Combo, Control, Stax, Voltron, Group hug, Politicking; these are all valid MTG strategies designed to out-debate the competition with honeyed words, illusions of friendship, and a wink that says, "Trust me, I'm definitely not about to wipe your board." But have you ever considered a strategy revolving around Landwalk, the defunct but unforgettable mechanic that can make your creatures unblockable if your opponent happens to be playing just the right (or wrong) kind of land?

Yes, you remember Landwalk! You know, the good ol' "Oops, you're playing Merfolks, guess you ain't blocking my Islandwalkers!" ability. It's one of those mechanics that certainly had its heyday in the dawn of Magic's history, and then, much like disco fashion or clown car coverage in sports, ended up quietly slipping out of favor. And while Wizards of the Coast might say it was "phased out due to design constraints," but that's a bit too formal, isn't it? To me, it's more like R&D collectively shrugged and said, "Landwalk? Sure, that was fun... but let's cut down on the no-blocking stuff."

So, in today's Mechanics Overview Segment, join me as we take a trip down memory lane and talk a bit about Landwalk: its history, its quirks, and why it can still be a blast to bust out at your next game.

What is Landwalk?

[Type] Landwalk (This creature can't be blocked as long as defending player controls a [type].)

All in all, Landwalk is a relatively simple ability, but let me walk you through it step-by-step (just in case):

• Step 1: Check whether the defending player controls a land of the specified type (or meets the specified condition).
• Step 2: If yes, your creature can't be blocked.

And that's it. You're all caught up!

The History of Landwalk

Landwalk is an umbrella term for a whole family of similar abilities. The first set of Magic cards in 1993 (now familiarly known as Alpha) contained a variety of creatures that all had some form of Landwalk. Green Nymphs that walked through Forests, Blue Merfolk that strolled across Islands, Black Wraiths that slithered across swamps... it all started right there.

• Swampwalk
• Islandwalk
• Mountainwalk
• Plainswalk
• Forestwalk

These were the basics, each letting a creature skip merrily around defending creatures if the defending player happened to own at least one basic land of that specific type. (And yes, "Plainswalk" was always a little awkward to say, especially since "Planeswalk" is a big, important concept in Magic's storyline. R&D found that just a bit confusing, so Plainswalk rarely showed up. Plus, it was said that Mark Rosewater thought it'd actually be very difficult to traverse across Plains unnoticed. So flavor win there!)

Then, as Magic grew, so did Landwalk's variations:

• Legendary Landwalk (shout-out to Ayumi, the Last Visitor, and Livonya Silone)
• Nonbasic Landwalk (Dryad Sophisticate, Trailblazer's Boots)
• Snow Landwalk (Zombie Musher)
• Artifact Landwalk (Vectis Gloves)
• Desertwalk (I didn't forget about you, Hazezon, Shaper of Sand)
• And yes, there's even "Denimwalk" from the joke set Unglued (those pants are made for walking, Hurloon Wrangler).

Over time, Wizards of the Coast decided that Landwalk was often too "matchup-dependent." That means it either did nothing if your opponent didn't have the right land, or it outright ended the game if your opponent's deck used the relevant land type. Worse yet, if you wanted to defend against Landwalk, it wasn't exactly easy to just up and change your entire mana base.

So eventually, R&D gently took Landwalk off the main stage. You can still find it on older cards, in Legacy, Vintage, or Commander, or occasionally in a specially designed supplemental set like Modern Horizons 2 (2021). But, for the most part, you shouldn't expect to see new Landwalk cards in the Standard rotation.

Some Notable Landwalk Staples

Because Landwalk can often feel like an all-or-nothing ability, the best Landwalk cards are typically those that either:

• Grant Landwalk to your entire team (like a lord).
• Come packed with other powerful abilities (ensuring they're valuable even if they can't "walk" that day)

Master of the Pearl Trident: AMerfolk lord that gives all your fishy friends +1/+1 and Islandwalk. Still pretty much a Merfolk staple across all formats today.

Zombie Master: A vintage gem that not only gives all Zombies Swampwalk but also Regenerate! No other master even comes close!

Eladamri, Lord of Leaves: Grants all Elves Forestwalk and Shroud. Regardless of whether you're playing a combo Elfball list or an aggro token list, Eladamri is naturally a good fit since both of its abilities are always relevant.

Goblin King: +1/+1 and Mountainwalk to all other Goblins. While this may seem like a less powerful lord compared to the rest on this list, Goblin strategies typically play land hosers like Blood Moon, so you'd best keep this in mind when you're playing your Bant deck against Goblins.

Trailblazer's Boots: A mana-efficient piece of Equipment that grants Nonbasic Landwalk. And in multiplayer formats like Commander, Nonbasic Landwalk might as well read "unblockable 95% of the time."

Vectis Gloves: Yes, it'ssuper niche, but it could be downright hilarious when your opponents are trying to turn on their Mox Opals with Darksteel Citadels or Great Furnaces.

The Future of Landwalk

"Could Landwalk ever see a comeback in standard sets?" Possibly. We've seen Protection make a resurgence now and then, so Landwalk isn't exactly too far-fetched. However, as I briefly touched on earlier, it's generally accepted among designers that Landwalk is more trouble than it's worth in a typical environment. It's simply overshadowed by simpler forms of evasion like Flying, Menace, or even Skulk. At least those have universal conditions, Landwalk is just either extremely potent or extremely dead.

Marching Stubbornly into Unblockable Territory

Landwalk is a microcosm of Magic's evolution as a game: a once-prominent tool for color-specific evasion that ended up on the sidelines as new (and arguably more balanced) mechanics took the spotlight. But for all its flaws, it retains a special charm. There's just something almost nostalgic, even whimsical, about looking at an old card that simply reads, "This creature is unblockable as long as the defending player controls a Swamp." It's straightforward, ironically oppressive in the right matchup, and it just exudes flavor as images of creatures literally strolling over the lands they're attuned to come to mind.

Is Landwalk perfect? Of course not. It can turn into a dud if nobody's running the land type you need, or it can become absolutely oppressive if your environment is stuffed with that land type. And while R&D eventually decided that designing new mechanics that always "did the thing" was more interesting, that doesn't mean you can't have a fantastic time playing some old Landwalk cards.

So, whether you want to slide by your buddy's Eldrazi army thanks to Forestwalk, or you're looking to perform a sudden alpha strike with your entire Merfolk tribe, or you simply want to watch your friend's face when you play and equip Trailblazer's Boots against their zero basics cEDH deck: Landwalk will always be here waiting for you.

And that's it for me this time! As always, happy brewing, and may you continue to strut your stuff like Hurloon Wrangler as you keep on Landwalkin'. Until next time!