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For a typical 100-card Commander deck, start with 36 to 38 lands. EDHREC’s deck-building guide recommends that range and says to lean higher when your commander has a mana value of five or more. Bennie Smith, writing for EDHREC on November 29, 2024, recommends 39 lands for a 100-card deck. Neither figure is a rule. The format only fixes the total at 100 cards, and the right land count depends on your curve, your ramp and card draw, and your color requirements.
Where the starting numbers come from
Two published recommendations carry most of the advice on land counts. They differ slightly, and the reasons they differ are useful when you tune your own list.
| Source | Recommended lands | Conditions the author attaches | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EDHREC, “How to Build a Commander Deck” (edhrec.com/guides/how-to-build-a-commander-deck) | 36–38 as a starting point, then adjust | Go higher when the commander’s mana value is five or greater | Publication date not stated in the version reviewed |
| Bennie Smith, EDHREC, “Foundations: How to Build Mana Bases” (edhrec.com/articles/foundations-how-to-build-mana-bases) | 39 | Reliable opening-hand land access, later land draws, the commander tax on recasts, and useful mana sinks all argue for extra lands | November 29, 2024 |
Smith’s argument for 39 rests on how often a Commander deck has to find mana. The commander can be cast from the command zone again and again, and each recast costs more. The guide’s 36–38 range is aimed at a first draft of an ordinary list, with a push upward for an expensive commander. Read together, they point to the same place: a baseline in the high 30s, with the exact number set by how demanding your deck is.
Neither source reports a study that measured which land count wins the most games. Both are expert recommendations, not measured outcomes.
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What the 100-card rule changes
The Comprehensive Rules fix a Commander deck at exactly 100 cards, and the commander counts toward that total (rule 903.5a). Every land you add is one fewer nonland card, so the land count is always a trade-off against spells. Three other rules shape which lands you can use:
- Singleton. Apart from basic lands, no two cards in the deck can share an English name.
- Color identity. Every card’s color identity must fit inside the commander’s. A land is also constrained by its land types: a land with basic land types may produce only colors within the commander’s identity.
- Commander tax. Each time the commander is cast from the command zone, its cost rises by two generic mana for every previous cast from there. This is the main reason an expensive or frequently recast commander pushes the land count up.
The Comprehensive Rules are revised periodically. Check the current edition before you rely on a specific rule number in a discussion or a judged event.
How to adjust from the starting range
The starting range is only useful once you test it against your own list. These are the factors the two recommendations treat as decisive.
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Commander cost
A commander with mana value five or greater is the clearest reason to move toward 38 or 39 lands. A cheap commander that comes down on turn two or three gives you a lighter requirement, so the lower end of the range is usually enough.
Curve and turn plan
Lay out your spells by mana value and by the turn you expect to cast them. Wizards of the Coast’s introduction to mana, “The Basics of Mana” (magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/basics-mana-2014-08-18, August 18, 2014), notes that the right curve depends on context rather than a fixed formula. A deck with many expensive spells that cannot reach its mana leaves cards stranded in hand, which is the clearest sign you need more lands or more ramp.
Ramp and card draw
Mana rocks, mana creatures, and land-fetching effects change how many lands you need, but no published source gives a one-for-one conversion. Do not cut a land for each ramp spell. Treat ramp as a reason to test a lower count, then keep it only if your early and mid-game plays still happen on time. Card draw helps you find lands late, which is part of why Smith recommends a higher count rather than a lower one.
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Color sources
A total land count says nothing about whether you can cast your spells. EDHREC’s guide recommends checking your color-source counts against the color requirements in the list, and it names Archidekt as a tool for doing this and for viewing the mana curve. Count sources for each color, paying attention to double-colored costs and early plays. Then confirm that every land is legal under the commander’s color identity.
Mana sinks
Extra lands are less of a problem when they do something. Smith gives examples of lands with activated abilities that turn surplus mana into value late in the game. Wizards also recommends mana sinks as a way to reduce the cost of flooding. A deck with several sinks can comfortably run the higher end of the range, while a deck with none should be more cautious about extra lands.
Setting your land count
- Start at 36 lands for a commander with a mana value below five, or at 38 for one at five or above.
- Count the other 99 cards, including ramp, card draw, and any mana sinks, and list each card’s mana value.
- Check color sources for every color your early plays need, and confirm that each land fits the commander’s color identity.
- Remove one land for each reliable ramp source you have only if the curve stays playable. If your curve is heavy or the commander is costly, add the land back.
- Add a land or two toward 39 if your deck relies on activated abilities from its lands, or if the commander is recast often.
- Play several games before changing the count, using the testing guidance below.
Testing and variance
A single mana-screw or mana-flood game tells you very little. Wizards of the Coast’s guidance on mana states that variance is normal and advises looking for a pattern across a couple dozen games before changing land counts. Keep notes on the turn you first cast your commander, the games where you were stuck on one color, and the games where you drew lands past the point you needed them. A repeated problem points to a change; a single bad draw does not.
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What the evidence does not settle
The 36–38 and 39 figures are reasonable starting points, not measured optimums. Official guidance on mana does not give a Commander-specific land formula, and neither the Wizards article nor the EDHREC pieces offer a rule for trading ramp for lands or a universal color-source table. Treat any single number as a place to begin the testing process.
Basic lands are also the simplest components to buy, but whether a given product is available or priced well is outside what these sources establish, so check current listings directly.
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