Tag: budget mtg

  • 10 Quick Deckbuilding Tricks Every Casual MTG Player Should Know

    10 Quick Deckbuilding Tricks Every Casual MTG Player Should Know

    You don’t need a $500 mana base or a pro tour pedigree to build a deck that wins. You just need to stop making the mistakes that most casual players make without realizing it.

    These 10 deckbuilding tricks are fast to learn and immediately actionable. Each one will make your next deck tighter, more consistent, and more fun to play. Whether you’re building a 60-card kitchen table brew or a Commander list, these fundamentals apply.

    Let’s get into it.

    1. Stick to 60 Cards (or 100 in Commander)

    Every card you add beyond the minimum deck size makes your best cards harder to draw. That’s not opinion — it’s math. In a 60-card deck, any single card has a 1-in-60 chance of being your next draw. Bump that to 70 cards and you’ve diluted every draw step by over 15%.

    The temptation to run 65 or 70 cards usually comes from not wanting to cut anything. But here’s the truth: if you can’t decide what to cut, that’s a sign your deck lacks focus, not that it needs more cards.

    Commander players: the same logic applies at 100 cards. Don’t run 105 because you couldn’t make the last few cuts. The singleton format is already inconsistent by design — don’t make it worse.

    The fix: After you finish building, force yourself to identify the 3 weakest cards and cut them. If you’re already at 60, great. If you’re at 63, those cuts just brought you to the minimum.

    2. Follow the Rule of 9

    This is the simplest deckbuilding framework that exists for 60-card decks: pick 9 cards you want to build around, run 4 copies of each, and add 24 lands. That’s 36 spells + 24 lands = 60 cards.

    The Rule of 9 forces consistency. Running 4 copies of a card means you’re far more likely to draw it in your opening hand or first few turns. One-ofs and two-ofs should be the exception, not the default.

    For Commander: You can’t run multiples (except basic lands), but the principle still applies. Instead of 4 copies, run 3-4 cards that fill the same role. Need card draw? Don’t run one draw spell — run Harmonize, Rishkar’s Expertise, Beast Whisperer, and Guardian Project. Functional redundancy is the Commander equivalent of running 4-ofs.

    The fix: Lay out your decklist in groups of 4. If any group has fewer than 3 copies (in 60-card) or fewer than 3 cards filling the same role (in Commander), ask yourself if that slot is earning its place.

    3. Build Your Mana Curve, Not Your Card Collection

    New players love splashy, expensive spells. But a deck full of 5-, 6-, and 7-mana bombs means you’re doing nothing for the first four turns while your opponent builds a board and attacks you.

    Your mana curve — the distribution of mana costs across your deck — should be front-loaded. For most casual 60-card decks, aim for something like this:

    • 1-mana: 4-8 cards
    • 2-mana: 8-12 cards
    • 3-mana: 6-10 cards
    • 4-mana: 4-6 cards
    • 5+ mana: 2-4 cards

    Cards like Go for the Throat at 2 mana or Lightning Strike at 2 mana let you interact early. A top-end finisher like Etali, Primal Conqueror is great — but you only need one or two of those, not eight.

    The fix: After building your deck, sort it by mana cost. If your curve doesn’t look like a hill that peaks at 2-3 mana, you have work to do.

    4. Playtest Digitally Before Buying

    This trick alone will save you hundreds of dollars over your Magic career. Before you spend real money on cards, test the deck online for free.

    The original version of this advice from 2009 recommended programs like Apprentice and Magic Workstation. The tools have gotten dramatically better since then:

    • Moxfield — Build your deck and use the “Playtest” feature to goldfish (draw sample hands and play out turns solo). It’s free and the best deckbuilding tool available.
    • MTG Arena — Free-to-play and perfect for testing Standard and Explorer decks against real opponents.
    • Cockatrice — Free, open-source client where you can test any format against other players with no card restrictions.
    • Spelltable — For Commander, play with your webcam using your physical cards (or proxies) against real people online.

    Goldfish your deck at least 10 times before buying a single card. Draw your opening hand. Play out the first 5 turns. Ask yourself: Am I doing something meaningful by turn 3? If the answer is consistently no, redesign before you spend.

    The fix: Build your next deck on Moxfield first. Playtest 10 opening hands. Only buy the cards after you’re satisfied with how the deck flows.

    5. Use Budget Alternatives

    You don’t need Sheoldred, the Apocalypse to build a good black deck. For every $30+ staple, there’s usually a $1-3 card that does 80% of the same job.

    The key is learning how to search for alternatives. Scryfall is your best friend here. Use its advanced search syntax to find cards with similar effects:

    The original Quick Tricks guide compared Birds of Paradise to Gemhide Sliver. Today, Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, and Fyndhorn Elves are all under $1 and serve the same purpose.

    The fix: Before buying any card over $5, search Scryfall for a cheaper version of that effect. You’ll be surprised how often you find one.

