Does All Is Dust Destroy Lands Complete Rules And Card Effect Guide
Understanding board wipes in Magic: The Gathering requires a clear grasp of card types, color identity, and specific mechanic interactions. The powerful Eldrazi spell All Is Dust often creates confusion among players regarding its impact on mana sources across the battlefield. Many players wonder if playing this massive sorcery will wipe out land bases alongside creatures and enchantments.
How All Is Dust Functions in Magic
All Is Dust is a iconic seven-mana Eldrazi tribal sorcery that forces every player to sacrifice all colored permanents under their control. Because the card specifically demands sacrifice rather than destruction, it bypasses traditional protective mechanics like indestructible. Understanding its exact phrasing is essential for predicting how it sweeps the current battlefield state.
A permanent is defined as any card or token currently residing on the battlefield, including artifacts, creatures, planeswalkers, and lands. However, the spell targets only permanents that possess one or more colors. Any permanent that lacks a color color indicator or colored mana symbols in its cost remains completely unaffected.
Are Lands Destroyed by All Is Dust
Under standard rules, lands are inherently colorless permanents regardless of the mana colors they produce. Basic lands such as Forests, Islands, and Plains do not have a color associated with their card identity on the battlefield. Therefore, All Is Dust will not destroy or force players to sacrifice their standard lands during resolution.
This rule applies equally to nonbasic lands, utility lands, and traditional dual lands. Even though a dual land might produce colored mana, the land object itself carries no color traits. Consequently, players retain their complete mana base after the spell finishes resolving on the stack.
Key Exceptions to the Colorless Land Rule
While the vast majority of lands safely survive All Is Dust, a few rare exceptions exist in the game. The most notable example is Dryad Arbor, which features a green color indicator explicitly printed on the card. Because Dryad Arbor is inherently a green creature land, it must be sacrificed when the spell resolves.
External card effects can also alter land colors and lead to unexpected land destruction during gameplay. Continuous abilities from cards like Painter's Servant grant a designated color to all cards and permanents everywhere. If a color-shifting card is present on the field, all lands become colored and will subsequently be swept away by All Is Dust.
Strategic Advantages of Colorless Board Wipes
Utilizing All Is Dust allows colorless and Eldrazi-focused decks to clear opposing board states while leaving their own strategy intact. Since most artifacts, colorless creatures, and lands remain untouched, players can maintain structural board control. This asymmetrical effect makes it a staple sweeper in Commander and high-cost formats.
Knowing how color rules apply to your land base prevents critical tactical errors during competitive matches. Players can confidently cast this powerful sorcery without fearing the loss of their primary mana sources. By double-checking unique land traits beforehand, you ensure maximum tactical advantage over your opponents.