MTG land cycles: pain, check, bounce, fast and slow lands, and triomes
Last updated: October 22, 2026
Magic's dual lands come in cycles of ten, one for each two-colour pair, and players call each cycle by a nickname that describes its drawback: "pain lands" hurt, "check lands" check for a basic, "bounce lands" return a land to your hand. Here is what each name means, all ten of each, and how well they fit a Commander deck. For fetch, shock and the original duals, see the fetch lands, shock lands and dual lands guides.
Pain lands
Always untapped. Tap for colourless for free, or for either of two colours at the cost of 1 damage to you. In Commander, at 40 life, that cost barely registers, which makes them some of the best cheap duals in the format. Here are the pain lands we stock.
- Adarkar Wastes (white-blue), Underground River (blue-black), Sulfurous Springs (black-red), Karplusan Forest (red-green), Brushland (green-white)
- Caves of Koilos (white-black), Shivan Reef (blue-red), Llanowar Wastes (black-green), Battlefield Forge (red-white), Yavimaya Coast (green-blue)
Check lands
Enter untapped if you already control a land of one of the two matching basic types, otherwise tapped. Very good in decks with plenty of basics or shock lands; slower in a deck full of other nonbasic lands.
- Glacial Fortress, Drowned Catacomb, Dragonskull Summit, Rootbound Crag, Sunpetal Grove
- Isolated Chapel, Sulfur Falls, Woodland Cemetery, Clifftop Retreat, Hinterland Harbor
Bounce lands (karoos)
Enter tapped and return a land you control to your hand, but tap for two mana, one of each colour. You lose a tempo turn but gain a land drop's worth of mana, and replaying the returned land retriggers landfall. Weak to land destruction, strong in landfall decks.
- Azorius Chancery, Dimir Aqueduct, Rakdos Carnarium, Gruul Turf, Selesnya Sanctuary
- Orzhov Basilica, Izzet Boilerworks, Golgari Rot Farm, Boros Garrison, Simic Growth Chamber
Fast lands
Enter untapped if you control two or fewer other lands, otherwise tapped. Perfect early, a tapped land late. They were built for fast formats, so in Commander they are fine but no better than the alternatives.
- Seachrome Coast, Darkslick Shores, Blackcleave Cliffs, Copperline Gorge, Razorverge Thicket
- Concealed Courtyard, Spirebluff Canal, Blooming Marsh, Inspiring Vantage, Botanical Sanctum
Slow lands
The opposite of fast lands: enter tapped unless you control two or more other lands. Tapped on turn one or two, untapped every turn after, which suits Commander, where the long game matters more. Reality Fracture reprinted two of them.
- Deserted Beach, Shipwreck Marsh, Haunted Ridge, Rockfall Vale, Overgrown Farmland
- Shattered Sanctum, Stormcarved Coast, Deathcap Glade, Sundown Pass, Dreamroot Cascade
Triomes
Three colours instead of two. They enter tapped, have three basic land types (so fetch lands can find them) and cycling for 3 when you don't need the land. The best fixing for three-colour decks short of the expensive cycles.
- Ikoria: Raugrin Triome, Savai Triome, Zagoth Triome, Ketria Triome, Indatha Triome
- Streets of New Capenna: Spara's Headquarters, Raffine's Tower, Xander's Lounge, Ziatora's Proving Ground, Jetmir's Garden
Which cycles for Commander?
For most budget decks: pain lands and slow lands first, then check lands if you run plenty of basics, then triomes for three-colour decks. Bounce lands earn their slot in landfall decks. Fast lands are the least useful in Commander. Whichever you choose, keep enough basics for your land ramp. how many lands a Commander deck needs covers the balance.
Cards from this guide, in stock
