5 Must-Play Lands in Magic: The Gathering

Lands in Magic: The Gathering

In the vast and diverse tapestry of Magic: The Gathering, the lands that shape the battlefield hold immense power. They are the foundation upon which our armies stand, providing mana, the lifeblood of our spells. Among the countless lands that have graced the annals of the game, a select few have risen above the rest, earning a reputation as the best of the best. These legendary lands are sought after by players of all skill levels, and their presence on the battlefield can often determine the outcome of the game. In this article, we’ll explore the hallowed ground of Magic’s elite lands, uncovering their history, abilities, and the impact they’ve had on the game.

The first of these legendary lands is the hallowed Serra’s Sanctum, a relic of the angelic planeswalker Serra. This enchantment land provides a steady stream of white mana, the color of purity and protection. Its true power lies in its ability to enhance the creatures under its control, granting them protection from black mana, the color of death and decay. In a world where creatures come and go, Serra’s Sanctum offers a sanctuary for the faithful, ensuring their survival and dominance on the battlefield. Its hallowed halls have witnessed countless victories, making it a cornerstone of white-based decks throughout the ages.

Shifting our gaze from the celestial realms to the depths of the forest, we encounter the verdant Gaea’s Cradle, an embodiment of nature’s untamed power. This land is a wellspring of green mana, the color of growth and life. Its unique ability allows players to generate mana for each creature they control, creating a cascading effect that can quickly overwhelm opponents. Gaea’s Cradle is a force to be reckoned with, powering up massive armies and enabling explosive plays that leave opponents reeling. As the heart of green-based strategies, it has become a symbol of the unstoppable force of nature, a testament to the eternal cycle of birth, growth, and decay.

The Power of Dual Lands

Dual lands are a class of powerful lands in Magic: The Gathering. They provide you with two different colored mana, allowing you to cast spells that require more than one color to cast, and they do so without drawbacks like coming into play tapped or hurting you when you tap them. These abilities make dual lands highly sought-after cards for many decks, and they can be one of the most important factors in determining a deck’s power level.

Land	Colors	Cost
Scrubland	Black/Red	$20
Bayou	Black/Green	$150
Volcanic Island	Red/Blue	$400

The first dual lands were printed in the Alpha set, and they have been a staple of the game ever since. There are many types of dual lands, but the most common and powerful are the “shock lands” (such as Hallowed Fountain), “fetch lands” (such as Verdant Catacombs), and “Battle lands” (such as Battlefield Forge). Shock lands enter the battlefield tapped unless you pay 2 life, fetch lands allow you to search your library for a land and put it onto the battlefield tapped, and Battle lands enter the battlefield untapped if you control three or more lands.

The Versatility of Fetch Lands

Fetch lands are among the most versatile and ubiquitous lands in Magic: The Gathering. They combine the abilities of basic lands with potent additional effects. When a fetch land enters the battlefield, you can sacrifice it to search for any basic land card from your library and put it onto the battlefield tapped. This allows you to manipulate your mana base in a variety of ways.

Consistent Mana

Fetch lands help ensure consistent mana production. By fetching basic lands of the color you need, you can minimize the risk of drawing mana sources that don’t align with your deck’s requirements. Additionally, fetch lands enable you to thin your deck by replacing a fetch land with a basic land, increasing the odds of drawing key cards.

Deck Thinning and Landfall Triggers

The ability to fetch basic lands also contributes to deck thinning. When you sacrifice a fetch land to fetch another land, you effectively remove two cards from your deck: the fetch land and the card it replaces. This can improve the overall quality of your draws, as it reduces the chance of drawing redundant or less impactful cards. Additionally, fetch lands can trigger landfall abilities, which activate when a land enters the battlefield under your control. By repeatedly fetching lands, you can capitalize on these abilities to gain additional benefits.

Pros of Fetch Lands:
– Consistent mana production
– Deck thinning
– Landfall triggers

The Consistency of Shock Lands

Shock lands are a type of dual land that enters the battlefield tapped unless you pay 2 life. This makes them a more risky option than other dual lands, but they also have the potential to be more powerful. The consistency of shock lands is one of the things that makes them so good. They are always available to you, regardless of what lands you draw, and they can help you to cast your spells on time even if you don’t have the perfect mana base.

