The 20 Best Lands in MTG
ReyJackAh, lands. The unsung heroes of every Magic: The Gathering deck.
These little rectangles of cardboard (or digital renderings of rectangles, if you're playing online) are the backbone of every mana base, the foundation upon which every spell is cast.
Without lands, we'd all be sitting around twiddling our thumbs, waiting for that sweet, sweet ramp.
But not all lands are created equal. Some are so good that they're worth building a deck around.
Some are so good that they're worth spending a small fortune on. And some are so good that they're worth writing an entire essay about.
So, without further ado, here are the top 20 best lands in Magic: The Gathering.
- 1.Fetch lands
- 2.Dual Lands
- 3.Shock lands
- 4.Triomes
- 5.Scry Lands
- 6.Pain Lands
- 7.Filter Lands
- 8.Check Lands
- 9.Fast Lands
- 10.Bond Lands
- 11.Horizon Lands
- 12.Pathway Lands
- 13.Lair Lands
- 14.Ravnica Karoo Lands
- 15.Canopy Lands
- 16.Utility Lands
- 17.Storage Lands
- 18.Man Lands
- 19.Creature Lands
- 20.Horizon Lands
1.Fetch lands
Let's start with the big guns, shall we? Fetchlands are some of the most powerful lands in Magic.
For those unfamiliar, fetchlands are lands that can be sacrificed to search your library for a land of a certain type.
They come in a variety of colors and can be used in any deck that includes those colors. But why are fetchlands so good?
Well, for starters, they thin your deck. By searching for a land and putting it into play, you reduce the number of lands left on your deck, making it more likely that you'll draw the spells you need.
Plus, they can be used to fix your mana, ensuring that you have the right colors of mana when you need them.
But the real reason fetchlands are so good is because of their synergy with other cards.
Cards like "Delver of Secrets" and "Tarmogoyf" get better with more card types in your graveyard, and fetchlands put lands in the graveyard.
Cards like "Brainstorm" and "Ponder" let you shuffle your library, effectively turning your fetchlands into "draw a card" effects.
And cards like "Deathrite Shaman" let you use your opponent's fetchlands against them.
In short, fetchlands are the Swiss Army knife of lands. They do everything and do it well.
2.Dual Lands
Dual lands are lands that produce two different colors of mana. For example, "Underground Sea" produces both blue and black mana.
Dual lands are the cornerstone of multicolored decks, allowing you to cast spells of different colors without having to rely on mana fixing spells.
But why are dual lands so good? Well, for starters, they allow you to cast spells of multiple colors without having to rely on cards like "Farseek" or "Cultivate" to fix your mana.
This means that you can focus more on your spells and less on your mana base.
Plus, dual lands can be used in conjunction with fetchlands to fetch the exact colors of mana you need.
This means that you can play more powerful spells without having to worry about whether or not you'll have the right colors of mana to cast them.
3.Shocklands
Shocklands are a type of dual land that can be tapped for two different colors of mana, just like dual lands.
But they also have a second ability: they can be tapped for one color of mana and two life.
At first glance, this might not seem like a great deal. After all, why would you want to pay life just to get a land into play?
But shocklands are actually incredibly powerful, because they can be used to fix your mana early in the game while also enabling powerful spells later on.
For example, let's say you're playing a two-color deck and you have a shockland that can produce either white or black mana.
On turn one, you might want to use that shockland to produce white mana, even if you don't have any white spells in your hand, because it enables you to cast spells like "Path to Exile" or "Lightning Helix" later on.
And if you're playing a three-color deck, shocklands become even more powerful, allowing you to fix your mana while still having access to all three colors of mana.
4.Triomes
Triomes are a relatively new type of land that was introduced in the "Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths" set.
They're similar to dual lands in that they can produce two different colors of mana, but they also have a third ability: they can be cycled for three mana.
Cycling is a powerful mechanic that allows you to pay a cost and discard the card to draw a new card.
And with triomes, you can cycle them early in the game to find the spells you need, and then play them later on as dual lands when you need them.
Plus, triomes are great on decks that rely on a specific color of mana, because they can be fetched with fetchlands and other land search effects.
This means that you can ensure that you have the right colors of mana at all times, even if you don't draw your dual lands.
5.Scry Lands
Scry lands are lands that allow you to "scry" when they enter the battlefield. Scrying is a mechanic that allows you to look at the top cards of your library and put them back in any order.
This can be incredibly powerful, because it allows you to set up your draws and ensure that you draw the spells you need.
Plus, scry lands can be used in conjunction with cards like "Brainstorm" or "Ponder" to set up even more powerful draws. And because scry lands come into play tapped, they're less powerful than dual lands or fetchlands, which means they're often more affordable.
6.Pain Lands
Pain lands are a type of dual land that can be tapped for two different colors of mana, just like shocklands and dual lands.
But they also have a second ability: you can pay one life to add one color of mana to your mana pool.
At first glance, this might not seem like a great deal. After all, why would you want to pay life just to get a land into play?
But pain lands are actually incredibly powerful, because they can be used to fix your mana early in the game while also enabling powerful spells later on.
Plus, pain lands are great in aggressive decks that want to be able to cast multiple spells each turn, because they provide access to multiple colors of mana without coming into play tapped.
