How to Build a Commander Deck | The Nitpicking Nerds Official Deckbuilding Strategy

Want to build a commander deck? You've come to the right place.
Use our Tcgplayer affiliate link to buy cards:
bit.ly/NitpickingNerdsTCG
The Nitpicking Nerds Discord is OPEN!
/ discord
Consider Supporting us via Patreon!
www.patreon.com/user?u=15711695
Check out our Nitpicking Nerds MERCH and show your support:
streamlabs.com/nitpicking_ner...
Check Joe Cherries out LIVE on Twitch Weekdays 10-4 EST:
/ nitpicking_nerds
You can digitally tip us here:
www.buymeacoffee.com/9CWGBPu
Follow us on Twitter:
Twitter.com/NitpickingNerds
Chapters of the video:
0:00 - 1:02 Intro
1:03 - 3:10 Before you Build!
3:11 - 4:51 Land Count
4:52 - 6:42 Card Draw
6:43 - 8:55 Removal
8:56 - 10:20 Board Wipes
10:21 - 12:11 Ramp
12:12 - 14:46 Win Conditions
14:47 - 24:47 Mana Curve
24:48 - 37:20 General Tips
37:21 - 41:53 Shoutouts and Tidbit
Are you a beginner looking to build your first commander deck? Are you having trouble making cuts to your lists, or even finding a direction to build in? Are you wondering if there are better strategies and philosophies to have while deckbuilding? We have you covered in this video, where we basically offer all our best advice on how to build a commander deck! We even go over our deckbuilding "template," if you will, and discuss the numbers of different card types we tend to play.

[@kristennorth3268]

My standard commander deck building technique, no matter how many videos I watch: - Encounter a fun-sounding tribe - Choose a suitable commander - Go through all kinds of angst narrowing down to about 60 of that tribal type - Add about 5 artifacts that help tribal - Add 35 lands - Lose

[@vallewabbel9690]

>be me >encounter fun sounding tribe >hey this commander seems fun with that tribe >hey these cards compliment the commander and what I wanna do with the tribe well >end up with about 20 tribe related cards in the deck >mfw I built another meren sac combo deck

[@ich3730]

@@vallewabbel9690 me when i tried rogues. Got whacked 2 times by elves/yuriko and went back to tripping through storm turns

[@Oxygen1004]

@@vallewabbel9690 same but >mfw it's just another flicker ETB deck

[@ss5gogetunks]

Making a fun new tribal deck! -oops all changelings!

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

Maybeboard ca 30-70 cards.

[@abiggs4828]

LANDS: 30-36 adjust for MDFC lands 0-8 CARD DRAW: 6-12 Consider card advantage as part of your draw if it's very impactful SINGLE TARGET REMOVAL: 7-15 Consider counter spells that trade 1 for 1 BOARD WHIPES: 2-6 Count things like Bane of Progress that wipe all of -something- not just creatures RAMP: 10-16 WIN CONDITIONS: 3ish? This doesn't count single cards, but "A+B=Win" type combos or critical mass situations. Too many, especially with high cmc components, is unfocused, slow, and give you too many dead hands/draws. MANA CURVE: lower it. Play more spells per turn and be better set to win. 3-Drops get crowded, look to cut for 1s and 2s here. You're likely not going to play more than one 4+ per turn, and having several in your hand leaves you with nothing to play. Higher than 4, you're looking at like...2-3 cards of each at most. More general tips in video, I'm not gonna transpose it all lol. This was for quick reference.

[@good3n]

Not all heroes wear capes.

[@raedien]

More useful than the video lol

[@emilysmith2965]

Don’t forget your 2-3 pieces of graveyard hate!

[@robertwicks5733]

Their avg mana curves (over 10 decks from each of them): 0: 1.9 1: 12.9 2: 16 3: 16.7 4: 9.5 5: 4.4 6: 3.2 7+: 1.9 Note: for these numbers, they adjust cmc of cards like MDFC (0), blasphemous act (1), treasure cruise (3) to what they typically cost in a game

[@montanax8127]

Instructions unclear, bought 99 mountains and Ashling the Pilgrim

[@NitpickingNerds]

Darnit we should have clarified

[@Arisawa_Heavy_Ind]

still better than every deck that's running grave titan

[@rexone9564]

But ashling isn’t even a 7 drop!?

