Treetop Village – Urza’s Legacy –> Avatar
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2025
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.50
Casual: 4.25
Limited: 4.25
Multiplayer: 3.00
Commander [EDH]: 3.25
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
We’re very used to creature lands of different types now, but it’s important to remember that back in 1999, there had been none in the original Mishra’s Factory style since the original. So Treetop Village and the rest of its cycle were game-changers in their time – although not all of them were constructed tier, they were a powerful statement that the Factory concept still had a place in Magic. This card was definitely one of the ones that was good in constructed, and you only have to look at the numbers and the time scales to see why. If it’s your first land, you could be attacking with a 3/3 trampler on the third turn, which is way sooner than you’d usually expect to in 1999 (and even, sometimes, in 2007, when it was in Tenth Edition). And there’s nothing that counterspells or Wrath of God can do about it, both of which were a long shadow over creature decks for much of Magic’s history. We’ve see cards in this style regularly in the years since, some of which were even more aggressively pushed than the originals, but even now Treetop Village is not a card you’d ever be embarrassed to have in your deck.
The original art has always reminded me of some of the levels in Donkey Kong Country. I have no idea whether the game was an inspiration for the artist; the release dates certainly make it possible, though!
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3
Commander [EDH]: 3
While it might not look like much by today’s standards, Treetop Village is one of the most iconic creature lands of all time, and it has quite the pedigree as a threat. Breaking through board states with a trampler is quite nice, especially when said trampler dodges sorcery-speed removal well, and it even turns on for cheap. Unfortunately, it’s lost a couple of steps over the years as creatures have gotten better, and while it was phenomenal when they were small (like in the days of Urza’s Legacy, its original printing), there are definitely more forceful threats.
That said, earthbending does give this a bit of intrigue, since two mana turns it into a 3/3 on top of the counters it already has from the ability, and the trample is huge in winning trades. I doubt this’ll bring the card back to prominence, but this is one of those iconic cards whose legacy, while in the past, can’t be understated.
Constructed: 3.5 (I do think earthbending might give it a lease on life in Modern, but this hasn’t made waves in Constructed in ages)
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4.5 (dodging sorcery-speed removal and being an aggressive clock make this a massive Limited threat)
Multiplayer: 3
Commander [EDH]: 3.25 (could be useful enough if you’re a green deck, as a bit of a fallback)
Thijs
Coming Soon
Constructed:
Casual:
Limited:
Multiplayer:
Commander [EDH]:
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