From the Vault: Realms

FTV realms

The annual From The Vault episode, date 2012 this time, is all abound lands. The basic permanent for playing can be dressed for war many times as basic ones aside, most of them come with good abilities and are playable by almost every deck. which makes them highly valuable for play and value. In the Magic history many non basic lands were famous and involved in many strategies in different forms, and Realms gets an okay view around all this. The oldest two of the lot, Desert and Maze of Ith are a good example of utility. Desert deals one colorless damage to a creature that attacks you successfully, and in multiple copies (four), it can be lethal from a lot of critters. Maze of Ith is a more straightforward defense, as it doesn't give mana, but it untaps an attacker directly for removing it from combat.

Another less famous defense land is Glacial Chasm that leaves all damage to you prevented, even though it brings an absurd cumulative upkeep of 2 life, which can be lethal but useful if you need it just for surviving a couple of turns. On the side of unique lands we have Ancient Tomb, simple and effective, which gives two mana at once for two damages, and Dryad Arbor, a land-creature that being green can be fetched for a zero Green Sun Zenith and used as an accelerator, which Legacy will remember.

For other kinds of utility lands there's Cephalid Coliseum, a famous dredge enabler, Urborg that turns all lands in play into swamps, Vesuva that enters as a copy of any one land in play, Boseiju that on the cost of two life makes a sorcery or instant uncounterable, Windbrisk Heights, a hideaway land that activates with three creatures attacking, and Shivan Gorge, a land that can work as a continuous burn spell. Last High Market is not so famous, but its sacrifice effect for tap and 1 life gain is still useful. On the front of multicoloured lands, there's Forbidden Orchard that gives any mana to you and a 1/1 on the opposite side, famous Oath of Druids enabler, Murmuring Bosk, the Doran/treefolk three mana land.