Magic: The Gathering Tri Lands Explained
In the ever-evolving universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), land cards hold a unique and critical role in any deck. Among these, Tri Lands have become a staple for multicolor decks, offering versatile mana options and aiding in streamlining complex strategies. In this blog post, we will dive into the specifics of Magic: The Gathering Tri Lands, exploring their benefits, strategies for incorporating them into your decks, and tips for maximizing their potential.
What Are Tri Lands?
Tri Lands are a category of land cards that can produce one of three different colors of mana. This versatility makes them highly valuable in multicolor decks, which often struggle with mana consistency. Unlike Basic Lands, which tap for a single color, Tri Lands give the player the flexibility to access multiple colors, thus ensuring they can cast their spells more reliably.
Key Examples of Tri Lands
Some well-known Tri Lands in the MTG world include:
- Crumbling Necropolis – Taps for Blue, Black, or Red mana.
- Seaside Citadel – Taps for White, Blue, or Green mana.
- Savage Lands – Taps for Black, Red, or Green mana.
- Arcane Sanctum – Taps for White, Blue, or Black mana.
- Jungle Shrine – Taps for Red, Green, or White mana.
Every Tri Land in Magic: The Complete List
There are 40 lands in paper Magic that tap for exactly three colours of mana, and all 40 are Commander-legal. Every one of them enters the battlefield tapped — that is the price of the fixing. Prices below are the cheapest paper printing at the time of writing.
| Card | Colours | Debut set | Enters tapped | Cycling | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| An-Havva Township | GRW | Homelands (1995) | Yes | No | $0.28 |
| Aysen Abbey | GUW | Homelands (1995) | Yes | No | $0.33 |
| Castle Sengir | BRU | Homelands (1995) | Yes | No | $0.28 |
| Koskun Keep | BGR | Homelands (1995) | Yes | No | $0.25 |
| Wizards’ School | BUW | Homelands (1995) | Yes | No | $0.33 |
| Ancient Spring | BUW | Invasion (2000) | Yes | No | $0.21 |
| Geothermal Crevice | BGR | Invasion (2000) | Yes | No | $0.30 |
| Irrigation Ditch | GUW | Invasion (2000) | Yes | No | $0.20 |
| Sulfur Vent | BRU | Invasion (2000) | Yes | No | $0.29 |
| Tinder Farm | GRW | Invasion (2000) | Yes | No | $0.18 |
| Crosis’s Catacombs | BRU | Planeshift (2001) | Yes | No | $0.32 |
| Darigaaz’s Caldera | BGR | Planeshift (2001) | Yes | No | $0.27 |
| Dromar’s Cavern | BUW | Planeshift (2001) | Yes | No | $0.20 |
| Rith’s Grove | GRW | Planeshift (2001) | Yes | No | $0.36 |
| Treva’s Ruins | GUW | Planeshift (2001) | Yes | No | $0.26 |
| Murmuring Bosk | BGW | Morningtide (2008) | Yes | No | $0.35 |
| Arcane Sanctum | BUW | Shards of Alara (2008) | Yes | No | $0.37 |
| Crumbling Necropolis | BRU | Shards of Alara (2008) | Yes | No | $0.31 |
| Jungle Shrine | GRW | Shards of Alara (2008) | Yes | No | $0.27 |
| Savage Lands | BGR | Shards of Alara (2008) | Yes | No | $0.32 |
| Seaside Citadel | GUW | Shards of Alara (2008) | Yes | No | $0.31 |
| Mystic Monastery | RUW | Duel Decks: Speed vs. Cunning (2014) | Yes | No | $0.15 |
| Nomad Outpost | BRW | Duel Decks: Speed vs. Cunning (2014) | Yes | No | $0.25 |
| Frontier Bivouac | GRU | Khans of Tarkir (2014) | Yes | No | $0.23 |
| Opulent Palace | BGU | Khans of Tarkir (2014) | Yes | No | $0.28 |
| Sandsteppe Citadel | BGW | Khans of Tarkir (2014) | Yes | No | $0.30 |
| Crypt of the Eternals | BRU | Hour of Devastation (2017) | Yes | No | $0.14 |
| Tournament Grounds | BRW | Throne of Eldraine (2019) | Yes | No | $0.27 |
| Indatha Triome | BGW | Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (2020) | Yes | Yes | $18.96 |
| Ketria Triome | GRU | Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (2020) | Yes | Yes | $17.97 |
| Raugrin Triome | RUW | Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (2020) | Yes | Yes | $15.26 |
| Savai Triome | BRW | Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (2020) | Yes | Yes | $17.80 |
| Zagoth Triome | BGU | Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (2020) | Yes | Yes | $22.27 |
| Jetmir’s Garden | GRW | Streets of New Capenna Promos (2022) | Yes | Yes | $15.17 |
| Raffine’s Tower | BUW | Streets of New Capenna Promos (2022) | Yes | Yes | $12.78 |
| Spara’s Headquarters | GUW | Streets of New Capenna Promos (2022) | Yes | Yes | $12.70 |
| Xander’s Lounge | BRU | Streets of New Capenna Promos (2022) | Yes | Yes | $13.03 |
| Ziatora’s Proving Ground | BGR | Streets of New Capenna Promos (2022) | Yes | Yes | $8.68 |
| Oscorp Industries | BRU | Marvel’s Spider-Man (2025) | Yes | No | $1.27 |
| Urban Retreat | GUW | Marvel’s Spider-Man (2025) | Yes | No | $0.56 |
Three things worth knowing about that list. All 40 together cost $164.06, and 29 of them are under a dollar — the ten Triomes carry almost the entire price of the category. Only those ten have cycling, which is the single biggest functional difference between a Triome and an older tri-land: a Triome you do not need is a card you can turn into a different card.
