Pain land



Pain lands is the term that typically refer to the land cycles first printed in Ice Age and Apocalypse. However, the term can be applied to every land, which deals "pain" damage to you every time you tap it for colored mana.

Original pain lands
The lands providing allied colors were printed originally in Ice Age, those providing enemy colors in Apocalypse. These lands were first referred to as pain lands, even though City of Brass was printed earlier. The former were reprinted in Fifth Edition, Sixth Edition, and Seventh Edition, the latter in Magic 2015 and Magic Origins. The complete cycle of ten lands were reprinted in Ninth Edition and Tenth Edition.

They provide two different colors of mana for 1 damage, but can also be tapped for colorless mana without taking damage.

Allied colored

 * Adarkar Wastes (/)
 * Underground River (/)
 * Sulfurous Springs (/)
 * Karplusan Forest (/)
 * Brushland (/)

Enemy colored

 * Caves of Koilos (/)
 * Shivan Reef (/)
 * Llanowar Wastes (/)
 * Battlefield Forge</c> (/)
 * Yavimaya Coast</c> (/)

Pain taplands
There is a cycle of five lesser-known pain lands from Tempest. They work exactly like the original pain lands, but are also taplands.
 * Salt Flats</c> (/)
 * Caldera Lake</c> (/)
 * Pine Barrens</c> (/)
 * Scabland</c> (/)
 * Skyshroud Forest</c> (/)

In addition, there exists the Grand Coliseum, which can tap for mana of any color.
 * Grand Coliseum</c>

Pain talismans
In Mirrodin, five artifacts were printed that resemble the original pain lands from Ice Age.
 * Talisman of Progress</c> (/)
 * Talisman of Dominance</c> (/)
 * Talisman of Indulgence</c> (/)
 * Talisman of Impulse</c> (/)
 * Talisman of Unity</c> (/)

Modern Horizons continued the pain talisman cycle with an enemy colored set resembling those from Apocalypse.
 * Talisman of Hierarchy</c> (/)
 * Talisman of Resilience</c> (/)
 * Talisman of Curiosity</c> (/)
 * <c>Talisman of Creativity</c> (/)
 * <c>Talisman of Conviction</c> (/)

Threshold pain lands
Odyssey had a cycle of mono-colored pain lands with a threshold ability. They cannot produce colorless mana, but can be sacrificed for their threshold effect.
 * <c>Nomad Stadium</c>
 * <c>Cephalid Coliseum</c>
 * <c>Cabal Pit</c>
 * <c>Barbarian Ring</c>
 * <c>Centaur Garden</c>

Spell Deserts
Hour of Devastation has a cycle of mono-colored Deserts. They can produce colorless mana and can be sacrificed for their ability.
 * <c>Shefet Dunes</c>
 * <c>Ipnu Rivulet</c>
 * <c>Ifnir Deadlands</c>
 * <c>Ramunap Ruins</c>
 * <c>Hashep Oasis</c>

Horizon lands
Introduced in Future Sight <c>Horizon Canopy</c> (/) can produce one of two colors when you pay 1 life and can later be sacrificed to draw a card.

Modern Horizons added an enemy cycle in the article "Lands on the Horizon" hence the nickname. They are also sometimes called "canopy lands".

Enemy colored

 * <c>Silent Clearing</c> (/)
 * <c>Fiery Islet</c> (/)
 * <c>Nurturing Peatland</c> (/)
 * <c>Sunbaked Canyon</c> (/)
 * <c>Waterlogged Grove</c> (/)

Other pain lands

 * <c>Ancient Tomb</c> can only be tapped for for 2 damage.
 * <c>City of Brass</c> can't tap for colorless, but can produce any color. The damage is a separate ability, which lets it be exploited through land-tapping effects.
 * <c>Murmuring Bosk</c> (/) has the basic land type Forest. It can be tapped for (instead of ) without taking damage.
 * <c>Tarnished Citadel</c> can produce any color for 3 damage, but can also be tapped for.
 * <c>Tomb of Urami</c> produces only for 1 damage if an Ogre is not controlled, but can also generate a 5/5 Flying Demon Spirit token at the cost of  and all one's lands.

Pay life
Most pain lands deal damage to you when activating. This damage is a separate effect and can be prevented without losing the mana. However, some pain lands require you to pay the life, before getting the mana. The Deserts and the Horizon lands follow this template, along with a few others: The following lands from Kamigawa are three colorless-producing, life-payment lands that all enter tapped:
 * <c>Corrupted Crossroads</c> can produce any color by paying 1 life, which can only be spent to cast Devoid spells.
 * <c>Mana Confluence</c> can't tap for colorless but can produce any color by paying 1 life.
 * <c>Spire of Industry</c> can tap for colorless for free, or produce any color by 1 life given the player controls an artifact.
 * <c>Boseiju, Who Shelters All</c>'s mana costs 2 life, and instant or sorcery spells that were cast with this mana can't be countered.
 * <c>Hall of the Bandit Lord</c>'s mana costs 3 life, and creatures cast with this mana gain haste.
 * <c>Untaidake, the Cloud Keeper</c> produces at the cost of 2 life, and can only cast legendary spells.