[@billygibson9393]

@Sullivan Randall whoa a bot thats replying and is even complimenting the other bot. Scammers are getting a little better at deceiving still preying on the gullible.

[@ethanotemo]

You are going to need alot more mountains if want to be competitive.

[@mattiavenier3898]

Last time I was this early Grave Titan was a must include in every deck with black!

[@NitpickingNerds]

💀

[@Ragnapulseice]

Is grave titan still good as a haymaker for varina lich queen?

[@NitpickingNerds]

I wouldn’t call it a haymaker but any means, I personally wouldn’t put it in varina but in the end it’s up to you

[@Qegg1]

@@NitpickingNerds I run Grave Titan in Yawgmoth. My favorite flavor Kappa

[@bt5087]

Its still good aslong as its the promo

[@gravetitan1321]

For any of you looking for the TLDR on this video, here it is: If you're running black in your deck. Grave Titan is an auto-include. At all times. No exceptions. You're welcome. Just saved you 41 minutes.

[@NitpickingNerds]

This is a gross misrepresentation!!!

[@Qegg1]

I LOVE YOU.

[@commandermop9436]

i appreciate the dedication to the joke

[@gravetitan1321]

@@commandermop9436 The only joke is NN overlooking just how powerful I am.

[@commandermop9436]

@@gravetitan1321 i agree. i like playing with you

[@backlogbrewery769]

I'm sure this has already been suggested numerous times and, to some extent you already cover a lot of your deck building choices and insight during your commander tune ups videos, but have y'all considered straight up building a new deck from scratch as a video or possibly a stream?

[@enemene22]

I would love to see this.

[@Omnivxrse]

@@enemene22 same

[@captcrunchpants]

Definitely, similar to the precon upgrades but more detailed

[@jamihcustodio6808]

Me right now making a deck... Takes a day and it's not finished...

[@Roan.bot.]

“Too many board wipes” Avacyn “absurd. Destroy everything all the time!”

[@rmreagle]

Beezy: you cast your commander every game Yuriko players : Ha!

[@NitpickingNerds]

Play!

[@thescribe509]

Hold my Inalla.

[@christianarenas7839]

I'm a yugioh player but my cousin recently got me into magic like a month ago. So fundamental videos like this are super helpful for me in understanding what the heck is going on. Hope there's more in the future! But you guys are by far the channel I watched the most when it comes to magic (even thoug idk what is going on half the time). Very enjoyable videos and topics and cool hosts. Keep it up guys 🔥

[@enricod.manildo3646]

Forget to always do the exact same combo every game. Also welcome to the adult table

[@matnic8]

Check out the command zone

[@markloyd4700]

If you're in/near Louisville KY, then you should definitely check out through the decades... I play there either Friday or Saturday most weeks

[@InsomniaticVampire]

I used to struggle making decks. Videos like these are always helpful developing my own rules. Recently i made the rule that any card over 3 mana to cast has to be key to my decks strategy. All my decks feel much better.

[@NitpickingNerds]

Finding what works for you is Good. I don’t think it needs to be a hard and fast rule but if it works for you then continue doing it 😊

[@IBeScrappyDoo2]

Here's a new topic for you guys to do shows on. How about you break out decks that you've built...then break them down into categories and explain why you have that amount of each type (Ramp, Card Draw Target Removal etcetera.) That way people get a visual example as well.

[@Goblin300]

Okay so I am just going to assume this video sums up to: if running blue, black or green you must run at least 1-2 crocodiles

[@NitpickingNerds]

People are really getting the wrong ideas from this XD

[@williammaykel138]

I also learned: Grave Titan STILL SUCKS LOL

[@mdchiesi]

Finally, a channel that isn't afraid to talk about 30 land decks. I have been picking up commander since I got back into the game 2 years ago and I was surprised to see how a well-tuned optimized deck can work very efficiently at 30 lands (or less). Cream of the crop maybe, but it's no fun sitting with 7 lands and not enough spells to do anything.

