Basic land
In Magic: The Gathering, basic lands are lands that possess the supertype "Basic" in their type line and may be tapped to produce mana of one color in Magic. These lands are unlike nonbasic lands in that any number may be included in a deck. To date, there are two basic lands for each color — Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest and their snow-covered versions for white, blue, black, red, and green, respectively.
Basic lands are thought of as the cornerstones of Magic design, and no lands should be printed if they are strictly better than basic lands, with the sole exception to this rule being the dual lands from Alpha/Beta. Consequently, other, nonbasic lands feature drawbacks, in addition to the fact that no more than four copies of nonbasic lands may be played in a deck.[1]
Comprehensive Rules
From the ()
Basic land types
Plains
Plains produce white mana (
).
In the Magic storyline, there are numerous named plains or white-mana-producing locations, including:
- Alara's Cloudheath and Glass Dunes on the shard of Esper
- Cabralin's Cabralin Shire
- Dominaria Gurdrungs on Aerona; Daraja Plains, Mtenda Plains, and Unyaro Plains on Jamuraa; Daru Plains on Otaria; Adarkar Wastes on Terisiare; Plains of Sursi on The Domains; Darkling Plains, Plains of Coloni, and Plains of Urlan on Corondor
- Kamigawa's Towabara (including Araba)
- Kephalai's Foltessa and Tornadic Steppes
- Lorwyn's plains
- Mercadia's plains
- Mirrodin's Razor Fields
- Ravnica's plains
- Serra's Realm, which solely comprises Floating Plains
- Ulgrotha's plains
Island
Islands produce blue mana (
).
In the Magic storyline, there are numerous named islands, archipelagos, or bodies of water or blue-mana-producing locations, including:
- Alara's Droning Isles on the shard of Grixis
- Azoria's ocean and its desert islands (till their destruction by Freyalise)
- Cridhe itself and its Southern Isle and other isles
- Dominaria's Cape of Casindral; Argenti and Kusho in the Edemi Islands; Corundis in the Golthonor Sea; Chaza Isles (including Teferi's Isle) in the Jaema Sea; Tolaria West in the Spice Isles; Yulin and Equitar; Lat-Nam and Videnth in Terisiare; Tolaria; Caliman; Vesuva; Kish and Varnalca in the Voda Sea; Stonehaven in the Western Sea
- Kamigawa's Otawara, a sky island; Minamo and other islands of Kamitaki
- Lorwyn's Merrow Lanes
- Lorwyn technically does not feature islands or seas; but, the Merrow Lanes nevertheless produce blue mana.
- Mercadia's Saprazzo
- Mirrodin's Vedalken Spires (including Lumengrid) in the Quicksilver Sea
- Ravnica
- Ravnica's water supply system also produces blue mana.
- Ulgrotha's Floating Isle
Swamp
Swamps produce black mana (
).
In the Magic storyline, there are numerous named swamps or black-mana-producing locations, including:
- Alara's Cesspools on the shard of Esper; Dregscape on the shard of Grixis; and Varankna on the shard of Jund
- Dominaria's Urborg on the Burning Isles; Dakmor and its salt marshes on Caliman; the Great Sulgh Salt Marsh, Khone, and Nyx on Corondor; Nakaya and Uuserk Marshes on Jamuraa; Otaria; Sarpadia; and Almaaz on Terisiare
- The Domains' Wrenna
- Kamigawa's Takenuma Swamp
- Lorwyn's swamps
- Mercadia's swamps
- Mirrodin's Mephidross
- Ravnica
- Ravnica's sewers produce black mana.
- Ulgrotha's swamps
Mountain
Mountains produce red mana (
).
Due to the inclusion of a Mountain per print sheet of Arabian Nights, Mountains have been printed more times than any other card in more expansions.[2]
In the Magic storyline, there are numerous named mountains or red-mana-producing locations, including:
- Alara's bone heaps on the shard of Grixis and Boiling Slopes and Mount Jhal on the shard of Jund
- Dominaria's Bogardan on the Burning Isles; Oremon and the Spine of Corondor (including Trovash) on Corondor; Ekundu Mountains, Jotoka Mountains, Kitu Mountains, Talruum Mountains, and Teremko Mountains on Jamuraa; Gitte-Yatay Mountains on Madara; Pardic Mountains (including the Skirk Ridge) on Otaria; Crimson Peaks on Sarpadia; Shiv, the most potent Dominarian red-mana location; Kher Ridges and Ohran Mountains on Terisiare; Hurloon, Ironclaw Mountains, Red Mountains, Red Iron Mountains, and Tonga Mountains on The Domains
- Kamigawa's Sokenzan (including the Tendo Peaks) and Untaidake
- Lorwyn/Shadowmoor's Mount Tanufel/Mount Kulrath
- Mercadia's inverted mountain on which Mercadia City was found
- Mirrodin's Oxidda Chain
- Rabiah's Crags of Sana'a
- Ravnica's mountains
- Ulgrotha's Koskun Mountains
Forest
Forests produce green mana (
).
Thus far, the Forest basic land type is the only basic land type to have been featured on nonbasic land cards (Dryad Arbor and Murmuring Bosk).
In the Magic storyline, there are numerous named forests or green-mana-producing locations, including:
- Alara's Sun-Dappled Court on the shard of Bant
- Dominaria's Arboria, Mwonvuli Jungle, Uktabi Jungle, Unyaro Jungle, and Vintara Forest on Jamuraa; Krosa, Stonewood, and Wirewood Forest on Otaria; Fyndhorn/Argoth, Karplusan Forest, Scarwood, and Yavimaya on Terisiare; Havenwood on Sarpadia; Durkwood, Glenar, Llanowar Savaea, Shanodin, Skyshroud Forest, Verdura, Whispering Woods, and Wild Woods on The Domains; Norwood on Caliman; Krysalthus and White Woods on Corondor
- Innistrad's Ulvenwald in Kessig, Wittal in Gavony, and Somberwald in Stensia
- Kamigawa's Jukai Forest
- Kephalai's Lyceum Forest
- Lorwyn/Shadomoor's Gilt Leaf Wood/Wilt Leaf Wood and Murmuring Bosk
- Mercadia's Deepwood, Rushwood, and Silverglade
- Mirrodin's Tangle
- Pyrulea, a spherical rainforest of a plane
- Rabiah' Fa'adiyah
- Ravnica's Ivory Oaks, Sumala (the Topiary Grove), and the Great Concourse
- Shandalar's Kalonia
- Ulgrotha's Great Wood
- Zendikar's Khalni, Oran-Rief (the Vastwood), and Turntimber
Barry's Land
Barry's Land, named in honor of Barry Reich, the inventor of domain, was a card designed by Mark Rosewater in playtesting during the development and design of Invasion. Barry's Land was a basic land that tapped to produce 
and could boost domain. For reasons pertaining to Magic rules, Barry's Land was not printed; at the time, it was held that a land could not be both a basic land and a non-basic land simultaneously.[3] As of 8th Edition, however, due to a simplification of the wording and rules pertaining to basic lands, Barry's Land as a printable card is, in fact, feasible.[4]
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 31, 2003). "This Land Is My Land". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (April 22, 2011). "Card of the Day — April 22, 2011". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 9, 2009). "Whatever Happened to Barry's Land?". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (February 19, 2004). "The Story of "Barry's Land"". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.