Choking Sands
Sorcery
Destroy target non-Swamp land. If that land was nonbasic, Choking Sands deals 2 damage to the land's controller.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Vintage Masters
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #23545
Choking Sands destroys a non-Swamp land and deals 2 damage to its controller if that land wasn't a basic — solid disruption that punishes the greedy mana bases common in Commander. The catch is the double-black cost and narrow targeting, which makes it a fringe pick rather than a staple.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Choking Sands occupies a niche slot for black decks that want to attack mana bases — it's most relevant in metas heavy with non-basic lands, but it competes with unconditional land removal like Assassin's Trophy and rarely makes the cut. In Pauper, it's a more serious consideration given the format's tighter card pool and the prevalence of non-basics like Mystic Sanctuary or Urza lands where the 2-damage rider actually matters. Legacy and Vintage have faster, more flexible options, so Choking Sands doesn't see play there. It's a card with a real effect but a narrow window where it's the right tool.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Choking Sands isn't currently available, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the latest. As a low-demand niche card, it typically sits in bulk or near-bulk territory — worth picking up cheaply if the effect fits your deck, but not a card to chase.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.