MTG shock lands, and cheaper alternatives
Last updated: October 7, 2026
Shock lands are the ten Ravnica dual lands that enter tapped unless you pay 2 life. They have both basic land types — Watery Grave is an Island and a Swamp — which is what makes them special: anything that searches for a basic type can find them, including every fetch land.
The ten shock lands
- Hallowed Fountain — white and blue
- Watery Grave — blue and black
- Blood Crypt — black and red
- Stomping Ground — red and green
- Temple Garden — green and white
- Godless Shrine — white and black
- Steam Vents — blue and red
- Overgrown Tomb — black and green
- Sacred Foundry — red and white
- Breeding Pool — green and blue
Why players pay for them
A shock land is an untapped dual whenever you need it to be, and a tapped dual when you can afford to wait. The basic types are the real value: fetch lands, and cards that search for a "Forest" or a "Plains", treat a shock as that basic — so a deck full of fetches and shocks can find any colour it needs.
In Commander the 2 life is cheap. You start at 40.
Cheaper lands that do most of the job
For most Commander decks, a dual that enters untapped most of the time is enough. These cycles get close for a fraction of the price:
- Surveil lands — enter tapped, surveil 1, and carry both basic types, so fetches find them too: Meticulous Archive, Undercity Sewers, Thundering Falls, Commercial District, Lush Portico and the rest of the cycle.
- Bond lands — untapped whenever you have two or more opponents, which in Commander is almost always: Sea of Clouds, Morphic Pool, Luxury Suite, Spire Garden and Bountiful Promenade, plus Rejuvenating Springs, Spectator Seating, Training Center, Undergrowth Stadium and Vault of Champions.
- Check lands — untapped if you control a basic of either type: Glacial Fortress, Drowned Catacomb, Dragonskull Summit, Rootbound Crag, Sunpetal Grove and their enemy-colour siblings.
The dual lands guide ranks every cycle from cheapest to priciest.
Buying tips
Every shock land has been reprinted many times. For play, buy the cheapest printing; the borderless and showcase versions cost more for the art alone.
Browse the shock lands we stock, our budget utility lands, or price a list in the Deck Builder.