🔥 What Lands Are Good? Should You Get Dual Lands? 🔥

Lands are the foundation of every deck in Magic: The Gathering 🎴. Without them, your most powerful creatures, spells, and combos are just pieces of cardboard in your hand. But with so many types of lands available, a big question arises: What lands are good? Should you get dual lands? Let’s break it down! ⚡

🌍 What Are Dual Lands?

Dual lands are lands that can produce two different colors of mana instead of just one 🎨. These are a huge deal because they help fix your mana base, ensuring you can cast spells of multiple colors more easily. But not all dual lands are created equal—some are stronger than others, and their legality varies between formats like Standard and Commander.

🔵🔴 Dual Lands in Standard

If you’re playing Standard, you’ll want to keep an eye on which dual lands are currently legal. Most Standard sets include dual lands, but their mechanics differ:

• 🐢 Slow Lands (e.g., Haunted Ridge, Deserted Beach) – Enter untapped if you control two or more lands.
• ⚡ Fast Lands (e.g., Blackcleave Cliffs, Copperline Gorge) – Enter untapped if they are among your first lands played.
• 💔 Pain Lands (e.g., Karplusan Forest, Adarkar Wastes) – Can tap for colored mana at the cost of 1 life.
• 🌈 Triomes – Technically three-color lands, but they’re still great for mana fixing in multicolor decks.

These lands are essential in Standard to ensure you don’t get stuck with the wrong colors. However, since Standard rotates every few years, investing too much in expensive dual lands might not be the best idea. 💸

📜 Rules for Dual Lands in Standard

In Standard, your deck must contain at least 60 cards, including lands, creatures, and spells. You can have up to four copies of any non-basic land (such as dual lands) unless stated otherwise. This means you can include up to four of the same dual land to improve your mana base and consistency. ✅

⚔️ Dual Lands in Commander

Commander (or EDH) is where dual lands truly shine! Since this format doesn’t rotate, you can use some of the best dual lands ever printed, including:

• 🏆 Original Duals (e.g., Underground Sea, Tundra) – These are the holy grail of dual lands, entering untapped with no downside, but they’re incredibly expensive. 💰
• ⚡ Shock Lands (e.g., Hallowed Fountain, Stomping Ground) – These enter tapped unless you pay 2 life, making them a more affordable yet powerful alternative.
• ✅ Check Lands (e.g., Sunpetal Grove, Isolated Chapel) – These enter untapped if you control a land of a specific type.
• 🔄 Filter Lands, 💔 Pain Lands, 🤝 Bond Lands, and 🔀 Pathways – Each offers different mechanics, helping smooth your mana without major drawbacks.

For Commander, the stronger your mana base, the smoother your game. If you want a highly competitive deck, premium dual lands are a must-have. 🎯

📜 Rules for Dual Lands in Commander

Commander decks must contain exactly 100 cards, including your commander. Since Commander follows a singleton rule (except for basic lands), you can only have one copy of each non-basic land, including dual lands. This means you need to carefully select which dual lands best support your deck’s strategy. 🤔

🏞️ Why Stick With Basic Lands?

While dual lands sound amazing, there are great reasons to stick with plain old basic lands:

1. 💰 Budget-Friendly – Basic lands are free and easy to get, unlike dual lands that can cost a small fortune.
2. 🚫 No Downsides – Many dual lands come with drawbacks, like entering tapped or requiring you to pay life. Basics? No such issues.
3. 🔍 Fetchable – Some dual lands can be fetched with cards like Farseek or Cultivate, but basics can be fetched with Evolving Wilds, Terramorphic Expanse, and Rampant Growth without restrictions.
4. 🛡️ Better Against Land Hate – Cards like Blood Moon and Back to Basics punish non-basic lands, but basic lands stay safe and functional.
5. 🎨 Mono-Color Decks Benefit More – If you’re playing a mono-color deck, you don’t need dual lands at all! Your mana base will be more consistent, and you’ll never have to worry about drawing the wrong colors.

🎯 Final Verdict

So, should you get dual lands? It depends on your deck and playstyle. If you’re in Standard, check the current legal dual lands to optimize your mana base. In Commander, investing in good dual lands can be game-changing, but they’re not always necessary, especially in budget decks. And if you want consistency, affordability, and resilience, there’s no shame in rocking basic lands! 🏆

At the end of the day, Magic: The Gathering is all about having fun—whether you’re slinging powerful spells with fancy dual lands or keeping it classic with good old basics. As long as you enjoy the game, you’re playing it right! 🎉