How to Build a Commander Deck — Complete EDH Guide

Commander (EDH) is the most popular way to play Magic: The Gathering. It's social, creative, and rewards deck-building ingenuity. But building a 100-card singleton deck from scratch can be overwhelming — there are over 27,000 unique cards legal in Commander. This guide walks you through every step, from choosing your commander to shuffling up your finished deck.

Commander Format Rules

Before building, you need to know the rules that shape every decision:

Step 1: Choose Your Commander

Your commander defines your entire deck. It determines your colors, suggests a strategy, and sits in your command zone where you can cast it every game. This is the most important decision you'll make.

What to Look For

Common Commander Archetypes

Where to find inspiration: EDHREC.com shows the most-played commanders and the cards commonly paired with them. Browse by theme, color, or tribe to find a commander that excites you.

Step 2: The Deck-Building Framework

A 100-card singleton deck needs structure. Without it, you'll end up with a pile of individually good cards that doesn't function as a cohesive deck. Here's how to allocate your 99 slots:

The 10-10-10 Framework

This is the most widely-used starting point for Commander deck building. It ensures your deck can function regardless of what strategy cards you draw:

This framework isn't rigid — it's a starting skeleton. You adjust the numbers based on your commander and colors. But it prevents the most common deck-building mistake: loading up on flashy strategy cards while neglecting the fundamentals that make any deck function.

Alternative: The 8x8 Framework. Another popular approach divides your 99 into 1 commander + 35 lands + 8 categories of 8 cards each. The "core four" categories are ramp, draw, removal, and flex/protection. The remaining four categories are strategy-specific (e.g., tokens, sacrifice outlets, tribal payoffs, recursion). The 8x8 approach forces you to think about your deck in distinct functional groups, which helps avoid the "pile of good stuff" trap. Both frameworks arrive at similar results — use whichever helps you think more clearly.

Ramp (10 Sources)

Ramp accelerates your mana so you can cast bigger spells faster. In a 4-player game, being one mana ahead of the table is a massive advantage.

Auto-includes:

By color:

How many? 10 is the minimum. Green decks can go to 12–15. Non-green decks with expensive commanders may also want 12+. Never go below 8 — decks without ramp fall behind in multiplayer and never catch up.

Card Draw (10 Sources)

In a 4-player game, you need to answer three opponents' threats while advancing your own game plan. Without card draw, you'll empty your hand by turn 6 and spend the rest of the game topdecking.

By color:

How many? 10 is the minimum. Spellslinger and control decks want 12–15. Aggressive decks can get away with 8–10 if they aim to win before running out of cards.

Removal and Interaction (10 Pieces)

You need to answer your opponents' threats. In a 4-player game, someone will always have something that needs to die. Split your interaction between:

Key principle: Prioritize flexible removal. Beast Within destroys any permanent. Chaos Warp removes any permanent. These are better than narrow answers like pure artifact removal or pure creature removal because they always have a target.

Step 3: Build Your Mana Base

The mana base is where most Commander decks fail. With 99 cards and 2+ colors, you need careful planning to cast your spells on curve.

How Many Lands?

Colored Source Requirements

Using Frank Karsten's probability math scaled to 99 cards (see our Mana Base Guide for the full breakdown):

Use our Mana Base Calculator to get exact recommendations for your specific deck.

Auto-Include Lands

Dual Lands by Budget

See our Dual Land Cycles Guide for a comprehensive breakdown of every cycle, ranked by tier.

Basics Still Matter

Don't cut all your basic lands for duals. You need basics because:

Step 4: Fill Your Strategy Slots (~32 Cards)

After lands, ramp, draw, and removal, you have approximately 32 slots for cards that advance your commander's game plan. This is where your deck gets its identity.

Build Around Your Commander

Every strategy card should pass this test: "Does this card make my commander's plan better?" If the answer is no, it doesn't belong in the deck, no matter how powerful it is individually.

