosen name, not the other face’s name.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
In the Commander variant, a double-faced card’s color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway
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