In Magic: The Gathering, lands are the foundation of mana production, and among them, forests have long held a special place in green-aligned strategies. While basic lands like Forests are a staple in any green deck, the game also includes a vast array of nonbasic lands with special abilities and interactions. Some of these nonbasic lands are forests as well, offering the best of both worlds providing green mana while also delivering unique utility. The phrase ‘nonbasic lands are forests’ speaks to a powerful deck-building concept that can transform how a deck functions, especially when combined with land synergy effects and specific card interactions.
Understanding Nonbasic Lands That Are Forests
What Makes a Land a Forest?
In Magic: The Gathering, a land is considered a Forest if it has the ‘Forest’ land type. This matters because the Forest subtype carries with it certain rules and interactions, especially with cards that reference or affect forests specifically. For example, a card likeUtopia Sprawlcan only enchant a Forest, not just any land that taps for green mana. Therefore, if a nonbasic land carries the Forest subtype, it is fully eligible for such interactions.
Key Characteristics of Forest-Labeled Nonbasic Lands
Nonbasic lands that count as Forests often come into play tapped or have other conditions, but they provide strategic value through:
- Being fetchable by cards that search for Forests
- Interacting with enchantments and abilities that require a Forest
- Providing green mana while offering utility beyond basic lands
Notable Nonbasic Forest Lands
Shock Lands
Shock lands are a famous cycle from Ravnica, each one with two basic land types. For green decks, the most relevant are:
- Temple Garden(Forest Plains)
- Stomping Ground(Forest Mountain)
- Breeding Pool(Forest Island)
Because these lands are Forests, they can be searched withWooded Foothills,Misty Rainforest, orNature’s Lore, and they qualify for enchantments likeUtopia SprawlorWild Growth. Their flexibility makes them staples in competitive formats where dual mana sources are critical.
Triomes and Other Fetchable Duals
More recently, the triomes from Ikoria and Streets of New Capenna introduced three-color lands with basic land types:
- Indatha Triome(Forest Plains Swamp)
- Jetmir’s Garden(Forest Mountain Plains)
These lands come into play tapped but are searchable by any card that fetches Forests. They enable green decks with splash colors to operate more smoothly while maintaining synergy with forest-specific cards.
Snow Dual Lands
From Kaldheim, snow-covered duals likeArctic Treeline(Snow Land Forest Plains) are both snow lands and Forests, providing even more synergy with cards that care about snow permanents and forest interactions simultaneously. These are useful in specific archetypes like snow-based control or midrange decks.
Synergy with Forest-Specific Cards
Ramp and Mana Acceleration
Many of green’s best mana acceleration spells look for Forests:
- Nature’s Lore Searches for a Forest and puts it onto the battlefield untapped.
- Three Visits Similar to Nature’s Lore, but more accessible in certain formats.
- Farseek Searches for nonbasic lands with basic land types, including Forests.
Including nonbasic lands with the Forest type ensures these ramp spells can fetch lands that fix multiple colors of mana while still progressing your strategy efficiently.
Land Enchantments
Enchantment-based ramp spells often require the land to be a basic Forest, but if the nonbasic land carries the Forest type, it’s just as valid. Common examples include:
- Utopia Sprawl
- Wild Growth
- Overgrowth
These enchantments increase your mana output dramatically, and when used on a land likeStomping Ground, they help ramp not only green mana but red as well.
Creature Interactions
Several creature cards in Magic have abilities that scale based on the number of Forests you control or grant benefits when forests enter the battlefield:
- Multani, Yavimaya’s Avatar Power and toughness equal to the number of lands in your graveyard and on the field, enhanced when forests dominate your mana base.
- Elvish Reclaimer Tutors any land, making it easy to fetch your forest-typed nonbasics for powerful synergies.
Deck Archetypes That Benefit
Mono-Green Devotion
Mono-green decks focused on devotion to green mana benefit from consistent Forest counts, even with nonbasic lands. Cards likeNykthos, Shrine to Nyxrely on green mana symbols, and the forest synergies from ramp spells keep the engine moving.
Landfall Strategies
Landfall decks, especially in Commander, can use fetchable Forest duals to trigger landfall repeatedly. Cards likeAvenger of ZendikarorRampaging Balothsreward the player for every land entering the battlefield, and with Forest duals, the deck gains more options without sacrificing synergy.
Commander Decks with Color Identity Restrictions
In Commander, using Forest-labeled nonbasic lands allows multicolor decks to fix mana while keeping compatibility with cards restricted to certain land types. For instance,Yedora, Grave GardenerorSelvala, Heart of the Wildscan benefit greatly from a Forest-heavy mana base, especially when every land you draw contributes to green synergy and color fixing.
Why This Matters for Competitive and Casual Play
Efficiency in Deck Construction
Decks that utilize nonbasic lands with the Forest subtype can achieve a level of efficiency unmatched by decks reliant on standard basics. The ability to fetch, enchant, or count lands that provide dual functionality is a powerful tool in both limited and constructed formats.
Improved Consistency
By ensuring your nonbasic lands still count as Forests, you increase the consistency of your ramp and draw engines. This is especially useful in formats where games are won by efficient mana usage, such as Modern, Pioneer, and Commander.
Flexibility Across Formats
Whether you’re playing Legacy Elves or a Commander lands deck, Forest-typed nonbasic lands give you room to experiment without weakening the core function of your green mana base. This flexibility allows you to build around themes like snow, enchantments, or landfall while still maintaining competitive viability.
The phrase ‘nonbasic lands are Forests’ is more than just a rule interaction it’s a deck-building philosophy. By taking advantage of lands that carry the Forest type but aren’t basic, players gain access to powerful synergies, enhanced mana fixing, and expanded design choices. Whether you’re crafting a mono-green devotion deck, a multicolor landfall brew, or a Commander list bursting with enchantment-based ramp, these lands offer versatility and value. In the world of Magic: The Gathering, knowing how to use every part of your mana base is key and making your nonbasic lands Forests is one of the smartest ways to do it.