[@GobiQc]

Its also no fun to mulligan 3 one mana hands or to have 6 cards in hand and 2 mana on turn 3. It really depends in the cards in the deck.

[@nyalan8385]

I typically run 33-36 lands in my decks, depending on the cmc, and can easily say over the course of years I have experienced both all cards and no lands and all lands and no cards. At the end of the day, no matter how well optimized the deck it's still a game of chance

[@Quicker-Bigger-sicker]

the first thing i do when i built a deck with green is i check if protean hulk is still not on the banlist

[@NitpickingNerds]

10/10 comment right here

[@jamesoakley9333]

@@NitpickingNerds I see what kind of people hang out in the comments around here...

[@MisterAssasine]

will prob not happen with flash banned

[@Yontanian]

Another video where i get to enjoy those moments when Joe Cherries has a funky blue pointy hat.

[@mjdayetube]

Blue slimes make good headwear.

[@andrewrockwell1282]

This is my third time watching this video. I come back to it when I feel I have practiced deck building a bit and want to level up, picking more of the nuances up to build better. I am also sending it to a friend because everyone should see this.

[@huntergleason2272]

This video is awesome because it applies very helpful and objective information with a reasonable source for the info, the video also incorporates a lot of core deck building for cedh which is a combination I have been looking for in videos and channels.

[@TheCommonColb01]

Thank you for all these amazing videos! I have a playgroup that has adopted newer people, people with lower cardbase, and people that don't have crazy deck building knowledge. I share SO MANY of your videos. Thank you for your knowledge, and for not being afraid to share your opinion on things that others don't listen about when it comes from me haha. Thanks for everything, keep it going.

[@NitpickingNerds]

We love to share our knowledge and are glad you share our content!

[@nonewmsgs]

I just want to say when I joined your patreon I 100% felt as much love as possible without feeling uncomfortable. I didn't believe it till it happened. You guys are the best. Love you guys

[@mikem7662]

This video was worth the watch for the Cultivate analysis. Newbie EDH builder and I needed to hear that. 💯

[@gregorywilliams7134]

This definitely helped me. I've wanted to build a thraximundar deck for so long. But the high CMC for that ability made it hard to build around. I settled on building a deck that is based on edict effects and cards that sacrifice themselves for interaction and value (mulldrifter, plaguecrafter etc) to buff up my commander. I had a lot of trouble laying out the deck and building anything consistent. Having useful tips like having multiple win cons and playing lower mana costs really helps me shape how I want this deck to go. Y'all definitely have got a sub from me!

[@AlistairZands]

Your friend thinking your last name is Cherries is the real life equivalent of the scene in Bob's Burger where Bob's friend Teddy thinks his full name is "Bob Burger"

[@NitpickingNerds]

I am living in a cartoon

[@energetek661]

Ahh, the pre moxfield sponser days. Using this a year later btw. Great video! Still very similar to what u all do a year later. Crazy good quality! Thanks!

[@stinky8744]

thinks so much guys, your videos are helping me learn the Fundamentals of Deck building.

[@JaimeAGB-pt4xl]

1- Land count: for me is 34-38, depends on the mana curve (always target no more than 4). Importantly, I do count MDFC as spells rather than lands, so I end up having extra lands to not miss a drop... 2- RAMP: 10-12 hopefully for Turn 2... 3- Card draw/sorting/advantage: I always go for 10 Minimun, but this number changes depends on the cards used which can make it less than 10. I.E: faithless looting, ponder, mind spring all count as 1, but things that are meant to give more than 1 like Guardian project and beast whisper (green because WotC belives green must have everything :( duh!) Actually count as 2 for me... 4- Boardwipes: 2-5, if the deck is creature heavy it gets 2, otherwise it gets 4-5 depending on how control oriented it is... 5- Spot removal: 8-10 this is counting creature/artifact/enchantment and its composition depends on the color. I.E: green is fight spells, blue considers counterspells as removal... 6- WinCons: these depend on the sinergy and strategy of the deck, but it should have at least 5 bombs/wincon.... That is my structure, and I based it around guides and decktechs from Command Quarters, Command Zone, and of course, this Lovely channel the NitPicking Nerds

[@tommullings9912]

Keep putting out the great content guys. Love the channel. Ill be here all the way

[@Big_Sierra]

This video was awesome, guys. Thanks so much for the help!