Two entries in the debut column look odd and are not errors. Nomad Outpost and Mystic Monastery first appeared in Duel Decks: Speed vs. Cunning three weeks before Khans of Tarkir, which is why the Khans cycle shows as three cards plus two. And the New Capenna Triomes technically debuted in that set’s promo run, dated a few days before the main set. The cards are the same; only the earliest printing differs.
The Benefits of Tri Lands
Tri Lands offer several advantages for deck builders and players, especially those favoring multicolor decks:
- Mana Flexibility: The primary benefit of Tri Lands is the ability to produce three different colors of mana, ensuring that you have the right colors available when you need them.
- Stabilization: Tri Lands help stabilize your mana base, reducing the risk of color screw (being stuck without the necessary color of mana).
- Efficiency: With fewer lands needed to produce your desired mana colors, Tri Lands can free up deck space for more impactful spells or creatures.
Strategies for Using Tri Lands
To make the most out of Tri Lands in your decks, consider the following strategies:
1. Deck Building with KrakenTheMeta
Leveraging advanced platforms like KrakenTheMeta can significantly enhance your deck-building experience. KrakenTheMeta offers an extensive deck builder tool that allows for easy addition and organization of cards, including Tri Lands. Utilize their deck composition analysis feature to ensure your mana base is well-balanced and consistent.
2. Prioritize Mana Fixing
When building a multicolor deck, mana fixing should be a priority. Incorporate a mix of Tri Lands and other mana-fixing cards such as shock lands, fetch lands, and mana rocks to ensure you have a reliable source of the necessary colors. KrakenTheMeta’s comprehensive card database can help you find the best mana-fixing cards for your deck.
3. Analyze and Adjust
Use KrakenTheMeta’s advanced analytics and statistics tools to evaluate the performance of your deck. Look for patterns where mana issues arise and adjust your land count or composition accordingly. Community feedback through KrakenTheMeta’s sharing and discussion features can also provide valuable insights and suggestions.
Tips for Maximizing Tri Lands
Here are some practical tips to get the most out of your Tri Lands:
- Early Game Presence: Play your Tri Lands early in the game when the tapped condition won’t hinder your tempo as much. This ensures you have access to multiple colors of mana when you start casting your spells.
- Synergize with Other Multi-Mana Sources: Use Tri Lands in conjunction with cards like Chromatic Lantern or Dryad of the Ilysian Grove, which can further enhance your mana flexibility and consistency.
- Balance Your Curve: Ensure your deck’s mana curve is balanced to avoid situations where you cannot efficiently use your mana each turn. KrakenTheMeta’s deck composition analysis can help you identify and correct imbalances in your deck.
Tri-lands are excellent three-color fixing, but they are one tier in a much bigger toolbox. For the best utility and fixing lands ranked, how many lands to run, and a full budget mana base, see our guide to the best lands for Commander.
Conclusion
Magic: The Gathering Tri Lands are invaluable tools for any deck builder, offering unparalleled mana versatility and helping to stabilize complex multicolor decks. By strategically incorporating them into your deck, leveraging platforms like KrakenTheMeta for deck building and analysis, and following our tips and strategies, you can enhance your gameplay and improve your chances of victory. Embrace the power of Tri Lands and take your Magic: The Gathering decks to the next level!
Build your next deck with AI
KrakenTheMeta’s AI deck builder researches the current meta and writes you a complete, format-legal decklist in about a minute — free to try.
Build a Deck with AIor browse community decks