MTG Pathway Lands Explained: Rules, List & Uses
Pathway lands solve the dual land problem in the simplest way possible: instead of trying to produce two colours at once, they let you decide which single colour you need, right when you play them, with zero tempo cost. That simplicity has made them one of the most enduringly popular land cycles in modern Magic.
This guide covers exactly how the modal double-faced land mechanic works, the complete cycle of ten, and where they fit in a Commander mana base.
What Are Pathway Lands?
Pathway lands are a ten-card cycle of modal double-faced lands: six from Zendikar Rising (2020) and four completing the cycle in Kaldheim (2021). Each card has two faces, and each face is a land that taps for a single, different colour — Cragcrown Pathway taps for red, its other face Timbercrown Pathway taps for green.
- You choose a face when you play it, not when you cast a spell from it. Since both faces are lands, there is no spell involved — you simply play whichever face you want that turn.
- The choice is locked while it stays on the battlefield. Once played, that face remains the face of that permanent; you cannot flip it later. If the card leaves the battlefield and you play it again, you choose a face again.
- They always enter untapped, with no condition and no life cost of any kind.
- Each face only produces its own single colour — unlike a true dual land, you never get to choose colour on the fly turn after turn; the choice is made once, at the moment you play the card.
The Modal Double-Faced Rules Worth Knowing
- Only the face being played matters for legality. When you play one side as a land, only that side's characteristics are considered — the other face is irrelevant to that action.
- Outside the battlefield, the front face usually matters. In your hand, library, graveyard or exile, only the front face's characteristics are considered for most rules questions. Commander colour identity is the important exception, because it looks at both faces.
- In Commander, both faces matter for colour identity. A Pathway's colour identity includes the mana symbols from both faces, so a red/white Pathway can only go in decks whose commander identity includes both red and white.
- They can't be put onto the battlefield "transformed." If an effect would put the card onto the battlefield, it always enters front-face up; if that face isn't legal to enter that way, the card simply doesn't enter at all — it never flips to the back face instead.
- They have no basic land types, so fetch lands cannot search for them.
The Complete List of 10 Pathway Lands
Branchloft // Boulderloft
G/W — Zendikar Rising
Brightclimb // Grimclimb
W/B — Zendikar Rising
Clearwater // Murkwater
U/B — Zendikar Rising
Cragcrown // Timbercrown
R/G — Zendikar Rising
Needleverge // Pillarverge
R/W — Zendikar Rising
Riverglide // Lavaglide
U/R — Zendikar Rising
Barkchannel // Tidechannel
G/U — Kaldheim
Hengegate // Mistgate
W/U — Kaldheim
Darkbore // Slitherbore
B/G — Kaldheim
Blightstep // Searstep
B/R — Kaldheim
All ten are in stock. Note that the cycle isn't a perfect 5-5 split by set: Zendikar Rising contributed six (three allied, three enemy pairs), and Kaldheim completed the remaining four.
Pathway Lands vs Fast Lands vs Shock Lands
- vs Fast Lands: Fast lands enter untapped only if you control two or fewer other lands, and produce both colours once online. Pathways always enter untapped regardless of board state, but only ever produce the one colour you chose.
- vs Shock Lands: Shock lands guarantee both colours for a one-time 2 life. Pathways never cost life, but never give you the flexibility of both colours from the same card — you commit to one on entry.
- Best in two-colour decks. Pathways are strongest when your deck only needs that exact pair of colours. In three-or-more-colour decks, they are still playable, but they provide narrower fixing than fetch lands, shock lands, Triomes or other true dual-style lands.
Are Pathway Lands Good in Commander?
Yes, particularly in exactly two-colour decks, where zero tempo loss and zero life cost make them close to ideal. The trade-off is flexibility: once you choose a face, you are locked into that colour for the rest of the game, so think about your curve and your opponents' likely removal before deciding which side to play, especially early when you don't yet know exactly what colour balance you'll need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change which side of a Pathway land I play later in the game?
No, not while it stays on the battlefield. Once you play a Pathway land as one of its two faces, that permanent stays on that face and cannot be flipped. If it leaves the battlefield and you later play it again, you choose a face again.
Do Pathway lands ever enter tapped?
No. Whichever face you choose to play always enters the battlefield untapped, with no condition and no life cost.
Can fetch lands find Pathway lands?
No. Pathway lands have no basic land types on either face, so no fetch land cycle can search for them.
Are Pathway lands good in three-colour decks?
They can be playable, but they are less efficient than in two-colour decks. A Pathway still enters untapped and costs no life, which is valuable, but it only gives you one of its two colours once chosen. In three-colour Commander decks, fetch lands, shock lands, Triomes and true dual-style lands usually provide broader fixing.
Related guides: