In the world of Magic: The Gathering, lands are the foundation of every deck, enabling you to cast spells and activate abilities. While basic lands are reliable, nonbasic lands often provide powerful utility, ramp, fixing, or win conditions. In many formats especially Commander players turn to specific cards known as land tutors to fetch these critical nonbasic lands from their decks. Whether you’re assembling a combo, setting up a defensive position, or enabling multicolor mana bases, having access to the best nonbasic land tutors can make all the difference. Understanding which cards excel in this role is essential for deck consistency and competitive edge.
What Are Nonbasic Land Tutors?
Nonbasic land tutors are cards that allow you to search your library for a land that is not a basic land (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest). These tutors are especially valuable in singleton formats like Commander, where each land slot must be used efficiently. Fetching utility lands likeGaea’s Cradle,Field of the Dead, orMaze of Ithat the right time can change the flow of the game entirely.
Some land tutors allow you to put the land directly onto the battlefield, while others put it into your hand. Each has its own strategic uses, depending on your mana curve, combo pieces, or game plan.
Top Nonbasic Land Tutors
Expedition Map
Cost: 1 mana
Activation: 2 mana, tap, sacrifice
Expedition Map is a staple in many Commander and modern artifact-based decks. For only one mana to cast and two to activate, it allows you to search your library for any land and put it into your hand. This includes nonbasic lands likeUrza’s Tower,Dark Depths, orAcademy Ruins. It’s particularly strong in colorless decks that lack access to green’s ramp suite.
Crop Rotation
Cost: 1 green mana
This instant-speed tutor is a powerful tool, often used in combo decks. You sacrifice a land as part of the cost to search for any land card and put it directly onto the battlefield. Because it’s instant, it can be used to fetch a clutch land in response to a spell or ability like grabbingBojuka Bogto exile a graveyard. It’s also great for assembling land combos such asDark DepthsandThespian’s Stage.
Sylvan Scrying
Cost: 1 colorless, 1 green
Sylvan Scrying is a simple but effective card that searches your library for any land card and puts it into your hand. It doesn’t put it directly into play, but being able to grab any nonbasic land likeGavony TownshiporCabal Coffersmakes it valuable. It’s widely used in land-focused or utility-based green decks that want access to toolbox lands at the right time.
Realms Uncharted
Cost: 3 mana (2 colorless, 1 green)
This instant lets you search for up to four different land cards and reveal them. Your opponent chooses two to go to the graveyard, and the others go to your hand. While this may seem like a drawback, the card becomes stronger in decks with graveyard recursion likeLife from the Loam, making it a flexible land tutor that can generate real advantage over time.
Hour of Promise
Cost: 5 mana (4 colorless, 1 green)
This spell allows you to search your library for up to two land cards and put them directly onto the battlefield tapped. If you control three or more deserts, you also get two 2/2 Zombie tokens. While it’s a bit expensive, the ability to put two nonbasic lands into play at once can be game-changing. This card is favored in ramp-heavy or landfall decks looking to reach big mana quickly.
Reap and Sow
Cost: 4 mana (3 colorless, 1 green)
This versatile spell lets you choose between destroying a land or searching for any land card to put onto the battlefield. With entwine, you can do both. Though not as popular as other land tutors due to the higher cost, it remains relevant for its utility in land-based control decks or strategies that want disruption alongside ramp.
Elvish Reclaimer
Cost: 1 green
This creature gains +2/+2 if you have three or more lands in your graveyard, but its real value lies in its activated ability: pay 2 mana, tap it, and sacrifice a land to search for any land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. Elvish Reclaimer is both a threat and a land tutor, making it great for decks with recursion or land sacrifice synergies.
Weathered Wayfarer
Cost: 1 white
This one-mana creature can tap to search your library for any land card and put it into your hand, but only if an opponent controls more lands than you. This catch-up mechanic makes it ideal for white decks, which often struggle with ramp. Weathered Wayfarer can fetch anything fromStrip MinetoNykthos, Shrine to Nyx.
Tempt with Discovery
Cost: 4 mana (3 colorless, 1 green)
This group-hug-style sorcery allows you to search your library for any land card and put it onto the battlefield. Each opponent may also search for a land; for each opponent who does, you get to search for an additional land. This creates a high-reward situation in multiplayer formats, especially if opponents fall for the temptation. It’s ideal in political Commander games and explosive landfall decks.
Traverse the Ulvenwald
Cost: 1 green
Early in the game, Traverse the Ulvenwald simply gets you a basic land, but once you achieve delirium (four card types in your graveyard), it transforms into a powerful tutor for any creature or land. This dual functionality makes it incredibly flexible in graveyard-based decks or midrange builds looking for land consistency early and bombs later.
Why Nonbasic Land Tutors Matter
In formats like Commander or Modern, where players run a wide array of utility lands, nonbasic land tutors offer a unique level of precision and adaptability. Unlike basic land fetchers, these tutors let you choose lands that align perfectly with your strategy. Some key reasons to include them in your deck:
- Fix multicolor mana bases more efficiently
- Enable combo lines involving specific lands
- Fetch powerful utility lands at the right time
- Support landfall, graveyard, and recursion strategies
Choosing the Right Land Tutor
The best land tutor for your deck depends heavily on your strategy, colors, and budget. For example,Crop Rotationis ideal for fast combos, whileSylvan Scryingis better for value-oriented decks. Artifact-heavy builds might lean onExpedition Map, and white players will benefit fromWeathered Wayfarer.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you need the land immediately in play or in hand?
- Can you afford to sacrifice a land?
- Do you have graveyard recursion for lands?
- Is your deck focused on tempo, control, or combo?
The best nonbasic land tutors are those that align with your deck’s specific needs while maximizing consistency and power. Whether you’re digging for combo pieces, ramping into big spells, or setting up strategic interactions, land tutors give you control over your mana and board presence like no other tool. By including a few of these in your deck, you ensure smoother draws, flexible gameplay, and the ability to find the right land at the right moment.