The Math of Shock Lands

The consistency of shock lands can be quantified by looking at the probability of drawing one or more shock lands in your opening hand. The following table shows the probability of drawing one or more shock lands in your opening hand, depending on how many shock lands you have in your deck:

Number of Shock Lands in Deck	Probability of Drawing One or More Shock Lands
2	26.5%
3	40.4%
4	51.7%
5	61.0%
6	68.4%
7	74.3%
8	79.2%

As you can see, the probability of drawing one or more shock lands in your opening hand increases significantly as you add more shock lands to your deck. This is because shock lands are always available to you, regardless of what other lands you draw. This makes them a very consistent source of mana, which is essential for casting your spells on time.

The Resilience of Pain Lands

Pain lands are a cycle of ten dual lands from the Onslaught and Legions sets. They enter the battlefield tapped unless you pay 1 life, and they produce two mana of any combination of their two colors.

Versatility

Pain lands offer great versatility as they can produce any combination of their two colors. This makes them ideal for multi-colored decks or decks that require specific mana colors. Additionally, their ability to enter the battlefield tapped for free allows players to conserve life when necessary.

Reliability

Pain lands are highly reliable mana sources. They are not affected by land destruction effects like Stone Rain and can be fetched with cards like Llanowar Elves and Sakura-Tribe Elder.

Damage Mitigation

While the life loss from pain lands can be a drawback, it can also be mitigated through various means. Cards like Kor Skyfisher and Kitchen Finks can gain life, while Bloodchief Ascension and Phyrexian Arena can convert life loss into card advantage.

Set	Land
Onslaught	Bloodstained Mire
Onslaught	Copperline Gorge
Onslaught	Drowned Catacomb
Onslaught	Fetid Heath
Onslaught	Misty Rainforest
Legions	Polluted Delta
Legions	Scrubland
Legions	Steam Vents
Legions	Stomping Ground
Legions	Volcanic Island

The Flexibility of Triome Lands

Triome lands, introduced in the Zendikar Rising set, have redefined mana fixing in Magic: The Gathering. These dual lands have the additional ability to tap for any of three colors, offering remarkable flexibility in multicolored decks.

The flexibility of triomes stems from their ability to tap for any of their three colors. This allows them to contribute to the mana costs of a wide range of spells, regardless of the color combination being cast. Unlike other dual lands, triomes are not restricted to specific pairings, making them highly versatile.

Triomes also provide mana filtering, allowing players to tap them for mana of a specific color that they may be short on. This can help stabilize mana bases and reduce the risk of color screw or flood.

In addition, triomes offer resilience against land destruction effects. If one triome is destroyed, players still have access to two other colors of mana, mitigating the impact of losing a mana source.

The flexibility and versatility of triome lands have made them a staple in multicolored decks across all formats. They have significantly improved the mana consistency and stability of these decks, allowing players to cast their spells more reliably and effectively.

The Dominance of Sliver Lands

Introduction

Sliver lands are a powerful land type introduced in the Magic: The Gathering set Tempest. Their unique abilities make them extremely potent in sliver decks, allowing you to generate massive mana and cast multiple slivers each turn.

Variety of Sliver Lands

There are various sliver lands, each providing its own advantages:

Ancient Ziggurat: Provides mana based on the number of slivers you control.
Gemhide Sliver: Sacrifices itself to draw cards equal to the number of slivers you control.
Necrotic Sliver: Deals damage to you equal to the number of slivers you control, but grants you infinite mana.

Compatibility with Sliver Decks

Sliver lands synergize incredibly well with sliver decks. By including these lands in your deck, you can:

Generate Vast Mana: Ancient Ziggurat allows you to generate enormous amounts of mana, making it easier to cast multiple slivers.
Draw Cards: Gemhide Sliver provides card draw, allowing you to keep your hand stocked with more slivers and spells.
Gain Infinite Mana: Necrotic Sliver can be used as a mana engine, granting you infinite mana for a potential game-ending play.

