How to Build a Commander EDH Deck for $20 or Less

This does mean that some cards essentially have duplicates, such as [[Kodama’s Reach]] and and [[Cultivate]]. While these cards texts are identical, because the cards have different names, a commander deck could include 1 of each. Commander is a unique format in that it is generally played multiplayer.

The main reason to use EDHREC is that it’s a free resource that compiles a lot of info to help you decide which cards work best in your deck based on the mechanics you want with certain commanders. If your budget allows it, I would also recommend playing lands that generate all colors of mana, such as City of Brass and tarnished Citadel. The only other weird land I included is Mystic Sanctuary since it lets us get back a spell from the graveyard.

Finale of Devastation is also a pretty good wincon, letting us fetch a large hydra, and with 10 mana, giving all our creatures +x/+x and haste until the end of the turn. If the board state devolves into a draw, slamming some 10/10 (or 20/20, or 40/40) hydras with haste and another +10/+10 should let us end the stalemate. Building your deck can be one of the best and most enjoyable parts of magic the gathering along with actually playing a game with your friends. It may even contain some advice for those who have some experience as it covers many aspects and hopefully everyone can find a sector that will give him some insight on how to improve his deck building.

Commander Deck Creation

It’s not a question of “is Mind Stone underperforming” it is instead “is my ramp package underperforming.” This allows you to look holistically at your deck and see where the shortcomings are. It seems counter-intuitive, but restricting what you can play by establishing rules (to follow or break) actually makes it so the players have an increased opportunity for creativity. To read more about what I have to say on card advantage, read my article about White in Commander. I’m going to use this as my first opportunity to plug a personal belief of mine.

Every time a commander deals combat damage to a player it also does commander damage. If a player receives 21 or more commander damage from a single commander throughout the course of the game, they lose. Alternatively, if your commander is a colorless card with no colored mana symbols like Kozilek, the Great Distortion, then you’d be limited to colorless cards plus wastes instead of basic lands.

What lessons have you learned when building Commander decks? Let me know in the comments below, or join the discussion over in the Draftsim Discord. These tips come from my experiences, from what I’ve learned going from playing Limited for years to a format that’s wildly different. It’s a culmination of what my friends have taught me and what I’ve learned teaching the format to others.

When we cast lots of spells, we might as well try going all out. This will be one of our major ways to get ahead and possibly win. Given our aim was mid-power there is no flat-out storm combo here, just some storm pieces that could give us some value. Strixhaven Stadium is also in here as a bit of a cute alternate win-con.

But this isn’t the five color Go-Shintai of Life’s OriginGo-Shintai of Life’s Origin that gives you unfiltered access to all of those cards AND the ability to create Shrine creature tokens. This is its weird, mono-blue cousin that less than 100 people have bothered to build according to EDHREC. The metaphorical Eldrazi is the final piece to build a better Commander deck. Your deck won’t close out the game if it’s all ramp and interaction and neat ideas. It just durdles around until one of your opponents shows you their Eldrazi.

In terms of the number of cards in a package, many people recommend the 8×8 method. A package is a group of cards that perform some function for your deck. Furthermore just having a Mana Crypt doesn’t make a deck busted, but having all the fast mana does begin to tilt the odds in your favor. Everyone has their own internal system for how to rank power but I hope this has given you a bit of an idea of what to expect. Of course, you can make a jank deck with these good cards but it’s a nice rule of thumb. Now that I know how I want to play, I need to think about how strong of a deck I want it to be.

Casual EDH Decks

I’m John Sherwood, and in this article, I’m putting the tutor in tutorial. This article is a how-to guide for deck construction using many of the tools available on EDHREC, Archidekt and Commander Spellbook. This tutorial is intended to be a living document to take you through building a deck from start to finish. We’ll update it from time to time to stay current with the features of these sites. Are you excited to start building Commander decks right away and want a few key pointers?

