Cheap dual lands?
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on May 17, 2013, 5:04 p.m. by acbooster
What dual lands are on the cheaper side and decent enough to play? I'm looking to make my land base for my current commander deck idea and dual lands would help. I don't want to break the bank, so anything over $20 is out. I already have the shocks, SoM duals, and core set duals. What others are good?
Epochalyptik says... #3
Filter lands are similarly good, but situational. They require you to have one of the two relevant colors to get the filter effect. Example: Mystic Gate .
May 17, 2013 5:12 p.m.
innistrad duals, the ravinca signets are common (for mana rocks, don't forgot the mana rocks!). I also play the guildgates occassionally. Not in all my edh decks but a couple I do. Very rare is there a critical moment that I wish they were untapped.
May 17, 2013 5:12 p.m.
Human_Rogue_21 says... #5
I'm not sure what colours your playing, but things like, Underground River and Jwar Isle Refuge can be cool. Personally, I like the bounce lands (Dimir Aqueduct ), the two-for-one lands (Sunken Ruins ), and the man-lands (Creeping Tar Pit ). Hope this helped!
May 17, 2013 5:16 p.m.
Pain lands (like Adarkar Wastes ) and filter lands (like Mystic Gate or Skycloud Expanse ) are pretty inexpensive. Future sight ones (like Nimbus Maze ) aren't too bad either. Stuff like Calciform Pools is really inexpensive.
May 17, 2013 5:16 p.m.
Alright, so my best bets would be the Pain Lands and Filter Lands.
May 17, 2013 5:19 p.m.
not really "cheap" but if you shop around you can get the ones from time spiral, they do need the right decks to fit thou Horizon Canopy Nimbus Maze River of Tears , ect
others that are nice, are from the lorwyn and shadowmoor blocks, there is a host of them Wooded Bastion are okay, in a themed deck things like Gilt-Leaf Palace ect
and good really depends on what you mean, pain lands can be amazing, in a limited setting. guild gates can be amazing in limited or in deck that some how made good use of them, cough mazes fail, Maze's End
May 17, 2013 5:21 p.m.
I use guildgates, bounce lands, Onslaught cycling lands (Tranquil Thicket , etc.), City of Brass , Gemstone Mine , Apocalypse/Ice Age pain lands, shocks, Innistrad/core set tap lands, Shard three-color tapped lands (Jungle Shrine ), and the Coldsnap snow lands (Highland Weald ) which can be grabbed with Into the North for my cheap duals under $15.
May 17, 2013 5:58 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #11
I recommend against playing ETB-tapped lands whenever you can avoid it. Cycling lands, snow duals, refuges, and even the storage lands are too slow; their ability to produce multiple colors of mana is not justified by the hit to your tempo.
If you're really pressed for cash, then they can serve a purpose. If you have access to better alternatives, though, take the alternatives first.
May 17, 2013 6:05 p.m.
also just a suggestion, not a land, but Chromatic Lantern is a staple for me when not playing a mono-colored edh, then all lands produce the colors I want/need/can, even fetch lands are tappable.
May 17, 2013 6:09 p.m.
smash10101 says... #14
in my meta, the hit to the tempo is way worth using ebt tapped dual/tri lands. I'm a big fan of the ravnica bounce lands in 2+ color decks and Karoo lands in 1 or two color decks. If you have shard decks, the lairs are good, as are the shard tap lands.
May 17, 2013 9:36 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #16
I personally find the vivid cycle to be a bit lackluster, but smash10101 raises a good point. Playability is relative to your meta. There are cards that are strictly better than others, but even the lower-end cards can be playable in a slower meta. They won't be optimal for performance, but they offer an balance between economy and power.
May 17, 2013 10:35 p.m.
There are also the Odyssey cycle of filter lands that just require a single mana to filter to 1 of both colours i.e. Darkwater Catacombs and they are like less than 5$
There is also the lair lands from Planeshift like Dromar's Cavern
May 17, 2013 10:51 p.m.
smash10101 says... #18
vivids are an option, but I find that I never actually need the colorfixing they provide, though I do only run them in my Kaalia deck, which could really use a faster mana base. One way I like to color fix is with Armillary Sphere . Just find more basics of what ever color you need
May 18, 2013 12:44 a.m.
CrimsonKing says... #19
Evolving Wilds is not a bad option. It gives you the ability to shuffle which I find rather useful.
May 18, 2013 3:02 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #20
Shuffle effects should be properly used, though. If you shuffle without taking advantage of deck manipulation effects like Sensei's Divining Top , Sylvan Library , Jace, the Mind Sculptor , Oracle of Mul Daya , Future Sight , etc., then you're not really adding much to the functionality of the card.
Epochalyptik says... #2
Pain lands are stable and cheap. Example: Llanowar Wastes .
You could also go for the Rav bounce lands, but they're a bit slow. Example: Azorius Chancery .
May 17, 2013 5:11 p.m.