Agna Qel'a is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
This land enters tapped unless you control a basic land.: Add
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Complete guide
Agna Qel'a is a versatile utility land that provides consistent blue mana and card selection for your deck. Unlike many nonbasic lands, it has the potential to enter the battlefield untapped if you have built your mana base with basics in mind. Its ability to cycle through your deck makes it a valuable asset in the mid-to-late game.
Understanding the Entry Requirement
Agna Qel'a features a replacement effect that checks your current board state as it enters the battlefield. If you control at least one basic land (such as a Forest, Island, Mountain, Plains, or Swamp), it enters untapped and ready for use. If you only control nonbasic lands, it enters tapped and cannot be used for mana until your next untap step.
Filtering Your Hand
The activated ability of Agna Qel'a costs three mana (two generic and one blue) plus tapping the land itself. When this ability resolves, you perform two actions in sequence: first, you draw a card from your library; second, you choose a card from your hand and discard it. This is a powerful way to find answers or fuel your graveyard during stalled board states.
Timing and Simultaneous Entry
A common mistake involves effects that put multiple lands onto the battlefield at the same time. According to official rulings, Agna Qel'a does not 'see' other lands entering alongside it. If you put a basic land and Agna Qel'a onto the battlefield simultaneously, Agna Qel'a will still enter tapped because the basic land was not already on the battlefield when the check occurred.
When to Activate the Ability
Because this ability requires tapping the land, you should generally wait until the end of your opponent's turn to activate it. This ensures you have your mana available for spells during their turn. If you need to find a specific card immediately to play during your main phase, however, using the ability early is a perfectly valid strategic choice.
Interaction examples
Command TowerIf your only land on the battlefield is Command Tower, Agna Qel'a will enter the battlefield tapped because Command Tower is a nonbasic land. You will have to wait until your next turn to produce mana with it.
Exotic OrchardEven with both Exotic Orchard and Command Tower in play, Agna Qel'a will still enter tapped. Since neither of those lands has the 'Basic' supertype, Agna Qel'a's condition is not met.
During your opponent's end step, you pay two generic mana and one blue mana, then tap Agna Qel'a. You draw the top card of your library. You then look at your hand and choose one card to discard to the graveyard. This allows you to keep the most useful card for your upcoming turn.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Agna Qel'a
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If one of these lands enters at the same time as any number of basic lands, those other lands are not counted when determining if this land enters tapped or untapped.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Agna Qel'a
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.