Building an Effective Sliver Deck

To build a successful sliver deck, consider the following tips:

Include a Variety of Slivers: Run a diverse range of slivers to maximize their combined abilities.
Focus on Mana Generation: Incorporate as many sliver lands as possible to generate ample mana.
Maximize Card Draw: Include cards that draw cards, such as Gemhide Sliver, to keep your hand stocked.
Plan for a Win Condition: Determine your primary win condition, whether it’s combat damage or infinite mana.

Rare and Powerful Sliver Lands

Some sliver lands are particularly rare and powerful, commanding high prices on the secondary market:

Name	Year
Cavern of Souls	2006
Sliver Hive	1999
Sliver Stronghold	2011

The Utility of Lair Lands

Lair lands are a type of land card in Magic: The Gathering that provides a bonus or effect when you control a creature of a specific type, such as Beasts or Angels. These lands offer significant utility, especially in decks that focus on a particular creature type. Here are some of the key advantages of lair lands:

1. Mana Fixing

Lair lands can help stabilize your mana base and ensure that you have access to the colors you need to cast your spells. By providing mana of a specific type, lair lands can help you avoid color screw and ensure that you can play your creatures and other spells on time.

2. Card Draw

Some lair lands provide card draw effects, allowing you to replenish your hand and keep your options open. This is especially useful in the mid to late game, when running out of cards can be a major setback.

3. Creature Benefits

Lair lands can provide a variety of bonuses to creatures of a specific type, such as increased power, toughness, or abilities. This can make your creatures more difficult to block, deal more damage, or gain additional abilities, giving you a significant advantage in combat.

4. Protection

Some lair lands offer protection from specific creature types or damage sources. This provides a layer of defense for your creatures, making them more resilient to removal spells and combat damage.

5. Landfall Effects

Lair lands with landfall abilities trigger when they enter the battlefield, allowing you to draw cards, create tokens, or other effects. These abilities can provide additional value and synergy in decks that focus on landfall triggers.

6. Tribal Synergies

Lair lands can enable synergies within tribal decks, which focus on a particular creature type. These lands can provide bonuses to all creatures of that type, making your deck more cohesive and powerful.

7. Mana Advantage

One of the most significant advantages of lair lands is that they can provide a mana advantage over opponents. When you control multiple lair lands, each copy provides mana of the same type. This can help you ramp up your mana quickly, allowing you to cast bigger spells or activate abilities more efficiently. For example, if you control two Mountaintop Sanctuaries, you can tap them both to produce four red mana, even though you only played one.

The Potential of Bonders’ Enclaves

Bonders’ Enclaves are a powerful land cycle introduced in the Dominaria expansion. They have the potential to be some of the best lands in Magic: The Gathering, as they offer a number of unique advantages.

First, Bonders’ Enclaves enter the battlefield untapped, which means they can be used to cast spells on the turn they’re played. This is a significant advantage over other lands, which typically enter the battlefield tapped.

Second, Bonders’ Enclaves produce mana of any color. This means they can be used to cast spells of any color, which gives them a great deal of flexibility.

Third, Bonders’ Enclaves have a built-in mana sink. When a creature enters the battlefield under your control, you can pay 2 mana to put a +1/+1 counter on that creature. This can be used to boost your creatures’ power and toughness, making them more difficult to kill.

8. They can be used to trigger landfall abilities

Landfall abilities are triggered whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control. This means that Bonders’ Enclaves can be used to trigger landfall abilities multiple times, which can lead to powerful effects.

For example, the card [[Omnath, Locus of Rage]] has a landfall ability that deals damage to each opponent equal to the number of lands you control. If you control a Bonders’ Enclave, you can trigger Omnath’s landfall ability multiple times by playing additional Bonders’ Enclaves.

