Plains

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Plains
Land Type
(Subtype for land cards)
Rules {T}: Add {W}.
Statistics
31 cards
{W} 16.1% {W/U} 19.4% {G/W} 19.4% {W/B} 12.9% {R/W} 12.9% {M} 19.4%
as of Dominaria United
Scryfall Search
type:"Plains"

Plains is one of the five basic land types and provides white mana, which is required to cast white spells.[1] Plains are large areas of flat land with few trees.

Description

Every expansion feature one or more Plains. Additionally there is a snow variant, the Snow-Covered Plains. Plains also appears on some bicolored or tricolored lands (e.g. Scrubland, Alpine Meadow, Raugrin Triome).

When Richard Garfield named the basic land types, he considered farmland, countryside, pasture, prairie, and steppe for white.[2] He finally settled on Plains. Plains are weird among the other land types because the noun is used in the plural. Garfield followed the dictionaries in this.[2]

Though there is a clear mechanical difference, in flavor there is a significant overlap between deserts and plains, with sun-scorched, dune-y places like Tarkir's and Esper's deserts being typed as plains. For urbanized planes, plains are usually reimagined as some form of residential cityscape.

Storyline

Plains of Alara

Esper

Plains of Dominaria

Aerona

Jamuraa

Otaria

Terisiare

The Domains

Corondor

Plains of Kamigawa

Plains of Kephalai

Plains of Mirrodin/New Phyrexia

Plains of Shandalar

Plains of Serra's Realm

Plains of Shadowmoor

Plains on unknown planes

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Plains
One of the five basic land types. Any land with this subtype has the ability “{T}: Add {W}.” See rule 305.6.

Trivia

The Sixth Sphere of Old Phyrexia is described as essentially plain-like with a luminous sky and inhabittants, but it is unclear if it can be considered plains given Old Phyrexia only had access to black mana.

References

  1. Michael Yichao (October 6, 2015). "Evolution of the Basic Land". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. a b Mark Rosewater (March 25, 2022). "Why is Plains the only basic land that is plural?". Blogatog. Tumblr.