Salt Marsh

Salt Marsh was released in October 2000 as part of the Invasion expansion set for Magic: The Gathering. As a 'dual land' capable of producing either blue or black mana, it was designed to support the set's central theme of multicolored deck archetypes, which encouraged players to combine different color philosophies. It entered the game during a period where Wizards of the Coast sought to improve the reliability of mana bases for multi-color strategies by introducing lands that entered the battlefield tapped.

The card’s illustration was provided by artist John Avon, a prominent figure in the game’s aesthetic history known for his expansive, atmospheric landscape work. Avon’s approach for this piece emphasizes the dismal, hazy quality of a coastal wetland, utilizing a muted color palette to evoke the stagnant nature of the marsh. The design reflects a departure from the high-fantasy motifs of earlier sets, leaning instead into a more grounded, environmental depiction that became a staple of the Invasion era.