Deck Ratios
These are baseline numbers for a mid-power Commander deck. They work across most strategies. Specific archetypes deviate from these, covered in ratios by archetype.
The baseline
| Category | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lands | 35-38 | 37 is the most common starting point |
| Ramp | 10-12 | Rocks, dorks, land ramp |
| Card draw | 8-10 | Mix of sustained engines and burst |
| Targeted removal | 8-12 | Instant-speed preferred |
| Board wipes | 3-4 | Minimum 2 |
| Win conditions | 7-10 | Cards that close the game |
| Recursion | 2-4 | More if graveyard-focused |
| Protection | 2-4 | Boots, counterspells, indestructible effects |
| Flex / synergy | ~10-20 | Commander-specific, pet cards |
Total mana sources
Lands plus ramp should add up to 47-50. If you're running 37 lands and 10 ramp spells, that's 47. Enough to cast things on time in a typical game.
If you drop to 35 lands, compensate with 12+ ramp. If you go to 38 lands, 10 ramp is fine. The total is what matters.
Cards that fill multiple roles
Some cards belong in two categories. Beast Within is removal that hits any permanent type. Ravenous Chupacabra is removal and a creature body for sacrifice. Skullclamp is card draw and a combo piece.
Count these in whichever category is weaker in your deck. If you're short on removal, count Beast Within there. If removal is fine but you need more card draw, count it wherever makes the numbers work.
Cards that fill multiple roles are the best cards in your deck. They're the reason 99 cards is enough.
"How does this deck win?"
The question most beginners don't answer clearly enough. You have 7-10 slots for win conditions. What are they?
Specific examples by strategy:
- Tokens: Craterhoof Behemoth, Triumph of the Hordes, Overwhelming Stampede
- Aristocrats: Blood Artist loops, Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Kokusho, the Evening Star recursion
- Control: Torment of Hailfire, Approach of the Second Sun, Thassa's Oracle combo
- Voltron: Commander damage with evasion and pump
- Tribal: Lords plus mass pump plus evasive attacks
If you can't name 5 cards in your deck that win the game, add more. You need redundancy. One win condition that gets exiled shouldn't end your chances.
The common mistakes
Not enough card draw. When your deck runs out of gas by turn 6, it's almost always this. 8 is the floor.
Not enough ramp. Decks that don't ramp are a full turn behind for the rest of the game. 10 is the floor.
Too much synergy, not enough infrastructure. It's tempting to fill your deck with cool synergy pieces. But if you can't draw cards, remove threats, or accelerate your mana, those synergy pieces sit in a hand you can't empty and a board you can't protect.
No win conditions. A deck that generates value but never closes the game. You need to actually kill three opponents. That requires specific cards that deal lethal amounts of damage, drain, or combo.