Pain land

Pain lands is the term that typically refers 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. Dominaria United and The Brothers' War collectively reprinted the cycle, but with a 6/4 split instead of an ally-enemy split.

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 (/)
• Yavimaya Coast (/)

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 (/)
• Caldera Lake (/)
• Pine Barrens (/)
• Scabland (/)
• Skyshroud Forest (/)

In addition, there exists the Grand Coliseum, which can tap for mana of any color.

• Grand Coliseum

Pain talismans

In Mirrodin, five artifacts were printed that resemble the original pain lands from Ice Age.

• Talisman of Progress (/)
• Talisman of Dominance (/)
• Talisman of Indulgence (/)
• Talisman of Impulse (/)
• Talisman of Unity (/)

Modern Horizons continued the pain talisman cycle with an enemy colored set resembling those from Apocalypse.

• Talisman of Hierarchy (/)
• Talisman of Resilience (/)
• Talisman of Curiosity (/)
• Talisman of Creativity (/)
• Talisman of Conviction (/)

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.

• Nomad Stadium ()
• Cephalid Coliseum ()
• Cabal Pit ()
• Barbarian Ring ()
• Centaur Garden ()

Spell Deserts

Hour of Devastation has a cycle of mono-colored Deserts. They can produce colorless mana and can be sacrificed for their ability.

• Shefet Dunes ()
• Ipnu Rivulet ()
• Ifnir Deadlands ()
• Ramunap Ruins ()
• Hashep Oasis ()

Horizon lands

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

Modern Horizons added the enemy cycle, which gave them the nickname as Horizon was in both the set and the prototype's name. They are also sometimes called "canopy lands".

Enemy colored

• Silent Clearing (/)
• Fiery Islet (/)
• Nurturing Peatland (/)
• Sunbaked Canyon (/)
• Waterlogged Grove (/)

Other pain lands

• Ancient Tomb can only be tapped for for 2 damage.
• City of Brass can't tap for colorless, but can produce any color. The damage is a separate ability, which lets it be exploited by opponents through land-tapping effects, but also exploited by its controller floating the mana and winning with an instant or ability.
• Murmuring Bosk (/) has the basic land type Forest. It can be tapped for (instead of ) without taking damage.
• Tarnished Citadel can produce any color for 3 damage, but can also be tapped for .
• Tomb of Urami 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:

• Corrupted Crossroads can tap for colorless or produce any color by paying 1 life to cast Devoid spells.
• Mana Confluence can't tap for colorless but can produce any color by paying 1 life.
• Spire of Industry can tap for colorless or produce any color by paying 1 life given the player controls an artifact.
• Voldaren Estate can tap for colorless or produce any color by paying 1 life to cast Vampire spells.
• Thran Portal's mana abilities cost 1 life to activate, which include those granted by external sources. It naturally gains a basic land type, chosen upon entry, to give it a mana ability.
• Havengul Mystery can only tap for for 1 life, but could tap for colorless if transformed back.
• Mount Doom taps for or for 1 life alongside two other utility abilities.
• Forgotten Monument gives other Caves the ability to produce any color by paying 1 life.

The following lands from Kamigawa block are three colorless-producing, life-payment lands that all enter tapped:

• Boseiju, Who Shelters All's mana costs 2 life, and instant or sorcery spells that were cast with this mana can't be countered.
• Hall of the Bandit Lord's mana costs 3 life, and creatures cast with this mana gain haste.
• Untaidake, the Cloud Keeper produces at the cost of 2 life, and can only cast legendary spells.

External links

• Jay Moldenhauer-Salazar (August 29, 2005). "Interlude: Investing in Real Estate". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Blake Rasmussen (June 25, 2015). "The Origins of Pain". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (February 27, 2017). "Get Ready to Dual". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.