    6. Read Your Metagame

    Your deck doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It exists in your playgroup. If your friend always plays a creature-heavy green stompy deck, you need removal. If someone runs heavy counterspells, you need cards that are hard to counter or that bait out responses.

    The “metagame” is just a fancy word for “what everyone at your table is playing.” Pay attention to it.

    Ask yourself three questions:
    1. Who plays what decks? Know the threats before you sit down.
    2. What cards consistently beat me? Build answers into your deck.
    3. What strategies am I weakest against? Shore up those gaps.

    If your group loves graveyard strategies, slot in Rest in Peace or Bojuka Bog. If artifacts are everywhere, Vandalblast or Bane of Progress can swing entire games.

    The fix: After your next game night, write down the 3 cards or strategies that beat you most. Next time you update your deck, add answers for at least one of them.

    7. Every Card Needs a Job

    Pick up any card in your deck. Can you explain why it’s there in one sentence? If you can’t, cut it.

    Every slot in your deck is precious real estate. Cards earn their spot by doing one of these jobs:

    • Advancing your game plan (threats, combo pieces, engines)
    • Protecting your game plan (counterspells, hexproof, indestructible)
    • Disrupting your opponent’s game plan (removal, discard, hate cards)
    • Enabling consistency (card draw, tutors, mana fixing)

    A card like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben does two jobs at once: she’s a 2/1 attacker AND she slows down spell-heavy opponents. That’s an efficient card slot. Meanwhile, a random 4/4 vanilla creature with no abilities? It’s just taking up space something better could fill.

    The fix: Go through your deck card by card. For each one, state its job in one sentence. Any card you hesitate on is a cut candidate.

    8. Include Interaction

    This is the biggest mistake casual deckbuilders make: building a deck that only does “its thing” and ignores the opponent entirely. If your deck is a creature deck with zero removal, you’ll fold the first time someone plays a single threat you can’t attack through.

    Every deck needs some amount of interaction. How much depends on your format and strategy, but here’s a starting point for 60-card decks:

    • 4-6 removal spells (creature removal, enchantment/artifact removal)
    • 2-4 protection pieces (counterspells, indestructible effects, or hexproof)

    Good, cheap interaction that fits almost any deck:

    Color Removal Protection
    White Swords to Plowshares, Generous Gift Flawless Maneuver
    Blue Counterspell, Reality Shift Negate
    Black Go for the Throat, Feed the Swarm Malakir Rebirth
    Red Lightning Bolt, Chaos Warp Tibalt’s Trickery
    Green Beast Within, Ram Through Heroic Intervention

    The fix: Count the number of cards in your deck that can interact with an opponent’s board or stack. If it’s fewer than 6 in a 60-card deck (or 10-12 in Commander), add more.

    9. Manage Your Mana Base

    Getting the right number of lands is only half the equation. Getting the right colors at the right time is the other half.

    For a two-color 60-card deck, roughly 24 lands is standard. But if all 24 are basics split evenly, you’ll get color-screwed regularly. Dual lands fix this:

    A common mistake is running too few lands. If your deck has a lot of 3- and 4-mana spells, 24 lands is the floor, not the ceiling. If you’re hitting land drops late, go to 25 or 26.

    Conversely, aggressive decks with a low mana curve (mostly 1- and 2-drops) can trim to 20-22 lands and use those extra slots for more threats.

    The fix: Use the Karsten mana base calculator or the Moxfield mana analysis tool to check if your color distribution matches your mana requirements.

    10. Iterate and Improve

    Your first draft of a deck is never the final version. The best decks evolve through dozens of small tweaks over many games. The trick is tracking those tweaks so you learn from them.

    After every game, ask yourself:

    • What cards sat dead in my hand? If a card consistently does nothing, cut it.
    • What did I sideboard in every game? If you always bring it in, it belongs in the main deck.
    • What did I wish I had drawn? That’s a signal to add more copies or similar effects.
    • Did I have too many/few lands? Adjust accordingly.

    Keep a simple log — even just a note on your phone. Over 5-10 games, patterns become obvious. Maybe that flashy 6-mana spell never resolves. Maybe you always need more card draw on turn 4. The data tells you what to change.

    The fix: After your next 5 games, make at least 2 card swaps based on what you observed. Then play 5 more. Repeat. This is how good decks become great decks.

    Bonus Trick: The 8-by-8 Method for Commander

    Since Commander is the most popular casual format, here’s a bonus trick specifically for 100-card decks. The 8-by-8 method is the Commander version of the Rule of 9:

    Pick 8 categories your deck needs (such as ramp, card draw, removal, board wipes, threats, protection, recursion, and utility). Fill each category with 8 cards. That gives you 64 nonland cards + 36 lands = 100 cards.

