Though it may not feel like it sometimes, we actually have it pretty good in terms of mana fixing in Standard right now. We have all 10 Fast Lands and Pain Lands for faster decks, as well as the Surveil Lands and Gain Lands for slower ones. There are even plenty of other tapped duals for those who really need all their colors. That said, you can never have too much fixing in a format. It seems WotC agrees. We’re now getting yet another full cycle of Dual Lands in Duskmourn, at common, no less.
The Thirteen Lands?
This new land cycle will undoubtedly gain a nickname in time. My suggestion? The Trisk Lands, after Triskaidekaphobia, a card that similarly cares about the number 13. All ten of these lands enter tapped unless a player has 13 or less life. A highly specific, and highly flavorful, condition to fulfill.
For the most part, players don’t hit 13 life until a few turns into a game at least. This means that the Trisk Lands (it’s going to catch on!) are likely better in slower decks than fast ones. Their condition also introduces a really interesting dynamic into the game for Aggro matchups. Now that they exist, players will need to be aware of 13 life as a threshold. Once you push your opponent past it, there’s a chance their mana gets better.
It’s worth noting that these lands count both players, too. If you reduce your own life total by paying some, or by deliberately letting attacks through unblocked, you can orchestrate one of these coming in untapped. For Midrange and Control, this introduces a kind of risk/reward element that feels unlike any land cycle we’ve seen before. They may look simple, but these Duskmourn dual lands have some serious play to them, on multiple axes.
The design of these lands is also interesting in that it’s uniquely bad for Commander. When players start at 40, 13 is a distant dream for most of the game. By the time these come online, you likely have all the lands and rocks you need. There’s been a lot of pushback against for-Commander design lately, so it’s refreshing to see cards like this, which explicitly play better in 60-card constructed formats.
Give A Horror A Home
So with all of that said, where exactly will these new Duskmourn dual lands see play? Honestly, outside of Commander, I think they have a decent shot in most formats. Untapped duals are no joke, and the condition here will be easier to reach than most expect, I’d wager.
To get the obvious out of the way: these lands will be fantastic in Pauper. Since all 10 are common, you can run them in the format with reckless abandon. You’ll want to, too: these are the very first common dual lands that have the potential to enter untapped, which is a big deal for the format. Pauper players have been happy with the dual Snow Lands and Artifact Bridges until now, so a new cycle that could come in untapped, however rarely, is going to see a lot of play.
Standard is another shoe-in. Though we are spoiled for choice right now, I can see players cutting Creature Lands and Surveil Lands, both of which see plenty of play at the moment, for some of these instead. The potential to enter untapped really is strong enough that it could supplant the other upsides of these more established lands.
Even the likes of Modern and Pioneer could find a home for these. Shock Lands are played heavily in both formats, which gets life totals low quickly. Decks like Death’s Shadow, which deliberately lower their own life totals, will likely love them too. It’s strange to be discussing a common dual land cycle in the context of these powerhouse formats, but I think they really do have a chance. Even if these are the only dual lands Duskmourn brings to the table, I think we got a pretty sweet deal.
Read More: Duskmourn Secret Lairs Are A Shambling Mish-Mash Of Value
