Lotus Vale 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
If this land would enter, sacrifice two untapped lands instead. If you do, put this land onto the battlefield. If you don't, put it into its owner's graveyard.: Add three mana of any one color.
Complete guide
Lotus Vale is a high-risk, high-reward land that can supercharge your mana pool early in the game. By consolidating two lands into one, it allows you to generate three mana of any one color with a single tap. However, its unique entry requirement means you must be prepared to pay the price before it ever touches the battlefield.
What Lotus Vale Does
Lotus Vale is a land that provides a significant mana boost, but it comes with a steep replacement effect. Instead of entering the battlefield freely, it requires you to sacrifice two untapped lands. If you can meet this cost, you gain a land that taps for three mana of any one color; if you cannot or choose not to, the card goes directly to your graveyard.
Step-by-Step Resolution
When you attempt to play Lotus Vale, its static ability creates a replacement effect. First, you must choose two untapped lands you control to sacrifice. Second, if you sacrifice two untapped lands, Lotus Vale enters the battlefield successfully. Finally, if you do not sacrifice two untapped lands, Lotus Vale is placed into your graveyard instead of entering the battlefield. Because this is a replacement effect and not a triggered ability, you cannot tap Lotus Vale for mana before the sacrifice occurs.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is attempting to use the lands you are about to sacrifice to pay for other spells or abilities. Because the lands must be untapped to be sacrificed for Lotus Vale, you cannot tap them for mana and then sacrifice them to satisfy the requirement. Additionally, if Lotus Vale is your only land or you only have one other land, you cannot fulfill the requirement, and it will go straight to the graveyard.
When to Play It
Lotus Vale is best utilized in decks that can capitalize on having a single land that produces large amounts of mana, or in strategies that benefit from lands being in the graveyard. It is particularly powerful when you have already established a mana base and need to filter or accelerate into expensive spells, but be wary of land destruction effects that could set you back significantly.
Interaction examples
You have two basic lands on the battlefield. You play Lotus Vale from your hand. As it would enter, you sacrifice both untapped basic lands. Lotus Vale enters the battlefield, and you can now tap it to add three mana of any one color, such as three Green mana.
Command TowerYou control only one Command Tower. You attempt to play Lotus Vale. Because the ability requires you to sacrifice two untapped lands and you only control one, you cannot fulfill the requirement. Lotus Vale is put directly into your graveyard, and your Command Tower remains on the battlefield.
Exotic OrchardYou control two Exotic Orchard cards, but one of them is already tapped. You play Lotus Vale. Even though you control two lands, you can only sacrifice one untapped land. Since you cannot sacrifice two untapped lands, Lotus Vale goes to the graveyard.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Lotus Vale
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If you don't sacrifice the lands, Lotus Vale never enters — it goes directly to your graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Freed from the Real + Vizier of Tumbling Sands + Lotus Vale
- 1Activate Lotus Vale by tapping it, adding
. - 2Activate Vizier of Tumbling Sands by tapping it, untapping Lotus Vale.
- 3Activate Freed from the Real's last ability by paying , untapping Vizier of Tumbling Sands.
- 4Repeat any number of times.
- 5Repeat steps with a different color for infinite mana of any color.
Pemmin's Aura + Vizier of Tumbling Sands + Lotus Vale
- 1Activate Lotus Vale by tapping it, adding .
- 2Activate Vizier of Tumbling Sands by tapping it, untapping Lotus Vale.
- 3Activate Pemmin's Aura's first ability by paying , untapping Vizier of Tumbling Sands.
- 4Repeat any number of times.
- 5Repeat steps with a different color for infinite mana of any color.
Pemmin's Aura + Fatestitcher + Lotus Vale
- 1Activate Lotus Vale by tapping it, adding .
- 2Activate Fatestitcher by tapping it, untapping Lotus Vale.
- 3Activate Pemmin's Aura's first ability by paying , untapping Fatestitcher.
- 4Repeat any number of times.
- 5Repeat steps with a different color for infinite mana of any color.
Freed from the Real + Fatestitcher + Lotus Vale
- 1Activate Lotus Vale by tapping it, adding .
- 2Activate Fatestitcher by tapping it, untapping Lotus Vale.
- 3Activate Freed from the Real's last ability by paying , untapping Fatestitcher.
- 4Repeat any number of times.
- 5Repeat steps with a different color for infinite mana of any color.
The Necrobloom + Cultivator Colossus + Lotus Vale
- 1Cast Cultivator Colossus by paying
. - 2When Cultivator Colossus enters, it triggers, attempting to put Lotus Vale from your hand onto the battlefield. Choose to instead put Lotus Vale into your graveyard.
- 3Afterwards, continue resolving the Cultivator Colossus trigger, causing you to mill two cards and return Lotus Vale from your graveyard to your hand due to its dredge ability. Then, repeat the process, attempting to put Lotus Vale from your hand onto the battlefield. Choose to instead put Lotus Vale into your graveyard.
- 4Repeat step 3.
Magus of the Candelabra + Maze of Ith + Lotus Vale
- 1Declare Magus of the Candelabra as an attacker.
- 2Activate Maze of Ith by tapping it, untapping Magus of the Candelabra.
- 3Activate Lotus Vale by tapping it, adding three mana of any color.
- 4Activate Magus of the Candelabra by paying
and tapping it, untapping Maze of Ith and Lotus Vale. - 5Repeat from step 2.
Freed from the Real + Voyaging Satyr + Lotus Vale
- 1Activate Lotus Vale by tapping it, adding .
- 2Activate Voyaging Satyr by tapping it, untapping Lotus Vale.
- 3Activate Freed from the Real's last ability by paying , untapping Voyaging Satyr.
- 4Repeat any number of times.
- 5Repeat steps with a different color for infinite mana of any color.
Pemmin's Aura + Voyaging Satyr + Lotus Vale
- 1Activate Lotus Vale by tapping it, adding .
- 2Activate Voyaging Satyr by tapping it, untapping Lotus Vale.
- 3Activate Pemmin's Aura's first ability by paying , untapping Voyaging Satyr.
- 4Repeat any number of times.
- 5Repeat steps with a different color for infinite mana of any color.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Lotus Vale
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.