Mana base

[Haggen]

That's a problem that I face many times.

Someone can talk a little about the relationship between the types and number of lands with the size of the deck and it's card cost?

For casual play, the size of the deck matters if its 60 or 90 when we talk about wining a duel or multiplay rampage?

 

[Spiderman]

In general, with a 60 card deck, I like to look at 24 lands. With a two color deck with the colors pretty even split, I go about 10 color-specific lands for each color and 4 colorless/other lands (like Wasteland or something).

This number changes depending on the type of deck: weenie decks like white or Stompy can go down to 20-22, depending on your other mana sources like elves or whatever. Additionally, depending on your color split, you might want to make your land split the same way: if you have 70% one color and 30% the other, your land/color mix reflects that.

Even for casual play, if you're playing against just one other person in a duel, keeping to 60 cards is usually good (unless you have some master plan in mind, like playing with Greater Good or something). For Multi, the environment may be more forgiving so you can get away with adding some cards but remember, the more cards you add, the more diluted your deck gets unless you have search cards to help find what you need or a general theme (again, white weenie is just small creatures in general so adding some won't really take away from the deck).

 

[Hetemti]

You need 24 lands if you've more than four spells at/over 3cc. 23 if no more than 4 at 3cc. Only go 22 if you've only 1 and 2cc spells. If you're working expensive spells, you need 25 lands, and/or some decent accelleration.

If working multicolor, get some Cities of Brass. Never run two colors without dual lands unless none of your spells are double-colored. (Like 2RR or 1GG)

I suck at multiplayer so I won't say much, but I never run more than 61 cards. If you are running a fat deck, be sure to add just a bit of extra manasource (At 90 cards, 38 lands and some artifact mana, for example) and have a way to deal with excess lands. Some spellshapers (like Megeta the Loin) make good use of excess land and is multiplayer handy, too. Try to get some blue in there for drawing...else you might never see your bombs.

 

[Ransac]

I like to look at 23-24 land in a deck and I do my mana base with arithmatic. I count up mana symbols on the cards. I.E.: Undermine has a casting cost of BUU, so I put 2U and 1B in tally marks down. I take into account Flashback and Kicker costs as well, but only for one of each symbol. I.E. Fervent Denial would only get 1U added to the U column. When that's through I tally up my totals and subract from the land total any dual lands I'm playing, since they are essentially non-factors for the rest of the land. Then, with the rest, I usually have about 15-16, I'll take percentages of basic land euqal to the percentages in the mana symbol addings. I.E. I have 25 U and 15 W. Out of 16 lands I would put into 10 islands and 6 plains.



And, once you get used to it, it doesn't take that long.

Ransac, cpa trash man

 

[TylersOnFire]

yeah i have used that before and its a good way to get the right numbers. although usually i only play with about 22 lands. no more than that and my decks have rarely been mana screwed but i dont know. whatever works...

 

[Haggen]

You´re helping me get able to turn myself into a demi god of MTG. I´ll remember CPA and you all people...

phew...hehehehe.

thanks anyway.

 

[TylersOnFire]

awww isnt that special! no actually i agree the cpa is very helpful..give yourself a pat on the back! common...no one will care. oh fine then dont...