[@DeloiVarden]

Just now watching this. Great video guys!

[@TJzzl86]

Awesome video guys. Thanks for the time stamps.

[@smashog7500]

What better than listen to you guys lumber along a deck-tech session as I catalogue my collection as well as create an Alesha, Who Smiles At Death deck at the same time. Awesome! If you are a veteran or a noob, listening to different deck building opinions will make you a better overall brewer over time. I been giving White some love in my new brews lately, since I love White, weak or not. Ironically, I have been disliking Red more than White the past several brews I have made.

[@NitpickingNerds]

Hope we helped your brew skillz!

[@smashog7500]

@@NitpickingNerds You guys have done more than enough to offer me small ideas that could shake off some of the rough edges of an idea I may have made! So yep, you guys are helping even us veterans to the game. Love you both much.

[@MP-om9fj]

I literally asked for this like a week ago. Thank you

[@SaintNemo52]

Been waiting for this one boys!

[@NitpickingNerds]

It's HERE

[@adamcappella8088]

Thank you guys, this really helped alot. You offered a lot more details and explanations. You didn't just throw numbers at a wall

[@NitpickingNerds]

Our goal is help player learn not just tell them what to do :)

[@adamcappella8088]

@@NitpickingNerds I'm very new to magic, so I'm taking in as much as I can. Your videos have been very informative.

[@noahz42]

I was able to power through the glitchy version before you reposted it, still a great episode!

[@NitpickingNerds]

Rewatch to help support the channel!

[@kyojitakenouchi9706]

there's a kid at my lgs who only knew me as Judge. a few years ago i stepped down from the judge program. the kid didn't know what to call me afterwards because he never learned my name.

[@mrnixon2287]

great video. my favourite so far. good job NPN.

[@TangibleTravis]

This was very helpful, thank you! I am looking for synergistic one drops now 😁

[@ThoseKidsAreEPIC]

Revisiting this video to get more perspectives for my Be'lakor demon tribal deck and even a year later it helps a ton. Definitely cutting a board wipe now, kind of tempted to replace some of my regular kill spells with demons that kill something on entry, etc. The section on curve hurt me though lol there's too many good 6+ drop demons to pass on. But at the same time like 20 ramp cards including the likes of Urzas Incubator, Nightscape Familiar, Rakdos Lord of Riots, and the new Herald of Slaanesh it shouldn't be too bad.

[@hn-ri8845]

Love your passion guys, keep it up. To the death!

[@jamesherrick3644]

Seriously appreciate this KZbin video u guys are the best

[@rikrob5172]

Most of my decks are only built with one win con in mind. But I'll discover others while playing the deck. It's always a pleasant surprise. I also have a habit of including cards because I'm fixated on. Example, I ran steel of the godhead in every deck I could just because I thought the kithkin looked sick summoning the sword. Ran kaiga the tidestar only because I liked the name.

[@aidenwalker672]

The constant hate for Grave titan fills me with joy, finally someone hates it as much as me

[@rikrob5172]

Why do they hate it? Overplayed?

[@chachi_arcola]

I mean, whipping it back into play from the graveyard with Araumi definitely does not suck

[@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299]

@@chachi_arcola LOL I do the same with Meren :P

[@aidenwalker672]

@@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299 I didn't say it wasn't useful, just hate it

[@Tony-oc3iq]

Ill give twice as much love to counter the hate

[@l4rgo911]

When I start a new deck, the first thing I do is rummage through my collection for any cards that generally do the things I'm looking for. Once I have a pile, I sort it into general categories (card draw, ramp, etc) and then try to choose the best 9-11 cards in that category. I generally also have a miscellaneous group for cards (generally 20+ or so) that include bodies, wincons and such, as well as any cards that I didn't choose from a previous group that I still reaaaallly want to play. Later, when I want to upgrade my deck with a card, I look at the existing cards that fill a similar role and try to assess if it better than any of them at the same/lower mana value. I have a very small play group, but it generally works out alright.