    This ensures you have a balanced deck with enough of everything. Too many Commander decks have 20 creatures, 3 removal spells, and no card draw. The 8-by-8 method prevents that imbalance before it starts.

    Adjust the numbers based on your commander and strategy — an aggro deck might have 12 threats and 4 board wipes, while a control deck reverses those numbers — but 8-by-8 is the starting point.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How many lands should I run in my MTG deck?

    For a standard 60-card deck, 24 lands is the default starting point. Aggressive decks with low mana curves (average mana value under 2.5) can go as low as 20-22. Control decks or decks with expensive spells may want 25-26. For Commander, 36-38 lands is typical, though decks with heavy ramp packages can sometimes get away with 33-35. Always adjust based on your playtesting — if you’re frequently mana-screwed, add lands; if you’re frequently flooded, cut one or two.

    What is the best free tool for building MTG decks online?

    Moxfield is the gold standard for online deckbuilding in 2026. It offers free deck creation, a built-in playtest/goldfish feature, mana curve visualization, price tracking, and community deck sharing. For actual gameplay testing, MTG Arena is free-to-play for Standard and Explorer formats, while Cockatrice lets you test any format with any card for free against real opponents.

    How do I know which cards to cut from my deck?

    Apply the “one sentence” test: if you can’t explain a card’s role in one sentence, it’s a cut candidate. Beyond that, track your games. Cards that consistently sit in your hand without being cast, cards that never impact the board when you play them, and cards that you always sideboard out are all signals. Replace them with cards that address weaknesses you’ve identified through playtesting. When in doubt, cut the most expensive (highest mana cost) card, as it likely contributes to curve problems.

    Keep Improving Your Deckbuilding

    These 10 tricks are the foundation, but deckbuilding is a skill you develop over hundreds of games and dozens of builds. If you want to go deeper, check out our Complete Guide to Deckbuilding in MTG — it covers advanced topics like card advantage theory, sideboard construction, and archetype-specific building strategies.

    Building a budget deck that punches above its weight? We have a guide for that too.

    Now go cut those extra 5 cards from your deck. You know which ones they are.

    Originally adapted from The Casual Planeswalker’s Quick Tricks guide (2009), fully modernized for today’s tools, formats, and card pool.

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  • MTG Basics: Essential Deckbuilding Rules for New Players

    MTG Basics: Essential Deckbuilding Rules for New Players

    You have played a few games of Magic: The Gathering. You know what lands do, you have cast some spells, and you have probably lost more games than you have won. Now you want to build your own deck instead of borrowing someone else’s — and you have no idea where to start.

    Good news: you do not need to spend hundreds of dollars or memorize thousands of cards. You just need a handful of simple rules that will make your first homebrew deck dramatically better than the pile of cards you were about to throw together.

    This guide covers the fundamentals. Think of it as your pre-flight checklist before you start sleeving up cards.

    Looking for the deep dive? This post covers the essentials. For advanced topics like mana curves, card ratios, and archetype breakdowns, check out our Complete Guide to MTG Deckbuilding.

    Set a Budget Before You Buy a Single Card

    Here is a mistake nearly every new player makes: they find a cool deck online, get excited, and start buying cards before they realize the mana base alone costs $200.

    Set a dollar limit before you start building. It does not matter if that number is $20 or $200 — having a ceiling keeps you from impulse-buying cards you will regret. You can always upgrade pieces later as you play more and figure out what the deck actually needs.

    How to Playtest Without Spending Anything

    The best way to avoid wasting money is to test your deck idea before you buy it. In 2009, this meant downloading clunky desktop programs. Today, you have much better options:

    • Moxfield — The most popular free deckbuilding tool. Build your deck, goldfish it (draw sample hands and play through turns solo), and share it with friends for feedback.
    • Archidekt — Another excellent free deckbuilder, especially popular with Commander players for its visual layout and category sorting.
    • MTG Arena — Wizards’ free-to-play digital client. Great for testing Standard and Explorer decks against real opponents before committing to paper cards.

    Build the deck digitally first. Draw a few sample opening hands. Play through five or six turns by yourself. Does the deck actually do what you want it to do, or does it stall out on turn three every time? You will save real money by catching problems early.

    Know Your Deck Size

    Every format in Magic has a minimum deck size, and the golden rule is simple: stick as close to the minimum as possible.

    Format Minimum Deck Size What to Aim For
    Standard, Modern, Pioneer, Pauper 60 cards Exactly 60
    Commander / EDH 100 cards (including your commander) Exactly 100
    Limited (Draft, Sealed) 40 cards Exactly 40

    Why Not Just Add More Cards?

    It comes down to consistency. Say you have a card in your deck that wins you the game when you draw it. In a 60-card deck, your odds of drawing that card are significantly higher than in an 80-card deck. Every card you add beyond the minimum makes it less likely you will draw the specific cards you need at the right time.

