Magic: The Gathering (MTG) is renowned for its rich and diverse land cards, which serve as the foundation of any deck’s mana base. While basic lands like Plains, Islands, Swamps, Mountains, and Forests are essential for generating mana of a single color, nonbasic lands add strategic depth and versatility. These lands often provide additional abilities, multiple mana types, or special effects that can turn the tide of a game. Understanding every nonbasic land type in MTG is crucial for players looking to optimize their decks and enhance gameplay.
What Are Nonbasic Lands in MTG?
Nonbasic lands are all land cards that are not basic lands. Unlike basic lands, which produce one specific color of mana and have no other abilities, nonbasic lands can produce multiple colors, have special conditions, or trigger unique effects. These lands often influence deck building, mana fixing, and gameplay strategies, especially in formats like Commander, Modern, and Legacy.
Categories of Nonbasic Lands
- Dual Lands: Lands that can produce two colors of mana, usually without a drawback.
- Fetch Lands: Lands that can be sacrificed to search the library for a specific land type.
- Shock Lands: Dual lands that enter the battlefield tapped unless the player pays 2 life.
- Check Lands: Lands that enter tapped unless a specific land type is already controlled.
- Fast Lands: Lands that come into play untapped if you have few lands already.
- Triomes and Tri-lands: Lands that produce three colors of mana, with various conditions.
- Utility Lands: Lands that offer special effects beyond mana production.
- Special Lands: Lands with unique rules, often from older sets or special formats.
Popular Nonbasic Land Types
Dual Lands
Originally from the early sets like Alpha, Beta, and Unlimited, dual lands are some of the most powerful lands in MTG. They can produce two colors of mana and enter the battlefield untapped without any penalty. Examples include:
- Underground Sea(Island + Swamp)
- Tundra(Plains + Island)
- Volcanic Island(Island + Mountain)
These lands are highly sought after for their efficiency but are mostly restricted to older formats due to their power level and rarity.
Shock Lands
Shock lands debuted in the Ravnica block and introduced a new mechanic where the land enters tapped unless you pay 2 life, giving players control over when to have access to mana. They produce two colors and are widely used in multiple formats. Examples include:
- Steam Vents(Island + Mountain)
- Hallowed Fountain(Plains + Island)
- Blood Crypt(Swamp + Mountain)
Fetch Lands
Fetch lands allow players to sacrifice them to search their library for a land card with a specific basic land type, facilitating mana fixing and deck thinning. These lands are crucial in competitive formats for improving consistency. Examples include:
- Polluted Delta(searches Island or Swamp)
- Wooded Foothills(searches Mountain or Forest)
- Marsh Flats(searches Plains or Swamp)
Check Lands
Check lands enter the battlefield tapped unless the player controls a land with a certain basic land type. They often complement fetch lands and shock lands for smoother mana bases. Examples include:
- Glacial Fortress(untapped if you control Plains or Island)
- Rootbound Crag(untapped if you control Mountain or Forest)
- Sunpetal Grove(untapped if you control Plains or Forest)
Fast Lands
Fast lands enter untapped if you have two or fewer lands, allowing aggressive starts but becoming slower in the late game. They produce two colors and are valuable for tempo decks. Examples include:
- Blackcleave Cliffs(Swamp + Mountain)
- Seachrome Coast(Plains + Island)
- Spirebluff Canal(Island + Mountain)
Triomes and Tri-lands
Triomes are lands that can produce three different colors of mana and often have a cycling ability, allowing players to trade them for cards. Tri-lands, similar but without cycling, appear in earlier sets. Examples include:
- Raugrin Triome(Red, White, Blue) with cycling
- Jungle Triome(Green, White, Black) with cycling
- Yavimaya Coast(Green, Blue, Black) tri-land without cycling
Utility Lands
Utility lands provide effects beyond mana generation. They may deal damage, draw cards, or offer unique abilities. They add layers of strategy and are often key to specific deck archetypes. Examples include:
- Wasteland can destroy an opponent’s nonbasic land.
- Strip Mine similar to Wasteland but restricted in some formats.
- Gavony Township allows pumping creatures by paying mana.
Special Lands
Special lands are unique or legendary lands that often appear in story-driven sets or with unique mechanics. They may include legendary lands or those with restrictions. Examples include:
- Gaea’s Cradle produces mana equal to your creature count.
- Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx generates mana based on devotion to a color.
- The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale forces creatures to pay upkeep or be destroyed.
How Nonbasic Lands Impact Deck Building
Choosing the right nonbasic lands is essential for a well-functioning mana base. They help fix colors, provide utility, and can be part of a win condition. Decks with multiple colors benefit from a combination of shock, fetch, and check lands to maximize efficiency.
For instance, a five-color deck will often include shock lands and fetch lands to ensure access to every mana color early in the game. Meanwhile, aggressive decks may prefer fast lands to maintain pressure without losing tempo. Utility lands often find their place in control or combo decks that need specific effects to disrupt opponents.
Balancing Drawbacks and Benefits
While nonbasic lands can provide incredible advantages, some come with drawbacks such as entering tapped or costing life. Understanding these trade-offs and how they fit your deck’s strategy is vital. For example, paying 2 life for a shock land is usually worth the speed advantage, but in life-sensitive decks, it might be avoided.
Every nonbasic land type in Magic: The Gathering offers unique opportunities to customize and strengthen your deck’s mana base. From powerful dual lands to utility lands that affect gameplay directly, knowing how to leverage these options can dramatically influence your success. Whether you’re a casual player or a competitive pro, understanding nonbasic lands and their roles helps you build more consistent, flexible, and strategic decks that can adapt to any challenge.