Manland
"Manland" (also "man-land") is a slang term referring to any land card that can inherently turn itself into a creature, usually until end of turn.
Mishra's Factory
The earliest and most famous of the "manlands" is Mishra's Factory. [1] Mishra's Factory was first printed in Antiquities with four different illustrations by Kaja and Phil Foglio, one for each season: Spring, Summer, Fall (Autumn), and Winter. The Fall version was reprinted in 4th Edition. The card is also notable for collaboratively working with other copies of the same card.
Urza's Legacy manlands
Urza's Legacy brought a cycle of manlands, each of which came into play tapped. It is this set when the nickname manlands was coined. When the cycle was reprinted in 10th Edition, the lands were given creature types when they used their abilities to turn into creatures. All of the lands turn into creatures of the color of mana the land can produce for C, though the size and abilities of the creatures vary.
Worldwake manlands
Worldwake is a set with a distinct theme of making lands into creatures. [2] As such, it features six lands that turn into creatures. Five of which are also Taplands, lands that enter the battlefield tapped and produce one mana of two different colors. In this case the lands produce one mana of an allied pair. The activation cost contains both colors and varies from card to card as does the size and abilities of the creature, though all of them are Elemental creatures of both colors the land can produce.
- Celestial Colonnade (/)
- Creeping Tar Pit (/)
- Lavaclaw Reaches (/)
- Raging Ravine (/)
- Stirring Wildwood (/)
The sixth manland is Dread Statuary. This one does not enter the battlefied tapped but can only tap for 1 colorless mana. It's activated ability to turn itself into a Golem artifact creature also costs only colorless mana.
Various manlands
Other Manlands have been printed occasionally. They are usually colorless:
- Stalking Stones inTempest — Unusual as it becomes a creature permanently. It was reprinted in Mirrodin.
- Nantuko Monastery in Judgment.
- Blinkmoth Nexus in Darksteel as an homage to Mishra's Factory.
- Svogthos, the Restless Tomb in Ravnica: City of Guilds.
- Dryad Arbor in Future Sight — A card that is both a land and a creature by default. It is the only land that isn't colorless.
- Mutavault in Morningtide and Magic 2014.
- Inkmoth Nexus in Mirrodin Besieged.
- Zoetic Cavern in Future Sight — A land that can be cast as a creature using its Morph ability.
Other Effects
There are also a variety of cards that can turn lands into creatures, either permanently or temporarily. However these are not lands and therefore are not considered manlands. Examples would be Living Lands from Alpha, the Genju Cycle from Betrayers of Kamigawa and the Zendikon Cycle of Worldwake.
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 08, 2010). "All Together Now". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 18, 2010). "And the Land Played On". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.