    There is also a practical side: a larger deck needs a more complex mana base, becomes harder to shuffle, and takes longer to tune. We have all seen someone show up with a 200-card deck. It is not a good deck — it is five mediocre decks shuffled together.

    The exception: Commander is a singleton format (one copy of each card, 100 cards total), so you are already at a higher card count by design. The format compensates for this with powerful tutoring effects and commanders that are always available. Do not go over 100.

    Use Proxy Cards to Test Expensive Cards

    A proxy is a stand-in for a card you do not own. The simplest version is a basic land with the card’s name and abilities written on it in marker, slipped into a sleeve in front of the land.

    Proxies are perfectly fine for:

    • Casual kitchen-table games — as long as your playgroup agrees
    • Testing before buying — figuring out if a $15 card is actually worth it for your deck
    • Commander nights — many playgroups allow proxies freely

    Proxies are not allowed in:

    • Sanctioned tournaments (FNM, Regionals, etc.)
    • Any event run under official Wizards of the Coast rules

    The community has generally become more accepting of proxies over the years, especially in Commander. The key is to be upfront with your playgroup about what you are proxying and why.

    Find Budget Alternatives with Scryfall

    You do not always need the most expensive version of an effect. Magic has printed thousands of cards over 30 years, and there is almost always a cheaper card that does something similar.

    The best tool for finding alternatives is Scryfall. Use its advanced search to look for cards by ability text, color, mana cost, and price. Here are some practical examples:

    Expensive Card Budget Alternative Why It Works
    Swords to Plowshares (~$3) Path to Exile (~$1) or Condemn (~$0.25) All remove a creature for one white mana
    Cyclonic Rift (~$30) Flood of Tears (~$0.50) or River’s Rebuke (~$0.50) Mass bounce effects at a fraction of the cost
    Rhystic Study (~$40) Mystic Remora (~$3) or Keep Watch (~$0.25) Card draw engines that punish opponents
    Damnation (~$25) Crux of Fate (~$1) or Languish (~$0.50) Board wipes that clear most creatures

    Scryfall Search Tips for New Players

    Try these searches to find budget cards for your deck:

    • o:"destroy target creature" c:b cmc<=3 usd<1 — Black removal under $1
    • o:"draw" o:"card" c:u t:enchantment usd<2 — Blue card draw enchantments under $2
    • t:land o:"add" ci:rg usd<1 — Red-green dual lands under $1

    For Commander specifically, EDHREC shows you the most popular cards for any commander, broken down by category (ramp, removal, draw, etc.). It also highlights budget options and common substitutions.

    Pick a Strategy and Commit to It

    The single most common mistake new deckbuilders make is trying to do too many things at once. Your deck wants to attack with small creatures AND control the board AND play big finishers AND mill the opponent? Pick one.

    Every card in your deck should answer the question: “Does this help my deck do its main thing?”

    Here is a simple framework for staying focused:

    1. Define your game plan in one sentence. “I want to play cheap creatures and attack before my opponent can set up.” That is aggro. “I want to survive the early game and win with one big spell.” That is control. If you cannot describe your plan in one sentence, your deck is not focused enough.

    2. Choose cards that support that plan. If your game plan is aggressive, every creature should be cheap and efficient. A seven-mana dragon does not belong in that deck, no matter how cool it looks.

    3. Cut cards that do not contribute. This is the hardest part. You will have cards you love that simply do not fit your strategy. Set them aside for a different deck — they will find a home eventually.

    Want to learn about the major deck strategies? Read our guides on aggro, control, midrange, and combo archetypes.

    Build a Mana Base That Works

    New players tend to overlook their lands, but your mana base is the engine that powers everything else. If your lands cannot produce the right colors on time, even the best spells in the world will sit dead in your hand.

    Budget Mana Base Staples

    You do not need fetch lands and shock lands to have a functional mana base. These affordable options work well for most casual and Commander decks:

    • Command Tower (~$0.25) — Produces any color in your commander’s identity. An auto-include in every Commander deck.
    • Exotic Orchard (~$0.25) — Taps for any color your opponents’ lands can produce. Almost always relevant in multiplayer.
    • Tri-lands (Seaside Citadel, Savage Lands, etc.) (~$0.25-$0.50) — Enter tapped but produce three colors.
    • Gain lands (Tranquil Cove, Blossoming Sands, etc.) (~$0.10) — Enter tapped, gain 1 life, produce two colors. Cheap and easy to find.
    • Pain lands (Yavimaya Coast, Caves of Koilos, etc.) (~$1-$3) — Enter untapped and tap for two colors at the cost of 1 life. A step up from gain lands.

    A general guideline for 60-card decks: run about 24 lands for midrange, 20-22 for aggro, and 26-27 for control. For Commander, 36-38 lands is a solid starting point.

