First things first, find your favorite legendary creature. You can pick pretty much anything you want, there is a very limited banned list you may want to check here, but for the most part, go with the one you like the best. This can be because you like the in game mechanics of the card, it can be because you like the art, or any other reason.
Based on what card you pick, you’ll know what colors your deck will be. A commanders color Identity is all colors contained within its Cost at the top of the card and any costs listed to pay for one of its abilities. There is one common exception in the Extort mechanic. Extort, a keyword ability, but does not affect color identity because the mana cost associated with it is only in the reminder text, which is not part of the card’s rules text. So if you see extort on a card, its color is going to be based on the Mana cost at the top or any other abilities listed on the card. If this doesn’t makes sense, that is fair, it really doesn’t, but it has been adjudicated in the rules, so we deal with it. In addition to the colors included in your commanders color identity, you can also include any colorless cards within the deck.
What should you put in your deck?
Creating the actual deck is where the fun really comes in. Here’s a step-by-step guide to building your deck:
1. Understand the Commander Format Rules
- Deck Size: 100 cards total (99 + your comander)
- Singleton Rule: Only one copy of each card, except basic lands
- Commander: 1 legendary creature (or Other cards with the rules text that says it can be your commander)
- Color Identity: All cards must fall within your commander’s color identity (includes mana symbols in casting costs and rules text)
- Multiplayer Focus: Often played in 4 player group with 40 life per player, not that if any one commander deals 21 or more combat damage to a player this will also kill the player. Some commander decks are built around this strategy.
2. Build Around Your Commander’s Strategy
Deck Structure (Typical Breakdown)
| Category | Cards | Examples/ Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lands | ~36–38 | Balance based on color needs |
| Ramp (Cards that allow you to get more mana than the one land you can play each turn) | ~8–12 | Artifacts that generate mana, cards that let you search and/or put more lands in play. |
| Card Draw | ~8–10 | Harmonize, Rhystic Study, etc. |
| Removal | ~6–8 | Cards that destroy or exile one or more of your opponents cards. |
| Interaction/Protection | ~5–7 | Counterspells and spells that give things like hexproof and indestructibility. |
| Win Conditions | ~5–8 | Big creatures, combos, value engines |
| Thematic/Utility Cards | Remaining | Cards that support your commander’s synergy or make the deck more fun to play. |
3. Balance Your Mana Base
- Use a mix of basic lands, dual lands, fetch lands, and mana rocks.
- Pay attention to your color combinations and how many sources of each color you need. You may have a blue and white deck, but if the deck is mostly white, make sure you have more white sources of mana generation.
- Include utility lands, these are lands that have special abilities like Reliquary Tower.
4. Playtest and Refine
- Play games with your deck to see how it performs.
- Are you drawing enough land? Enough threats? Is your mana base able to keep up with what you want to do??
- Adjust based on experience: cut underperformers, add cards that better synergize with your strategy/commander.
5. Budget Considerations
- You can build powerful decks on a budget! Do not feel like you need to drop tons of cash to make a fun deck that can win games!
- Sites like EDHREC.com, Moxfield, and Archidekt are great for exploring budget options and meta decks.
- Scryfall – Advanced search engine for finding cards by abilities, colors, types, etc.
Osogladiator 