Re: New to Mirrodin: Artifact Lands

robert spyke wrote:
> Hi, I'm new to Mirrodin and I was wondering if someone could explain
> to me what benefits of packing artifact lands into a deck are.
>
> I can only think of one, and maybe this is the only one:
> To pump up creatures, spells or abilities like nim lasher (power
> dependent on no. of artifacts u control).

That is certainly one.

> Is this the only benefit?

No.

> What benefits are artifact lands from a mana point of view?

There are none.  The only difference between an ordinary basic
land and an artifact land is that the artifact land is not a
basic land and that it is an artifact.  Both these aspects
carry advantages and disadvantages, but not in terms of the
mana it produces.

> What benefits are artifact lands if your deck generally does not use
> artifacts at all or uses spells/creatures which do not depend on the
> no. of artifacts you control?

Very little.  If your deck is not built to take advantage of having
artifacts in it, I would indeed advise you to stay away from artifact
lands.

> Seems to me that there are inherrent disadvantages of using artifact
> lands... Stone rain gets them like usual lands... Spells that destroy
> artifacts get them...  The few spells that take out nonbasic lands get
> them...

All that is true.  But on the other hand, spells that take out *basic*
lands *won't* get them.  Flashfires will never destroy an Ancient Den.
Acid Rain won't destroy a Tree of Tales.  Tsunami won't destroy a Seat of
the Synod.  Karma won't damage you because of a Vault of Whispers.

> And once one is in your grave, haunting echoes will get all of them...
>
> Surely there must be some redeeming feature of artifact lands that I
> must be missing that would make me pack Great Furnaces instead of
> mountains?
If you have built your deck so that it gets stronger with every artifact
you can pack in it, they're a good deal.  Otherwise they're not that
good.

                    Chris Mattern