Commander Mana Base Guide: How Many Lands Do You Really Need?

Your mana base is the foundation of your deck. Get it wrong and nothing else matters — you'll spend games staring at uncastable cards. Here's how to get it right.

How Many Lands?

The short answer: 36-38 lands for most decks, plus 10-12 ramp sources.

The longer answer depends on your average mana value (AMV): - AMV under 2.5: 33-35 lands (aggressive, low-curve decks) - AMV 2.5-3.5: 36-38 lands (most decks) - AMV over 3.5: 38-40 lands (big mana, battlecruiser decks)

Color Fixing by Deck Type

Mono-color Easy mode. Run 35-38 basics plus utility lands (Rogue's Passage, Castle Garenbrig, etc.).

Two-color - 8-10 dual lands (shock lands, check lands, pain lands, battle lands) - 12-15 of each basic - Command Tower, Exotic Orchard

Three-color - 12-15 dual/tri lands - 5-8 of each basic - Command Tower, Exotic Orchard, Mana Confluence - Consider fetch lands if budget allows

Four-five color - Minimize basics (2-3 of each at most) - Maximize rainbow lands (Command Tower, City of Brass, Mana Confluence) - Run all available tri-lands and good duals - Add Chromatic Lantern and similar fixers

Ramp Categories

Not all ramp is equal: - Mana rocks (Sol Ring, Signets): Fast, vulnerable to artifact removal - Land ramp (Cultivate, Kodama's Reach): Slower, but lands are harder to remove - Mana dorks (Llanowar Elves, Birds of Paradise): Fastest, but die to board wipes

Mix ramp types so you're not completely shut down by one Vandalblast.

Common Mistakes

• Too many tap lands — If most of your lands enter tapped, you're always a turn behind
• Not enough colored sources — A 3-color deck needs at least 15 sources of each color
• Cutting lands for cool spells — Resist the temptation. 34 lands is almost never correct
• Ignoring ramp — 10 ramp sources minimum. Sol Ring alone isn't enough

Our AI deck builder automatically calculates the optimal mana base for your colors and curve, saving you the headache of doing this math manually.