Basic lands used to be basic, but let’s face it, there’s nothing basic about Magic anymore.
Basic lands are seemingly dirt amongst Magic players. They’re the disappointment at the end of a pack and are either pennies or altogether free at your local game store. It takes a really special Magic player to go premium on something as frivolous as basic lands.
It’s me. I’m that kind of Magic player. I may or may not have spent a pretty penny or two on Secret Lair basics for my Sisay deck. But this? Never have I shelled out the kind of cash in this article. Let’s take a tour of some of Magic’s most expensive basic land cycles!
Guru Lands
I don’t think this is a surprise. I think that most players expect the Guru lands to be the most expensive basic lands to date. Guru lands are so expensive because they stem from a limited program Wizards of the Coast (WotC) ran from 1999-2001. Players could become Gurus and teach people how to play Magic and earn Guru points. They could then convert those points into booster packs or promotional basic lands. It cost ten points to get a land…and those lands are almost $1000 today. I personally think these lands are overrated, but if I had to choose a favorite, it would have to be the Swamp. Talk about stonks, amiright?
2014 Judge Lands
The 2014 Judge lands are next on our list! These lands were only available to those in the Judge program and featured full-art treatments. When put together, they create a panorama of sorts! What strikes me here is how revered these lands are when compared to the Judge lands of 2023 (but I’ll expand more on that later). While these aren’t my favorite cycle of basics, I will say that I’m rather fond of the questionable-looking Island.
APAC Lands
Now we are on to some of my favorite basic lands ever: the APAC lands! These lands were distributed to people living in the Asia-Pacific region for purchasing booster boxes of Tempest. They feature incredibly striking and unique art themed to the region, and high demand plus low availability makes for expensive basics. These lands were such a hit that they repeated this treatment with the European (“Euro”) lands during the age of Nemesis, Prophecy, and Invasion. My two favorite arts from this drop have to be the Japanese Sunflower Plains and Graveyard Swamp.
Arena League 1999 Lands
Moving on, we have a cycle of lands I hadn’t heard of previously, the 1999 Arena League lands. These lands were given away as part of a slew of promos for those who participated in the in-store play programs and conventions of the time. The Arena program debuted in 1996 and ended in 2006.
The Arena League 1999 lands are still a pretty penny to this day, falling somewhere in the $40 range. Out of all five, my favorite has to be the Anthony S. Waters Forest. It’s a classic.
2023 Judge Lands
Finally, we have the controversial 2023 Judge lands. These basic lands have me in a bit of a confusion. I personally am not a fan of giving Judges basic lands as their promos. It feels a bit wrong. I think people were right to be upset at these recent promos, but what confuses me is the fact that Judges already had basic land promos back in 2014. Was there a similar outcry back then? I was brand-new to the Magic scene that year, so maybe that might be why, but I’m curious to know.
Outrage aside, I think these lands are absolutely stunning, each one featuring the Judge Academy owl. I was so close to buying one in Salt Lake City for the memes, but I held out on it. Out of all of them, my favorite has to be the Forest. It looks so incredibly vibrant and regal. I have to get my hands on one!
The Premium Predicament
We have only scratched the surface on premium basics within Magic. Promos and alternate treatments are only increasing as the years go by, so we will see more. Yet, if everything is premium, is anything premium? But that’s another question for another time.
Until then, let me know if you would like to dig deeper into this world of outlandishly expensive premium pieces. Happy spending, deckbuilders.
