Scoured Barrens
Land
This land enters tapped.
When this land enters, you gain 1 life.
: Add 
or 
.
- CMC
- 0
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BW
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Core Set 2021
- Price
- $0.18
- EDHREC rank
- #700
Scoured Barrens enters tapped, which is the real cost — you're trading tempo for a guaranteed life point on arrival. In white-black life-gain decks, that 1 life is a functional trigger, not a consolation prize, which is exactly why Elenda, Saint of Dusk builds run it at a 61% clip.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Elenda, Saint of Dusk
Elenda, Saint of Dusk scales on life gain events, and Scoured Barrens delivers one the moment it resolves — no attack step required, no spell needed. At over 60% inclusion across nearly 3,000 decks, it's one of the most consistent gainland fits in the archetype.
Karlov of the Ghost Council
Karlov of the Ghost Council triggers on each life gain event, and Scoured Barrens checks that box on entry — two counters added the turn it lands. That consistency across 5,500+ decks explains why it's the default dual of choice here.
Amalia Benavides Aguirre
Amalia Benavides Aguirre triggers whenever you gain life, and Scoured Barrens is one of the cheapest ways to fire that trigger off a land drop. Running it in over half of all Amalia decks makes sense — the life gain is automatic and requires zero additional investment.
Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant
Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant leans on life gain to keep Frodo in the fight, and Scoured Barrens provides a painless, guaranteed point on entry. It appears in over 23,000 Frodo decks precisely because it costs nothing beyond the usual tapland drawback.
Astarion, the Decadent
Astarion, the Decadent rewards life gain with card advantage and counters, so Scoured Barrens earns its slot by converting a land drop into a trigger. Over half of Astarion decks run it as a zero-effort way to stay on the engine every single turn cycle.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Scoured Barrens is legal everywhere but relevant almost nowhere outside Commander, where the life gain trigger matters. In competitive 60-card formats — Modern, Pioneer, Legacy — a tapped dual that gains 1 life is simply too slow; Concealed Courtyard and Godless Shrine exist at the same color pair and don't cost you a full turn of tempo. Pauper is the one 60-card context where budget constraints make it plausible, but even there the format's speed punishes enters-tapped lands hard. Commander is where Scoured Barrens earns its keep: the singleton rule limits access to premium duals, life gain synergies are abundant in Orzhov, and one slow land in 100 doesn't bottleneck your mana the way it would in a 60-card deck.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.18 bulk tier
At $0.18, Scoured Barrens is bulk — you're essentially paying for the card sleeve. There's no realistic downward pressure from here, and no reason to stock up speculatively; it's a one-of by format rules and widely available in bulk bins.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Elenda, Saint of Dusk
- Karlov of the Ghost Council
- Amalia Benavides Aguirre
- Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant
- Astarion, the Decadent
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.