Mastering Utility Lands: Crafting the Perfect Commander Deck

The sweet spot for utility lands in a Commander deck typically falls between 3 and 7, but this number is heavily influenced by your deck’s strategy, color identity, and mana curve. Consider what unique functions you require and how often you need them, and then adjust accordingly.

Unlocking the Power of Non-Basic Lands

Lands are the backbone of any Magic: The Gathering (MTG) deck, providing the mana needed to cast spells and activate abilities. While basic lands are crucial for consistency, utility lands add a layer of strategic depth to your Commander decks, offering powerful effects beyond simple mana production. But how many should you include? This guide will help you find that perfect balance.

Defining Utility Lands

Before we dive in, let’s clarify what we mean by “utility land.” These are non-basic lands that provide some sort of benefit beyond just tapping for mana. Examples include:

• Lands that tap for colorless mana and have an activated ability: These are the most common type of utility lands, like Reliquary Tower (no maximum hand size) or Maze of Ith (protect a creature).
• Lands that tap for colored mana with an added ability: These are less common but very powerful, like Gavony Township (buffs creatures) or Kessig Wolf Run (grants trample and power).
• Lands that fetch other lands: These act as both mana fixing and ramp, such as Fabled Passage.
• Lands that interact with the graveyard: These provide resilience and recursion, for instance, Mortuary Mire.

Finding Your Land Ratio

Determining the ideal number of utility lands involves a careful evaluation of several factors:

• Mana Base Composition: How reliant is your deck on specific colors? Are you running a 5-color monstrosity or a mono-colored powerhouse? The more colors you need, the more you’ll depend on dual lands and mana fixing, potentially reducing the slots available for utility lands.
• Mana Curve: A low-curve deck can often afford to run fewer lands overall, freeing up slots for utility. A high-curve deck needs to prioritize consistent mana production, potentially limiting the number of utility lands it can support.
• Deck Strategy: Does your deck rely on specific land-based strategies? For example, a landfall deck might prioritize fetch lands over other utility options, while a control deck might value lands that provide disruption.
• Ramp: How much ramp are you running? If you have lots of mana rocks and ramp spells, you might be able to get away with fewer lands overall, opening up space for utilities. As quoted from the original article, consider 8-10 ramp cards as a good starting point.
• Color Identity: Your commander’s color identity restricts the colors you can use in your deck. If you are playing a 3-color deck, consider incorporating 10-15 basic lands, especially if you use green to search for basic lands.

Practical Examples

• Aggro Decks: Aggro decks typically benefit from having a lower curve and fewer lands. 3-5 utility lands that provide immediate value, like Rogue’s Passage (unblockable) or Ramunap Ruins (direct damage), can be highly effective.
• Control Decks: Control decks often need more mana to operate and can afford to run more lands. 5-7 utility lands that provide disruption or card advantage, such as Mystic Sanctuary (recurring instants/sorceries) or Ghost Quarter (land destruction), can be very valuable.
• Midrange Decks: Midrange decks often strike a balance between aggro and control. 4-6 utility lands that offer versatility, like Command Tower (mana fixing) or Cabal Coffers (mana generation in mono-black), are usually a good fit.
• Lands-Matter Decks: Decks that specifically care about lands entering the battlefield or being in play may want to max out on utility lands, especially ones like Ancient Tomb that generate extra mana or Strip Mine that control the opponent’s mana base.

Balancing Act

Remember, including too many utility lands can hurt your mana consistency. You want to ensure you’re consistently hitting your land drops in the early game to keep pace with your opponents.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are some budget-friendly utility land options?

Great budget-friendly utility lands include:

• Myriad Landscape: Ramps you with basic lands.
• Temple of the False God: Taps for two colorless mana.
• Mortuary Mire: Returns a creature from your graveyard to your hand.
• Memorial to Folly: Brings back your commander from the graveyard.

2. Should I include fetch lands even if I’m not playing a landfall deck?

Yes, absolutely. Fetch lands like Evolving Wilds and Terramorphic Expanse help thin your deck, slightly increasing the odds of drawing non-land cards later in the game. They also synergize well with graveyard strategies.

3. How important is it to have mana fixing in my utility land choices?

Very important, especially in multi-color decks. Prioritize lands like Command Tower and the battlebond lands (e.g., Luxury Suite) that produce multiple colors of mana.

4. What if I’m running a colorless Commander deck? Can I still use utility lands?

Yes! Colorless Commander decks can significantly benefit from utility lands like Ancient Tomb, Eye of Ugin and inventor’s fair that provide mana and other abilities tailored to artifact strategies. Remember, there can’t be a single colored mana symbol in your deck.

5. My deck is already tight on slots. Are utility lands really worth it?

It depends. If your deck is running optimally, adding utility lands may not be necessary. However, even a couple of well-chosen utility lands can significantly increase your deck’s versatility and resilience.

6. How do I decide which utility lands to cut if I have too many?

Start by identifying the least impactful lands in your deck. Lands that rarely contribute to your overall strategy or are consistently outperformed by other cards are good candidates for removal.

7. What is the role of Rule 0 in the context of utility lands?

Rule 0 lets you tailor the format to your playgroup’s preferences. While it rarely applies directly to utility lands, it can influence your choices by affecting the overall power level of the decks you’re playing against.

8. Are there any utility lands that are considered “staples” in Commander?

Yes. Command Tower is a staple in almost every multi-color deck. Reliquary Tower can be very strong with a good card draw engine.

9. How does my Commander’s cost affect the number of utility lands I should run?

A higher-cost Commander typically requires more consistent mana production. This might mean prioritizing mana-producing utility lands or increasing the overall land count, potentially reducing slots for pure utility.

10. How does ramp affect the need for more mana-producing utility lands?

If you have a lot of ramp, such as mana rocks, you can run fewer lands in general, allowing you more freedom to include utility lands that don’t produce mana, but help control the board or synergize with your deck’s strategy.

11. What about MDFC (Modal Double-Faced Cards) lands? Do they count as utility lands?

MDFCs that function as both lands and spells (e.g., Emeria, Shattered Skyclave) offer excellent flexibility and can be counted partially as both lands and utility spells. They’re great for smoothing out draws.

12. What are the key differences in land base construction between a competitive Commander (cEDH) deck and a casual one?

cEDH decks tend to run fewer lands and more mana ramp, which can also include some lands that produce additional mana to cast. This is because cEDH decks want to maximize their speed and consistency.

13. Should I include lands that destroy other lands (land destruction)?

Lands like Strip Mine can be very strong in certain metas, especially if you’re facing decks that rely on specific non-basic lands. However, excessive land destruction can be unfun for other players, so exercise caution and consider your playgroup’s preferences.

14. How do enchantments and Planeswalkers interact with my decision to include more or fewer utility lands?

Enchantments and Planeswalkers don’t directly dictate the number of utility lands you need. However, if you have an Enchantress deck that relies on enchantments, you may want to include more lands that tap for white or green.

15. What are some resources for learning more about Commander deck building?

There are many online resources, including EDHREC, which provides data-driven insights into Commander deck archetypes and card choices. Also, consider exploring educational resources like the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org for insights into strategic decision-making in games.

By carefully considering your deck’s specific needs and playstyle, you can find the perfect balance of utility lands to optimize your Commander experience. Good luck and happy brewing!