Mana Curve
Your mana curve is the distribution of mana costs across your non-land cards. A deck with too many expensive spells can't do anything for the first four turns. A deck with too many cheap spells runs out of impact in the late game.
Commander games last roughly 10-12 turns on average. You want to use your mana efficiently across those turns.
The targets
Average mana value: 2.8-3.5 for most decks. Below 2.8 is aggressive or combo-focused. Above 3.5 means you're running a lot of expensive cards and need extra ramp to compensate.
50% of your non-land spells should cost 3 or less. This ensures you have things to do in the early game while you develop your board.
The bulk of your deck lives at 2-4 mana. This is where your ramp, removal, card draw, and utility pieces sit.
Cards costing 5+ need to justify themselves. A 6-mana card that only draws you 3 cards is worse than a 3-mana card that draws you 2. Higher cost needs proportionally higher impact.
How your commander shifts the curve
Your commander's mana cost changes what your deck needs.
Cheap commander (1-3 mana): You'll cast it early and often. Build a leaner curve. Aggressive strategies, or strategies that depend on having your commander in play, benefit from low-cost commanders because the command tax stays manageable.
Mid-range commander (4-5 mana): Standard curve. You cast your commander on turn 3-4 with ramp, or on curve at turn 4-5. This is where most commanders live.
Expensive commander (6+ mana): You need more ramp and cheap interaction to survive until you can cast it. Your first few turns are spent ramping and holding up removal. The curve should be bimodal: lots of 1-3 mana cards (ramp, interaction) and a smaller number of high-impact expensive cards.
Practical mana costs
Some cards cost more than you'll actually pay. Their printed mana value is misleading.
- Blasphemous Act — costs {8}{R} but you almost always cast it for {R} since it costs {1} less per creature on the battlefield. In a multiplayer game, there are usually enough creatures.
- Treasure Cruise — costs {7}{U} but you delve away cards from your graveyard. Often costs {U} or {1}{U}.
- Force of Will — costs {3}{U}{U} but you can exile a blue card and pay 1 life instead. The real cost is card disadvantage, not mana.
- Convoke creatures — Venerated Loxodon, Stoke the Flames. Tap your creatures to help pay.
When evaluating your curve, think about what cards will actually cost to cast, not just what's printed.
What to cut
If your average mana value is too high, look for these:
- Cards that cost 5+ and only affect one opponent or one permanent. Multiplayer demands efficiency.
- Cards that cost 4+ and do something you already have covered at lower mana costs.
- "Win more" cards that are only good when you're already ahead. If you're behind, can you cast this? If not, consider replacing it.
If your curve is too low and you're running out of things to do late game, the problem is probably card draw, not the curve itself. See card draw.