This is my favorite Magic card! I would always play 4, 2 of which were signed by Ben Rubin. I always top-decked the two signed copies at the perfect moment.
Dr_Draco
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(7 votes)
Very good card. It's a narrower version of Strip Mine, but it's still a good land.
Very handy for getting rid of thoese annoying nonland cards. Having a group of them would be deadly.
4.0
spectermonger
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(6 votes)
There's a reason why every Legacy deck that doesn't depend too heavily on its colored mana-base runs 3-4. When 3 color decks run colorless producing land, then you know it's good.
markarmor
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(7 votes)
Outmatched only by Strip Mine. The proliferation of non-basic lands in the vast majority of multi-color decks make this 95% as good. 4-5 stars for certain.
Daikoru
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.6/5.0)(8 votes)
I have a deep hate of this card. I tend to have nearly no land (I can mulligan down to 0 cards without having a single land in every hand, and that's in a normal 2/5 land ratio). Because of this, every single land is precious, and this card alone can make me unable to play for a lot of turns. This card is in my personal ban list for that reason. And I absolutely refuse to change all my dual lands for basic lands just because of that card.
ratchet1215
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(6 votes)
A much more balanced version of the stupid Strip Mine. This is a good card to have around in Legacy; it makes basics into pretty sick tech.
one of those cards that you love to play and hate to play against
There is an interesting dynamic that Wasteland and Iona bring to the meta of Legacy. Wasteland says play one color, and well... Iona doesn't agree. (see Daikoru's comment)
vh_2k
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Who knew this card's price on the secondary market would have skyrocketed like it did? I got a bunch of these out of packs and out of $1 bins back in the day - I own at least two play sets, all in mint condition. *shrug* This game mystifies me sometimes.
Cyberium
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Without a doubt Strip Mine is more powerful.
However, in Type I and Legacy people often run dual lands even in a mono color deck just to gain benefit from a more versatile sideboard or cards like Engineered Explosives, in addition to all other utility and extra mana lands people utilize.
That said, Wasteland in most cases are just as good as Strip Mine since nonbasic lands are more powerful and tend to be the ones that need to be destroyed. One can technically run a deck without a single basic land, but it's very rare that one would run no nonbasic lands at all. Wasteland will always finds its targets.
endersblade
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(4 votes)
@vh_2k, I'm in the same boat. I must have 10+ of these things; back during Tempest in my play area, nobody used it, so I'd always trade for them (I had a land hate deck that I loved to play). Now for some reason, they're worth $40+. I don't know why, especially when Strip Mine is much easier to find, and is only around $10. Of those I have several as well. I'd most certainly take Strip Mine over Wasteland any day. Granted, I now only play EDH, and Strip Mine isn't banned there, so that might have something to do with it.
MockTurtles
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(4 votes)
@endersblade The reason that Wasteland is 50 dollars and the strictly better Strip Mine is only 5-10 dollars is the fact that strip mine is banned. You can't run it in a tournament. If Strip Mine were unbanned it's price would be even higher than what wasteland's is now, and wasteland would cost less than strip mine does now.
kiseki
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
MockTurtles does a good job of explaining it, but it is banned in Legacy, and only Restricted in Vintage. I was pretty shocked to see the price myself.
Philosophy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Love the flavor on this card!
Kragash
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
It's time to reprint this sucker.
Ghost Quarter? Never heard of it. Reprint please.
DacenOctavio
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
Wasteland decks are rather hardcore. I don't see the point in playing a deck that's great in legacy in the Classic room where most of the players are at best playing Extended or Modern decks, but for some reason you see a lot of people ignoring that basic code of etiquette.
TheWrathofShane
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Strip mine is vintage restricted, and you need to have the power 9 to play in that format. Wasteland only saw one set printing, and you can run x4 of in legacy, which is a much more popular format. Also, strip mine saw two printings.
So why the "rare" strip mine is only 5 dollars, and the uncommon wasteland is 55 dollars. Classic Supply and Demand.
Prof_Apoptosis
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Combo with Crucible Of Worlds and life of the loam in Legacy is terrifying if you overplay too many non-basic lands. You almost have to have Crucible Of Worlds or life of the loam sideboarded just to be able to protect your own non-basic lands from your opponents (if you play with a lot).
The_Evictee
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Please reprint this wizards. Please return BLack Land Destruction.
SkyknightXi
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Well, we're going to have Encroaching Wastes in M14. Basically this, but tempered by the fact that you ALSO need four miscellaneous mana for its second ability.
amberbock
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Strip Mine costs less because Strip Mine has more printings. Yes being able to use the card in Legacy is a large factor but the supply on this card is far less.
blurrymadness
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
One of the meanest cards in Legacy. If you invest in Legacy; start with these guys; they're always in high demand and their price only goes up.
Comments (23)
Still one of my favorite cards
4.0
one of those cards that you love to play and hate to play against
There is an interesting dynamic that Wasteland and Iona bring to the meta of Legacy. Wasteland says play one color, and well... Iona doesn't agree. (see Daikoru's comment)
However, in Type I and Legacy people often run dual lands even in a mono color deck just to gain benefit from a more versatile sideboard or cards like Engineered Explosives, in addition to all other utility and extra mana lands people utilize.
That said, Wasteland in most cases are just as good as Strip Mine since nonbasic lands are more powerful and tend to be the ones that need to be destroyed. One can technically run a deck without a single basic land, but it's very rare that one would run no nonbasic lands at all. Wasteland will always finds its targets.
The reason that Wasteland is 50 dollars and the strictly better Strip Mine is only 5-10 dollars is the fact that strip mine is banned. You can't run it in a tournament. If Strip Mine were unbanned it's price would be even higher than what wasteland's is now, and wasteland would cost less than strip mine does now.
I was pretty shocked to see the price myself.
Ghost Quarter? Never heard of it. Reprint please.
So why the "rare" strip mine is only 5 dollars, and the uncommon wasteland is 55 dollars. Classic Supply and Demand.