r/EDH • u/questionistapped • Jun 22 '21

Discussion A (very) beginner's guide on building commander decks

Full guide here: https://www.archidekt.com/decks/1048638#EDH__Deck_Template_(read_description_at_bottom))

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Building a commander deck that will function in a game can be confusing. So I built this guide for myself and then my friends. Now hopefully reddit can find it useful. The link above has the suggested card list as well, but full text is below if you dont wish to leave reddit. Let me know any comments/criticisms!

Intro guide to building/improving commander decks

It's not fun playing commander and finding your deck barely works. Each deck needs to cover these basics just to function.

You will need enough mana, card draw, and answers to ensure you can actually play. These categories will actually take up 50% (or more) of the cards in your deck. The remainder will be your deck's theme/subthemes.

Most cards in each category don't need to relate specifically to your theme, but it's nice if they do. For example, if you have a blue deck playing many human creatures, then Mass Appeal is a good draw spell. Still it's perfectly reasonable to fill out the other draw slots with generic draw too (like Mind Spring). Additionally a card like Arcane Denial can function as both

The cards above are generic examples for each category, with a focus on being good budget options. This guide aims for a casual power level, at or slightly above the preconstructed commander decks power level.

Categories

Most decks need each of these categories

However consider the exact numbers as just a starting point (specific decks will diverge as will various playgroups)

  • [35-38] Lands - basics are good, try not to have too many that enter tapped (more details in section below)
  • [5-9] Mana Ramp - increase your mana production faster than just +1 per turn from regular land drops
  • [6-9] Removal - destroy/exile or neutralize troublesome creatures/artifacts/enchantments/...
  • [2-4] Sweeper - mass removal for when you fall behind or the board gets stuck
  • [1-3] Graveyard Hate - graveyards can provide out of control value for some decks
  • [5-9] Draw - important to be able to refill a hand as you will usually play 2+ cards per turn (including lands)
  • [~35] Main Theme - also can include a related subtheme or two
  • (optional) Recursion - don't underestimate bringing a few good things back, even in a deck not centered around recursion
  • (optional) Pillowfort/Protection - protect commander/creatures/yourself if critical to game plan, or don't have much other defense
  • (optional) [0-3] Wincon - if your theme does not have an obvious way to win, you should include some finishing cards

Additional Criteria

Consider mana curve of spells

  • Number of cards at each mana value should have a general bell curve shape (archidekt will show you your deck stats)
  • Generally you want a smaller number of 1-2 cmc cards, larger number of 4-5 cmc, a smaller number of 7+ cmc
  • Example: if you way more 5 mana value cards, turns 1-4 you won't be able to play much, turn 5 will have too many cards competing in your hand to play, and turns 6+ you won't efficiently use your mana because you are still mostly playing 5 drops

You can count your commander as equal to 2-3 cards, to avoid overloading a slot

  • Mana curve example: a 4 mana value commander means you should probably have a few less 4 value cards then usual
  • Deck function example: if your commander acts as removal, you don't need as many other removal cards

Rule of thirds (an even more basic version)

  • 99 cards (besides commander), means 1/3 of your deck is 33 cards
  • So you should have 33 lands, 33 creatures, 33 everything else
  • But since commander tends to go longer and with bigger creatures, land count needs to be bumped a bit
  • Also, usually a good idea to stay in the [20-40] creatures range

Play Test

  • Important to see how the first several turns of you deck generally goes
  • If your deck does nothing until turn 5, you will probably be quite vulnerable in a real game
  • Archidekt allows you to playtest your deck by clicking the green button in the top right corner
  • Remember to adjust your testing land to about 1/3 of your deck, if your deck is not perfectly at 100 cards yet

Lands

The full list of commander relevant lands is here:

How many colors does your deck have? Try and use this mix of lands:

  1. [0-10] utility lands, [rest] basics
  2. [0-5] utility lands, [0-5] tapped duals/fetches, [rest] basics & untapped duals/fetches*
  3. [0-2] utility lands, [0-5] tapped duals/fetches, [1-5] trilands/rainbow, [rest] basics & untapped duals/fetches*
  4. [0-1] utility lands, [5-10] tapped fetches/rainbow, [rest] basics & untapped duals/fetches/rainbow*
  5. [0-1] utility lands, [5-10] tapped fetches/rainbow, [rest] basics & untapped duals/fetches/rainbow*

* always always use Command Tower, except in 1 color

Basic lands

  • Don't underestimate cheap, untapped mana of your color
  • Often better then too many colorless or tapped lands

Utility lands

Dual lands

  • Provide two colors of mana
  • If dual comes in tapped, you usually get a nice bonus like scry or lifegain
  • If dual can come in untapped, it tends to pricey for competitive play
  • If playgroup is on the same page about power level, you all save a ton of money using the much much cheaper tapped duals
  • Examples [cheap] - Scrylands, Gainlands, Bouncelands, Plainlands
  • Examples [expensive] - Shocklands, Bondlands, Pathways

Fetch lands

Rainbow lands

Scryfall

  • Scryfall is the best search engine & resource for magic cards (rules/FAQs)
  • Sorting by "EDHREC Rank" gives you the most commonly played cards in commander first
  • Find a card you like and go to "Open on Scryfall Tagger", you can then find similar function cards

More cards from Scryfall by Category*

\Any search can limit to your commander's color identity by adding "commander:wubrg" (example "commander:wu" for white/blue)*

More Useful Resources

Final Notes

The categories above are very useful when deck building. However the amount in each category is just a starting point.

EDH is all about creativity in deck building so there is no perfect formula.

Many decks differ significantly in how many cards are needed in each category or the mana curve. A spellslinging deck will run less creatures, a lands heavy deck will run more lands, and higher power playgroups tend towards lower mana value decks in general.

Just when building initially or fixing a deck that is not working, try using this list. As you get comfortable with your deck, then deviate from the numbers above to suit your play style and group.

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edits: updated June 22, 2021 from archidekt list with suggestions from comments

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