Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Copy Land and the Blue Ramp Philosophy
When you hear the phrase “ramp” in MTG, blue is rarely the first color that springs to mind. Blue is more famous for card draw, counterspells, and tempo than for booming mana acceleration. Yet Copy Land redefines that narrative in delightfully practical ways. With a mana cost of {2}{U}, this rare enchantment from Modern Horizons 3 Commander steps onto the battlefield as a clever agent of shape-shifting mana—entering as a copy of any land you already control, and then wearing its new enchantment aura like a badge of versatility. The flavor text hints at Ephara’s edge between worlds, and the card’s gameplay reality is no less razor-shot: you turn predictable land drops into a multiverse of options. 🧙♂️🔥💎
“Most mortals are blissfully ignorant of the thin veil that separates their world from the Underworld.” — Ephara
That flavor line feels apropos. Copy Land isn’t about brute force; it’s about converting the mundane into something malleable. In a commander pod packed with land tutors, fetches, and utility lands, Copy Land acts as a flexible engine. It can enter as a copy of a tapped or untapped land, a fetch land with a shuffle effect, or a utility land that taps for colors you need in a given polo of turns. The result is a graceful ramp upgrade that sits neatly in blue’s wheelhouse: you gain options, not just more mana. And because it’s a land-type card that’s also an enchantment, you gain the added edge of synergy with other enchantments and land-based synergies you’ve built around. 🎨⚔️
What Copy Land actually does
The Oracle text is deceptively clean: “You may have this enchantment enter as a copy of any land on the battlefield, except it's an enchantment in addition to its other types.” That means Copy Land is a land and an enchantment at once, and it can copy any land’s mana ability and its ETB effects if those effects exist on that land. In practice, you’re not simply duplicating a color identity—you're duplicating a toolset. Copy a land that taps for blue and green; Copy a land with a diagnostic color-fixing ability; Copy a land with a beneficial ETB like card draw or ramp triggers. The card’s rarity as rare reinforces that it’s a strategic highlight rather than a filler piece in most decks. 💎
Strategies that sing in blue
Copy Land unlocks several distinct ramp avenues in blue-heavy strategies:
- Color-fixing and multi-color acceleration: Copying a dual land lets you push into a second color more reliably, especially when your commander's color identity requires balance across a complex mana base. It’s a subtle but real edge in 5-color or wedge shells where precise colors matter. ⚡
- Utility land replication: Mirror lands that produce colorless mana or have beneficial land abilities, like cycling, mana fixing, or scrying, can flood you with options on subsequent turns. Copy Land lets you replicate these tools without having to reveal them from your hand or risk fragile tutors. 🧭
- ETB-oriented land interactions: Some lands have powerful enters-the-battlefield effects. Copy Land can reproduce those effects, letting you capitalize on a single land drop to gain multiple advantages—think of lands with draw, ramp, or disruption baked in. 🎲
- Tempo-friendly acceleration: By copying a land that taps for mana, you can reach critical mana thresholds one turn earlier than expected. In blue, where tempo and card advantage reign, that extra mana can fund a spell-sermon of counters and card draw to pull ahead. 🧙♂️
Commander-ready build ideas
In a Commander environment, Copy Land shines brightest when your deck leans into lands as engines and into enchantment synergies. Consider these directions:
- Land-centric blue commanders: Pair Copy Land with commanders that encourage land-based play or synergy with ETB effects. The more lands you control with interesting taps, the more Copy Land can copy, the more momentum you gain. 🧭
- Fetch-and-copy combos: Include fetch lands or land tutors that reveal additional ramp or card advantage. Copy Land can mimic those lands to reproduce the fetch’s value without extra mana investment. 🔄
- Utility land suites: Build around lands that fix colors, offer scry or draw, or untap with subtle protections. Copy Land acts as a second copy of your best utility land, multiplying your options each time it hits the battlefield. 🎨
- Protection and recursion: Because Copy Land is an enchantment, you can protect it with counterspells or reanimate it with recursion effects to maximize value across longer games. Blue’s control suite plays well here. 🛡️
Practical tips and caveats
As with any clever ramp engine, timing and board state matter. Here are some pragmatic thoughts to keep in mind:
- Board presence matters: Copy Land loves a board full of lands. If your setup doesn’t stabilize, a copied land might become a target or a liability. Keep a sense of tempo and ensure you’re not over-extending when you copy a land with a fragile or fragile-y ETB. 🧭
- Know what you’re copying: Copy a land with a relevant effect when it exists in your field—don’t copy a land just because it’s there. The value lies in choosing a land whose ability scales with your plan. 🧠
- Pay attention to timing: Because Copy Land costs {2}{U}, you’ll want to set up a safe window where you’re not tapped out or vulnerable to a sweep. Blue’s protection suite can help you weather the storm while copying the right land at the right moment. ⚔️
- Not a universal ramp solution: Copy Land is powerful, but it’s situational. It doesn’t replace the need for actual mana sources; it multiplies the utility of lands you’re already playing and timing your plays well. 🧩
The broader picture: a modern twist on ramp
Copy Land is more than a novelty; it’s a calculated rethinking of ramp in blue. It reframes land replication as a bridge between color fixing, ETB synergies, and courtly board presence. In a world where blue decks chase film-noir speed and strategic stall, Copy Land adds a surprising, flexible lever to pull when the table economy tilts toward big plays. And with Modern Horizons 3 Commander’s design ethos, the card nods to the fun of “what if” a land could be a mirror to another land’s potential—without losing the control and resilience that blue decks prize. 🧙♂️🎲
Art, rarity, and collecting flavor
The card’s High-Res art by Hristo D. Chukov pairs clean lines with the mystique of dual-space manipulation, echoing the flavor of Ephara’s Underworld veil. As a rare non-foil or foil option, Copy Land sits nicely in collector gloss while remaining a viable practical pick for players who enjoy a contemplative ramp engine that can scale with their commander's needs. Its illustrated border and extended-art flair make it a welcome add to any blue-focused Commander arsenal. ⚔️
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Copy Land
You may have this enchantment enter as a copy of any land on the battlefield, except it's an enchantment in addition to its other types.
ID: c3d44c0e-733b-4ad3-b45b-6a3b09c12fb0
Oracle ID: caa208bd-92e9-40ec-95c0-86e89d4facbb
Multiverse IDs: 665057
TCGPlayer ID: 553358
Cardmarket ID: 774749
Colors: U
Color Identity: U
Keywords:
Rarity: Rare
Released: 2024-06-14
Artist: Hristo D. Chukov
Frame: 2015
Border: black
EDHRec Rank: 5793
Set: Modern Horizons 3 Commander (m3c)
Collector #: 47
Legalities
- Standard — not_legal
- Future — not_legal
- Historic — not_legal
- Timeless — not_legal
- Gladiator — not_legal
- Pioneer — not_legal
- Modern — not_legal
- Legacy — legal
- Pauper — not_legal
- Vintage — legal
- Penny — not_legal
- Commander — legal
- Oathbreaker — legal
- Standardbrawl — not_legal
- Brawl — not_legal
- Alchemy — not_legal
- Paupercommander — not_legal
- Duel — legal
- Oldschool — not_legal
- Premodern — not_legal
- Predh — not_legal
Prices
- USD: 1.22
- EUR_FOIL: 2.01
- TIX: 0.83
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