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When a land turns into a creature, but the effect that did that says "it's still a land", does that mean it can still produce its original mana? Or does it only have the Land type as an additional type?

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    Aside from the current answers it also means it can still be targeted by thing that target lands (Demolition) and still can't be targeted by things that can't target lands (Abrupt Decay).
    – Autar
    Oct 14, 2016 at 7:35
  • Stalking Stone is actually an exception to this rule as it becomes a creature and never goes back.
    – Neil Meyer
    Oct 19, 2016 at 12:04
  • @NeilMeyer While Stalking Stones becomes a creature permanently, as opposed to until end of turn, the ability that makes it a creature also says that it's still a land, so everything said still applies to it.
    – monoRed
    Oct 19, 2016 at 15:33

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When a land becomes a creature (or any other permanent type) but is still a land, it retains all subtypes associated with being a land it may have had previously, such as "Mountain" or "Plains". If the rider that says "It is still a land" were not there, it would lose those types. The main reason this is significant is that each of the land types comes with the ability to tap for the appropriate colour of mana, so if you lose the subtype "Mountain", for example, you can no longer tap for red mana.

Example 1: Suppose you turn a basic mountain into a plant creature, and it is still a land, as in your original question. Its type-line now reads: Basic Land Creature - Mountain Plant. It can still tap for red mana, because it is still a mountain.

Example 2: Suppose you turn the basic mountain into a plant creature, but this time it is not still a land (I'm not sure if there are any cards that work like this, but it is possible). The type-line now reads: Creature - Plant. It has no activated abilities, as tapping to add red mana is something associated with being a mountain, and this creature is no longer a mountain.

Example 3: Suppose you turn a nonbasic land with the ability "T: Add C to your mana pool" (that is, you can tap it for colourless mana) into a plant creature, but this time, it is not still a land. You end up with the type-line: Creature - Plant, but it still has the tap ability to add colourless mana.

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  • In the case a mountain becomes a swamp, does it still produce red mana or does it produce black mana instead? (it may be another question)
    – sinsedrix
    Oct 25, 2016 at 8:13
  • I'm going to assume you're talking about Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth? If a card says "Each land is a swamp in addition to its other types" then each land retains all the properties it had before (in this case, it's still a mountain and it still taps for red), but it also is a swamp and taps for black. To contrast, see Blood Moon, which says "Nonbasic lands are Mountains". Nonbasic lands lose all of their abilities, including types (so your Breeding Pool is no longer a forest or an island), and will be mountains that only tap for red.
    – monoRed
    Oct 25, 2016 at 13:33
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If it didn't have that text it would no longer be a land. For lands without a basic land type this wouldn't change a whole lot since removing types doesn't effect abilities. For lands with basic land types they would lose any mana abilities that those basic land types grant.

But since it retains the land type nothing really happens other than it gaining the new type (and anything else that ability might do).

205.1a Some effects set an object’s card type. In such cases, the new card type(s) replaces any existing card types.

205.1b Some effects change an object’s card type, supertype, or subtype but specify that the object retains a prior card type, supertype, or subtype. In such cases, all the object’s prior card types, supertypes, and subtypes are retained.

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That land is both a land (of its original types) and also a creature. So, a forest that is turned into a blue elemental is: a blue "creature land - elemental forest" that can tap (unless summoning sick) for green mana.

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    Blue wouldn't be on the type line, that would just change the characteristics of the permanent.
    – diego
    Oct 13, 2016 at 19:19
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An elaboration:

One of the most important aspects of being a land is that lands can have types that other card types cannot have. Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest are all types of Lands. When objects with these types stop being lands, they lose these types and therefore do not produce mana colors of those types any longer.

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