Utility land
A utility land is a land that has a effect or ability other than generating mana.[1] These vary from destroying permanents to giving creatures increasing power, toughness, and evasion, and even to milling cards. Oftentimes, tapping the land and/or other lands is required to activate the abilities of the utility land.
Examples[edit | edit source]
Example
Kessig Wolf Run
Land
: Add 
.
, : Target creature gets +X/+0 and gains trample until end of turn.
Land cycles[edit | edit source]
There have been a number of cycles of utility lands throughout Magic's history.
Common cycles[edit | edit source]
Some functionalities are so common or prominent that they have their own article:
Legends utility lands[edit | edit source]
An early set of utility legendary lands from with iconic Dominaria locations. Each has an otherwise uncosted ability alongside providing a colored mana.
- Karakas (
) - Tolaria (
) - Urborg (
) - Hammerheim ()
- Pendelhaven ()
Alliances utility lands[edit | edit source]
Another set of the earliest utility lands, Alliances had a cycle of lands that required the sacrifice of a land of appropriate type (untapped, if the land created two mana). While Lake of the Dead is by and large a mana land, the other four have relatively powerful repeatable effects.
- Kjeldoran Outpost ()
- Soldevi Excavations ()
- Lake of the Dead ()
- Balduvian Trading Post ()
- Heart of Yavimaya ()
Guildhomes[edit | edit source]
They represent the headquarters of the Ravnican guilds.
Innistrad utility lands[edit | edit source]
This is a mega cycle of utility lands from Innistrad block. Each land taps for and has an activated ability with an activation cost that requires the two colors associated as well as a varying amount of generic mana. The allied colored lands represent a place or home for each main tribe on Innistrad.[2] The enemy lands are not connected to a tribe.
Utility taplands[edit | edit source]
Utility taplands are taplands that provide a utility effect instead of the producing multiple colors.
An example are the cycling lands, which have the cycling mechanic as their utility effect.
Blighted lands[edit | edit source]
This is a cycle of utility lands from Battle for Zendikar set. Each lands produces and has an activated ability which sacrifices the land with an activation cost that requires the colored mana as well as a varying amount of generic mana.
- Blighted Steppe ()
- Blighted Cataract ()
- Blighted Fen ()
- Blighted Gorge ()
- Blighted Woodland ()
Banding lands[edit | edit source]
This is a cycle of utility lands from Legends set. Each land can't tap for mana and has as effect: [Color] legendary creatures you control have "bands with other legendary creatures."[3]
- Cathedral of Serra ()
- Seafarer's Quay ()
- Unholy Citadel ()
- Mountain Stronghold ()
- Adventurers' Guildhouse()
Eldraine Castles[edit | edit source]
This is a cycle of utility lands from Throne of Eldraine set. They enter the battlefield tapped unless you control a land with an associated basic land type.
Strixhaven Campuses[edit | edit source]
This is a cycle of utility lands from Strixhaven: School of Mages set. They are lands that produce enemy colored mana, enter the battlefield tapped and have the ability 
,: Scry 1. They represent the set's namesake colleges.
- Lorehold Campus (/)
- Prismari Campus (/)
- Quandrix Campus (/)
- Silverquill Campus (/)
- Witherbloom Campus (/)
Striplands[edit | edit source]
They are lands that sacrifice to destroy other lands.
Tribal lands[edit | edit source]
Many tribal lands have utility components interacting with cards of the associated tribe.
Legendary lands[edit | edit source]
Many legendary lands have utility purpose, notably the cycle from Legends and Champions of Kamigawa.
Other utility lands[edit | edit source]
These are utility lands which are not part of a cycle. Most of them can add . However, some of them produce colored mana and others have no mana production whatsoever.
- Academy Ruins
- Access Tunnel
- Arcane Lighthouse
- Arch of Orazca
- The Biblioplex
- Blinkmoth Well
- Bonder's Enclave
- Cathedral of War (tapland)
- Contested War Zone
- Detection Tower
- Desert
- Deserted Temple
- Drownyard Temple
- Dunes Of The Dead
- Endless Sands
- Field of the Dead (tapland)
- Forge of Heroes
- Geier Reach Sanitarium
- Ghost Town
- Glimmerpost
- Hall of Heliod's Generosity
- Hall of Oracles
- Hanweir Battlements
- High Market
- Homeward Path
- Isolated Watchtower
- Kor Haven
- Karn's Bastion
- Keldon Necropolis
- Kher Keep
- Labyrinth of Skophos
- Library of Alexandria
- Maze of Shadows
- Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
- Miren, the Moaning Well
- Mystifying Maze
- Nephalia Academy
- Nesting Grounds
- Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
- Phyrexia's Core
- Radiant Fountain
- Rath's Edge
- Reliquary Tower
- Rishadan Port
- Rogue's Passage
- Ruins of Oran-Rief
- Sanctum of Eternity
- Scrying Sheets
- Sea Gate Wreckage
- Shivan Gorge
- Springjack Pasture
- Sunscorched Desert
- Swarmyard
- Terrain Generator
- Thespian's Stage
- Tower of the Magistrate
- Tyrite Sanctum
- Unstable Frontier
- Urza's Factory
- Volrath's Stronghold
- War Room
- Winding Canyons
- Witch's Clinic
- Zoetic Cavern
- Zhalfirin Void
- One-shot (sacrifice) effects
- Ally Encampment
- Blast Zone
- Buried Ruin
- Cave of Temptation
- Command Beacon
- Cradle of The Accursed
- Cryptic Caves
- Emergence Zone
- Foundry of the Consuls
- Gargoyle Castle
- Grasping Dunes
- Grove of the Guardian
- Haunted Fengraf
- Haven Of The Spirit Dragon
- Hellion Crucible
- Inventor's Fair
- Mirrorpool
- Mouth of Ronom
- Petrified Field
- Quicksand
- Scavenger Grounds
- Sequestered Stash
- Spawning Bed
- Sanctum of Ugin
- The World Tree (tapland)
- Throne of the High City
- Tomb of Urami
- Wintermoon Mesa (tapland)
- Without mana production
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Sam Stoddard (October 9, 2015). "The Power of Lands". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (November 2, 2011). "A Bit of Atmosphere". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (December 3, 2003). "Lands of bands". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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