Deckbuilding
ManaScholar Academy
In the making · Intermediate
DeckbuildingHow to build a Magic: The Gathering deck
Deckbuilding teaches you how to build Magic: The Gathering decks that work. You learn to plan a mana curve and land count, choose an archetype, turn a plan into a tested list on any budget, build for Commander and Limited, and adapt between games with a sideboard.
Builds on Strategy. The three teaching decks you can play against the computer on the training platform are the first decks you take apart. From there you learn to build your own.
Coming soon
- 20 lessons in 5 modules
- English
- Built on trainings we've given since 2010
What you’ll learn
- Design a mana curve and choose a land count for any format
- Build aggro, control and combo decks and know how each one wins
- Turn a plan into a tested, finished list, on any budget
- Build for Commander and Limited within their deck rules
- Write a sideboard plan for best-of-three matches
What it will include
- 20 lessons in 5 modules
- Worked examples with real board states
- Exercises with answers
- Checklists to use at the table
- Lifetime access, including updates
- Read on phone, tablet or computer
Contents
Module 1: Mana curves & land counts 4 lessons
Your mana curve is how your spells spread across mana values. Together with your land count, it decides how often your deck does what it's meant to do.
- Reading and shaping a mana curve
- Land counts for 40-, 60- and 100-card decks
- Color requirements and mana fixing
- Card draw, ramp and their effect on land count
Module 2: Archetypes: aggro, control, combo 4 lessons
Most decks fall into an archetype. Aggro wins fast, control wins late, combo wins with a specific interaction, and midrange mixes them.
- Aggro: speed and reach
- Control: answers and win conditions
- Combo: assembling pieces and protecting them
- Midrange and tempo: the hybrids
Module 3: From plan to finished list 4 lessons
A good deck is more than good cards. Weigh synergy against raw power, fill the 60-card frame with the right copies and roles, then test the list and build it on a budget.
- Synergy versus raw power
- The 60-card frame: copies, roles and reading a list
- Testing: goldfishing, sample hands and notes
- Building on a budget
Module 4: Commander & Limited 4 lessons
Commander is a 100-card singleton multiplayer format. Limited (draft and sealed) means building a 40-card deck from cards you open. Each needs its own deckbuilding approach.
- Commander deck rules, color identity and choosing a commander
- Building a Commander deck: template, plan and power level
- Drafting: picks, signals and lanes
- Building a 40-card Limited deck: a sealed pool, step by step
Module 5: Sideboarding 4 lessons
In best-of-three matches, your sideboard lets you change up to fifteen cards between games to beat a specific opponent.
- What belongs in a sideboard
- Writing a sideboard plan per matchup
- Playing differently on the play and on the draw
- Common sideboarding mistakes
Who it’s for
- Players who want to build their own decks instead of copying lists
- Commander players building their first or tenth deck
- Limited players who want to draft and build with a plan
Requirements: Opening Hand. Strategy recommended.
Questions
Does the deckbuilding course cover Commander?
Yes. Commander has its own module covering deck rules, color identity, land counts and building around a plan, alongside Limited and constructed formats.
How many lands should a Magic deck have?
As a starting point: about 17 lands in a 40-card Limited deck, about 24 in a 60-card constructed deck, and around 36 to 38 in a 100-card Commander deck. Low curves can run fewer and decks with expensive spells more. The course teaches you how to adjust from there.
ManaScholar Academy is an independent educational resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored or approved by Wizards of the Coast. Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast LLC.