Commander decks pack a whopping 100 cards, including one unique Commander card.
Read on below and learn how many lands you need if you expect your commander deck to win!
How Many Lands Go in a Commander Deck?
The Commander deck format calls for 99 standard cards and 1 commander; that’s a total of 100 MTG cards.
But, the real question is how many of those 99 cards should be lands? The answer isn’t nearly as straightforward as you’d hope for.
The route of the issue? Let’s face it: mana rocks. You need plenty of mana in MTG, regardless of the style or format, and it’s oh so tempting to load the ol’ deck down with plenty of lands for that very reason.
Some decks, however, need a bit less/more lands than others. A commander deck for example needs double the amount of mana found in most small and medium decks.
What is an MTG Commander Deck?
Commander decks are formatted quite a bit differently than standard MTG decks of any kind.
Firstly, they have far more cards(anywhere from 40 to 60 more than other decks). Secondly, they allow only one copy of each standard card, whereas normal decks allow up to four copies of each card.
The biggest difference is, however, the addition of a single card called the “Commander”. A Commander must be a legendary creature and remain in the Command Zone.
How many lands go into these decks, however, is not always too straightforward due to the number of considerations involved. Therefore, we continue our answer, in-depth, over the next several sections.
What Goes in a Commander Deck?
These decks have more cards than most, however, they are no different than cards found in other types of decks. Sure, you can only pack one of each card, rather than up to four of each, but they are all the same classic types you know and love already.
Commander
The Commander of your deck is the first big decision to make. The abilities and mechanics possessed by this card type is what your entire deck should be built around. For example, if a Commander card grants free mana each time an opponent cast’s a spell, you may be able to get by with fewer lands.
Creatures
The creature element never changes in MTG, after all, they’re half the fun. In a commander deck, players usually add no less than 25 creature cards but no more than 35 or 40. Depending on how many you add, you’ll know how large to make your land base.
Spells
Perhaps the most tricky decision of all is how many other spells to add to your deck. But, until you do so, you can’t accurately gauge how many lands are necessary. The number of spells, and their casting cost, are the most crucial to keep in mind.
Lands
Land cards are of course extremely important. Without enough lands, all the cards in the universe wouldn’t do you any good. The amount of land you pack into your commander deck dictates how many land drops it may or may not produce.
Non-Land Mana Sources
When you’re building a deck as large as a Commander deck is, you need to consider every possibility for a strong mana base possible(because mana rocks, remember!?). These non-land mana sources may be anything from Artifacts or Equipment,
Other Considerations
There are even more considerations to make before choosing the exact number of lands that your Commander deck needs.
Card Costs
The amount your lowest, highest, and average card costs is a huge factor to keep in mind. Without having enough mana to pay for your card costs, the game might as well be lost before it even starts.
Colors
The color of the cards you’re using is also a big consideration to be aware of. For example, white and green decks that produce extra mana and take less, to begin with, may get away with 25 lands. However, red, blue, and black decks do better with 5 to 15 extra lands on top of the first 25.
General Strategy
Your strategy should also be a determining factor in how much land you include in your commander deck. Do you rely on trigged abilities? High price spells? What about cards like a fireball that can be pumped with mana? All these answers help you pick the best course.
The Opponent
Last but not least, the opponent also matters. How well do you know the other players? Do you have a solid idea of how they play and what general strategy they might employ? If so, you may take chances, and gamble a bit on your build. If you don’t know anything about your opponents, go for a solid build with plenty of creatures, spells, and lands.
FAQs
Are 30 lands enough in Commander?
Thirty lands are technically enough land cards for Commander. But, many players choose to add up to 5 or 10 more.
Is 36 lands enough Commander?
Thirty-six lands are more than enough for many commander builds. For some commander collections, up to 40+ lands may be necessary for the mana rocks stage to kick in.
How many lands should a two-color Commander deck have?
A two-color commander deck needs no less than 18 lands of each type, for a total of 36 lands. However, they should also include a handful of dual lands, utility lands, Artifacts, or Equipment cards that produce mana as well.
Is there a max deck size in Commander?
Regardless of the amount of land that goes into your commander deck, the deck’s max size is 100. One commander card, 99 additional cards including land and mana sources.
Final Thoughts
A proper Commander deck should have at least 36 lands, though some players opt for 10 cards more or less than this magical number.
The colors, types, abilities, mechanics, and casting cost of your cards are the biggest factor in deciding how many lands you need to add to your deck before its mana rocks!