[@kingginger3335]

I also like separating my spells into their individual spots like I'll have a stack of enchantments, a stack of artifacts and so on

[@rikrob5172]

As a dedicated monoblue player, it was so liberating when I stopped running counter spells. I could then stuff all the other powerful things blue does in there.

[@kylepettinelli8525]

Not sure anyone will see this comment so many months late but I have a system I use for "enablers and payoffs" and things of that nature for all my decks. It's not perfect, but it gives a pretty good starting point for deck building, and it's abstract enough that it can work no matter what kind of deck you are trying to build. I figure some people might benefit from this idea too, so here it is. In order to make sure I have the right numbers of cards that advance my strategy, I try to have at least 30 'Setup' cards, and at least 12 'Hinge' cards. I use these abstract names because what defines a Setup vs a Hinge card is going to be different for every deck, it all depends on what your strategy is. So you'll need to define what constitutes a Setup and a Hinge for your specific deck. Basically, a Setup card and a Hinge card together form a synergy of some sort, that makes the two cards together better than each one would be on their own. The way you tell the difference between Setup and Hinge cards is what each one does when it's the only card you have. Setup cards on their own are not particularly powerful, but they still do something. Hinge cards on their own, do absolutely nothing unless you have a Setup to use with it. So for example, a simple Hinge would be an anthem enchantment... it does absolutely nothing by itself, but if you have creatures (which would be the Setup in this case), it makes them all bigger You can also have cards that are both Setups and Hinges at the same time, like for example, Canopy Tactician in an elf deck. It is itself an elf, so it can be used as a Setup for any other card in your deck that cares about elves, but it also gives all your other elves +1/+1, so is also a Hinge for elves. Setup and Hinge can be really flexible since you can use these terms for any strategy. Some other decks I have where I have used this way of thinking for examples; Sidisi Graveyard deck: Setup= any card that puts more cards into graveyards. Hinge= any card that either wants to be in the graveyard, or cares how many cards are in graveyards Omnath Landfall: Setup= any card that puts lands onto the battlefield. Hinge= any card that has a landfall trigger Tuvasa Enchantress: Setup= any enchantment. Hinge= any card that reacts whenever you cast an enchantment, or cares how many enchantments you control Kykar Spellslinger: Setup= any instants and sorceries. Hinge= any card that reacts whenever you cast an instant or sorcery Florian Burn: Setup= any card that deals damage to opponents. Hinge= any card that gives a benefit based on how much damage was done this turn. Once you have defined what Setup and Hinge are for your deck, you can then ensure you have a minimum of 30 Setup cards and 12 Hinges and you'll have really good odds of drawing into those pieces with appropriate frequency.

[@jankpilediver3863]

Love it! Thanks guys 🌹

[@NitpickingNerds]

Thank you for the rose!

[@jankpilediver3863]

You deserve it 😀; keep up the good work (and the grave titan hate 😍)

[@tbssen36]

99.9k subs and you just earned another! I hope you guys get to that 250k! You deserve it! Now go get that Obi Wan!

[@alanburns8616]

Great video.one must curve mana with consideration cause my yoriko deck curves out at 3 or 4 but I don’t count the big mana spelled I get to the top I had so much fun building that deck and it has one by killing everyone with spell on top

[@alanpigate8776]

Gotta be careful on the curve in the reverse way you guys talked about as well. Cyclonic Rift cost 7 not 2

[@Nokaflai]

As a general rule of thumb I try to ensure that cards I play always replace themselves thanks to synergies. For example having permanents that reward you for playing a certain power/toughness, or instants or sorceries, play grave recursion, play manarocks that can be sacrificed for a card, play some cycling lands. Having options on having the card either impact the board or select cards/ draw cards for you is the key to winning EDH. It's hard to put my thoughts to words in text but I hope this helps someone

[@Krummdizzle]

I loved the video because I have so much to do to improve my deck efficiency. But i feel like this was a "command zone did it wrong" video and i agree mostly with you all especially about the variability of how many of each card type you have but i would imagine they would agree with you they just decided to put a single number rather than a range. Regardless i love all your videos thank you for putting in the time and work to share this info with us.

