Gruul Turf

Gruul Turf first appeared in the Ravnica: City of Guilds set in 2005, designed to represent the chaotic and territorial nature of the Gruul Clans. This 'bounce land' mechanic, which requires a player to return a land to their hand upon entering the battlefield, was crafted to provide mana fixing while simulating the shifting, unstable geography of the guild's reclaimed territories. The artwork for the original and subsequent reprints, including this Modern Masters 2015 edition, emphasizes the rugged, overgrown aesthetic of the Rubblebelt.

The Modern Masters 2015 reprint features art by John Avon, a prolific contributor to the Magic: The Gathering landscape. Avon's work is characterized by its sweeping, atmospheric depictions of plane-specific terrain, and for this piece, he aimed to capture the intersection of untamed nature and remnants of civilization. The inclusion of this card in the Modern Masters 2015 set was intended to support the 'lands matter' and multi-color strategies prevalent in the drafting environment, and it was generally well-received by players for its utility in both limited and casual constructed formats.