    Read Your Metagame

    Your metagame (often shortened to “meta”) is simply the collection of decks your regular opponents play. This matters because deckbuilding does not happen in a vacuum — you are building a deck to beat specific people playing specific strategies.

    Ask yourself these three questions:

    1. What decks do my friends play? If everyone at your table plays creature-heavy decks, you want board wipes and removal. If someone always plays combo, you want ways to interact with their key pieces.

    2. What cards do I keep losing to? If one specific card ruins your game plan every time, build your deck with an answer to it.

    3. What is nobody prepared for? If everyone at your table is loading up on creature removal, a deck that wins with enchantments or artifacts might catch them off guard.

    You do not need to rebuild your deck from scratch every week. Small adjustments — swapping two or three cards in and out — can make a big difference against your local meta.

    Start with a Prebuilt Product

    If the idea of building from scratch still feels overwhelming, there is no shame in starting with a prebuilt deck and modifying it over time. In fact, it is one of the best ways to learn:

    • Commander preconstructed decks (~$40-$50) — Wizards releases these with every major set. They are playable out of the box and give you a solid foundation to upgrade. Pick a commander that excites you and start swapping in better cards over time.
    • Pauper — An officially supported format where every card must be common rarity. Competitive decks cost $20-$50 total. It is the best way to play Magic on a strict budget.
    • Challenger decks — Standard-legal preconstructed decks designed to be competitive at Friday Night Magic.

    Starting with a prebuilt product teaches you how a well-constructed deck is put together before you try building one entirely on your own.

    Quick Start Checklist

    Use this checklist every time you sit down to build a new deck:

    • [ ] Set a budget — Decide your spending limit before browsing cards
    • [ ] Pick a format — Standard, Commander, Pauper, or casual kitchen table
    • [ ] Define your strategy in one sentence — “This deck wants to ____”
    • [ ] Build digitally first — Use Moxfield or Archidekt to draft your list
    • [ ] Stick to the minimum deck size — 60 cards for constructed, 100 for Commander
    • [ ] Test before you buy — Goldfish your deck and play sample hands
    • [ ] Check your mana base — Right number of lands, right color sources
    • [ ] Cut cards that do not fit your plan — Be ruthless
    • [ ] Consider your metagame — Include answers to what your friends play
    • [ ] Iterate — Your first version will not be perfect, and that is fine

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How much should I spend on my first MTG deck?

    There is no wrong answer, but $25-$50 is a comfortable range for a first casual or Commander deck. Pauper decks can be built for under $30. Commander precons run about $40-$50 and are playable immediately. Start small, learn what you enjoy, and upgrade over time rather than spending $200 on a deck you might not end up liking.

    Can I have more than 60 cards in my deck?

    Technically, yes. The rules set a minimum, not a maximum (except for Commander, which is exactly 100). But you should almost always stick to the minimum. Every card beyond 60 reduces your consistency — the chance of drawing the specific card you need when you need it goes down. Treat the minimum as your target.

    What is the best format for beginners on a budget?

    Commander and Pauper are both excellent choices. Commander is the most popular casual format, preconstructed decks are affordable and immediately playable, and the social multiplayer nature of the format is forgiving for new players. Pauper restricts decks to common-rarity cards only, which keeps costs extremely low while still offering deep strategy. Either format lets you build a competitive deck without breaking the bank.

    This guide is a modernized version of “The Basics” from The Casual Planeswalker’s 2009 Ultimate Guide to Deckbuilding. The core principles have not changed — but the tools, formats, and card options available to new players have never been better.

    Have questions about building your first deck? Drop a comment below or check out our Complete Guide to MTG Deckbuilding for the full deep dive.

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  • The Complete Guide to Casual MTG Deckbuilding

    The Complete Guide to Casual MTG Deckbuilding

    Building your own Magic: The Gathering deck is one of the most rewarding parts of the game. There is nothing quite like sitting down across from a friend, shuffling up sixty cards you chose yourself, and watching your plan come together. But if you have ever stared at a pile of cards and thought, “Where do I even start?” — you are not alone.

    This guide walks you through everything you need to build a casual MTG deck that actually works. Whether you are constructing your first 60-card kitchen table deck or assembling a Commander list for your Friday night group, the fundamentals here will help you build something focused, fun, and competitive enough to hold its own.

    Why Deck Size Matters More Than You Think

    Here is the single most important rule in deckbuilding, and the one that new players break most often: stick to the minimum deck size.

    For most constructed formats, that means 60 cards. For Commander (EDH), it means exactly 100 cards (99 cards plus your commander). You might feel tempted to squeeze in a few extra cards because they all seem good. Resist that urge.

    The math is straightforward. If you have a key card in your deck and you are running 60 cards with four copies, you have roughly a 40% chance of seeing it in your opening hand. Bump the deck to 75 cards and that probability drops to about 33%. At 90 cards, you are below 28%. Every card you add above the minimum makes your best cards harder to find.