[@NitpickingNerds]

They didn't do it wrong but there were a few things we disagreed with so we mentioned them in the video rather than beating around the bush.

[@Noddy-Gaming]

Nice I’m early for once, these vids get me through work days, much appreciated

[@NitpickingNerds]

We appreciate the view!

[@DonWanri]

Hi guys, just wanted to say that ARCHIDEKT has a feature where you can CUSTOMIZE the mana value/CMC of your cards. For example, I always register Fierce Guardianship as a 0 CMC card. It can change the average CMC of your list, sometimes going down, sometimes going up (I tend to register Cyclonic Rift as a 7 drop. And I try to guess at what minimum value I would cast my "X spells"). You have to click on the blue arrow that shows on the cards in your deck to do that.

[@ben.shields]

Same with Moxfield

[@fleamarketkeanu]

BRUH I have literally been staring at Archidekt for the past few hours doing the mental checks for Fierce Guardianship & etc when looking at CMC organization. You just saved my life. Archidekt remains the top tier deckbuilder!

[@devi2289]

Moxfield better

[@harrylucas463]

You guys are my #1 magic channel !

[@NitpickingNerds]

Thank you so much that is very nice 😊

[@easydotcom6967]

Firstly, I just wanted to say that I've been binging all your videos, and I love your content (dare I say, more than Command Zone)! I wanted to add that synergistic deck building is so much more fun than using strong staples. I had an "ah ha" moment the other day when I was adding in removal and was going to use "Swords" AND "Path" in my white artifact matters recursion deck. I came across the card "Glass Casket" and said wow this provides so much more synergy with my deck even through it is strictly worse--I'm cutting Path! It felt so good to use that card over a boring old staple.

[@trajanpb]

Synergistic decks are usually cheaper too as many of the cards are usually not in high demand.

[@adrianmacias830]

Dispatch would probably be my #1 choice in white artifact deck

[@nethandelwampa116]

Trying to build my first commander deck. I bought aura of courage my buddy bought a precon as well. I thought it was super awesome and I have an affinity for pirates trying to build my own deck. We played all Saturday and got steam rolled.

[@georgegividen]

There it is. Let's go!

[@NitpickingNerds]

Glitches = removed. perfect content achieved

[@branhasknowidea]

Subbed for the Cherries. Get em.

[@GeorgeMorehead]

I did this a bit differently, and went with finding my gameplay first, and commander last. This lead me to knowing what colours I wanted to build, (along with a theme) in this case, blue, black and green, and then I chose my commander last, looking at what blue, black and green commanders where available, and then picking one that suited the theme and strategy. (The commander in this case helps the strategy of the deck, can be a massive boost to winning, but is also not essential in winning the game)

[@alaraujo9825]

Good rule of thumb for lands start with 40 and take out 1 for every 2 sources of ramp not perfect for every deck but a good starting point.

[@creepincat7399]

Good advice. thank you

[@NitpickingNerds]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@thrillhouse4151]

18:00, ahh yeah, I always lay out the curve and the three drops, YEESH

[@alslayer18]

Cherries is such a believable last name, I really thought it was your real last name. My mind is blown!

[@NitpickingNerds]

Soon it will be

[@vrkphoenix]

How do you decide on a game plan? What are the archetypes for decks? I decided to get into MTG about a month before the pandemic hit last year, and I'm sure someone at my LGS could explain all this in about 10 minutes, but that access is closed off for a little while longer. The game plan is something every "how to build a deck" video talks about, but it seems like the most difficult thing to understand for a newbie player. Any thoughts? Thanks for your time guys, I really like the channel.

[@Dubi264]

I tend to use more generic single target removal like terminate because having it at instant speed is just so important. I'll run plague crafter as 0.5 of a board wipe, but for single target I stick to swords to plowshares, nature's claim, etc. I make sure almost all my draw and ramp has synergies to make up for it though.