Include Win Conditions

Your deck needs a way to actually close out the game. Many new Commander players build decks that "do cool things" but never win. Include 3–5 cards that can realistically end the game:

Commander Power Brackets and the Game Changers List

Commander uses an official bracket system (currently in beta) to help players find games at compatible power levels. The brackets are a tool for pregame conversations — not strict enforcement rules.

The Four Brackets

Bracket 1 — Casual: Relaxed, house-rules-friendly play. No cards from the Game Changers list. No intentional two-card infinite combos. No mass land destruction. No extra turn spells. Preconstructed decks fit here.

Bracket 2 — Core: The foundational Commander experience. Straightforward strategies with clear win conditions that opponents can interact with. No Game Changers. Extra turn spells are acceptable in small numbers. Most casual playgroups land here.

Bracket 3 — Upgraded: Enhanced decks with stronger synergies and more efficient cards. Up to 3 cards from the Game Changers list are allowed. Infinite combos are acceptable if they require setup (late-game combos, not turn-3 wins). Most local game store (LGS) pods play at this level.

Bracket 4 — Competitive (cEDH): Fully optimized decks designed to win as efficiently as possible. No restrictions on Game Changers or combos. Fast mana, free counterspells, and compact win conditions. This is the competitive Commander metagame.

The Game Changers List

Game Changers are powerful cards that can dramatically shift a game's trajectory. They're not banned — they're restricted by bracket. Examples include:

The full Game Changers list is maintained by the Commander Format Panel and updated periodically. Check the official Commander site for the current list.

How to Use Brackets

Before each game, briefly discuss with your pod: "What bracket are you playing?" This prevents the most common source of bad Commander games — mismatched expectations. A Bracket 1 precon against a Bracket 4 cEDH deck is not a game, it's an execution.

Use our Commander Bracket Calculator to estimate your deck's bracket based on its contents.

Commander Banned List (Key Cards)

Commander maintains a separate banned list from other formats. As of early 2026, notable bans include:

Recent changes (2025–2026): Dockside Extortionist, Jeweled Lotus, and Mana Crypt were banned in September 2024. Biorhythm was unbanned and moved to the Game Changers list in February 2026. Several previously banned cards (Coalition Victory, Gifts Ungiven, Braids, Cabal Minion) were unbanned in April 2025.

Common Commander Deck-Building Mistakes

1. Too Many High-Cost Cards

It's tempting to fill your deck with 7-mana haymakers. But in practice, you'll draw them before you have the mana to cast them and die with a hand full of uncastable cards. Keep your average mana value around 3.0–3.5. Include a healthy number of cards at 1–3 mana for early-game plays.

2. Not Enough Interaction

A deck that can't remove a Rhystic Study, counter a Cyclonic Rift, or destroy a combo piece will lose to the first player who assembles something threatening. Even the most aggressive decks need 8+ interaction pieces.

3. Commander Dependency

If your deck literally cannot function without your commander on the battlefield, every removal spell your opponents play is catastrophic. Build your deck so it works at 70% without the commander — the commander should push it to 100%, not be the only thing holding it together. Include redundant effects for your commander's key ability.

4. Ignoring the Mana Base

Filling all 38 land slots with basics and a Command Tower in a 3-color deck will result in constant color screw. Invest in your mana base — it's the single most impactful upgrade you can make to any deck. See our Dual Land Guide for budget-friendly options.

5. Too Many "Cool" Cards, Not Enough Synergy

Every card should serve a purpose in your deck's game plan. A Consecrated Sphinx is powerful, but if it doesn't advance your strategy and you're cutting a synergy piece to include it, you're making your deck worse. Stay focused on what your commander wants to do.

Budget Tips

Sample Deck Skeleton

Here's a concrete example for a 3-color midrange Commander deck (avg MV ~3.2):

Tools and Resources

Use our Mana Base Calculator to determine exact land counts and colored source requirements for your Commander deck. Import a decklist and get personalized recommendations.

Estimate your deck's power bracket with our Commander Bracket Calculator.

For mana base theory and Karsten's probability math, read our Frank Karsten Mana Math Guide. For dual land selection, see our Complete Dual Land Cycles Guide.