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

Example

Kessig Wolf Run
Land
: Add .
, : Target creature gets +X/+0 and gains trample until end of turn.

Land cycles

There have been a number of cycles of utility lands throughout Magic's history.

Common cycles

Some functionalities are so common or prominent that they have their own article:

Legends utility lands

An early set of utility legendary lands from iconic Dominaria locations. Each has an otherwise uncosted ability alongside providing colored mana.

Alliances utility lands

Another set of the earliest utility lands, Alliances had a cycle of lands that required the sacrifice of the land of the 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.

Guildhomes

Main article: Guildhall

They represent the headquarters of the Ravnican guilds.

Innistrad utility lands

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

Main article: Utility tapland

Utility taplands are taplands that provide a utility effect instead of producing multiple colors.

An example is the cycling lands, which have the cycling mechanic as their utility effect.

Blighted lands

This is a cycle of utility lands from Battle for Zendikar set. Each land 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.

Banding lands

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]

Eldraine Castles

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

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.

Striplands

Main article: Stripland

They are lands that sacrifice to destroy other lands.

Tribal lands

Main article: Tribal land

Many tribal lands have utility components interacting with cards of the associated tribe.

Legendary lands

Main article: Legendary land

Many legendary lands have utility purpose, notably the cycle from Legends and Champions of Kamigawa.

Other utility lands

These are utility lands that are not part of a cycle. Most of them can add . However, some produce colored mana and others have no mana production.

One-shot (sacrifice) effects

Without mana production

References

↑ 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.

[1] Sam Stoddard (October 9, 2015). "The Power of Lands". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

[2] Magic Arcana (November 2, 2011). "A Bit of Atmosphere". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

[3] Magic Arcana (December 3, 2003). "Lands of bands". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

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Utility land

Contents

Examples