Can Sundering Titan Destroy Dual Lands? A Comprehensive Guide
Yes, Sundering Titan can absolutely destroy dual lands. This is a crucial point that often leads to confusion, particularly among newer players of Magic: The Gathering. While Sundering Titan’s ability specifies choosing one land of each basic land type (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest) when it enters or leaves the battlefield, the chosen lands do not have to be basic lands themselves. This means you can choose a dual land if it has one of the required basic land types in its name (like Temple Garden which is a Plains/Forest card) for the specified type during the trigger. Let’s dive into a more detailed explanation to clarify this point and tackle common questions.
Understanding Sundering Titan’s Ability
Sundering Titan’s card text reads: “When Sundering Titan enters or leaves the battlefield, choose a land of each basic land type, then destroy those lands.” This simple sentence holds the key to understanding its potent ability and the havoc it can wreak.
How the Ability Works
When Sundering Titan enters or leaves the battlefield, its controller must choose one land that has the subtype of Plains, one with the subtype Island, one with the subtype Swamp, one with the subtype Mountain, and one with the subtype Forest. Crucially, it does not specify “basic land” before the land type, allowing non-basic lands with these types to be chosen.
- No Targeting: The ability does not target, meaning that protection from targeted effects does not apply.
- Simultaneous Destruction: Once the lands are chosen, they are all destroyed at the same time.
- Subtype Matters: It is the subtype of the land that determines whether it can be chosen, not the word “basic” in its type line. This is where dual lands come into play.
Why Dual Lands are Vulnerable
Dual lands, such as Plateau (Plains/Mountain), Watery Grave (Island/Swamp), and Volcanic Island (Island/Mountain), all possess basic land subtypes, making them eligible targets for Sundering Titan’s ability. For instance, if you need a land with the subtype Mountain, you could choose a dual land like Plateau to be destroyed. This is what makes Sundering Titan so devastating to multi-colored decks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Sundering Titan
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify Sundering Titan’s mechanics and other related aspects:
1. Does Sundering Titan destroy all lands on the board?
No, Sundering Titan does not destroy all lands. It only destroys one land of each basic land type (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest) that the controller chooses when the ability triggers.
2. Can Sundering Titan destroy non-basic lands?
Yes, Sundering Titan can destroy non-basic lands as long as they have one of the five basic land subtypes. For example, a dual land like Hallowed Fountain (Plains/Island) can be destroyed when choosing a Plains or an Island.
3. Does Sundering Titan target?
No, Sundering Titan does not target. The lands to be destroyed are chosen when the ability resolves, which bypasses protection from targeting.
4. Can you choose the same land for multiple land types?
No, you cannot choose the same land for multiple land types. You must choose one land with the Plains subtype, one with Island, one with Swamp, one with Mountain, and one with Forest.
5. Can Sundering Titan destroy basic lands?
Yes, Sundering Titan can destroy basic lands if the controller chooses to target them. They just have to have the matching subtype for what the ability is asking for.
6. Can Sundering Titan destroy lands that are indestructible?
Yes, Sundering Titan’s ability can destroy indestructible lands. While indestructible prevents damage or effects that say “destroy” from targeting a card, the ability of Sundering Titan doesn’t target and can override the indestructible attribute.
7. How can I trigger Sundering Titan multiple times?
You can trigger Sundering Titan multiple times by using effects that return it to the battlefield or remove it from it and return it back again, thus triggering its enter-the-battlefield and leave-the-battlefield abilities repeatedly. Clone, blink, flicker, and reanimation effects are common ways to achieve this.
8. Is Sundering Titan banned in Commander?
Yes, Sundering Titan is banned in Commander due to its potential for abuse. Repeatedly triggering its ability can lock opponents out of the game by destroying all their lands.
9. What is the purpose of Sundering Titan’s ability?
The purpose of Sundering Titan’s ability is to disrupt the mana base of players who rely on a variety of basic land types, especially multicolored decks that use dual lands for optimal mana production.
10. What are the limitations of Sundering Titan’s ability?
The primary limitation is that it only destroys one land of each of the five basic land subtypes. It will not destroy lands with no basic land subtype such as the card Urza’s Tower and it will not destroy additional lands of the same type.
11. Why is Sundering Titan so powerful?
Sundering Titan is powerful because it’s an efficient way to destroy multiple lands upon entering or leaving the battlefield, and is relatively easy to abuse, especially with flickering and reanimation effects.
12. Does Sundering Titan’s ability affect ‘Wastes’?
No, Sundering Titan does not affect Wastes, as Wastes is not a subtype of any of the five basic land types. While it’s a basic land, it doesn’t have any land subtype.
13. If I have no lands with one of the basic land types can the ability still happen?
Yes, you still need to choose one land of each type if you can. If a player does not have a land on the field that meets the subtype criteria of the ability, then that part of the trigger fails but the lands that can be chosen will still be chosen and destroyed.
14. Can Sun Titan return Sundering Titan to the battlefield?
No, Sun Titan cannot return Sundering Titan to the battlefield. Sundering Titan has a converted mana cost of 8, while Sun Titan can only return cards with converted mana cost 3 or less.
15. Does Sundering Titan’s ability resolve if I have no lands that meet the requirements?
No, if you have no lands that can be chosen for a specific land subtype, that portion of the ability simply does not resolve. However, the other parts of the ability, for which there are valid choices, will still destroy those lands.
Conclusion
Sundering Titan is a powerful and often devastating card in Magic: The Gathering, capable of crippling opponents by destroying key lands, including their precious dual lands. Understanding how its ability works, especially its interaction with non-basic lands, is critical for using the card effectively and for playing against it. The banning of Sundering Titan in Commander demonstrates its powerful nature and potential for abuse. Knowing how it works is crucial to be a well rounded player in the game.