For a typical midrange Commander deck, start with roughly 36–38 lands, 10–12 ramp sources, 8–12 card-advantage sources, 8–10 targeted answers, and 2–3 board wipes. These are deckbuilding guidelines, not official rules: tune them to your mana curve, colors, commander, strategy, and table.
Commander rules set the deck size—not the role ratios
The Official Commander Website’s rules require exactly 100 cards, including the commander, and specify color identity and singleton construction, subject to basic-land and card-text exceptions. They do not require a particular number of lands, ramp spells, draw effects, removal spells, or win conditions.
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So a ratio is a starting framework for allocating those 99 non-commander slots, not a legality test. Wizards of the Coast makes the same broader point about mana bases: “There are no hard and fast rules about what a mana base should look like; any guidelines I can offer might need to be adjusted or completely scrapped under certain circumstances.” Its 2015 article, “The Basics of Mana,” discusses 40- and 60-card decks, so its example land counts should not be transplanted directly into Commander.
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Use this as a first draft for a typical, non-cEDH deck with a broadly midrange plan:
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- Lands: 36–38.
- Ramp: 10–12 sources.
- Card advantage: 8–12 sources, combining repeatable engines and useful one-shot effects.
- Targeted interaction: about 8–10 answers that cover the kinds of threats your deck needs to handle.
- Board wipes: 2–3.
One 100-card planning template allocates 1 commander, 38 lands, 10 ramp, 10 draw, 10 removal, 3 board wipes, 5 protection or utility cards, and about 23 theme or win-condition cards. It is an editorial template, not an official standard; see Tapped Decks’ 2026 template. Treat the categories as functions, not rigid piles: a single card can advance your theme, draw cards, and interact with an opponent.
When counting roles, decide how you will handle those hybrid cards. Counting a flexible card toward several needs can be useful for checking function, but do not count it as several separate slots when totaling your 100 cards.
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How to tune the numbers to your deck
Curve and ramp
A low-curve list with reliable, cheap ramp may work with fewer lands; expensive spells or a big-mana strategy can call for more. Ramp is not a one-for-one land substitute: many ramp spells need a land to cast, can be removed, and may not produce the colors you need. Consider both the cost of your early plays and whether your ramp helps you cast them on time.
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Land count alone does not tell you whether a mana base works. Check whether your lands and other sources can produce the colors your opening plays require. A deck can have a seemingly adequate number of lands and still stumble if it cannot access the right colors early.
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What your commander contributes
If your commander reliably draws cards or produces mana, you may need fewer separate cards filling that role in the 99. If it costs a lot, is often recast, or demands mana to activate, the deck may need more ramp or lands to support it.
Archetype and game speed
Archetypes shift emphasis rather than obey fixed ratios. Aggro or Voltron decks may prioritize cheap plays, protection, and haste; control may want more draw and interaction; combo may value tutors and selection; and big-mana decks may lean into additional lands and ramp. A slower table can reward resilient value and broad answers, while faster games can make cheap interaction and a lower curve more important. These are tuning directions, not universal laws.
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What recent deck data can—and cannot—tell you
ScrollVault analyzed 6,532 complete public Archidekt decks whose owners had declared a Commander bracket, collected on September 7, 2026. The report gives medians and middle-half ranges. Bracket labels were self-reported; the sample included roughly 1,300 decks per bracket rather than reflecting bracket popularity, and some card roles were classified using Scryfall tags or rules-text matching. These are descriptions of that sample, not optimal targets or proof that a particular ratio causes better results. See ScrollVault’s bracket analysis.
| Owner-declared bracket | Decks | Lands | Ramp | Card draw | Spot removal | Board wipes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,283 | 37 (middle half: 35–38) | 10 (6–15) | 8 (5–12) | 5 (3–7) | 2 (1–3) |
| 2 | 1,322 | 36 (35–37) | 13 (9–17) | 10 (7–13) | 5 (3–7) | 2 (1–3) |
| 3 | 1,285 | 36 (34–37) | 13 (10–18) | 10 (7–13) | 5 (3–7) | 2 (1–4) |
| 4 | 1,335 | 35 (33–37) | 14 (10–19) | 9 (7–12) | 5 (3–7) | 2 (1–3) |
| 5/cEDH | 1,307 | 28 (26–30) | 21 (17–25) | 9 (6–11) | 4 (2–6) | 1 (0–2) |
Each role figure is the median followed by the middle-half range of lists in that bracket. In this sample, Brackets 1–4 had median land counts of 35–37 and broadly similar median wipe counts. The sampled Bracket 5/cEDH lists had a distinct profile: fewer lands and more ramp. Their average mana value was 2.20 (middle half: 2.01–2.52), compared with about 3.1 for Brackets 1–4. The analysis also reports substantially more counterspells in the sampled cEDH lists. Because the groups were equally sampled by bracket and are owner-labeled, this contrast is not a census of all Commander decks and does not mean every high-power deck should copy those counts.
Use games to find the right adjustments
Start with a coherent list, then look for recurring problems rather than changing cards after one unlucky draw. Track whether you repeatedly miss early land drops, have unused mana, run out of cards, cannot answer important threats, or draw cards that do not help you win.
- Identify a repeated symptom. Note when it happens and whether it is tied to a particular turn, color, or kind of opponent threat.
- Check the role behind it. For example, a missed play may reflect too few lands, weak access to a color, or ramp that cannot help early—not simply a low land count.
- Change a small number of slots. Make adjustments that address the pattern while preserving the deck’s plan, then see whether the issue recurs.
Wizards of the Coast notes that mana variance is normal and recommends looking for patterns over a couple dozen games before changing land count. When comparing two lists, look beyond their totals: compare curve, early colored-source reliability, ramp quality, commander-provided draw or mana, interaction needs, expected game speed, and how each list closes games.
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