Building your first Commander deck: a simple template

Ninety-nine cards is a lot of choices. The easiest way to build a deck that plays well is to start from a template, fill each slot with cards that suit your commander, and then adjust after a few games. The numbers below are a starting point, not a law.

Start with the commander

Pick a commander you're excited to play, then read it closely and answer one question: what does it want to happen? A commander that draws a card whenever a creature enters wants lots of cheap creatures. One that grows when you gain life wants lifegain. That answer is your deck's plan, and most of your nonland cards should help it.

The template

Category	Cards	What it does
Lands	36 to 38	Makes your mana; see the mana base guide
Ramp	10	Gets you extra mana early: mana rocks, land search, mana creatures
Card draw	10	Keeps your hand full in a long multiplayer game
Targeted removal	8	Deals with one problem: a creature, artifact or enchantment
Board wipes	2 to 3	Resets the board when someone gets too far ahead
Your plan	about 30	Creatures and spells that do what your commander wants

That adds up to 99 with your commander. Many good cards count twice, like a creature that draws a card when it enters, so you'll often find room for a few extra favorites.

Lands: 36 to 38

Thirty-seven is a good default; Deckbuilding by the numbers shows the math behind it. Go lower (35 to 36) if your deck is full of cheap spells and has a lot of ramp; go higher (38 to 40) if your commander costs six or more, or your deck wants to play a land every turn. Our mana base guide explains how many sources of each color you need.

Ramp: about 10

In a four-player game, the player who gets to five or six mana first usually decides how the game goes. Cheap ramp matters most: a two-mana rock or a land-search spell on turn two lets you cast your commander a turn early.

• Green has the best ramp: spells that search for basic lands, and creatures that tap for mana.
• Every color can play colorless mana rocks. Arcane Signet and the Talisman and Signet cycles are classic picks.

Card draw: about 10

Multiplayer games run long, and you'll run out of cards if you don't draw extra. The best draw is repeatable: a creature or enchantment that draws a card every turn or whenever something happens. One-shot spells that draw three cards are fine too, but repeatable draw keeps paying off.

Removal: 8 targeted, 2 to 3 board wipes

With three opponents, you can't answer everything. Prioritize flexible, cheap removal that handles several card types, and keep a couple of board wipes for when an opponent's board gets out of hand. If your plan is to fill the board with creatures, choose wipes that spare your own, or play fewer of them.

Your plan: about 30

These are the cards that make your deck yours: creatures and spells that work with your commander and with each other. Some tips:

• Synergy beats raw power. A card that's great with your commander is usually better than a generically strong card.
• Watch your curve. Aim for most of your spells to cost four or less, so you're doing something every turn.
• Have a way to win. Decide how your deck actually ends games: big combat, a combo, drain effects. Include a few cards that make that happen.

Test, then adjust

Play a few games and notice what goes wrong:

• Stuck on lands or colors? Add lands or better fixing.
• Hand empty by turn six? Add card draw.
• Losing to one big threat? Add removal.
• Cards that never do anything? Cut them for cards that support your plan.

On Podtable you can test a deck straight from the deck builder: open it and tap Test hand to draw sample opening hands, or play it against the AI to see how it runs.

Next

• Learn the format's rules: How to play Commander
• Set the right power level: Commander brackets explained
• Start from a preconstructed deck instead: Upgrading a precon on a budget