Is It Difficult to Build a Commander Deck? A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Build a Commander/EDH Deck for $20 or Less (a Step-By-Step Guide)

I always recommend between lands depending on what your deck will do. Tricky Terrain is a Simic () land ramp deck, and if you haven’t tried one of these decks in Commander, a typical card searches a land from your library and has a downside of drawing a card. This is the MH3 deck that gives you access to the best counter spells, the biggest creatures and some of the best win you the game cards.

I already have some cards and colors in mind but before I set anything in stone, let’s look at power level. The Additional Filters sort only the currently displayed results. There are fourteen additional filter options, and you can layer them. After the Advanced Filter trimmed my results to a manageable number, I used the Additional Filters to look for card draw spells. These tags come from Scryfall, where the card tagging is crowdsourced. This means the EDHREC data for tagged cards is based on community feedback, not just raw numbers.

You might be starting from scratch or starting from a preconstructed combos edh product. Either way, EDHREC provides intuitive menus and popularity rankings to help you find the leader for your next 100-card pile. Start by listing 30 to 40 cards that synergize well with your chosen commander or archetype’s game plan. I like this range to give you more flexibility on what cards you want to add and which ones can be cut.

magic the gathering How many lands do I need for a Commander deck?

In this study, we will only be looking specifically at direct ramp spells that cost 3 or less, so that we can play them on turn 3 or earlier. When building your Commander deck, pay attention to the mana curve. The mana curve represents the distribution of cards based on their mana value (formerly converted mana cost). Look to have a mix of low, medium, and high-cost cards to ensure a balance of early, mid, and late-game plays. Analyzing your mana curve helps you find the optimal balance between lands and spells, which in turn increases your deck’s consistency.

Mana Dorks are euphemisms for Creatures that are able to generate Mana on their own, such as Llanowar Elves , Elvish Mystic and others. Because generating Mana is a core characteristic of the colour Green, you’ll find many of these dorks in Green, though Red also has a sub-theme of generating bursts of Mana (though at a cost). Unfortunately if you’re running Blue, White or Black, Mana dorks are going to be hard to come by, and that’s when you rely on rocks instead. But there is something that does the job of land while also allowing you to accelerate your board, ramp. Ramp is much better than land because you can play more than 1 a turn.

To do this, we used deckstats probability calculator to show how your land count will look. As such, we came up with a formula to help players build efficient decks. There are no hard and fast rules for the amount of lands to include in a two-color versus a five-color Commander deck.

If you are playing more than a couple cards with mana costs of five or higher, increase the number of lands. For starters, if you’re using a lot of cards that can create extra mana, whether that be mana rocks or ramp cards, then you can occasionally use fewer lands. This is also true if you’ve got ways to make your spells cheaper like Jodah, Archmage Eternal or Warden of Evos Isle. If you’re new to Magic or the Commander format, following this general guideline of 37 Lands and 7 ramp spells will get you up and running nicely.

Second, since combos edh the Commander format is typically played with more players, you need to be prepared for longer games. Additionally, the format is designed for multiplayer games, which means that games tend to last longer and require more resources to win. Understanding the Commander format is key to determining your land count. Utility lands are always valuable to have and tons of mana for the late game is also valued. The nature of land bases hasn’t changed for Brawl compared to its Commander predecessor in that respect.

In the beginning, it was 40 lands, then 35, and now people say anywhere around 33-40. This can make it more difficult for your opponents to disrupt your game plan. Another way to enhance your Commander deck is to adapt to control strategies.

It is important to strike a balance between lands and other types of cards, as having too many or too few lands can both be detrimental to your deck’s performance. Conversely, if your deck has a lot of low-cost spells, you may be able to get away with including fewer lands. Another starting point is to include one land for every two to three mana value in your deck. For example, if your deck has an average mana value of three, you would include 33 to 50 lands.

Mana Dorks

Tons of big stuff means you need tons of mana and can call for tons of lands to complement this. Your mana curve is often the easiest way to find your starting point for how many lands you need. Mana dorks are creatures that tap for mana, often named because of the original mana dork, Llanowar Elves.

