Getting all the cards for yourMagic: The Gatheringdeck can be an expensive proposition, especially in formats that allow older cards that have been out of print for years or even decades. Basic lands don’t typically enter into budget considerations, leaving more room for flashy combo pieces and devastating bombs.
If you’ve got money to spend and want to really show off, though, there are some printings of basic lands that discerning collectors will instantly recognize as rare and valuable. When you see one of these Islands across the table from you, you’ll know that you’re dealing with a serious blue player.
This list was compiled using the market price as shown onTCGPlayeron July 23, 2025. Prices may have changed since it was published. Many of the cards listed below share illustrations with other printings;be sure to pay attention to set symbolsto determine which printing of a card you have.
10Portal, Chinese Alternate Art (1998) - $44.99
This Unique Illustration Was Only Released In China
Several cards had their art changed for the Chinese release in the earlier days of Magic. While the common story is that the changes were made to get around strict Chinese censorship laws, cards that were otherwise inoffensive were also changed, likely as a marketing tactic to make the game more appealing.
Portal, a beginner-friendly set aimed at easing new players into Magic, had several such cards, including this Island. Since it was only available in the Chinese market, and in a set that saw smaller production numebrs at that, you’re able to count yourself lucky if you get your hands on this alternate version of some players' very first Island.
9Beta Island C (1993) - $47.80
This Card Is About As Classic As It Gets
The second-ever printing of Magic: The Gathering, now called Beta, included two additional Island illustrations by artist Mark Poole. Since Islands “C” and “D” hadn’t been included in Alpha, the Beta printing is the first edition of these iconic Islands. While both feature gorgeous sunset landscapes, the first of the two on the print sheet, Island C, is a bit more sought-after by collectors.
Like its predecessor, Beta wasn’t printed in quantities nearly high enough to meet with Magic’s explosive success upon its 1993 launch, so cards from these first two black-bordered sets remain important parts of the game’s history and rare collection pieces.
8The Izzet League / Magic Premiere Shop (2006) - $47.86
As If Niv-Mizzet Needed More Of An Ego Boost
The Magic Premiere Shop program ran in Japan from 2006 to 2012, offering promo cards to players who participated in events at their local stores. Since these cards were only available in Japan, and then only as part of a promotional program, they’re now eagerly collected by players all over the world.
The first set of Premiere Shop promos includedfoil lands emblazoned with Ravnica guild logos. This Island, showcasing the fortress of the perennial favorites the Izzet League, is an exciting prize for Ravnica fans and blue players in general.
7Alpha Island B (1993) - $50.87
The Only Original Island In Daylight
Alpha Edition cards are a great find for collectors, and with good reason - they’re from the original print run of Magic, which sold out almost immediately in the summer of 1993. Packs were opened, cards were shuffled and played without sleeves, and few could have anticipated the lasting legacy that the convention season’s biggest surprise hit would have.
Island B is the second of the two Islands on the Alpha print sheet, but of the four Mark Poole Islands between Alpha and Beta, it’sthe only one without a sunset in the illustration. While it might not be the very first Magic Island ever printed, it has a unique distinction all its own in second place.
6Arena Promo Foil (1999) - $60.77
Shiny!
The Arena League was an early in-store organized play program that ran from 1996 to 2007. This particular Island was one ofMagic’s first foils, introduced when the shiny variants were first brought to the game. You could only win an Arena Foil Island bybeing one of the top two players in your local league, so like many of the other Islands on this list, the quantities that entered circulation were comparatively limited.
Despite being a promo card, the Arena Island hasthe set symbol for Urza’s Saga,which it’s reprinted from. That makes it doubly important to check for thefoil starburst at the bottom of the card!
5Arena Promo Foil (2002) - $64.86
The Closest Thing You’ll Ever See To A Foil Alpha Card
The Arena League offered another Island prize in 2002, this time featuringthe art from thefirst Island card ever printed.Unlike the original Alpha card, of course, the promo had the contemporary border and rules text for 2002-era Magic, and the foil is a dead giveaway that this isn’t a card from 1993.
Still, Arena prizes were hard-won, and earning one of these unique blends of past and present Magic was a great boost to your collection if you could manage it. By this time, Wizards had also put a proper Arena set symbol in place on the promo cards, alleviating any possible confusion.
4Alpha Island A (1993) - $88.95
Magic’s Very First Island
This is it, the original blue mana source. The first Island ever printed for Magic: The Gathering in Alpha, it might not be as impressive as an Ancestral Recall or a Time Walk, but it’s certainly iconic to blue players all the same.
At almost $90, it’s still quite an investment for a basic land, but compared to other Alpha cards like the aforementioned representatives of the Power Nine, it’s a steal for a piece of Magic history.
3Euro Island / Venezia (1999) - $91.65
Does This Mean Earth Is Canonically Part Of The Magic’s Multiverse?
For a brief period of about a year, cards featuring real-world locations were offered in Europe to customers who bought booster boxes. You didn’t just get the cards at the shop when you bought a box, though; you had tomail in the UPC as proof of purchase, and a pack of promo cards would be sent back to you. This extra step meant that not everybody who could have gotten these “Euro Lands” did.
The promo packs' Islands included Italy’s famed floating city of Venice, a perfect fit for blue’s watery, enchanting magic. The set also had an Island card featuringEngland’s Cliffs of Dover, which generally runs for about $30.
2Judge Promo (2014) - $115.75
Remember To Thank Your Judges
Judges are integral to Magic organized play at all levels, from Friday Night Magic all the way up to the World Championship. They’ll occasionally receive unique promo cards as thanks for their hard work administering tournaments, and in 2014 that included a set of full-art basic lands.
Since the only way to get one of these Islands when they were printed was to have served as a judge, they weren’t available to the majority of players. That means fewer to go around overall, leading to higher prices when one does sell.
The golden set symbol on this card was the logo of the DCI, which oversaw Magic tournament play and would eventually be rebranded as the Wizards Play Network. Comment below if you remember what DCI stood for!
1Guru (1999) - $999.99
That’s Right, A Thousand-Dollar Basic Land
The “Guru Lands,": one each of the five basics, are famously rare, and it’s easy to see why. They were offered as rewards for the short-lived Guru Program from 1999 to 2001; if you signed up and taught new players the game, you could give them rebate cards for them to use buying their first deck. If enough new players used your rebate cards, Wizards would send you a randomly-selected Guru Land.
That’s a lot of work for a basic band! The program wasn’t very successful, and as a result, not many of these unique printings actually entered circulation. Of course, a quarter of a century later, that means they’re collector’s items, and some of the most expensive basic lands you’re able to get your hands on.