The following table summarizes the potential of Bonders’ Enclaves:

Advantage	Benefit
Enters the battlefield untapped	Can be used to cast spells on the turn it’s played
Produces mana of any color	Can be used to cast spells of any color
Has a built-in mana sink	Can be used to boost creatures’ power and toughness
Can be used to trigger landfall abilities	Can lead to powerful effects

The Impact of Cycling Lands

Cycling lands have had a profound impact on the game of Magic: The Gathering since their introduction in the Urza’s Saga expansion in 1999. These lands provide players with a unique and powerful advantage by allowing them to discard them from their hand to draw a new card. This ability has led to the development of a number of innovative and powerful strategies in both casual and competitive play.

Synergies with Discard Effects

Cycling lands have excellent synergy with cards that allow players to discard cards from their hand, such as Looting and Thoughtseize. By combining these effects, players can quickly cycle through their deck, thinning it out and increasing the chances of drawing the cards they need to win.

Flexible Mana Base

Cycling lands provide players with a flexible mana base, allowing them to adjust the mana they have available based on the situation. For example, a player with a cycle land in hand can choose to play it for mana if they need it, or discard it to draw a more useful card if they don’t.

Additional Card Value

Unlike basic lands, cycling lands provide additional card value by allowing players to discard them for new cards. This can be especially valuable in late-game situations, when players are running low on cards and need to find a way to replenish their hand.

Types of Cycling Lands

There are several different types of cycling lands, each with its own unique abilities and drawbacks. Some of the most common types include:

Type	Abilities/Drawbacks
Basic Cycling Lands	Provide mana and can be cycled.
Dual Cycling Lands	Can produce two different colors of mana and can be cycled.
Pain Cycling Lands	Provide mana but cause the player to lose life when cycled.
Cycling Lands with Additional Abilities	Provide mana and can be cycled, while also having other abilities, such as providing life or scrying.

The Rise of Snow-Covered Lands

Snow-covered lands are a powerful tool in the hands of a skilled Magic player. They can enable powerful spells and abilities and provide mana of any color. Let’s explore the world of snow-covered lands and learn how to use them to your advantage.

Advantages of Snow-Covered Lands

Enable powerful spells and abilities, such as Snowballing Frost Giant and Ice Storm
Provide mana of any color with the help of cards like Prismatic Vista and Gemstone Caverns
Increase the mana availability in decks that rely on snow-covered lands
Mana fixing: Snow-covered lands can help fix mana in multiple-color decks by providing access to mana of any color.
Utility lands: Some snow-covered lands have additional abilities, such as Cold Snap and Glacial Chasm, that can provide additional benefits.
Unique strategies: Snow-covered lands enable unique strategies such as snow-based aggro, control, and ramp decks.
Archetypes: Snow decks are known archetypes in Magic, with established strategies and popular cards.
Thematic appeal: Snow-covered lands add a thematic element to decks and can be visually appealing.
Land destruction protection: Some snow lands, like Arcum’s Astrolabe and Glacial Fortress, have protection from land destruction effects.
Historic presence: Snow-covered lands have been a part of Magic since its early days, appearing in multiple sets and formats.

The Best Lands in Magic: The Gathering

When it comes to Magic: The Gathering, the land is one of the most important factors in a player’s success. The lands provide the mana that a player needs in order to cast their spells. As such, having the best possible lands in a deck is essential. There are many different lands in Magic: The Gathering, and the best ones for a deck will depend on the strategy of the player. However, there are some lands that are considered to be the best in the game, regardless of the strategy.

One of the best lands in Magic: The Gathering is the dual land. Dual lands are lands that can produce two different colors of mana. This is incredibly useful, as it allows a player to have access to multiple colors of mana without having to play multiple types of basic lands. Some of the best dual lands include the shock lands, the fetch lands, and the pain lands.

Another type of land that is considered to be one of the best in Magic: The Gathering is the mana-producing land. Mana-producing lands are lands that can produce additional mana beyond the basic one mana that most lands produce. This can be a huge advantage, as it allows a player to cast more spells or larger spells than their opponents. Some of the best mana-producing lands include the signets, the talismans, and the bouncelands.

Finally, there are utility lands, which are lands that provide a specific ability or effect beyond producing mana. Some of the best utility lands include the Academy Ruins, the Maze of Ith, the Strip Mine, and the Wasteland.