Scrubland 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
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Complete guide
Scrubland is one of the original legendary dual lands, providing immediate access to both White and Black mana without any drawbacks. Its simplicity belies its power, as it carries both the Plains and Swamp subtypes, making it a cornerstone for efficient mana bases.
Dual Types and Mana Production
Scrubland is a nonbasic land with the subtypes Plains and Swamp. Because it has these basic land types, it intrinsically gains the mana abilities associated with them. You can tap it to add either one White mana or one Black mana to your mana pool. It does not enter the battlefield tapped, and it does not require any life payment or special conditions to function.
Interaction with Subtypes
Since Scrubland is a Plains and a Swamp, any card that searches for those specific subtypes can find it. For example, a fetch land that looks for a Swamp can put Scrubland directly onto the battlefield. However, it is important to remember that while it has basic land types, it is NOT a basic land. It is a nonbasic land, meaning it is affected by effects that target nonbasics and is not affected by cards that specifically specify 'basic land'.
When to Play Scrubland
You should play Scrubland early to fix your colors or late to ensure you have the correct pips for demanding spells. Because it counts as both basic land types, it contributes to 'Domain' counts and enables cards that check if you control a Swamp or a Plains. It is almost always superior to a basic land unless you are playing against effects that punish nonbasic land usage.
Interaction examples
Command TowerIf your Commander's color identity includes White and Black, Command Tower can produce those colors. Having Scrubland on the battlefield provides the necessary color identity for these colors to exist in your deck, though Command Tower's ability functions independently based on the Commander itself.
Exotic OrchardIf you control a Scrubland and your opponent plays Exotic Orchard, your opponent can tap their Exotic Orchard for either White or Black mana. This is because Scrubland has the abilities to produce both colors, and Exotic Orchard checks what colors your lands could currently produce.
If a spell or ability requires you to control a Swamp to gain a bonus, Scrubland satisfies that requirement. Even though it isn't a land named 'Swamp', its subtype line contains 'Swamp', which is what the game checks for such effects.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Scrubland
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
This has the mana abilities associated with both of its basic land types.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
This has basic land types, but it isn't a basic land. Things that affect basic lands don't affect it. Things that affect basic land types do.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Scrubland
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