MTG Pain Lands — Complete Guide
Pain lands always enter untapped. Tap for colorless at no cost; tap for a color and take 1 damage. They are the most underrated dual land cycle in Magic. The damage adds up in long games, but having guaranteed untapped mana on every turn is worth it. Pain lands are legal in Pioneer, Modern, and Commander, and they cost $1 to $5 each.
All 10 Pain Lands
| Card | Colors |
|---|---|
| Adarkar Wastes | White/Blue (Azorius) |
| Caves of Koilos | White/Black (Orzhov) |
| Battlefield Forge | White/Red (Boros) |
| Brushland | White/Green (Selesnya) |
| Underground River | Blue/Black (Dimir) |
| Shivan Reef | Blue/Red (Izzet) |
| Yavimaya Coast | Blue/Green (Simic) |
| Sulfurous Springs | Black/Red (Rakdos) |
| Llanowar Wastes | Black/Green (Golgari) |
| Karplusan Forest | Red/Green (Gruul) |
Key Details
- Tier: Premium (1/3)
- Entry: Always enters untapped.
- Fetchable: No
- Cards in cycle: 10
Format Legality
| Standard | Pioneer | Modern | Legacy | Commander |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal |
Strategy
Pain lands are the best budget dual lands in the game. In aggressive decks, the 1 damage per colored use is negligible because you plan to win before it matters. In control or Commander, the cumulative damage can add up over 10+ turns, but the tempo advantage of always entering untapped outweighs it. We recommend pain lands as the first dual land cycle for any new player building a collection.
Related Cycles
- Fetch Lands — Pay 1 life, sac: search for a land with basic land type.
- Allied Fetch Lands — Pay 1 life, sac: search for a land with basic land type. Onslaught allied pairs.
- Original Dual Lands — No drawback. Two basic land types. Reserved List.
- Shock Lands — Pay 2 life or ETB tapped. Two basic land types — fetchable.
- Fast Lands — ETB untapped if you control 2 or fewer lands.
Build Your Mana Base
Use our Mana Base Calculator to find the right mix of Pain Lands and other duals for your deck. Paste a Moxfield or Archidekt link and get Monte Carlo-simulated land counts. See all 48 dual land cycles in our complete Dual Land Cycles Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are pain lands better than shock lands?
No. Shock lands have basic land types (fetchable) and only cost 2 life once. Pain lands cost 1 life every time you tap for colored mana. However, pain lands are much cheaper to buy ($1-5 vs $8-20) and are a strong budget alternative.
How much damage do pain lands actually deal?
In a typical 60-card game, you tap a pain land for colored mana 3-5 times, dealing 3-5 damage to yourself. In Commander, it can be 5-10 damage over a long game. Compare to shock lands which deal a flat 2 damage once.