    This is not just about probability — it affects your entire game plan:

    • Consistency drops. You draw the right card at the right time less often.
    • Mana ratios get blurry. A good deck needs a precise balance of lands to spells, and extra cards throw that ratio off.
    • Games take longer. Oversized decks are harder to shuffle, slower to execute their plan, and more frustrating to pilot.

    If you find yourself unable to cut down to the minimum, that is usually a sign your deck is trying to do too many things at once. Which brings us to the next point.

    Start With a Central Idea

    Every good deck starts with a question: What is this deck trying to do?

    Maybe your answer is “attack with a swarm of small creatures before the opponent stabilizes.” Maybe it is “control the board until I can land a massive game-ending threat.” Maybe it is “assemble a two-card combo and win on the spot.” All of those are valid answers — the key is picking one and committing to it.

    New deckbuilders often fall into the trap of building what experienced players call a “good stuff pile.” You open your collection, pull out every powerful card in your colors, and shuffle them together. The problem is that a deck full of individually strong cards with no shared purpose will lose to a focused deck with a clear plan almost every time. Synergy beats raw power.

    How to Find Your Focus

    1. Pick your win condition. How does this deck actually win the game? Name it specifically.
    2. Choose cards that support that plan. Every card in your deck should either advance your win condition, protect it, or buy you time to execute it.
    3. Ask the hard question for every card. Before including something, ask: “Does this help my deck do what it wants to do?” If the answer is no — even if the card is powerful — leave it out.

    Here is a practical example. Say you are building a green-white deck around the idea of going wide with creature tokens. Cards like Adeline, Resplendent Cathar, Raise the Alarm, and Intangible Virtue all support that plan directly. But if you also jam in a copy of Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider just because it is a big green creature you own, you are diluting your strategy. That card costs seven mana in a deck that wants to win before turn seven, and it does not create or buff tokens.

    Every card earns its slot, or it does not make the cut.

    Staying Focused in Commander

    Commander adds a unique challenge because you are working with 100 singleton cards instead of 60 cards with up to four copies each. Maintaining focus in a 100-card deck requires extra discipline.

    A popular method is the Rule of 8s (sometimes called the “8×8 method”). The idea is simple:

    1. Identify 8 categories your deck needs (such as ramp, card draw, removal, win conditions, protection, and so on).
    2. Assign roughly 8 cards to each category.
    3. That accounts for 64 cards. Add 36 lands, and you have your 100.

    This is not a rigid formula — some categories might get 6 cards while others get 10 — but it provides a solid skeleton that keeps your deck from drifting into unfocused territory. You can always tune the numbers after playtesting.

    For a deeper dive into aggressive strategies, check out How to Build an Aggro Deck. If you are more interested in reactive strategies, we also have a guide on Building Your First Control Deck.

    Building on a Budget

    Not everyone wants to drop hundreds of dollars on a deck, and you absolutely do not have to. Some of the most fun casual games happen with budget brews that cost less than a single chase mythic rare.

    Set a Budget Before You Start

    Before you start shopping for singles, decide how much you are willing to spend. Having a hard number in mind — whether that is $25, $50, or $100 — prevents you from rationalizing “just one more expensive card” over and over until you have accidentally spent far more than you planned.

    A few budget-friendly approaches:

    • Set a per-card ceiling. Decide that no single card in the deck will cost more than $2 (or $5, or whatever your threshold is). This forces creative card choices and often leads to more interesting decks.
    • Build the deck first, buy second. Assemble the full list on a free tool like Moxfield or Archidekt and check the total price before purchasing anything.
    • Upgrade over time. Start with budget versions and swap in pricier cards as you go. You do not need the perfect version on day one.

    Finding Budget Card Alternatives

    One of the best deckbuilding skills you can develop is finding cheaper cards that do a similar job to expensive staples. The effect will not always be identical — budget alternatives usually come with a slightly higher mana cost, a smaller body, or some other drawback — but they often get the job done well enough for casual play.

    Here are some examples of expensive cards and their budget-friendly substitutes:

    Expensive Card Budget Alternative Notes
    Swords to Plowshares (~$3-5) Path of Peril, Condemn, or Declaration in Stone Swords is still affordable compared to many staples, but these alternatives work well in casual
    Farewell (~$8-12) Austere Command, Cleansing Nova, or Doomskar Board wipes at different price points and flexibility levels
    Ignoble Hierarch (~$8) Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, or Elves of the Navel One-mana dorks are plentiful and most cost pennies
    Shock Lands (~$10-15 each) Gain lands, campuses, or basic lands A mana base of basics and budget duals works fine at the kitchen table
    Rhystic Study (~$30-40) Curiosity Crafter, Reconnaissance Mission, or Keep Watch Commander staple with plenty of cheaper card-draw options available

    The best tool for finding alternatives is Scryfall. Use its advanced search syntax to find cards with similar abilities. For example, searching o:"destroy all creatures" cmc<=5 usd<1 shows you every budget board wipe in the game. Scryfall’s syntax takes some learning, but it is the single most powerful card search engine available and it is completely free.