Cycling Cards

We have the new Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder or Rakdos, the Muscle. I think Lyzolda is more interesting than other Rakdos sac commanders. She specifically wants you to sacrifice creatures that are both red and black to her ability. There is no maximum deck size, however, the player must be able to shuffle their deck unassisted. Players may transfer cards between their sideboard and their main deck after each round of a match. Commander also has its own “banned list” of cards, separate from any other format which is controlled by the Commander Rules Committee.

How Many Lands Should Be in a Commander Deck?

How Many Lands Should Be In A 60 Card MTG Deck: A Definitive Guide

A Commander must be a legendary creature and remain in the Command Zone. Creatures are, however, easy to destroy, particularly as many of the mana producing ones have low toughness like Birds of Paradise or Llanowar Elves. Considering that, the 40% lands rule is still fairly close to normal (lightened obviously for the reasons above).

They’re commonly used to help ramp up your available mana pool and act as additional mana sources. Examples of popular mana rocks include Sol Ring, Signets, and the Talisman cycle. Aim for 10 to 15 mana rocks in your deck, though the quantity may vary based on your deck’s needs and your commander’s mana cost. Keep in mind that these numbers may vary depending on your deck’s strategy and mana curve. In general, you should aim for 33 to 40 lands in your deck, alongside your other mana sources like mana rocks and ramp spells.

There are two general classifications for ramp spells – direct and indirect ramp. Direct ramp are cards such as Cultivate, Farseek, Three Visits, Kodama’s Reach that pull Lands out of your Library and into the Battlefield. That means you’re ahead of curve by having an additional Land put into play while also thinning your deck (slightly) to reduce the chances of drawing a Land later in the game. You can also consistently re-use this extra Land in all your subsequent turns.

I’ve run land decks successfully, but usually you see with some of the previously mentioned accelerators. Some of the cheapest dual lands in MTG include Snarls, Bouncelands, Zendikar Creature Lands, Checklands, Temples, Thriving Lands, Tango Lands, and New Capenna’s Hideouts. However, it is recommended to have around 37 to 40 lands in a Commander deck. Some of the best dual lands include OG Dual Lands, Fetch Lands, Shock Lands, Battlebond Lands, Pain Lands, Check Lands, Pathway (MDFC) Lands, and Filter Lands. Dual lands, especially the Revised Dual Lands, are considered important for a deck and are sought after by players.

How to Build a Commander Deck

Because they’re well rounded, they have maximum flexibility in what they can sideboard, and yet are difficult for opponents to attack. In general, the more extreme your strategy (suicidal aggro, control decks that lack proactive game plans, and linear strategies), the easier you will be to sideboard against. Each deck’s mana curve will be different, but it’s important to work towards one that suits yours.

From there, it’s a simple matter of playing a powerful creature or planeswalker to finish off the game. Well, you start by playing cheap creatures like Delver of Secrets and [c]Dragon’s Rage Channeler[/c], which can cause some serious problems if they aren’t removed. Then, you protect them by countering your opponent’s removal spells with [c]Counterspell[/c]s, [c]Force of Negations[/c], and the like. Depending on the format, the number of creatures in a burn deck can vary. Typically, Standard burn decks will have more creatures than Modern or Legacy burn decks, since there are fewer playable burn spells available.

White Weenie is another one of those beginner-friendly deck archetypes that are easy to pick up and learn. Affinity got its name from the “affinity for artifacts” mechanic, which reduces the cost of cards based on the number of artifacts you control. The idea is to play a bunch of cheap artifacts like [c]Memnite[/c] and [c]Ornithopter[/c], then to play affinity cards like [c]Thought Monitor[/c] for very low mana costs.

What is decking in MTG?

Spam Those Elves

You can see the curve peaking up at the 2- and 3-mana points before trailing off as the mana values increase. The higher the mana cost of your curve’s peak, the less consistent your deck will be. Your mana curve is one of the most important aspects of your deck.

Understanding deck archetypes is essential for deckbuilding and just playing Magic. You’ll have a deeper understanding of how to pilot your decks better and pressure your opponent’s weak points once you understand how archetypes work and why they play the cards they do. The tools available to an archetype will change more between formats than the ideas of the deck. Combo decks are a bit of an exception to this rule because they’re often hyper-specific, but most of the decks on our spectrum play out similarly. This is part of why it’s so important to understand the basic deck archetypes.

