Overgrown Tomb

Description

The Overgrown Tomb, identified as card number 279, is a fundamental land card within the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. Released in 2005 as part of the Ravnica: City of Guilds set, this card provides players with access to both black and green mana sources. As a Swamp Forest dual land, it offers strategic flexibility by allowing the player to choose between these two colors during gameplay. The card’s mechanics allow the owner to tap the land to add either a black or green mana symbol to their mana pool, though it enters the battlefield tapped unless the player pays two life upon its arrival. This design choice balances its utility as a dual source against the tempo loss associated with entering tapped, a common trade-off in the game’s early years. Art by Rob Alexander, the card is a staple for collectors focusing on the Ravnica block. The Ravnica: City of Guilds expansion was the first in a long-running series that established the guild-based political landscape of the plane. Collectors often seek this card to complete the base set or to build decks that require consistent access to both black and green mana. Its status as a rare card in the original print run adds to its appeal among those who value the history of the game’s early 2000s expansions. The Overgrown Tomb remains a recognizable piece of Magic: The Gathering history, representing the mechanical innovations introduced during the Ravnica era.