How to Build Your First MTG Commander Deck: A Complete Beginner's Guide

So, you want to build your first Magic: The Gathering Commander deck? Welcome to the most popular and social way to play Magic! The Commander format is a thrilling experience, but staring down a collection of over 25,000 cards can make building that first 100-card deck feel overwhelming.

Don't worry. While experienced players have countless advanced strategies, every great Commander deck starts with a solid foundation. This step-by-step guide will walk you through the process of building a fun, functional, and personal Commander deck from scratch.

Before You Build: The Preconstructed Option

Before we dive into building, it's important to know that a fantastic alternative exists: Commander preconstructed decks. Wizards of the Coast releases ready-to-play decks that are balanced, thematic, and a perfect entry point. If the building process feels daunting, starting with a precon is an excellent choice. You can always upgrade it later!

A Note on Accessibility and Proxies

Magic cards can be expensive, and we believe financial barriers shouldn't prevent anyone from enjoying the game. Most Commander players are perfectly fine with proxies (printed substitutes for cards), especially when you're testing a deck or if certain cards are beyond your budget. Always check with your playgroup, but remember: the goal is to have fun, not to be classist about card ownership. We're 100% pro-proxy — don't let card prices stop you from building the deck you want to play.

Understanding Commander Brackets: The New Power Level System

In 2025, Wizards of the Coast introduced the Commander Brackets system to help players communicate their deck's power level. This is especially important for beginners to understand, as it helps ensure everyone at the table has a similar expectation for the game.

The bracket system ranges from 1 to 5, with each bracket having specific guidelines about what kinds of cards and strategies are appropriate.

Bracket 1: Exhibition

The "just for fun" bracket. These decks prioritize theme and unique experiences over winning. No infinite combos, extra turns, mass land destruction, or cards from the "Game Changer" list.

Bracket 2: Core

The precon level. