<p><strong>Cards don't &quot;add land to your mana pool.&quot; They add <em>mana</em> to your mana pool.</strong> The little symbols in card text and casting costs represent mana, which you get from tapping your lands (or from other cards like <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Elvish%20Mystic">Elvish Mystic</a>, <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Darksteel%20Ingot">Darksteel Ingot</a>, and <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Seething%20Song">Seething Song</a>), not the lands themselves.</p>
<p><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=New%20Benalia">New Benalia</a>'s ability, &quot;{T}: Add {W} to your mana pool,&quot; is actually the same as the ability of a basic Plains card.</p>
<p>From the Comprehensive Rules:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>305.6. The basic land types are Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest. If an object uses the
words “basic land type,” it’s referring to one of these subtypes. A land with a basic land type has
the intrinsic ability “{T}: Add [mana symbol] to your mana pool,” even if the text box doesn’t
actually contain that text or the object has no text box. For Plains, [mana symbol] is {W}; for
Islands, {U}; for Swamps, {B}; for Mountains, {R}; and for Forests, {G}.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If you have New Benalia and a Plains on the battlefield, you can tap both to make two white mana (like the casting cost for a <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Precinct%20Captain">Precinct Captain</a>), just like if you had two Plains.</p>
<p>Cards that actually put more land into play say things like &quot;Search your library for a basic land card and put that card onto the battlefield tapped&quot; or &quot;You may play an additional land this turn&quot; (e.g. <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Evolving%20Wilds">Evolving Wilds</a> and <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Explore">Explore</a>).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-13T03:08:53.383Z
Oh okay. Thank you. I was very confused and this makes a lot more sense than what I thought the card was used for.
Adam P
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-13T03:42:57.420Z
@AdamP For what it's worth, this is actually a pretty common point of confusion for beginning players.
Alex P
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-13T10:45:13.303Z
Does anyone know why they changed Plains from having T:Add W to your mana pool to just a picture of a giant W mana symbol? It seems to cause a lot of confusion!
Nick
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-13T11:21:45.660Z
The text "Tap to add {W} to your mana pool" was the original text, changed to "{T}: Add {W} to your mana pool" in 3nd edition, and was removed in favor of the giant mana symbols in 6th edition. Have no idea why though.
Lasse V. Karlsen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-13T12:33:34.667Z
it looked cooler.
Pow-Ian
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-15T00:32:03.970Z
I also think adding something about Evolving Wilds/Terramorphic Expanse would be good here, since they are lands that add to your land pool. :)
corsiKa
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-18T13:51:45.077Z
There's actually another reason. The tap ability became inherent to the Basic Land type, so the rule text became flavour text. (this allows stuff like "target land becomes a Mountain" to work as expected)
deworde
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-13T02:59:24.657Z
2014-02-15T00:37:51.447Z
2014-02-15T00:37:51.447Z
Alex P
<p>I know that for the most part you can only play one land per turn. However I also know that it is possible to put multiple lands onto the field with the effects of certain spells. I want to know if there are any limitations or certain situations where you cannot do this. I am especially curious about lands that have a tap ability to add land to your mana pool (such as <a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Discussion.aspx?multiverseid=376428" rel="nofollow" title="New Benalia">New Benalia</a> or <a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=376272" rel="nofollow">Boros Guildgate</a>). Can I play a land from my hand and use their abilities to get two land per turn?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-15T22:35:00.613Z
For a situation where a spell lets you put one or more lands onto the battlefield but you can't actually do it, see [Worms of the Earth](http://magiccards.info/dk/en/18.html).
jwodder
<magic-the-gathering>
Playing Multiple Lands in One Turn
Adam P
# Playing Multiple Lands in One Turn

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-02-13)

I know that for the most part you can only play one land per turn. However I also know that it is possible to put multiple lands onto the field with the effects of certain spells. I want to know if there are any limitations or certain situations where you cannot do this. I am especially curious about lands that have a tap ability to add land to your mana pool (such as [New Benalia](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Discussion.aspx?multiverseid=376428 "New Benalia") or [Boros Guildgate](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=376272)). Can I play a land from my hand and use their abilities to get two land per turn?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: For a situation where a spell lets you put one or more lands onto the battlefield but you can't actually do it, see [Worms of the Earth](http://magiccards.info/dk/en/18.html).  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-02-13. Score: 11 | Accepted answer

**Cards don't "add land to your mana pool." They add *mana* to your mana pool.** The little symbols in card text and casting costs represent mana, which you get from tapping your lands (or from other cards like [Elvish Mystic](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Elvish%20Mystic), [Darksteel Ingot](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Darksteel%20Ingot), and [Seething Song](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Seething%20Song)), not the lands themselves.

[New Benalia](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=New%20Benalia)'s ability, "{T}: Add {W} to your mana pool," is actually the same as the ability of a basic Plains card.

From the Comprehensive Rules:

> 305.6. The basic land types are Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest. If an object uses the
> words “basic land type,” it’s referring to one of these subtypes. A land with a basic land type has
> the intrinsic ability “{T}: Add [mana symbol] to your mana pool,” even if the text box doesn’t
> actually contain that text or the object has no text box. For Plains, [mana symbol] is {W}; for
> Islands, {U}; for Swamps, {B}; for Mountains, {R}; and for Forests, {G}.

If you have New Benalia and a Plains on the battlefield, you can tap both to make two white mana (like the casting cost for a [Precinct Captain](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Precinct%20Captain)), just like if you had two Plains.

Cards that actually put more land into play say things like "Search your library for a basic land card and put that card onto the battlefield tapped" or "You may play an additional land this turn" (e.g. [Evolving Wilds](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Evolving%20Wilds) and [Explore](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Explore)).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Oh okay. Thank you. I was very confused and this makes a lot more sense than what I thought the card was used for.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 For what it's worth, this is actually a pretty common point of confusion for beginning players.  
> **username_3**: Does anyone know why they changed Plains from having T:Add W to your mana pool to just a picture of a giant W mana symbol? It seems to cause a lot of confusion!  
> **username_4**: The text "Tap to add {W} to your mana pool" was the original text, changed to "{T}: Add {W} to your mana pool" in 3nd edition, and was removed in favor of the giant mana symbols in 6th edition. Have no idea why though.  
> **username_5**: it looked cooler.  
> **username_6**: I also think adding something about Evolving Wilds/Terramorphic Expanse would be good here, since they are lands that add to your land pool. :)  
> **username_7**: There's actually another reason. The tap ability became inherent to the Basic Land type, so the rule text became flavour text. (this allows stuff like "target land becomes a Mountain" to work as expected)  

---

