Landhome
| Landhome | |
|---|---|
| Keyword Ability | |
| Type | Static |
| Introduced | Mirage |
| Last used | Weatherlight |
| Reminder Text | Landhome (If defending player controls no [Island], this creature cannot attack. If you control no [Island], bury this creature.) |
| Statistics |
30 cards  90%  3.3%  3.3%  3.3% |
| Scryfall Search | |
| 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.[1][2] 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.[3] Although only Islandhome was the only variant printed (and on only five cards at that), other cards have abilities that are functionally identical.
Islandhome left a mechanical legacy in large blue creatures that have difficulty attacking, but now with restrictions that are much easier to satisfy rather than being entirely contingent on the opponent's mana base. Some examples are Godhunter Octopus (opponent controls enchantments, in an enchantment block), Deep-Sea Terror (functional threshold), and Glacial Crasher (any mountain, making it either anti-red or multicolored blue-red).
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. Partial in the landhome column means that the creature doesn't have any restrictions on attacking.
| Set | Name | Type | Cost | P/T | Landhome | Further abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea Serpent | Serpent |  |
5/5 | Island | - | |
| Pirate Ship | Human Pirate (Ship) |  |
4/3 | Island |  : Pirate Ship deals 1 damage to any target.
| |
| Merchant Ship | Human (Ship) | |
0/2 | Island | Whenever Merchant Ship attacks and isn't blocked, you gain 2 life. | |
| Island Fish Jasconius | Fish (Island-Fish) | |
6/8 | Island | 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) | |
4/1 | Island | - | |
| Giant Shark | Fish (Shark) | |
4/4 | Island | 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 | |
8/8 | Island | It doesn't untap during your untap step. , Sacrifice a creature: untap Marjhan. Activate this ability only during your upkeep. : Marjhan gets -1/-0 until end of turn and deals 1 damage to target attacking creature without flying.
| |
| Vodalian Knights | Merfolk Knight |  |
2/2 | Island | First strike : it gains flying until end of turn.
| |
| Seasinger | Merfolk | |
0/1 | Island (Partial) | : 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) |  |
0/3 | Island (Partial) | : Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
| |
| Gorilla Pack | Ape (Gorilla-Pack) | |
3/3 | Forest | - | |
| Kukemssa Serpent | Serpent | |
4/3 | Island | , Sacrifice an Island: target land an opponent controls becomes an Island until end of turn.
| |
| Manta Ray | Fish | |
3/3 | Island | It can't be blocked except by blue creatures. | |
| Slipstream Serpent | Serpent |  |
6/6 | Island | Morph
| |
| Barbarian Outcast | Barbarian Beast | |
2/2 | Swamp (Partial) | - | |
| Bog Serpent | Serpent | |
5/5 | Swamp | - |
References
- ↑ Brady Dommermuth (June 1, 2009). "Mechanically Inclined". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 8, 2015). "Evergreen Eggs & Ham". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Doug Beyer (June 25, 2008). "Merfolk Resurfaced". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.