    Use Proxies to Playtest

    Before spending real money, proxy your deck. A proxy is simply a stand-in for a card you do not own — you can write the card name and key abilities on a basic land with a marker, print paper proxies to slip in front of bulk commons in sleeves, or use a service like MakePlayingCards for higher-quality test prints.

    Proxies let you answer the most important question before you buy: “Is this deck actually fun to play?”

    Most casual playgroups are fine with proxies, especially during the testing phase. Just communicate with your group about it. The goal is to make sure you enjoy the deck before investing in it.

    Playtesting: Test Before You Invest

    Playtesting is not just for competitive players grinding tournament lists. Even casual deckbuilders benefit enormously from running their deck through a few games before committing to a final version. It shows you what works, what sits dead in your hand, and where the gaps are.

    Digital Playtesting Tools

    You have more free playtesting options in 2026 than ever before:

    • MTG Arena — The official free-to-play digital client. Great for testing Standard and Explorer-legal decks. The matchmaking system means you will face real opponents with real decks.
    • Cockatrice — A free, open-source client where you can build any deck with any card and play against others online. No card restrictions and no cost. The interface is not flashy, but it gets the job done and supports every format.
    • Tabletop Simulator — A paid app on Steam with community-made MTG modules. Feels closest to paper play. Good for testing Commander games with your actual playgroup remotely.
    • Moxfield — While primarily a deck builder, Moxfield has a playtest feature that lets you goldfish (play solo against no opponent) to test your mana curve, opening hands, and draw sequences. It also calculates deck price automatically and shows you mana distribution charts.
    • Archidekt — Another excellent deck builder with a built-in playtester, card recommendations, and Commander-specific analytics like color pip distribution and EDHREC synergy scores.

    What to Look for When Playtesting

    Run through at least 10-15 sample games (or goldfish sessions) and pay attention to:

    • Opening hands. Are you consistently getting a playable mix of lands and spells? If you are mulliganing more than 30% of the time, your ratios are off.
    • Mana curve. Do you have something to do on turns one through four? Or are you sitting idle until turn five? A common mistake in casual decks is loading up on expensive spells and having nothing to do early.
    • Dead draws. Are there cards that consistently sit in your hand doing nothing? That is a sign they do not belong.
    • Win condition access. Can you reliably find or draw into your win condition? If not, you may need more card draw, tutors, or redundant copies of similar effects.

    Playtesting saves money. There is no worse feeling than buying a full deck of singles, shuffling up, and realizing after three games that it does not work. Test first, buy second.

    Building Your Mana Base

    Your mana base is the engine of your deck. Even the most brilliant strategy falls apart if you cannot cast your spells on time. New deckbuilders tend to underthink their lands, but this is one of the areas where a little attention pays off the most.

    Land Count Guidelines

    As a starting point:

    Format Typical Land Count Notes
    60-card aggro 20-22 lands Low curve, wants to spend mana on spells every turn
    60-card midrange 23-25 lands Needs to hit land drops through turn 4-5
    60-card control 25-27 lands Wants to hit every land drop, often runs expensive spells
    Commander 35-38 lands Plus 8-12 pieces of ramp (mana rocks, mana dorks, land ramp)

    These are guidelines, not rules. A deck packed with cheap one-mana and two-mana spells can afford fewer lands. A deck with multiple six-drops needs more.

    Choosing the Right Lands

    If you are playing more than one color, you need lands that produce multiple colors of mana. Here is a quick rundown of the major options from least to most expensive:

    • Basic lands — Free, reliable, and never enter tapped. Do not underestimate a mana base that is mostly basics.
    • Gain lands / life lands — Enter tapped but gain you 1 life. Available for every color pair and cost pennies. Fine for casual play.
    • Slow lands (Haunted Ridge, Dreamroot Cascade, etc.) — Enter untapped if you control two or more other lands. Excellent for mid-game and very affordable.
    • Pain lands (Yavimaya Coast, Caves of Koilos, etc.) — Tap for colorless freely, or pay 1 life for a color. Untapped and budget-friendly. A classic that has aged well.
    • Pathway lands (Branchloft Pathway, Clearwater Pathway, etc.) — Modal double-faced lands that you choose a side for when you play them. Always enter untapped.
    • Shock lands (Breeding Pool, Blood Crypt, etc.) — Enter untapped if you pay 2 life. The gold standard for multicolor mana bases, searchable with fetch effects, but they run $10-15 each.
    • Surveil lands (Underground Mortuary, Thundering Falls, etc.) — The newest dual land cycle. Enter tapped unless you pay 3 life, and let you surveil 1 when they enter. A strong budget-to-mid option.

