Card Ratios
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on July 15, 2015, 12:48 p.m. by ComradeJim270
Really loving this format, especially now that I've built my own deck from the ground up. Said deck isn't always behaving though. I'm struggling to balance it properly.
So here's the question, fellow EDH players; what do you find to be a good balance of different card types/functions in your decks?
- How many lands?
- How many mana rocks?
- Creatures?
- Support cards like enchantments, artifacts, etc.
- Removal spells?
- Tutors, card draw?
- Recursion spells?
Obviously it can vary greatly depending on the player and the commander, but I'm trying to get a general feel for this so I have a baseline for fine-tuning my decks. Any advice is appreciated.
ComradeJim270 says... #3
Well I was hoping for some general rules of thumb, but that's very true. Thanks so much for pointing out that site for me, it's incredibly helpful!
July 15, 2015 1:07 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
Lands and maybe mana rocks are the only things you can generalize. The rest of the deck's composition varies too wildly for an accurate rule or guideline.
In general, you should aim for 36-40 lands. Try also to get between 3-6 mana rocks. Consider your color fixing as well.
There are other recent threads about this topic. You should look through the forum and see if any of that information can help you.
July 15, 2015 1:10 p.m.
Lands: you usually want to keep it as close to 40 as possible, but 34 is a possible minimum.
Mana Rocks: as many as you feel comfortable with, depending on the color. Mono blue will probably run more than a green deck.
Creatures: this is entirely dependent on what kind of deck you want to build. You can have anywhere from no creatures to 60. Try to run creatures that fit your deck's theme.
Support: like creatures, this also depends in what kind of deck you want to build. A few wouldn't hurt, but not too many.
Removal: enough to cover as much as you can.
Tutors/Card Draw: this is essential for consistency. Put in as much as you can fit without compromising the deck.
Recursion: this is useful, but not essential. Try a few spells, but not so many they encroach on your card draw, mana base, or theme.
Hope this helps!
July 15, 2015 1:13 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #7
Yeah, makes sense Agunman. The problem I've had is the tendency to put in too much support and removal (a theme in my decks, which makes me feel like I'd be better off playing more control decks). This has occasionally put me into situations where I'll have a bunch of answers in hand but no threats, no finishers. It happens more often than I'd like.
July 15, 2015 1:17 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #8
It also helps to think about cards not in terms of their types but rather in terms of their function.
I have articles about the elements of a strong deck. You can find those on my profile page.
July 15, 2015 1:18 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #9
I did notice that, Epoch. I've read some of them and found them very helpful, I may not have gotten to that part yet.
July 15, 2015 1:23 p.m.
Karns_Pyromancer says... #10
I'm a bit odd in that I don't play with a lot of mana rocks (or any) unless my land count is below 38. I currently run a Tasigur deck with 58 land and absolutely love it.
July 15, 2015 2:30 p.m.
I usually put about 34-35 lands in my edh decks. In my opition it is better to focus on card draw and stuff like Sign in Blood to draw through your library. Then you'll automatically get your consistant land drops. How much tutors you run depends on whether you play combo (then run a lot) or if you play anything else (then I'd put in just a few). It is also a decision about how different you want to play your games. If you are focused on fun, it may help to include a lot of card draw (it is a must have in every deck) but no tutors to have a unique experience for each of your matches.
zelian12 says... #2
Its hard to make general statements without knowing about your deck and local meta. I try to have ~37 lands, 30-35 creatures, ~10 of each ramp and card draw. you should check out edhrec.com which allows you to search by commander to see the average number of each card type across thousands of decks and also makes suggestions to decklists you already have.
July 15, 2015 1:02 p.m.