A Guide to Legacy's Depths Combo: Turbo Depths vs. Lands
The Depths combo remains one of Legacy's most fascinating and resilient strategies, a deck that weaponises a single land card to summon a 20/20 indestructible flying threat. Built around Dark Depths and the ability to copy its counters with Thespian's Stage, the archetype forces opponents to respect a kill that can come from an apparently empty board. Two distinct branches have emerged over the past decade: the explosive Turbo Depths build and the grindier Lands strategy, each offering a different texture of gameplay for pilots.
Both variants share a core goal of producing the Marit Lage token as quickly and consistently as possible, but they diverge sharply in how they achieve it. Turbo Depths leans into fast mana and protection spells, whereas Lands harnesses Life from the Loam and recursion to outlast opponents. Understanding the nuances between these approaches helps players choose a deck that matches their local meta and personal style.
For Australian players, the Depths archetype carries particular appeal because it requires minimal investment in expensive reserved-list cards compared to many other Legacy strategies. While Force of Will and Wasteland remain format staples, the core of a Depths list—Dark Depths, Thespian's Stage, and utility lands—sits within a reasonable budget for the local market.
The shared engine
Every Depths list, regardless of variant, revolves around the same devastating interaction. Dark Depths enters the battlefield with ten ice counters on it, and a player can remove those counters at sorcery speed by sacrificing a land. Thespian's Stage, printed in Modern Masters 2017, copies activated abilities of lands, which means it can copy Dark Depths' ability, sacrifice itself, and place a fresh set of ten counters onto the original Dark Depths. Once the original reaches zero counters, it transforms into the legendary Marit Lage token that closes games in a single attack.
Supporting this core, both variants run utility lands that facilitate the combo. The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale slows creature-based aggro, while Wasteland disrupts opposing mana bases. Maze of Ith provides a fog effect on legs, and recursive lands often appear in Lands lists. The interaction between these lands and the game plan creates a decision tree that rewards careful play.
Turbo Depths: speed and explosiveness
Turbo Depths is the streamlined, all-in version of the archetype. It runs four copies of Elvish Spirit Guide to power out turn-one or turn-two kills, along with Lotus Petal and sometimes Lion's Eye Diamond for additional acceleration. The deck often includes a white splash for Deafening Silence or other protective effects, though some pilots prefer a purely monoblack or green-black build. The goal is simple: deploy Dark Depths on turn one, copy it with Thespian's Stage on turn two, and activate the ability before the opponent can stabilise.
Because Turbo Depths plays few creatures, it runs little disruption. Instead, the deck relies on speed and protection spells like Veil of Summer or Force of Vigor. Sideboard slots are dedicated to combo hate such as Force of Negation and Surgical Extraction. Pilots who enjoy linear, high-skill combo decks with explosive wins gravitate toward this variant.
Lands: value and resilience
Lands takes the opposite approach, sacrificing raw speed for resilience and value. The deck still seeks to assemble the Dark Depths combo, but it does so through Life from the Loam and a heavier manabase that includes cycling lands and Wastelands. By recurring Wasteland with Loam, Lands pilots strip away opposing mana while setting up their own combo, creating a two-pronged strategy of attrition and inevitability.
The Lands manabase often incorporates Mox Diamond, Exploration, and creature-lands that provide backup win conditions. Once Marit Lage hits the board, the deck's resource generation ensures it can push through opposing hate cards. This variant appeals to players who enjoy longer games and the satisfaction of grinding opponents out of resources. Australian communities in Melbourne and Sydney have favoured Lands for local tournaments due to its forgiving nature in best-of-three matches.
Comparing the variants
The differences between the two variants are not merely aesthetic; they fundamentally change how the deck plays in various matchups.
| Aspect | Turbo Depths | Lands |
|---|---|---|
| Primary win condition | Marit Lage token, turn 2-3 | Marit Lage token, turn 4-5 |
| Acceleration | Elvish Spirit Guide, Lotus Petal | Life from the Loam, Exploration |
| Disruption | Minimal, protection-focused | Wasteland plus Loam recursion |
| Average game length | 3-5 turns | 8-12 turns |
| Sideboard flexibility | High, slots dedicated to combo hate | Moderate, constrained by manabase |
| Skill expression | Sequencing and protection | Manabase management and timing |
| Budget (AUD) | $800-$1200 | $1000-$1400 |
Players should consider their local meta and personal temperament when choosing between the two. Turbo Depths punishes slow opponents and thrives in tournaments with many blue decks running few sideboard slots for combo hate. Lands excels in fields populated by fair blue decks and those relying on creature-based strategies. For a deeper look at how aggro archetypes interact with combo decks, the Legacy primer on Goblins offers useful context on the opposing side of these matchups.
Sideboarding and matchup strategy
Sideboarding for Depths varies considerably by variant. Turbo Depths pilots often board out some combo pieces to bring in interactive spells like Force of Vigor or Dread of Night against creature decks. Lands pilots frequently trim on Life from the Loam against combo opponents while keeping their manabase intact for late-game inevitability. Both variants must respect popular sideboard cards like Surgical Extraction, which can strip the combo entirely if not anticipated.
Sideboarding requires weighing trade-offs across multiple dimensions, and resources that break down evaluating different options methodically can sharpen a pilot's instinct for these decisions. In practice, knowing which cards to cut and which to bring in often determines whether a Depths pilot makes day two of a large tournament.
Playing Depths in Australia and finding community
Australia's Legacy community punches above its weight relative to population size, with active scenes in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Stores like Good Games and Milsims regularly host Legacy events, and Brisbane organisers have built a reputation for well-run competitions that respect AEST scheduling. Online events have grown in popularity, though pilots must account for the AEDT switch in October that shifts evening tournament times by an hour.
Australian pricing in AUD often makes importing cards attractive, though GST and shipping can erode savings. Pilots should budget for core cards like Dark Depths and Thespian's Stage, which hold stable value. The Legacy Pit supports local players through streamed events and prebuilt decklists that help newcomers bypass the daunting task of building from scratch. Players can find tournament announcements on The Legacy Pit Twitch channel and engage with the community through Discord and social channels.
Whether you choose the blistering speed of Turbo Depths or the patient inevitability of Lands, both variants reward dedicated study and careful play. Pull up a decklist, sleeve up your favourite lands, and join the next local event to experience one of Legacy's most enduring strategies.