It’s hard to deny the importance of basic lands in MTG. They might not be the best lands in the game, but they’re undeniably useful and iconic. Appearing in every single format and most decks in MTG, there’s unsurprisingly a lot of demand for basic lands. At the same time, however, most basics are so widely printed that they’re basically worthless, even modern full-art lands.
While most basics are draft chaff, Secret Lair basics, promos, and older printings can be seriously valuable. Part of this is their scarcity, of course, but art is a huge driver of demand here, too. With this in mind, it’s no wonder that MTG players are eyeing up the recently announced Green Game Jam lands.
Unfortunately, while these new basic lands do look gorgeous, getting hold of them isn’t so easy….
MTG Green Game Jam Basic Lands
Yesterday, Wizards of the Coast announced a new set of basic lands to celebrate the 2026 Green Game Jam. Run by Playing for the Planet, this aptly named game jam lets developers highlight “environmental topics” for the greater good. This year, the theme is “Reefs and Rainforests,” which is just about perfect for MTG.
As you can see above, this theme has allowed Wizards’ talented roster of artists to create some stunning works, inspired by real-world locations.
- Plains: Serengeti Plains, Kenya
- Island: The Coral Triangle, Pacific and Indian Oceans
- Swamp: Congo Basin Peatlands, Central Africa
- Mountain: The Andes Mountains, Peru
- Forest: Olympic National Forest, Washington, USA
Beyond just looking good, these lands also support a good cause. All of the proceeds from players purchasing these lands will go to Oceana and the Rainforest Alliance. While this seems like a slam dunk all around, there is one slight catch that’s frustrating players. For better or worse, these lands are only available on MTG Arena.
Thankfully, on Arena, these lands won’t be too expensive while they’re available from June 6th to 23rd. Priced at 2,500 gems, you’ll have to spend around $20 to get enough gems to afford this. While this does make the Green Game Jam x Magic Basic Lands slightly more affordable than a Secret Lair, obviously, they’re not physical cards with any secondary market value.
Unfortunately Unavailable
While the Green Game Jam x Magic Basic Lands are fantastic for MTG Arena players, paper players are missing out here. So far, there’s no word of a parallel Secret Lair drop or any plans to bring these lands to paper. Judging by comments on social media, this is a real crying shame.
“I hope these get a real paper release. I would love these.”
Living_End
Not only is it frustrating for players to not get these gorgeous lands on paper, but it’s a missed opportunity for fundraising, too. While we don’t doubt the fervor of MTG Arena players, land-based Secret Lair drops can sell like hot cakes. In theory, this could have meant even more money donated to Oceana and the Rainforest Alliance, provided they sold.
Sadly, as nice as it would be to have these lands on paper, don’t expect a Secret Lair drop to be rushed out. While they don’t have the lead time of full sets, printing space is typically reserved up to a year in advance. As such, we could easily be waiting until 2027 for these lands to be printed on paper.
Even with this generous release window, there’s no guarantee these lands will ever make it to paper. Technically, you could engage in some ethically dubious proxying to get them, but that doesn’t really feel right for a charity drop. If you do want to go down this route, however, donating some money to either of the charities feels like the right thing to do.
Stick with us here at mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage. Be sure to check out our deckbuilder for your next big brew, and our brand new MTG Rocks Podcast!