7.Filter Lands
Filter lands are a type of dual land that can be tapped for one colorless mana or one of two different colors of mana.
For example, "Mystic Gate" can be tapped for either blue or white mana, or one colorless mana.
Filter lands are great in multicolored decks that want to ensure they have access to the right colors of mana at all times.
They can also be used in conjunction with fetchlands and other land search effects to ensure that you have the right colors of mana at all times.
8.Check Lands
Check lands are a type of dual land that come into play tapped unless you control a land of a certain type.
For example, "Glacial Fortress" comes into play tapped unless you control a Plains or an Island.
Check lands are great in decks that rely heavily on basic lands, because they're more likely to come into play untapped.
They can also be used in conjunction with fetchlands to ensure that you have the right colors of mana at all times.
9.Fast Lands
Fast lands are a type of dual land that can come into play untapped if you control two or fewer other lands.
For example, "Blackcleave Cliffs" can come into play untapped if you control two or fewer other lands.
Fast lands are great in aggressive decks that want to get off to a fast start. They can also be used in conjunction with cards like "Lotus Petal" or "Mox Opal" to enable explosive starts.
10.Bond Lands
Bond lands are a type of dual land that can come into play untapped if you control two or more other lands.
For example, "Boulderloft Pathway" can come into play untapped if you control two or more other lands.
Bond lands are great in midrange or control decks that want to ensure they have access to the right colors of mana at all times.
They can also be used in conjunction with fetchlands and other land search effects to ensure that you have the right colors of mana at all times.
11.Horizon Lands
Horizon lands are a type of land that was introduced in the "Modern Horizons" set.
They can be tapped for one color of mana, but they also have a second ability: you can pay one life and tap them to draw a card.
Horizon lands are great in aggressive decks that want to ensure they have a steady stream of cards.
They can also be used in midrange or control decks that want to ensure they hit their land drops while also drawing cards.
12.Pathway Lands
Pathway lands are a type of dual land that was introduced in the "Zendikar Rising" set.
They can come into play untapped and tap for one of two different colors of mana, but they also have a second ability: you can flip them over to reveal a land that produces a different set of two colors of mana.
Pathway lands are great in multicolored decks that want to ensure they have access to the right colors of mana at all times.
They can also be used in conjunction with fetchlands and other land search effects to ensure that you have the right colors of mana at all times.
13.Lair Lands
Lair lands are a type of land that was introduced in the "Planeshift" set.
They can be tapped for one color of mana, but they also have a second ability: you can sacrifice them to put a creature card of the same color into play.
Lair lands are great in creature-heavy decks that want to ensure they have a steady stream of creatures.
They can also be used in conjunction with cards like "Birthing Pod" or "Eldritch Evolution" to enable powerful creature-based combos.
14.Ravnica Karoo Lands
Ravnica Karoo lands are a type of land that was introduced in the "Ravnica" block.
They can be tapped for one color of mana, but they also have a second ability: you can return the land you control to your hand to untap them.
Ravnica Karoo lands are great in control decks that want to ensure they have enough lands to cast their spells.
They can also be used in conjunction with cards like "Crucible of Worlds" or "Ramunap Excavator" to enable powerful land-based combos.
15.Canopy Lands
Canopy lands are a type of land that was introduced in the "Urza's Saga" set.
They can be tapped for one color of mana, but they also have a second ability: you can pay one life and tap them to draw a card.
Canopy lands are great in decks that want to ensure they have a steady stream of cards.
They can also be used in conjunction with cards like "Life from the Loam" or "Crucible of Worlds" to enable land-based combos.
16.Utility Lands
There are many powerful utility lands that can help a blue deck in various ways. Some options include Academy Ruins, which can return an artifact from your graveyard to your hand, and Minamo, School at Water's Edge, which can untap a legendary permanent, such as a creature or artifact.
17.Storage Lands
Storage lands are a type of land that were introduced in the "Time Spiral" set. They can tap for one color of mana, but they also have a second ability: you can pay for two mana and tap them to put a storage counter on them.
Then, you can remove any number of storage counters from them to add that much colorless mana to your mana pool.
Storage lands are great in decks that want to ensure they have a lot of colorless mana available.
They can also be used in conjunction with cards like "Sword of the Animist" or "Ghirapur Orrery" to enable powerful ramp strategies.
18.Man Lands
Man lands like Faerie Conclave and Mutavault can be powerful additions to a blue deck that wants to have creatures on the board and/or utilize them for blocking and attacking. These lands can be turned into creature cards until end of turn.
19.Creature Lands
Creature lands like Celestial Colonnade and Creeping Tar Pit can also be great options for a blue deck that wants to have creatures on the board and/or utilize them for blocking and attacking. These lands can be turned into creature cards until end of turn.
20.Horizon Lands
Last but not least, Horizon lands like Horizon Canopy and Silent Clearing can be great options for a blue deck that wants to have access to both colors and draw cards as well. These lands can tap for either of two colors or be sacrificed to draw a card.
Conclusion
In conclusion, lands may not always be the most exciting cards in your deck, but they are the foundation upon which everything else is built.
From the humble basics to the powerful fetch lands, each type of land offers its own unique advantages and drawbacks.
So next time you're building a deck, don't overlook the importance of your lands, because they just might be the key to victory.
And if all else fails, just remember: there's always the old standby of playing "Island, go."