Trading one card for two or more (Sign in Blood) is a classic example of velocity, but like we said with ramp, it’s dependent on your deck and commander. These both help your large board of Elves reliably attack for lethal damage and win you the game. The big problem with Stax is that it drags a game down to a crawl. A game that would’ve lasted an hour without Stax can easily become three or four with it, as players desperately fumble for any resources they can. The perfect game for a Stax player is one where nothing happens, and nothing keeps happening until everyone else has conceded.

The strongest color combination for your Elf deck is going to be adding a splash of black to your stuff. More often than not these decks are your traditional mono-green Elf strategies while splashing black for a few specific cards. These decks end with Ezuri, Renegade Leader, who for five mana gives your Elves +3/+3 and trample. Since you don’t have to tap Ezuri to use this ability, you can dump all your extra mana into it, giving your Elves upwards of +9/+9 or more, and then take out your opponents in a single attack. Any time a creature does come into play under your control, you get to either add three green mana, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control, or scry two and then draw a card.

This has been a really basic guide for how to build a commander deck, but I’m not stopping here. Be on the lookout for future articles that will include topics like choosing the right commander for you, becoming a better deckbuilder, and how to tweak your mana base. If you’re interested in building decks on a budget, you can always check out my other series, Brew For Your Buck, here on EDHREC. “Hate” cards are another type of card that combat a specific archetype. Artifact decks are a popular strategy that can really be hurt by something like Manglehorn.

All in Elf decks tend to follow a singular strategy, play Elf creatures and lord or anthem effects until you reach critical mass and then swarm over your opponents in a single turn. If the game lasts 10 turns, and half of your nonland cards cost that much mana, you certainly aren’t casting many of them and they’ll just rot in your hand. Every deck should have a mission statement—some kind of game plan that guides your deck-building decisions.

A Deck with Raw Power

This legendary creature’s proliferate mtg combo ability works especially well with planeswalkers, as you can put extra loyalty counters on each of them at the end of every turn. I also want to emphasize that in Commander, most decks are unique and can’t really be put into broad categories. This section is just to give you an idea of how Commander archetypes may differ from other archetypes. As one final point, the number of a cards in your deck should generally be decided by how often you want to see said card. If a card is truly integral to how your deck functions, it needs to be a full playset. But if you don’t want to be seeing it in every matchup, you can cut it down to a single copy.

Players who purchase any introductory product as part of a Magic Academy event will receive this borderless copy of Darksteel Colossus while supplies last. Deckbuilding is an ongoing process, so you should never assume that the first pile you put together is perfect and always look for new ways to improve it. For a sample decklist we’re looking at a Standard “white weenie” deck that took MTGO user il_matagatto to the Top 16 of a recent Standard Challenge event.

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They’re often referred to as 5-color green, using green as a central color for mana fixing and most of their spells while splashing bombs and removal from other colors. Aggro-control decks depend on a combination of cheap, instant-speed interaction and threats that can get played around those spells. The typical weakness of a creature deck with a bunch of countermagic is that it conflicts with your mana. If you cast a creature spell on your turn, you can’t hold up mana for your counters. But if you hold up countermagic, you can’t meaningfully impact the board. Compare that to a mono-white midrange list in Standard, and you can see the difference.

When Magic first began, the rules dictated a 40-card deck, and there was no restriction for the number of copies of each card.[1][2] Constructed and Limited had the same deck size. In Commander, you are probably running Lathril, Blade of the Elves. When she hits another player in combat, you make that many Elf tokens. Then you can tap Lathril and ten other untapped Elves you control to make each opponent lose ten life and you gain ten life. A rather new entry into the Elvish possibilities of deck design, this color combination is more likely to be found in Commander, with the release of the special Galadriel, Light of Valinor. This three-color legendary creature does a lot, with an ability that triggers for the first three creatures that enter the battlefield under your control each turn.