[@NitpickingNerds]

That is understandable. It is just different approach than we take.

[@arterial_alchemy]

Love you guys. Ready to watch you for decades 👌

[@NitpickingNerds]

You misspelled millennia!

[@brandoncreek5709]

In terms of board wipes, the only time I run more than 2-3 is in my Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate fliers deck since she can protect my army of creatures, wipe away every other creature and then swing and beat face.

[@D-Boy22]

Very good video

[@golgariguy]

Thanks for the video! Regarding the lands, I've personally seen that my decks run smoothly (in the sense that I rarely miss land drops and I'm rarely flooded) with 37 to 40 lands counting MDFCs. I think 36 lands counting MDFCs is just too low. Also with a low curve I would run more, since you really don't want to miss land drops in any case.

[@unai49999]

Agree on this one. 36-40. Depending on colors/plan.

[@mariosapien2817]

I run 30 in my Sen triplets Deck and I'm usually either flooded or screwed just last Friday I notion thief into a wheel drew 15 cards ten of which where lands

[@keeganlogsdon5090]

Nah, with a lower curve you most likely are running agro. If that’s the case, you want more card draw and a lower amount of lands.

[@captcrunchpants]

I will be building a Liliana tribal deck with a sub theme of zombies ....I will be including Grave Titan. One of my favorite creatures from back in the day

[@SatanicDemiGod]

My fav deck is an Oloro combo control deck, I think I actually cast him like 1 out of every 6/7 games

[@tonyprouteau3716]

About 23 spells, about 29 créatures, 8-9 artifacts, about 35 lands, 1 general who must be a Legendary creature with the same color of the deck...here we go ...

[@josephpayton7522]

That's a simic deck if I've ever seen one.

[@aidankeyes5526]

Joe was an absolute king in this video

[@NitpickingNerds]

What did I do?

[@aidankeyes5526]

@@NitpickingNerds the goals bro and the way you say "when" real chad stuff

[@rileypowell5354]

I feel it's a good litmus test to say that when you're looking at 3-drops you have to realize that necropotence costs 3.

[@anoni2189]

Gotta be honest, this is a good advice

[@HomesliceGC]

Just as I was looking to refine my deck, this gets uploaded. Impeccable timing

[@NitpickingNerds]

We get that a lot! 😄

[@Yontanian]

Love it

[@jordonpohl7393]

Beezy should do the same! Joe 🍒 love it! Hope you get there!

[@theetiologist9539]

I would like to see some examples of the lands, because anything under 34 seems low. I usually split it 64 / 36 and most people I know do the same unless it's an outlier.

[@maxoyew2965]

Do you have a video/decklist for your Karador build? I’m trying to build around Nethroi and it’s been a little difficult getting things to synergize

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

My battle cruiser dragon deck has over a dozen creatures at 6+, and that is a magic number for the dragon auras from Scourge.

[@robertsweeney7040]

Thinking about how to build a deck with one of the Win Con based on Mazes End? If so, what Commander(s) would you recommend?

[@Shiek200]

My breya deck has 14 4-cost spells in it, all permanents, and I've tried so many times to cut some of them for 1 drops, but the only ones I can think to cut are like... nautiloid ship or unwinding clock, maybe saheeli, the gifted... but they're all so powerful. That said I only have 17 total cards above 4 cmc, and some of them are like mycosynth golem and though monitor, which never get played at cost, so not counting those types of cards I only have 13 above 4cmc. and like 4 of those are win conditions or combo pieces

[@poutinemcflurry3544]

I’m looking for a way to build a deck based around tutoring storm crow, then equipping it with auras and enchantments, and killing someone with it. And not gonna lie, this helped.

[@yumyumeatemup]

Glad to see the reupload took better. Not seeing the artifacting this time

[@NitpickingNerds]

Not too sure why that happened

[@stevelew8843]

Just the best mtg content creators out there no doubt... Really appreciate you guys!

[@NitpickingNerds]

Thanks Steve that means a lot!

