The Land Tax: in Magic, your manabase can cost more than your deck
New Magic players are often shocked to learn that the priciest cards in a competitive deck are frequently the ones that do nothing but make mana. The premium dual lands are format staples, and staples hold value. We priced the main dual-land cycles to show exactly how much the manabase really costs, and how much you can save.
The manabase is often the most expensive part of the deck
A single copy each of the 10 fetchlands and 10 shocklands, the backbone of a competitive two-or-three-color manabase, runs about $331. As a playset (four of each) that is roughly $1,323. And that is before you add a single creature, removal spell or bomb. For a lot of decks, the lands cost more than everything they tap for. But it does not have to be that way, the land cost ladder is steep.
The land cost ladder
Median cheapest printing per 10-land cycle, premium to budget.
| Land cycle | Median | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|
| FetchlandspriciestOnslaught / Zendikar | $23 | |
| Surveil landsMurders at Karlov Manor | $9.36 | |
| ShocklandsRavnica | $9.33 | |
| Fast landsScars / Kaladesh | $1.41 | |
| Pain landsIce Age / core sets | $0.40 |
The same 20-land manabase costs about $331 in fetch + shock lands, or roughly $8.00 if you build it out of pain lands and fast lands. You trade a little life and a little consistency for a ~58× discount.
Method & sources
- For each land in the main non-basic dual-land cycles we took the cheapest paper printing (nonfoil TCGplayer USD) via the open Scryfall API.
- We report the median of each 10-land cycle, and sum the fetch + shock cycles for the premium manabase figure.
- These are modern, liquid staples, so the estimates are solid. The original ABUR dual lands (Reserved List) are excluded, they are a separate, thinner vintage market, see our Reserved List study.
- TCGplayer USD via the open Scryfall API. Valued 2026-07-05. Reference estimates for raw cards, not sold or graded records; prices move. Reproducible from the open API.
FAQ
Why are Magic lands so expensive?
Because the best dual lands are format staples that go into a huge share of competitive decks, and demand for a card that every deck of its colors wants is enormous. A fetchland medians $23 and a shockland $9.33 not because they do anything flashy, but because they fix mana efficiently and everyone needs them. Lands are the quiet, permanent backbone of the game, so they hold value the way staples do.
How much does a good Magic manabase cost?
A premium two-axis manabase of the 10 fetchlands and 10 shocklands is about $331 for a single copy of each, and roughly $1,323 if you want a playset (four of each), before you buy a single spell. For many competitive decks the manabase really is the most expensive part of the list.
Can I build a cheap Magic manabase?
Yes, and the savings are enormous. The land cost ladder spans about 58×: pain lands median just $0.40 and fast lands $1.41, versus $23 for a fetchland. A budget dual-land base can cost a few dollars instead of a few hundred, at the price of a little life and a little consistency. For most casual and budget decks that trade-off is well worth it.
Where does this data come from, and is it reliable?
We took the cheapest paper printing (nonfoil TCGplayer USD) of each land in the main non-basic dual-land cycles via the open Scryfall API, then the median per cycle (TCGplayer USD via the open Scryfall API, valued 2026-07-05). These are modern, liquid cards, so the estimates are solid, but they are reference prices for raw cards, not sold or graded records, and prices move. Reproducible from the open API.
Related research
Building a deck? See what your lands are worth.
Foilio values any card across Pokémon, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh, One Piece, Lorcana and more, live prices in EUR & USD, your whole collection tracked. Free, no signup.
Cite or embed this study
Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Paste the embed on your site for the chart card + a link back, or grab the plain citation.
<a href="https://foilio.net/studies/mtg-land-tax?utm_source=share&utm_medium=study_embed&utm_campaign=viral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img src="https://foilio.net/studies/og?stat=%24331&label=a%20premium%20Magic%20manabase%2C%20before%20a%20single%20spell&title=The%20Land%20Tax%3A%20in%20Magic%2C%20your%20manabase%20can%20cost%20more%20than%20your%20deck" alt="The Land Tax: in Magic, your manabase can cost more than your deck, Foilio" width="600" style="max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:12px" />
</a>
<p style="font:13px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif;color:#555;margin:6px 0 0">
Source: <a href="https://foilio.net/studies/mtg-land-tax?utm_source=share&utm_medium=study_embed&utm_campaign=viral">The Land Tax: in Magic, your manabase can cost more than your deck, Foilio</a> · data CC BY 4.0
</p>Foilio (2026-07-05). The Land Tax: in Magic, your manabase can cost more than your deck. Retrieved from https://foilio.net/studies/mtg-land-tax