Mana Base Guide: Budget Color Fixing with Evolving Wilds, Ash Barrens, and Friends

Budget fixing works when it does three jobs: finds your missing color early, enters untapped when the game demands tempo, and gives graveyard- or landfall-minded decks extra triggers. The lands listed in this guide cover those jobs without a single expensive fetchland. Sequence them early — a tapped fixer on turn one costs far less than the same tapped land on turn six.

The lands, from their actual text

Evolving Wilds is a common Land from Marvel Super Heroes Commander, mana cost — (lands have no mana cost). Its rules text reads: "{T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle." It is legal in Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Pauper, Commander. Ash Barrens is a common Land from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Eternal, mana cost — (lands have no mana cost). Its rules text reads: "{T}: Add {C}. Basic landcycling {1} ({1}, Discard this card: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.)" It is legal in Legacy, Pauper, Commander. Terramorphic Expanse is a common Land from Marvel Super Heroes Commander, mana cost — (lands have no mana cost). Its rules text reads: "{T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle." It is legal in Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Pauper, Commander. Myriad Landscape is a uncommon Land from Edge of Eternities Commander, mana cost — (lands have no mana cost). Its rules text reads: "This land enters tapped. {T}: Add {C}. {2}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for up to two basic land cards that share a land type, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle." It is legal in Legacy, Commander. Blighted Woodland is a uncommon Land from Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, mana cost — (lands have no mana cost). Its rules text reads: "{T}: Add {C}. {3}{G}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for up to two basic land cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle." It is legal in Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Commander. Krosan Verge is a uncommon Land from Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander, mana cost — (lands have no mana cost). Its rules text reads: "This land enters tapped. {T}: Add {C}. {2}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a Forest card and a Plains card, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle." It is legal in Legacy, Commander.

Putting it into practice

Build your mana base as a system, not a pile: count colored sources per color (a common target is 14+ sources for a color you need early), count total lands against your curve, and goldfish opening hands until the base proves it can cast your spells on schedule. MTGBrew's AI deck builder shows the color breakdown of any list you build, and the MTGBrew card database carries the exact text of every land in this guide.

Build it yourself

Every card in this article is a real card you can look up in the MTGBrew card database, with its current text and legality. When you are ready to turn the idea into a list, MTGBrew's AI deck builder builds around your commander, your colors, and — as a hard rule — never over the budget you set. Save the list to your collection on MTGBrew and tune it from there.