Besides the colored mana-base there are allways some utility lands such as strip mine. i would like to talk about these a bit..
- If you have a "perfect" mana-base (= enough fetches, all alpha/shock duals, all pains/filters and so on) how many colorless lands do you play? in mono, dual-color or three-color decks?
-what are the lands you are usually using? The usuals suspects...
-What "gems" to you have when it comes to lands? or what genaral-specific-lands do you use?
Springback Pasture adn Magosi the Waterveil are both lands I feel are underused. Chumping with a goat is often overlooked and taking your turns when you want is a good way to make some crazy, unbeatable plays
I define a utility land as a land that produces less mana than a basic land (either from coming into play tapped or providing colorless) but provides an additional ability that might be helpful. So this means Academy Ruins and Wasteland are utility lands, but Cabal Coffers and Urborg are not.
My decks have access to a perfect mana base, but that's not the only thing to keep in mind. You also must consider how badly your deck needs basic lands. I currently have four decks, for example, and only one of them runs strip mine:
The problem with defining [EDH] by what is "fun" is that everyone seems to define fun as what they don't lose to. If you keep losing to easily answered cards, that means you should improve your deck. If you don't want to improve your deck, then you should come to peace with the idea that you are going to lose because you chose to not interact with better strategies.
In mono colour decks, obviously, it is more leeway for adding more nonbasic lands though personally, I have lots of incentive to play nonbasic lands myself.
Basic lands are cheaper (okay, not a reason that you're looking for so lets move to the next reason)
Most nonbasic lands are really not as elegant. Basic lands usually comes into play untapped, produces coloured mana and does not deal damage to you when tapped.
My green deck runs Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary. While it is true that I don't always start with it in my starting hand but I do have quite a few ways of tutoring for it and when Rofellos do appear, sometimes, it matters. As for my Azami, Lady of Scrolls, I play the High Tide-Palinchron combo which is incentive enough for me to minimise nonbasics unless they are really, really necessary and not just good in circumstances X
Redundancy Card Advantage. This is mainly done by my green deck. Wasteland and most other nonbasic land hates are de facto dead cards given that the only nonbasic I run is a singleton Strip Mine.
The manabase in my Rith token deck is almost entirely basic to take advantage of Perilous Forays (I know this doesn't need basic lands, just land types) and Earthcraft. Green can cover for a lot of fixing that you would normally get from nonbasics, and the deck isn't looking for much utility from its lands.
There are lots of utility lands to support your strategies, and I'd recommend playing as many as you can as long as your deck can support them. And try to keep them on theme/synergic with the rest of your deck
In a deck based purely on combat Skarrg, the Rage Pits and Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion are rather vicious. Both work even better on creatures with equipment on them that trigger when they deal combat damage to the opponent.
Tower of the Magistrate goes in every 1-2 colored deck I have. Giving your opponents' creates "Pro-Equipment is just rude... I can't say I have ever used it on my own guys, but I suppose if someone was to take control of my equipped guy I would. After that it depends on the deck.
- If you have a "perfect" mana-base (= enough fetches, all alpha/shock duals, all pains/filters and so on) how many colorless lands do you play? in mono, dual-color or three-color decks?
-what are the lands you are usually using? The usuals suspects...
-What "gems" to you have when it comes to lands? or what genaral-specific-lands do you use?
I normally have reasons to add the artifact lands (Covetous Dragon, Trinket Mage). In general I stay away from CIPT lands.
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'
Volrath's Stronghold
Wasteland
Magosi
Coffers
Deserted Temple
Vesuva
Urborg
Boseiju
Are all in my UB deck that runs 38 lands.
My decks have access to a perfect mana base, but that's not the only thing to keep in mind. You also must consider how badly your deck needs basic lands. I currently have four decks, for example, and only one of them runs strip mine:
Azumi, Lady of Scrolls: This deck contains a lot of non-basic utility lands
Patron of the Orochi: The only non-forest in the deck is Tranquil Thicket, which almost never gets played. The deck also plays Tsabo's Web, making utility lands a liability.
Kresh the Bloodbraided: The three color mana base is really intense, and can't afford 1-for-1 land trades when you need a permanent surplus for Braids, Cabal Minion and Smokestack.
Gaddock Teeg: Getting GW by turn 2 or turn 3 at the latest is so important that the only colorless mana producing utility lands I run are Deserted Temple and Kor Haven. Playing Knight of the Reliquary and Rofellos, Llanowar Emmisary also encourages me to play more basic lands.
So there's no hard and fast rule for how many utility lands to play. You have to analyze it in the context of the deck.
Volrath's Stronghold – It is great for recursion.
Miren, the Moaning Well – It is a sac outlet and a source of life gain.
Yavimaya Hollow – My deck tends to blow the board. This card shines through the destruction.
Strip Mine and Wasteland have been mentioned.
I’m a fan favorite of Maze of Ith. Not in my colors, but Kor Haven and Prahv, Spires of Order are similar.
Bojuka Bog – Great for that Crypt effect.
Bazaar of Baghdad – This does not fit into many decks. It works for my deck because I play with cards that attempt to negate the drawback such as Squee, Goblin Nabob, Genesis, Life from the Loam, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, Goblin Welder, Sensei's Divining Top, Big Game Hunter, Anger, 39 Land cards with Crucible of Worlds, etc. Sometimes in the early game I can use it to dig through my deck to make land drops.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth – Single handedly fixes one color. It also allows Maze of Ith, Bazaar of Baghdad and fetch lands to tap for mana.
BRGKarrthus, Tyrant of Jund
UTeferi, Mage of Zhalfir
UBWZur the Enchanter
WUBRGChild of Alara
WUBRGSliver Queen
If you like Miren, I'd really suggest you use Phyrexian Tower. "But mana is not life!"......but PT evades split second. Just something to consider.
Trade/Sell me your Demonic Attorney!
The more options and answers in an edh environment the better!
Mosswort Bridge Quite awesome to slam an awesome spell for 2 mana
Spinerock Knoll can be really devestating with wraths or similar spells underneath
Riptide laboratory Keep recurring that Glen Elendra Archmage
Manlands are awesome in any format, especially with Proteus Staff in my opinion
There are lots of utility lands to support your strategies, and I'd recommend playing as many as you can as long as your deck can support them. And try to keep them on theme/synergic with the rest of your deck
My Heartless Hidetsugu, even as a mono-R deck still has it's share of non-basics, even though I play Blood Moon in the deck. Every man-land I can get my hands on, mishra's factory, ghitu encampment, dread statuary(no mutavault yet ) but it too runs strip mine, valakut, the molten pinnacle, keldon necropolis(bad sac outlet, but still a sac outlet nonetheless). I even play stuff like madblind mountain(great to have a shuffle effect if Hidetsugu gets tucked). I recently just swapped Maze of Ith out for Mystifying Maze, because god damn if I'm not pissed about being one mana short to cast my spells and I see a damn Maze of Ith on the board <_<.
Vhati il-Dal I just play Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth + Cabal Coffers, the few enemy duals I get access to(and the RAV bounce land), reflecting pool, and strip mine + life from the loam. Miren, the Moaning Well and Phyrexian Tower for sac outlets. Volrath's Stronghold for added utility. Temple of the False God too, as the deck seems to pull lands out like nothing so I figure I might as well.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
28x Island – This card is broken and should probably be banned. (Best April
Fools ever.)
Thawing Glaciers – Great when running a high count of basic lands.
Academy Ruins – Recursion is strong via land form.
Mishra's Workshop – This is not really utility but useful as a narrow form of acceleration.
Tolaria West – Best use is as an uncounterable land tutor.
Stripe Mine, Wasteland, and Maze of Ith have already been mentioned.
When Fastbond was leagal Glacial Chasm and Oboro, Palace in the Clouds were the backbone to my Turboland combo EDH deck. Honorable mentions to that deck included Bazaar of Baghdad and Cephalid Coliseum since the backup combo used Replenish.
In a deck based purely on combat Skarrg, the Rage Pits and Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion are rather vicious. Both work even better on creatures with equipment on them that trigger when they deal combat damage to the opponent.
BRGKarrthus, Tyrant of Jund
UTeferi, Mage of Zhalfir
UBWZur the Enchanter
WUBRGChild of Alara
WUBRGSliver Queen
- Evolving Wilds
- Terramorphic Expanse
- Gaea's Cradle
- Krosan Verge
- Volrath's Stronghold
- Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
- Cabal Coffers
- Hideaway lands
- Thawing Glaciers
- Tolaria West
- Academy Ruins
- Thawing Glaciers
- Maze of Ith
- Yavimaya Hollow
- Strip Mine
- Wasteland
- Hall of the Bandit Lord
- Tectonic Edge
- Arena
- Glacial Chasm
- Boseiju, Who Shelter's All
- High Market
- Skarrg, the Rage Pits
- Scrying Sheets
- Mouth of Ronom
- Ghost Quarter
- Temple of the False Guide
- Miren, the Moaning Well
- Dustbowl
- Springjack Pasture
- Minamo, School at Water's Edge
- Karoo Lands
I am sure there are more, this list isn't including fetches, duals, pains, shocks, or CiTpT lands like vivids for obvious reasons.But these are the ones that seem to find there ways into the most decks.
BRGKarrthus, Tyrant of Jund
UTeferi, Mage of Zhalfir
UBWZur the Enchanter
WUBRGChild of Alara
WUBRGSliver Queen
Ancient Tomb
Strip
Waste
Dryad Arbor
Reflecting Pool (sorta)
The deck is actual highlander though because I only play 5 basics and two are Snow-Covered.
1800+ in Limited
3-0ing after drafting 17 non-basics in Cube
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.