Landhome

Landhome
Keyword Ability
Type	Static
Introduced	Fifth Edition
Last used	Fifth Edition
Reminder Text	Landhome (If defending player controls no [Island], this creature cannot attack. If you control no [Island], bury this creature.)
Statistics	26 cards 88% 4% 4% 4%
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keyword:"Landhome"

Landhome is an obsolete generic keyword ability used in conjunction with a quality such as land type. It captures the flavor of things that require a certain environment. The mechanic is still used occasionally, but it is now written out in the card text.

Description

Landhome was originally a group of abilities (islandhome, mountainhome, and so on) that prevent the creature with the ability from being declared an attacker if the defending player controlled no lands of the appropriate type. Additionally, creatures with landhome are sacrificed if their controller doesn't control any lands of the appropriate type.

It is now printed as two abilities:

• "<This creature> can't attack unless defending player controls a <land type>."
• "When you control no <land type>, sacrifice <this creature>."

Like Haste and Vigilance, Landhome was not originally keyworded, but unlike those abilities, it lost its keyword after WotC decided it was 'uninteresting,' and appeared on too few cards. Although only Islandhome was ever printed on a card (and on only five cards at that), other cards have abilities that are functionally identical.

Rules

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

Islandhome (Obsolete)

An obsolete keyword ability that meant “This creature can’t attack unless defending player controls an Island” and “When you control no Islands, sacrifice this creature.” Cards printed with this ability have been given errata in the Oracle card reference.

Examples

Using current oracle text.

Example

Gorilla Pack
Creature — Ape
3/3
Gorilla Pack can't attack unless defending player controls a Forest.
When you control no Forests, sacrifice Gorilla Pack.

Card list

The following is a list of cards with landhome. Default sorting is chronologically by set. Unless otherwise specified, all cards in table have Islandhome. "D" is the difference between converted mana cost and the average of power an toughness; it gives a numeric value for the importance of the "further abilities".

Set	Name	Type	CMC	P/T	D	Further abilities
	Sea Serpent	Serpent	6	5/5	1	-
	Pirate Ship	Human Pirate (Ship)	5	4/3	1	: it deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
	Merchant Ship	Human (Ship)	1	0/2	0	Whenever Merchant Ship attacks and isn't blocked, you gain 2 life.
	Island Fish Jasconius	Fish (Island-Fish)	7	6/8	0	It doesn't untap during your untap step. At the beginning of your upkeep, you may pay ; if you do, untap it.
	Dandân	Fish (Dandân)	2	4/1	-1	-
	Giant Shark	Fish (Shark)	6	4/4	2	Whenever it blocks or is blocked by a creature that has been dealt damage this turn, it gets +2/+0 and gains trample until end of turn.
	Marjhan	Serpent	7	8/8	-1	It doesn't untap during your untap step. , Sacrifice a creature: untap it. Activate this ability only during your upkeep. : it gets -1/-0 until end of turn and deals 1 damage to target attacking creature without flying.
	Vodalian Knights	Merfolk Knight	3	2/2	1	First strike : it gains flying until end of turn.
	Seasinger	Merfolk	3	0/1	2	Partial islandhome: free to attack. : Gain control of target creature whose controller controls an Island for as long as you control Seasinger and Seasinger remains tapped. You may choose not to untap Seasinger during your untap step.
	Skeleton Ship	Legendary Skeleton (Legend)	5	0/3	3	Partial islandhome: free to attack. : Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
	Gorilla Pack	Ape (Gorilla-Pack)	2	3/3	-1	Foresthome instead of Islandhome.
	Kukemssa Serpent	Serpent	4	4/3	0	, Sacrifice an Island: target land an opponent controls becomes an Island until end of turn.
	Manta Ray	Fish	3	3/3	0	It can't be blocked except by blue creatures.
	Slipstream Serpent	Serpent	8	6/6	2	Morph
	Barbarian Outcast	Barbarian Beast	2	2/2	0	Partial swamphome instead of Islandhome.
	Bog serpent	Serpent	6	5/5	1	Swamphome instead of Islandhome.