In the world of Magic: The Gathering, nonbasic lands offer players powerful utility, flexible mana fixing, and potent game-altering effects. However, with such strength comes a weakness many decks rely heavily on these lands to function optimally. That’s where nonbasic land hate cards come into play. These are specific spells, creatures, and enchantments designed to punish or restrict the use of nonbasic lands, often turning the tide of the game in favor of the player who understands how to leverage them. This topic explores the most impactful nonbasic land hate cards, how they are used across formats, and why they remain a relevant part of competitive strategy.
What Are Nonbasic Land Hate Cards?
Understanding the Term
Nonbasic land hate refers to cards that disrupt or destroy lands that are not one of the five basic types: Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest. These cards typically target lands with special abilities or mana flexibility cards like ‘Command Tower,’ ‘Shock Lands,’ or ‘Fetch Lands’ fall under the nonbasic category. The goal of using hate cards is to cripple greedy mana bases, shut down utility lands, or disrupt combo engines.
Why They’re Important
In formats like Commander, Legacy, and Modern, decks often run very few basic lands. The reliance on powerful nonbasic lands creates a vulnerability. A well-timed hate card can stall an opponent, strip away tempo, or even soft-lock them out of the game. These cards are especially valuable against multi-color decks and archetypes that depend on land-based synergy.
Top Nonbasic Land Hate Cards in Magic: The Gathering
Blood Moon
One of the most iconic nonbasic land hate cards,Blood Moonis a red enchantment that turns all nonbasic lands into Mountains. This effect is devastating for decks that rely on lands for more than just red mana. Against three or four-color decks, a turn-three Blood Moon can effectively shut down their ability to play the game.
- Mana Cost: 2R
- Format Viability: Modern, Legacy, Commander
- Decks That Use It: Mono-Red Prison, Ponza, and other red control builds
Back to Basics
Back to Basicsis a blue enchantment that forces all nonbasic lands to remain tapped. This card doesn’t destroy lands but slows the opponent significantly, especially if they are running few basics. It pairs well with counterspells and other control strategies that need to buy time.
- Mana Cost: 2U
- Format Viability: Legacy, Commander
- Decks That Use It: Mono-Blue Control, Stasis decks
Ruination
If you want a more aggressive solution,Ruinationis a red sorcery that outright destroys all nonbasic lands. This card is often used in red decks that don’t run many nonbasics themselves, making it a one-sided land wipe. It’s particularly effective in multiplayer games when timed right.
- Mana Cost: 3R
- Format Viability: Commander
- Decks That Use It: Mono-Red Aggro, Land Destruction decks
Magus of the Moon
This creature version of Blood Moon offers the same effect in a more vulnerable package. While easier to remove,Magus of the Moonprovides redundancy for decks built around land lockdown. It can also sneak in earlier with mana acceleration.
- Mana Cost: 2R
- Power/Toughness: 2/2
- Decks That Use It: Ponza, Mono-Red Stompy
Price of Progress
This instant punishes opponents for each nonbasic land they control. For just two mana, it can deal massive damage, especially in multiplayer settings or against greedy mana bases. In Commander,Price of Progresscan end games.
- Mana Cost: 1R
- Effect: Deals 2 damage to each player for each nonbasic land they control
- Format Viability: Commander, Legacy
Wasteland
A colorless land with a devastating ability,Wastelandallows you to sacrifice it to destroy an opponent’s nonbasic land. It’s a staple in Legacy and Vintage and frequently seen in Commander decks. Wasteland is valued for its low cost and tactical precision.
- Effect: Tap to add colorless, sacrifice to destroy target nonbasic land
- Decks That Use It: Death & Taxes, Lands, Stax
Ghost Quarter
A budget-friendly alternative to Wasteland,Ghost Quarteroffers similar functionality with a fairer trade-off. When you destroy a land with it, your opponent can search for a basic land, which softens the blow but still disrupts combos and mana bases.
- Effect: Destroy target land; its controller may search for a basic
- Format Viability: Modern, Commander
Field of Ruin
This land offers a symmetrical form of land destruction, where both players get to search for a basic land. It’s less punishing than Ghost Quarter but still good for keeping utility lands like ‘Cabal Coffers’ or ‘Gaea’s Cradle’ in check. It also helps fix your mana while disrupting others.
- Mana Fixing: Adds to your mana base and disrupts opponents
- Decks That Use It: Control decks, Midrange decks
Strategic Use of Nonbasic Land Hate
When to Include It
Including nonbasic land hate in your deck depends on the meta. If you’re playing in a local meta with lots of multi-color decks or land-based combo strategies, hate cards can be incredibly effective. In Commander, where most decks run minimal basic lands, even casual tables can be vulnerable to cards like Blood Moon or Price of Progress.
Deck Types That Benefit Most
Mono-colored decks are naturally more resilient to nonbasic land hate and therefore great platforms for running these cards. Aggro decks like Mono-Red or White Weenie can use land disruption to gain tempo. Control decks, on the other hand, use hate cards to delay threats and build long-term advantage.
Sideboard and Mainboard Considerations
In Modern or Legacy, nonbasic land hate often lives in the sideboard. Cards like Blood Moon or Alpine Moon come in against decks that rely on nonbasic lands for combo or control. In Commander, however, land hate often finds a place in the mainboard, particularly for red or colorless decks looking for value or balance.
Reddit and Community Opinions
Online communities like Reddit frequently discuss the balance and ethics of using nonbasic land hate. Some see it as a necessary tool to check overpowered mana bases, while others argue it can lead to unfun gameplay if abused. Nevertheless, the consensus is clear: understanding when and how to use land hate effectively can drastically improve your deck’s strength and flexibility.
Nonbasic Land Hate
Nonbasic land hate cards are an essential part of any player’s toolkit in Magic: The Gathering. They punish overextension, disrupt mana fixing, and serve as answers to powerful utility lands. Whether you’re building a budget red deck or optimizing a Legacy control list, including tools like Blood Moon, Ghost Quarter, or Price of Progress can give you an edge in many matchups. Knowing how these cards work, when to play them, and how to build around them is crucial to becoming a more strategic and aware MTG player.