Red and blue are powerful Magic: The Gathering colors, often found together in aggressive control or tempo strategies. However, the mana base for a red-blue deck requires careful consideration, balancing the need for both red and blue mana sources without hindering your early game development or late-game consistency. This guide will explore the best lands for your red-blue decks, addressing common questions and offering strategies for optimal mana fixing.
What are the Best Lands for Red and Blue Decks in MTG?
The optimal lands for your red-blue deck will heavily depend on your specific deck's strategy and the format you're playing (Standard, Modern, Pioneer, etc.). However, some lands consistently prove valuable in various red-blue archetypes.
Dual Lands: These lands produce both red and blue mana, providing the most straightforward solution. Unfortunately, many powerful dual lands are restricted to older formats or are exceptionally expensive. Examples include:
- Bloodstained Mire (Modern, Legacy, Vintage): A fetch land that can fetch a basic Swamp or Mountain.
- Scalding Tarn (Modern, Legacy, Vintage): A fetch land that can fetch a basic Island or Mountain.
- Steamworks (Modern): A fast land that comes into play tapped but produces both red and blue.
Shock Lands: These enter the battlefield tapped, but produce a colored mana of your choice, fixing mana early and offering the desired dual colors later in the game.
- Blood Crypt: A powerful option providing red or black mana. While not strictly a red/blue dual land, it's useful in many red-blue decks that also utilize black.
- Watery Grave: Provides blue or black mana. Similar to Blood Crypt, useful in decks that splash black.
Fast Lands: These enter the battlefield tapped but offer consistent color production.
- Arid Mesa: Another fetch land, providing a great way to find the right basic land. While not producing colored mana directly, it improves consistency drastically.
- Misty Rainforest: Another fetch land that can find your basic Island or Forest.
Check Lands: These lands enter untapped but only produce mana if you control a land of a specific type. They help to accelerate mana development but demand a certain level of land diversity.
- Prismatic Vista: Produces colorless mana unless you control a plains, island, swamp, mountain or forest.
Basic Lands: While seemingly simple, basic lands (Islands and Mountains) are crucial for consistency. Always include a sufficient number of these to ensure you can always cast your spells.
What are some good budget-friendly lands for red-blue decks?
Building a powerful red-blue deck without breaking the bank is achievable. Focus on lands that are widely available and offer good value:
- Basic Lands: These are always the cheapest and most consistent option.
- Cycling lands: Lands like Tranquil Thicket, Bloodstained Mire and Watery Grave allow you to cycle them away if you don't need their mana, giving you card advantage. While not exclusively red and blue, they can be incredibly useful in a pinch.
How many lands should I include in my red-blue deck?
The ideal number of lands varies based on your deck's mana curve and the number of high-cost spells you're playing. A good starting point is 24-26 lands, but you may need to adjust this number based on testing and your specific needs. Too few lands risk mana screw (not enough mana), and too many lands risk mana flood (too much mana).
Are there any lands that help fix mana issues in my red-blue deck?
Fetch lands and shock lands are your best tools for fixing mana problems. Fetch lands allow you to search your deck for specific basic lands, ensuring you have the right colors. Shock lands offer color flexibility but enter tapped, requiring thoughtful sequencing in the early game.
What are some common mistakes to avoid when building a red-blue mana base?
- Too few basic lands: This can lead to severe mana screw, making it impossible to cast your spells.
- Too many tapped lands: While shock and fast lands are powerful, having too many can significantly slow down your early game development.
- Ignoring your deck's mana curve: A low curve deck needs fewer lands than a deck with many expensive cards.
By carefully selecting your lands based on your deck's specific needs and the format you are playing, you can construct a robust and consistent red-blue mana base that will help you dominate the battlefield. Remember to test your mana base extensively to fine-tune it for optimal performance.
