Polluted Delta's Interaction With Watery Grave Explained

Polluted Delta is a fetch land card in Magic: The Gathering that can be used to search for swamp or island cards. Watery Grave is a shock land card that has both swamp and island subtypes, which means it can be fetched using Polluted Delta. While using Polluted Delta to fetch Watery Grave, players often debate whether they need to pay 1 life to fetch Watery Grave or pay 3 life to fetch it and have it untapped.

Polluted Delta can be used to fetch Watery Grave

Polluted Delta is a "fetch land" card in Magic: The Gathering, a trading card game produced by Wizards of the Coast. It can be used to search for "an island or swamp card", meaning any card with the type island or swamp is a legal card to get. This includes the Watery Grave card, which has both subtypes island and swamp.

When using Polluted Delta, the land you choose does not get tapped into play. Basics will come in untapped, and shocklands, such as Steam Vents, will come in untapped if you pay 2 life. This gives you an edge in terms of playing cards each turn as you can access untapped mana and it allows better fixing of the colours of mana you're using compared to fetching basics.

If you are using Watery Grave as your land card, you will pay 1 life from Polluted Delta to fetch it and an additional 2 life to have it untapped, for a total of 3 life. However, you can minimise this cost by playing Polluted Delta at the end of your opponent's turn and leaving Watery Grave tapped. You can then untap it during your untap phase, thus only paying 1 life from the fetchland.

In competitive Magic, the difference between a land coming into play tapped vs untapped can be game-deciding. Evolving Wilds, which fetches basic lands, always brings them in tapped and is therefore rarely used in competitive play.

Watery Grave can be fetched as it has the basic land type in its land subtype

Polluted Delta can be used to fetch Watery Grave in Magic: The Gathering. This is because Watery Grave has the basic land types "Island" and "Swamp" in its land subtype.

Polluted Delta is a "fetch land" that allows players to search for a Swamp or Island card. While the colour of mana a land produces does not determine its land type, Watery Grave has both subtypes, making it a valid card to fetch.

This combination can provide players with access to the right colours of mana they need when playing spells. For example, if a player needs to cast a spell that requires two green mana and they only have one forest, they can use Polluted Delta to fetch Watery Grave, which provides access to both blue and black mana.

Additionally, the ability to fetch Watery Grave with Polluted Delta can help with mana fixing, ensuring players have the right colours of mana available when they need them. This can be crucial in tournament play, where having a land enter the battlefield untapped or tapped can make a significant difference.

It is worth noting that while Polluted Delta can be used to fetch Watery Grave, there may be a cost associated with doing so. In some cases, players may need to pay life points to use the fetched land card, depending on the specific rules and requirements of the game.

Polluted Delta can fetch any land with the land type Island or Swamp

Polluted Delta is a useful card to have in your deck in Magic: The Gathering. It can be used to fetch any land card with the type "Island" or "Swamp", as stated on its type line. This means that it can be used to fetch Watery Grave, which has both subtypes of Island and Swamp. This combination of cards can be a powerful strategy in the game, as it allows for better mana colour fixing and the ability to play cards each turn.

Polluted Delta is what is known as a "fetch land" card. Fetch lands can be used to search for specific land types, as outlined on the card, and bring them into play untapped. This is in contrast to other cards, such as Evolving Wilds, which can only fetch basic lands that come into play tapped. The ability to fetch non-basic lands with Polluted Delta gives it a significant advantage in terms of flexibility and speed of play.

For example, if you need to play a card that costs one red mana on the first turn, two red and black mana on the second turn, and three black mana on the third turn, Polluted Delta can help you fix your mana and get the right colours when you need them. You can use it to fetch a basic Swamp or Island, or a dual land like Watery Grave, which can add either black or blue mana. This flexibility is crucial in ensuring you have the right colours of mana available when you need them and can help you cast spells each turn.

Polluted Delta also has other advantages. It can be used to shuffle your deck, which is beneficial when using cards with effects like Brainstorm. It also fills your graveyard cheaply, which can be useful for effects like Delve and Delirium. Additionally, the lifeloss from Polluted Delta can sometimes be beneficial if you have cards in your deck that require you to lose life, such as Death's Shadow.

In summary, Polluted Delta is a powerful tool in Magic: The Gathering that can fetch any land card with the type "Island" or "Swamp". This includes Watery Grave, which makes this combination of cards a popular strategy in the game. Polluted Delta's ability to bring in untapped lands and provide better mana colour fixing makes it a valuable card for any player to consider.

Fetch lands can be used to get non-basic lands

Yes, fetch lands can be used to get non-basic lands. Fetch lands are a type of non-basic land that can be sacrificed to search for a land card of a specific basic land type. They were introduced in the Mirage, Onslaught, and Zendikar sets, with each set featuring different mechanics and colour alignments.

The ability to fetch non-basic lands is particularly useful for mana fixing, shuffling, and triggering Landfall effects. For example, Polluted Delta, a fetch land from the Onslaught cycle, can be used to search for any land card with the type "Island" or "Swamp". This includes non-basic lands such as Watery Grave, which has both subtypes.

The Zendikar fetch lands also allow players to search for lands with enemy colour pairs, providing even more flexibility in deck construction. These lands are highly sought after due to their ability to smooth out mana and provide access to a wider range of cards across colours.

In addition to fetch lands, there are other cards in Magic: The Gathering that can be used to fetch non-basic lands, such as Primeval Titan, Crop Rotation, and Farseek. These cards provide alternative ways to search for specific lands and can be useful in different deck configurations.

Fetch lands can help get the colours of mana you need

Fetch lands are a powerful tool in Magic: The Gathering that can help players get the colours of mana they need. They are nonbasic lands that players can pay one life and sacrifice to search their library for a particular basic land type and put it into play. This can be incredibly useful for getting the right colours of mana for your cards. For example, the Polluted Delta fetch land can fetch either a basic Island or Swamp card, or a dual card that has both subtypes, such as Watery Grave. This can be extremely helpful if you need black or blue mana.

The ability to search for specific basic lands is especially useful for multicoloured decks, as it allows players to selectively play the desired land type. Fetch lands also help to reduce the likelihood of drawing a land later in the game when you may no longer need it, as it removes a land from your library. This is known as "thinning" your deck, and while some players argue it is not a solid strategy, others find it beneficial.

In addition to Polluted Delta, there are several other fetch lands available in Magic: The Gathering. The Onslaught set introduced the first five fetch lands: Windswept Heath, Flooded Strand, Polluted Delta, Bloodstained Mire, and Wooded Foothills. Zendikar later added five more: Marsh Flats, Scalding Tarn, Verdant Catacombs, Arid Mesa, and Misty Rainforest. These fetch lands cover both the allied and enemy colour pairs, allowing players to fetch lands for a wide range of mana combinations.

The usefulness of fetch lands is further enhanced by their ability to be sacrificed to search for a land card with at least one of two basic land types of a specific colour pair. This means that, in addition to basic lands, fetch lands can also be used to search for dual lands that produce two different colours of mana. For example, the Flooded Strand fetch land can be used to search for either a Plains or Island card, or a dual land that produces both white and blue mana, such as Hallowed Fountain or Watery Grave, respectively. This versatility can be incredibly valuable for players who need access to multiple colours of mana in their games.

By utilising fetch lands effectively, players can improve their mana base and increase their chances of having the right colours of mana available when they need them. This makes fetch lands a valuable tool for any Magic: The Gathering player, especially those playing multicoloured decks or seeking to optimise their mana base.

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