Thriving BluffHow it works & interactions with other cards

Choosing Your Path

Thriving Bluff has a replacement effect that happens as it enters the battlefield. You must choose a color other than red (White, Blue, Black, or Green). Because this choice is made 'as' it enters, it does not use the stack and cannot be responded to once the land begins to resolve. This choice is permanent for as long as that specific land remains on the battlefield.

Tapping for Mana

Once on the battlefield, Thriving Bluff has one activated mana ability with two options. You can tap it to produce one Red mana, or you can tap it to produce one mana of the color you chose when it entered. Even if you choose a color that your deck doesn't normally run, the land will successfully produce that mana.

Common Pitfalls

A common mistake is forgetting that Thriving Bluff enters the battlefield tapped regardless of the color choice. You cannot use the mana on the same turn you play it unless you have a way to untap it. Additionally, if the land leaves the battlefield and returns (via a 'blink' effect), you must choose a color again, and it will enter tapped once more.

When to Play It

Thriving Bluff is best played early in the game to set up your mana base for future turns. It is especially useful when you have cards in hand that require a specific secondary color that you haven't drawn yet. Since it always provides Red, it should ideally be placed in decks where Red is a primary color.

Interaction examples

Setting the Color

You play Thriving Bluff as your land for the turn. As it enters, you choose Blue. The land enters the battlefield tapped. On your next turn, you can tap Thriving Bluff for either one Red mana or one Blue mana.

Interaction with Other Fixing

Exotic Orchard

If your opponent controls a Thriving Bluff and chose Black as it entered, your Exotic Orchard can now tap for either Red or Black. This is because Exotic Orchard checks what colors the opponent's lands 'could produce' based on the choices made for those lands.

Commander Identity

Command Tower

In a Commander game, Thriving Bluff is only legal in decks where the Commander's color identity includes Red. While Thriving Bluff can produce a second color of your choice, Command Tower is restricted by your Commander's identity, whereas Thriving Bluff is not restricted in what color it can produce once it is on the field.