[@Adam_Voxx]

love your videos. do you think you could do one on cards with flash in it? im trying to make a deck focused on that theme and would really like some input from you guys

[@TomSmith-ll2lp]

So while I’m not them I can at least tell you that a deck focusing on Flash effects is basically a deck that wants to have answers to multiple threats. But want these answers to be permanents (Creatures, Artifacts, Enchantments). So basically focus on permanents with Flash with useful effects that can help you respond to what opponents do. (Ex. Playing a Flash Enchantment that gives all your creatures +2/+2 when an opponent attacks you with Creatures. Now your blockers are tougher not just against their creatures but against the other players creatures as well and you dropped the buff enchantment right in the middle of combat. So what I’m saying is Flash will simply let you put permanent effects in play on opponents turns as flash makes things instant speed for casting.

[@trajanpb]

When calculating average mana value do you include lands or exclude lands?

[@tandcatthemovies9818]

Thats the reason i use goreclaw as my green stompy deck. Gonna out in wood elves now tho. Also, lest not forget, Joe cherries rules!!!!

[@NitpickingNerds]

Hell ya , bruh!!!

[@ehnotFeelingit]

When you guys say things like (example) 2-6 wipes - are you assuming Tutors are in play here? Or the recommended 3-4 are assuming tutorless? Curious how much tutors play a role in your guys assessment of the ranges.

[@kylelittle8816]

Could totally tell you were talking about the command zone when beezy made the comment on ramp not being a straight 10

[@ballzock1039]

Please do a vid on Pillowfort strategies and Enchantress effects

[@pumpkintime362]

Where do you put things like Partiarch's Bidding or Teferi's Protection? I'm building a sliver deck and I'm looking for things like that

[@XNamelessXNill]

One of my decks peaks at 5 am I doing it right? I actually got the deck idea from you guys but did my own brew. 5, 1 drops 12, 2 drops 8, 3 drops 4, 4 drops 15, 5 drops 9, 6 drops 7, 7 drops 1, 8 drop 3, 9 drops.

[@Omnivxrse]

With ramp it really ranges a LOT, I'd say honestly between 5 and 25 can be optimal depending on the deck... and my Goreclaw deck has like 30 ramp/mana advantage cards, which may sound to some people like WAY to much, but it's actually pretty close to ideal as the deck wants to consistently have access to 20+ mana on turn 5. The deck also has 15+ ways to draw cards as well as 5 Tutors so there's not much risk of flooding out with ramp cards EDIT: The nerds mentioned Aesi right after I left the top part of this comment, so I wanted to say I also have a Tatyova deck with only like 2 draw spells and probably 40+ ramp cards as well as 43 lands, and that deck functions perfectly because of how busted Tatyova is (Why is she only uncommon?!?!) The deck wins by turn 5 or 6 every time, and is probably my hardest deck to stop from going off. My point is that as the Nerds mentioned, these numbers vary per deck and there will be outliers, but I wanted to emphasize that in some decks the numbers will not just be different from the general recommendations, but will be DRASTICALLY different.

[@wallybanner512]

That sounds awesome, may I have the deck list for the Goreclaw deck you mentioned?

[@ericpetersen6343]

Can't wait to see what kind of overboard thing they'll do at 500

[@rexone9564]

When do the game play videos start! Love your content.

[@WarrickRanger]

Regarding criticism of that "other video", the two things I will agree with from them are: card draw is more important than you initially think, and keep your curve as low as possible. I try and figure out what my first 4 turns look like and try to build the deck around those, and I choose Commanders that are card draw/advantage engines in and of themselves. Other than that I agree with you that the "you need X ramp cards" and such are arbitrary and pointless.

[@BattleAxeRX]

Hi, I'm thinking that your 1 drop average is severely affected by your green decks having those Mana dorks. Can you calculate your average 1 drops in decks without green?

[@krugertC06]

I’m new to magic and commander, I have the Vrondiss D&D precon deck. What’s be a better card to swap with Cultivate?

[@vallewabbel9690]

Cut Gravetitan and put in Gerald's messenger. Gives infinite damage (better than infinite mana :D) in the ashnods deathmantle combo.