Rootpath Purifier 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
Lands you control and land cards in your library are basic.
Complete guide
Rootpath Purifier is a unique Elf Druid that shifts the fundamental nature of your mana base. By turning all your lands and land cards in your library into basic lands, it unlocks powerful new ways to interact with your deck and protect your board.
What It Does
Rootpath Purifier grants the supertype 'basic' to all lands you control on the battlefield and all land cards within your library. It does not remove existing types, subtypes, or abilities; it simply adds the basic status to them. This means a legendary land becomes a basic legendary land, and a land with complex abilities remains functional while gaining the benefits of being basic.
How It Resolves Step by Step
Once Rootpath Purifier enters the battlefield, its static ability applies immediately. First, all lands currently under your control lose the 'nonbasic' status and gain 'basic'. Second, any effect that references your library will now see every land card there as a basic land. Finally, if Rootpath Purifier leaves the battlefield, these lands immediately revert to their original status unless another effect is maintaining the change.
Common Mistakes
A common misconception is that becoming basic grants basic land types like Forest or Island. It does not. If an effect asks you to search for a Forest, you cannot pick a non-Forest land just because it is now basic. Additionally, this effect only applies to lands you control and land cards in your library; it does not affect lands in your graveyard, hand, or exile.
When to Play It
Rootpath Purifier is best utilized in decks that run many utility lands but need to bypass restrictions that target nonbasic lands. It is an excellent defensive tool against cards like Blood Moon, as it prevents your lands from being transformed into Mountains. It also turns every land-searching effect in your deck into a powerful tutor for any land you own.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumWith Rootpath Purifier on the battlefield, you cast Solemn Simulacrum. When it enters, you trigger its ability to search for a basic land card. Because Rootpath Purifier makes every land card in your library basic, you can now choose any land card from your deck—such as a powerful utility land—and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Eternal WitnessIf you have a land in your graveyard and you cast Eternal Witness, you can return that land to your hand. Note that Rootpath Purifier does not affect cards in the graveyard, so that land card is not basic while it is there. However, as soon as you play that land from your hand, it becomes basic under Rootpath Purifier's influence.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Rootpath Purifier
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Being basic doesn’t grant any abilities to a land that it didn’t already have, and doesn’t remove any card types, subtypes, or supertypes. For example, a land card that is legendary will be both basic and legendary while on the battlefield or in your library.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Notably, becoming basic also doesn’t grant any of the basic land types. If an effect instructs you to search your library for a basic land while you control Rootpath Purifier, you may search for any land card in your library. However, if an effect instructs you to search your library for a card with a basic land type, you must search for a land that is a Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest, regardless of whether or not the land is basic.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Lands that become basic are no longer nonbasic lands. This may change what effects can apply to them. For example, if an opponent controls Blood Moon, an enchantment which says “Nonbasic lands are Mountains,” and you play Rootpath Purifier, Blood Moon can no longer apply to the lands you control because they are all basic.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Rootpath Purifier + Wheel of Sun and Moon + Fabled Passage
- 1Activate Fabled Passage by tapping and sacrificing it.
- 2Fabled Passage is put on the bottom of your library instead of in your graveyard due to Wheel of Sun and Moon.
- 3Resolve the Fabled Passage ability, searching your library for Fabled Passage and putting it onto the battlefield.
- 4Repeat.
Rootpath Purifier + Maze's End + Boundless Realms
- 1Cast Boundless Realms by paying
, causing you to search your library for a number of Gate cards equal to the number of lands you control, and put them onto the battlefield tapped. - 2Activate Maze's End's second ability by paying
, tapping it and returning it from the battlefield to your hand, searching your library for a Gate, putting it onto the battlefield and causing you to win the game.
Rootpath Purifier + Maze's End + New Frontiers
- 1Cast New Frontiers by paying
minus 
for each unique Gate you control. - 2Resolve New Frontiers, causing you to search your library for that many Gate cards and put them onto the battlefield tapped, and allowing each opponent to do the same for basic lands.
- 3Activate Maze's End's second ability by paying , tapping it and returning it from the battlefield to your hand, searching your library for a Gate, putting it onto the battlefield and causing you to win the game.
Rootpath Purifier + Wheel of Sun and Moon + Evolving Wilds + Amulet of Vigor
- 1Activate Evolving Wilds by tapping and sacrificing it.
- 2Evolving Wilds is put on the bottom of your library instead of in your graveyard due to Wheel of Sun and Moon.
- 3Resolve the Evolving Wilds ability, searching your library for Evolving Wilds and putting it onto the battlefield tapped.
- 4Evolving Wilds enters the battlefield, triggering Amulet of Vigor, untapping Evolving Wilds.
- 5Repeat.
Rootpath Purifier + Wheel of Sun and Moon + Terramorphic Expanse + Amulet of Vigor
- 1Activate Terramorphic Expanse by tapping and sacrificing it.
- 2Terramorphic Expanse is put on the bottom of your library instead of in your graveyard due to Wheel of Sun and Moon.
- 3Resolve the Terramorphic Expanse ability, searching your library for Terramorphic Expanse and putting it onto the battlefield tapped.
- 4Terramorphic Expanse enters the battlefield, triggering Amulet of Vigor, untapping Terramorphic Expanse.
- 5Repeat.
Rootpath Purifier + Wheel of Sun and Moon + Evolving Wilds + Stone-Seeder Hierophant
- 1Activate Evolving Wilds by tapping and sacrificing it.
- 2Evolving Wilds is put on the bottom of your library instead of in your graveyard due to Wheel of Sun and Moon.
- 3Resolve the Evolving Wilds ability, searching your library for Evolving Wilds and putting it onto the battlefield tapped.
- 4Evolving Wilds enters the battlefield, triggering Stone-Seeder Hierophant, untapping Stone-Seeder Hierophant.
- 5Activate Stone-Seeder Hierophant by tapping it, untapping Evolving Wilds.
- 6Repeat.
Rootpath Purifier + Wheel of Sun and Moon + Terramorphic Expanse + Stone-Seeder Hierophant
- 1Activate Terramorphic Expanse by tapping and sacrificing it.
- 2Terramorphic Expanse is put on the bottom of your library instead of in your graveyard due to Wheel of Sun and Moon.
- 3Resolve the Terramorphic Expanse ability, searching your library for Terramorphic Expanse and putting it onto the battlefield tapped.
- 4Terramorphic Expanse enters the battlefield, triggering Stone-Seeder Hierophant, untapping Stone-Seeder Hierophant.
- 5Activate Stone-Seeder Hierophant by tapping it, untapping Terramorphic Expanse.
- 6Repeat.
Rootpath Purifier + Earthcraft + Gaea's Cradle + Sprout Swarm
- 1Activate Gaea's Cradle by tapping it, adding at least .
- 2Cast Sprout Swarm with buyback by paying
, creating a 1/1 Saproling creature token and returning Sprout Swarm to your hand. - 3Activate Earthcraft by tapping the Saproling, untapping Gaea's Cradle.
- 4Repeat.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Rootpath Purifier
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.