Urza's Mine

Urza's Mine Lite Guide

Fifth Edition Common
Mana Cost:
Type: Land — Urza's Mine
Urza's Mine Text:
{T}: Add {C}. If you control an Urza's Power-Plant and an Urza's Tower, add {C}{C} instead.
Flavor:
Mines became common as cities during the days of the artificers.
Artist: Anson Maddocks
Collector Number: 427
Release Date: 1997-03-24
Art crop

Strategy Guide

Last updated 2025-06-30
TL;DR Summary

Urza's Mine is a powerful common land that provides flexible mana generation. Its key abilities include generating a single colorless mana when tapped, and offering an increased mana output of {C}{C} when combined with specific Urza's artifacts: Power-Plant and Tower.

In Commander decks, this card excels at providing a cheap and efficient way to ramp up mana. It can be particularly effective in combination with cards like Mox Opal Mox Opal, which allows players to accelerate their mana development even further. Additionally, it works well alongside other artifacts that benefit from Urza's Mine's increased output when paired with Power-Plant and Tower.

One strategic approach is to play Urza's Mine on turn 1 or 2 in order to quickly establish a strong mana base for more expensive spells. Another strategy involves using it as part of an artifact-heavy deck, where it can provide crucial additional mana generation in conjunction with other artifacts such as Urza's Tower and Urza's Power-Plant.

Card Mechanics & Interactions

Urza's Mine is a land card that provides a reliable source of mana in various colors. Its key feature is its ability to generate additional mana when paired with other Urza's Power-Plant and Urza's Tower cards.

Basic Usage

When tapped for the first time, Urza's Mine adds one mana of any color. This can be used as part of a turn's total mana cost to play spells or activate abilities. For example, if you have a creature with a mana cost of 2BB and Urza's Mine is tapped, you can use its generated mana to pay the additional black mana cost.

Interaction with Other Urza Cards

The Oracle Text states that if you control both an Urza's Power-Plant and an Urza's Tower, Urza's Mine adds two mana instead of one. This creates a powerful synergy between these cards:

Notable Edge Cases

  1. Tapping Order: The ability of Urza's Mine is triggered when it is tapped, not when it becomes untapped. This means you can tap other lands to generate mana before tapping Urza's Mine.
  2. Mana Cost Reduction: Some cards, like Goblin Crasher, have a mana cost reduction that applies to all tapped lands, including Urza's Mine.
  3. Tutors and Fetchlands: Cards like Faithless Looting or Llanowar Wastes can help you find and play the necessary Urza cards for the bonus mana.

Urza's Mine is a versatile card that can be used in various Commander decks to generate reliable mana. When combined with other Urza cards, it provides an additional layer of depth and complexity.

Strategic Applications

Urza's Mine is a common land that provides a straightforward advantage in Commander decks. It is most beneficial when combined with other Urza's locations, such as Urza's Power-Plant and Urza's Tower, which grant additional mana.

In mono-color or two-color Commander decks, adding Urza's Mine to the board can contribute to a steady stream of colorless mana. This makes it an attractive option for strategies that center around cards like Wubrgas Injunction or Chandra, Torch of Defiance. These cards rely on generating large amounts of colorless mana to function effectively.

Urza's Mine is less effective in multi-color Commander decks where there are often multiple sources of colorless mana. However, it can still be a valuable addition when combined with other Urza's locations or as part of a more intricate strategy involving Tolaria West and Simian Spirit Guide.

Advanced Techniques

Urza's Mine is a common land that provides a straightforward advantage on untap: add one mana of any color. However, it has a unique interaction when paired with Urza's Power-Plant and Urza's Tower.

  • Synergy with Urza's Power-Plant and Urza's Tower: When you control both these cards, Urza's Mine allows you to add two additional mana. This combination creates a 1-tap 2-mana land cycle, which can be particularly powerful in combo decks or when trying to accelerate into more expensive spells.

    • Consider pairing this with Serra Ascendant, as the lifegain it provides can help mitigate potential drawbacks from running these three cards.
    • Potential for Additional Interactions: While Urza's Mine doesn't have any specific synergy with other cards beyond its named counterparts, its ability to add one mana of any color makes it a versatile addition to many decks.
Common Mistakes

Common Mistakes with Urza's Mine

In Commander, players often make mistakes when using Urza's Mine, either due to misinterpreting its Oracle Text or overlooking crucial interactions.

  • Failing to Activate in Combination: Some players only consider activating the ability for its basic +1 mana, neglecting the potential to add two mana with both an Urza's Power-Plant and a Urza's Tower on the battlefield. This oversight can be costly in Commander games where mana acceleration is crucial.
  • Ignoring Other Urza's Lands: Since Urza's Mine has a similar ability to other Urza's lands, players might mistakenly assume its interaction with them is identical. However, combining multiple Urza's lands (e.g., Urza's Power-Plant and Urza's Tower) can lead to significantly more mana acceleration than activating each one individually.
  • Not Accounting for Trample: In Commander, creatures often have trample or other abilities that care about the total power or toughness of a creature. If you're using Urza's Mine for its +2 mana ability in combination with an Urza's land, be aware that this can affect how your opponents' trample-able creatures interact with yours.

Key Takeaways

  • Always consider activating Urza's Mine in conjunction with other Urza's lands to maximize mana acceleration.
  • Be mindful of the total power or toughness when combining multiple Urza's lands, as this can impact interactions with creature abilities that care about these values.
  • In Commander games, don't underestimate the potential for a single land like Urza's Mine to have a significant impact on gameplay.
Conclusion

Urza's Mine is a reliable and flexible land that excels in Urza-themed Commander decks. When paired with its counterparts, Urza's Power Plant and Urza's Tower, it enables players to generate two mana on their first turn, making it an excellent choice for ramping into powerful spells.

In particular, when combined with Urza's Power Plant and Urza's Tower, Urza's Mine provides a consistent way to generate additional mana, allowing players to cast more expensive spells earlier in the game. This synergy is particularly effective when paired with cards that benefit from an increased mana pool, such as Sol Ring or Mox Opal.