Scrubland

Scrubland debuted as one of the original ten 'dual lands' in the foundational Alpha and Beta sets of Magic: The Gathering, released in 1993. Designed by Richard Garfield and his team at Wizards of the Coast, these cards were intended to solve the logistical challenge of managing multicolored decks by providing a single land that could tap for two different colors of mana without penalty. The Unlimited Edition, released in late 1993, served as the second print run of the game, maintaining the original art while shifting to a white border to distinguish the cards from the limited printings that preceded them.

The artwork for Scrubland was provided by artist Jesper Myrfors, the game’s first art director. Myrfors utilized a distinct, grounded illustrative style that reflected the high-fantasy aesthetic of the early 90s, focusing on the arid, windswept plains represented by the card's White and Black mana alignment. The card was met with immediate appreciation by players for its utility, as it circumvented the inherent risks of playing multiple colors, and it has since become a cornerstone of the game's history and a primary target for collectors of vintage trading card game artifacts.