    For casual play, a mix of basics, pain lands, and slow lands gives you a smooth, affordable mana base. You do not need fetch lands and shock lands to have fun at the kitchen table.

    For a more detailed breakdown, check out our Guide to Building a Mana Base.

    Know Your Metagame

    Deckbuilding does not happen in a vacuum. The best casual deck in the world is the one that is tuned to beat the decks you actually play against.

    Your metagame — often shortened to “the meta” — is the collection of decks and strategies you regularly face. In competitive Magic, the meta is defined by tournament results and online data. In casual Magic, it is defined by your playgroup.

    Questions to Ask About Your Meta

    • What decks do your friends play? Does your group lean toward creature-heavy strategies, combo decks, or control?
    • What cards give you the most trouble? If one friend’s Atraxa deck takes over every game, your deck needs a plan for that.
    • What do you consistently lose to? Identifying patterns in your losses is the fastest way to improve your deckbuilding.

    Adapting Without Losing Focus

    The key to metagame adjustment is making targeted changes without gutting your core strategy. A few examples:

    • If your group plays lots of creatures, include efficient removal like Go for the Throat, Swords to Plowshares, or Path to Exile.
    • If someone always resolves a game-ending enchantment, make sure you have answers like Nature’s Claim, Boseiju, Who Endures, or Farewell.
    • If graveyard strategies are common, slot in Unlicensed Hearse, Rest in Peace, or Soul-Guide Lantern.
    • If artifacts are everywhere, Collector’s Vault, Vandalblast, or Brotherhood’s End can clean up the board.

    In Commander specifically, you can use EDHREC to look up any commander and see the most commonly played cards. This helps you anticipate what your opponents might be running and plan accordingly.

    The goal is not to turn your deck into a pile of answers — it is to make smart, surgical swaps that shore up your weaknesses while keeping your main plan intact.

    Putting It All Together: The Deckbuilding Checklist

    Before you sleeve up and shuffle, run through this checklist:

    1. Stick to the minimum deck size. 60 cards for constructed, 100 for Commander. No exceptions.
    2. Define your win condition. You should be able to explain in one sentence how this deck wins.
    3. Every card earns its slot. If a card does not advance your plan, protect it, or buy time, cut it.
    4. Check your mana base. Make sure your land count and color distribution support your curve.
    5. Playtest before you buy. Use Moxfield, Cockatrice, or paper proxies to test the deck first.
    6. Adapt to your playgroup. Tune your removal, answers, and interaction based on what you actually face.

    These fundamentals apply whether you are building a $20 budget brew or a $500 optimized Commander deck. The principles do not change — only the card quality does.

    Recommended Deckbuilding Resources

    If you want to go deeper, here are the tools and sites worth bookmarking:

    • Scryfall — The best card search engine. Learn the advanced syntax and you can find any card for any situation.
    • EDHREC — The definitive Commander resource. Shows you the most popular cards for any commander, plus budget filters and theme pages.
    • Moxfield — Clean deck builder with playtesting, price tracking, and community deck sharing.
    • Archidekt — Feature-rich deck builder with Commander-focused analytics and recommendations.
    • MTG Goldfish — Deck lists, metagame data, budget deck series, and price tracking across formats.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How many lands should I put in a 60-card deck?

    Most 60-card decks run between 22 and 26 lands, depending on the average mana cost of your spells. Aggressive decks with low curves (lots of one-drops and two-drops) can get away with 20-22. Midrange and control decks that need to hit land drops consistently should run 24-26. Use the Frank Karsten mana base article as a reference for precise numbers.

    How many lands do I need in a Commander deck?

    A typical Commander deck runs 35-38 lands, supplemented by 8-12 ramp sources (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Cultivate, mana dorks, and similar effects). Lower-curve decks can go down to 33-34 lands with heavy ramp packages, while higher-curve decks should lean toward 37-38. The Rule of 8s framework from earlier in this guide is a good starting point.

    Is it okay to use proxies in casual play?

    Yes, and you should — especially during the playtesting phase. Most casual playgroups welcome proxies as long as you communicate openly about it. Proxies let you test a deck before spending money, try out expensive cards you are considering purchasing, and keep power levels balanced in your group. Just ask your playgroup what their policy is before showing up with a fully proxied deck.

    What is the best format for a new player to start deckbuilding in?

    Commander is the most popular casual format and has the widest card pool, but that can be overwhelming for a brand-new deckbuilder. If you are just starting out, consider building a simple 60-card casual deck first to learn the fundamentals — land ratios, mana curves, and card selection. Once you are comfortable with those basics, Commander is an excellent next step. Preconstructed Commander decks are also a fantastic entry point that you can customize over time.

    This post is part of The Ultimate Guide to Deckbuilding series, a modernized version of The Casual Planeswalker’s original guide. Check out the other posts in this series:

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