For the uninitiated, “fetch lands” in Magic: the Gathering are land cards which allow players to search their libraries for other land cards. Initially introduced in the Mirage expansion, these cards have fundamentally changed how Magic is played over the years, allowing for some interesting play options.
The benefit of playing with fetch cards is twofold. First, it allows the player to selectively build their mana-base, deciding which land they will obtain within the parameters set by their fetch. Second, using fetch lands decreases the number of land draws that a player will encounter, slightly improving their odds of drawing powerful spells needed as the game progresses.
There is no way to definitively list the ten strongest lands out there. The strongest fetchers for your deck will be based on the colors you are playing and the lands your deck contains. Historically, some have been more useful than others. Based on these trends, here are the best of the fetch lands.
10 Mirage Fetches
Starting this list off are the original fetch lands from Mirage. The original fetch lands were the five allied color pairings, which means that it was the color pairs which appear beside one another on the color pie depicted on the backs of every Magic card. The color pairings presented in this set compliment one another and these cards offered a powerful option for decks to expand into the complimentary colors.
Unfortunately, this land cycle has not aged as well as those which would follow. The key difference between these lands and the allied fetch lands from Onslaught is that the Mirage cycle all came into play tapped before allowing players to search for a land of its types.
9 Thawing Glaciers
Prior to Mirage introducing a set of fetch land cards, Alliances featured the standalone true “original” fetch land in Thawing Glaciers.
Thawing Glaciers was a new idea at the time. It came into play tapped just as the cycle it would inspire does. Beyond this, it had no mana ability whatsoever. In place of a mana ability, tapping this card allows its owner to search their library for a basic land card which then comes into play tapped. At the end of the turn this occurs, Thawing Glaciers is then returned to its owner’s hand.
There are several combo opportunities with Thawing Glaciers, but repeated access to any basic land the player needs is what makes this card especially powerful - even if it doesn’t make the top list for value.
8 Prismatic Vista
As with Thawing Glaciers, Prismatic Vista allows the player to access any basic land they need, making it especially attractive for players using more than two colors in their deck. Where Prismatic Vista loses some potency is that rather than having repeated uses like Thawing Glaciers, this card follows a trend which will be elaborated on later in allowing the user to sacrifice it the same turn it is played.
Appearing in Modern Horizons, Prismatic Vista is the newest fetch land on this list. Given the current metagame of the Modern format, it has failed to really take hold yet, as it is restricted only to basic land cards. Nevertheless, the options it presents a player can’t be ignored, and gains a slight edge by allowing players to use its fetch ability immediately once it is played.
7 Arid Mesa
The remainder of cards in this list originate from two different land cycles: one which originated in the Onslaught expansion, and one from the Zendikar expansion. These two cycles are arguably the strongest examples of fetch lands in Magic: the Gathering. Arid Mesa comes from the latter expansion.
The fetch land cycle introduced in Zendikar focused on enemy color pairings, or those positioned opposite one another on the color pie. Arid Mesa combined red and white to improve decks which were already successful such as Red-White Weenie and Zoo. It also sees significant play in Modern burn decks.
6 Flooded Strand
The fetch lands introduced in Onslaught followed the allied color pairing, identical to the Mirage land cycle. What differs with these is that rather than coming into play tapped, these lands enter untapped like the enemy cycle from Zendikar would later. This means that the Onslaught and Zendikar fetch lands can be immediately used the turn they are played.
Flooded Strand combines the allied colors of blue and white, lending mana-selection to decks which incorporate the likes of counterspells and defensive spells. In terms of control, there is no better combination of colors than blue white.
5 Scalding Tarn
Another Zendikar enemy cycle, Scalding Tarn combines the two iconic colors of blue and red to allow some impressive combinations. Both colors are known for their reliance on powerful instant and sorcery spells, and the improved mana-selection offered here has created some devastating combinations.
The most iconic deck to have combined these colors is Storm. Using the Storm mechanic, these decks aim to play many copies of cheap spells in order to make mass replications of one card which will ultimately win players the game. Most recently, this concept gave birth to the blue red Phoenix deck in Modern, which hinged around the card Arclight Phoenix in a similar fashion.
4 Misty Rainforest
Another enemy combination featured in Zendikar was the blue green Misty Rainforest fetch land, which sees continued use. This color combination cycles cards faster than any other and depends on ramping up the mana base while drawing cards to find the desired one.
The most devastating decks to employ this land as a focal point are infect decks. These decks use the infect mechanic to give opponents ten poison counters, thus causing them to lose the game. Infect is primarily found within the blue green color combination, and the use of this card improves the ability players of these decks have in selecting the appropriate lands from their library while building their win condition.
3 Wooded Foothills
Moving back to Onslaught’s friendly cycle, Wooded Foothills combines the red and green colors. These colors together make a fast and powerful combination which can be difficult to counter, given the flexibility to incorporate powerful creatures and spells which deal direct damage to opposing players.
In addition to the combinations inherently afforded by the colors, Wooded Foothills is almost a required inclusion in powerful Dredge decks, given that these decks tend to rely primarily on red spells while needing access to green mana in order to cast the all-important card Life from the Loam.
2 Bloodstained Mire
Red and black can be a high-risk, high-reward combination for players using this combination correctly. These colors typically mandate that players sacrifice creatures or life in order to obtain stronger abilities and results. Bloodstained Mire offers land-selection to decks which are incorporating these two colors.
As with Wooded Foothills, the biggest use of Bloodstained Mire in recent competitive decks has been in those using the Dredge mechanic. We’ve already pointed out the need for access to both green and red mana, but these decks also tend to rely heavily on black spells as well, making Bloodstained Mire a common companion to its ally companion Wooded Foothills.
1 Polluted Delta
Finishing this list off is another allied combination from the blue black fetch land Polluted Delta. This combination thrives on removal and offers another depth of control similar to that described in the blue white section of this list. Blue black decks tend to do this through destroying rather than protecting.
Over the years, this combination has seen many powerful decks including the Psychatog archetype, and the more recent Grixis Death Shadow deck. Throughout the competitive scenes where this card has been legal, it has consistently seen inclusion in the top decks available, and that doesn’t seem to be changing soon.
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