Shivan Reef
Land
: Add 
.: Add 
or 
. This land deals 1 damage to you.
- CMC
- 0
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- RU
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Dominaria United Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #117
Shivan Reef enters untapped and produces blue or red immediately — the pain is real but the speed is the point. In Izzet, Grixis, and five-color shells that need both colors reliably on curve, the one life per non-colorless activation is a cost worth paying every time; Ulalek, Fused Atrocity decks in particular snap it up at a 72% inclusion rate because consistent dual-color access on turn one matters more than a few life points.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ulalek, Fused Atrocity
Ulalek, Fused Atrocity demands every color reliably, and Shivan Reef covers blue and red from turn one without entering tapped — critical for a five-color engine that can't afford to stumble on mana when copying spells across multiple colors.
Ureni of the Unwritten
Ureni of the Unwritten operates in blue-red and needs both colors functional early; Shivan Reef is the kind of untapped dual that makes the difference between a turn-two play and a blank turn.
Saheeli, Radiant Creator
Saheeli, Radiant Creator runs artifact-heavy Izzet strategies where tempo is everything, and Shivan Reef's ability to enter untapped and produce either color on the turn it's played keeps the artifact chain moving without a hiccup.
Shiko and Narset, Unified
Shiko and Narset, Unified sits at 75% inclusion for Shivan Reef — a blue-red commander that wants consistent access to both colors for spells and activations gets exactly that without the drawback of a tap-in land.
Rootha, Mastering the Moment
Rootha, Mastering the Moment copies instants and sorceries, which means mana availability on your opponents' turns matters; Shivan Reef produces either color untapped whenever you need it, making it nearly mandatory at 89% inclusion.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Shivan Reef is a staple — any deck with blue and red in its identity wants untapped dual land access, and the one-life pain is negligible across a 40-life game. In Legacy and Vintage, the Pain Land cycle occupies a supporting role behind fetchlands and dual lands, but Shivan Reef sees play in budget builds and sideboards where the card pool supports it. Modern and Pioneer both allow it, and it shows up in Izzet shells where the mana base can absorb the life loss without leaning on the more expensive alternatives. Standard and Pauper are off the table.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Current pricing data for Shivan Reef isn't available in this context — check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the live number. It has been reprinted multiple times, so copies are generally accessible; it's not a card you should be paying a premium for.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.