Bristling Backwoods
Land — Desert
This land enters tapped.
When this land enters, it deals 1 damage to target opponent.
: Add 
or 
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- CMC
- 0
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- GR
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Outlaws of Thunder Junction
- Price
- $0.28
- EDHREC rank
- #3213
Bristling Backwoods enters tapped, but a Desert land that can sacrifice itself to cycle for two cards at instant speed does real work in any deck that cares about Deserts hitting the graveyard. Yuma, Proud Protector turns that self-mill into a Warrior token factory, making Bristling Backwoods a land that functions as both ramp and engine fuel.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Yuma, Proud Protector
Bristling Backwoods is a near-universal inclusion in Yuma, Proud Protector decks because every Desert that enters the graveyard triggers Yuma's token generation — and Backwoods sacrifices itself on demand, converting a land drop into a Warrior token and two fresh cards.
Hazezon, Shaper of Sand
Hazezon, Shaper of Sand rewards stacking Deserts, and Bristling Backwoods slots cleanly into that count while providing a pressure valve: when you've hit your land drops, you can crack it at instant speed to refuel rather than let it sit idle.
Kirri, Talented Sprout
Bristling Backwoods gives Kirri, Talented Sprout builds a Desert that doubles as late-game card selection, and the cycling trigger can be timed around Kirri's planting synergies to squeeze extra value out of a single land.
Samut, the Driving Force
Samut, the Driving Force runs Bristling Backwoods primarily for the Naya Desert count and the incidental card draw it provides in a shell that otherwise has modest draw density.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Bristling Backwoods is legal across every major format but it earns its keep almost exclusively in Commander, where Desert synergy payoffs like Yuma, Proud Protector and Hazezon, Shaper of Sand make a tapped, sacrifice-able land genuinely powerful. In 60-card formats — Standard, Pioneer, Modern — a land that enters tapped and requires mana to activate is too slow for most competitive shells, and dedicated Desert strategies there rarely generate enough payoff to justify the tempo loss. Pauper is the one 60-card context where budget Desert builds occasionally surface, but even there Bristling Backwoods competes with cheaper cyclers. Treat it as a Commander card that happens to be legal elsewhere.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.28 bulk tier
At $0.28, Bristling Backwoods sits firmly in bulk territory, which is accurate for a niche Desert with a narrow but dedicated audience. It's not a card that creeps up in price — pick it up whenever you need it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Yuma, Proud Protector
- Hazezon, Shaper of Sand
- Kirri, Talented Sprout
- Samut, the Driving Force
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.