The original dual lands are ten lands from the game's first sets, each with two basic land types and no drawback: Tundra is a Plains and an Island that enters untapped and taps for white or blue at no cost. Players also say "dual land" for any land that makes two colours. The shock lands share their land types, and fetch lands find both.
All ten original dual lands
| Dual land | Land types | Taps for |
|---|---|---|
| Tundra | Plains, Island | {W} or {U} |
| Underground Sea | Island, Swamp | {U} or {B} |
| Badlands | Swamp, Mountain | {B} or {R} |
| Taiga | Mountain, Forest | {R} or {G} |
| Savannah | Forest, Plains | {G} or {W} |
| Scrubland | Plains, Swamp | {W} or {B} |
| Volcanic Island | Island, Mountain | {U} or {R} |
| Bayou | Swamp, Forest | {B} or {G} |
| Plateau | Mountain, Plains | {R} or {W} |
| Tropical Island | Forest, Island | {G} or {U} |
Tundra's whole text box is a reminder: "({T}: Add {W} or {U}.)" The mana comes from the land types themselves, because a land with a basic land type has the matching mana ability (Comprehensive Rules 305.6). Our set data lists the ten in Limited Edition Alpha (1993), Limited Edition Beta, Unlimited Edition and Revised Edition (1994), with one exception: Volcanic Island first appears in Beta.
Why the land types matter
- They aren't basic lands. A land without the basic supertype is nonbasic even with a basic land type (Comprehensive Rules 305.8). You get one copy of each in Commander (Comprehensive Rules 903.5b) and up to four in a constructed format where they are legal (Comprehensive Rules 100.2a).
- Fetch lands find them. Polluted Delta searches for an Island or Swamp card, and Underground Sea is both.
- Spells that search by land type find them. Farseek ("a Plains, Island, Swamp, or Mountain card") can find any of the ten, tapped. Nature's Lore ("a Forest card") finds Taiga, Savannah, Bayou or Tropical Island, untapped.
- Cards that only find basic lands miss them. Evolving Wilds and Prismatic Vista search for a "basic land card".
- Commander checks the mana they make. Tundra's text box is only reminder text, which colour identity ignores (Comprehensive Rules 903.4c), but a card with a basic land type can go only in a deck whose commander's colour identity includes every colour of mana it could produce (Comprehensive Rules 903.5d), so Tundra needs a commander with white and blue.
The Reserved List
All ten are flagged as Reserved List cards in our card data. The publisher's Official Reprint Policy states: "Reserved cards will never be printed again in a functionally identical form." Newer two-colour lands are therefore new designs. The closest are the shock lands, which keep the same ten pairs of land types and add one condition: pay 2 life, or the land enters tapped.
Where the original dual lands are legal
| Format | Status |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Modern | Not legal |
| Pioneer | Not legal |
| Standard | Not legal |
Read from our card database on November 9, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How many original dual lands are there?
Ten, one for each two-colour pair. The table above lists them with their land types.
Are dual lands basic lands?
No. Tundra is a Plains and an Island, but it has no basic supertype, so it is a nonbasic land (Comprehensive Rules 305.8). Effects that look for or punish nonbasic lands see it.
Can fetch lands find dual lands?
Yes. A fetch land names two land types, and any land card with one of them qualifies. Flooded Strand (a Plains or Island card) finds Tundra, and also Underground Sea or Savannah, which each have one of those types.
Are the original dual lands legal in Commander?
Yes. All ten are legal in Commander in our card data, one copy each, in a deck whose commander's colour identity includes both colours.
Build the mana base
Add your dual lands to a Commander deck in the Mana Grove deck builder, and the Validation tab checks every land against your commander's colour identity. To settle how many lands the deck needs first, use the Commander lands calculator. Create a free account to start; every plan includes the full deck builder, and plans and pricing shows what the paid plans add.
Sources
- Comprehensive Rules, effective September 25, 2026, rules 100.2a, 305.6, 305.8, 903.4c, 903.5b and 903.5d: https://magic.wizards.com/en/rules, read on November 9, 2026.
- Mana Grove card database, MTGJSON card text, printings and format legality, read on November 9, 2026.
- The publisher's Official Reprint Policy (May 4, 2016), read on November 9, 2026: the Reserved List quote.
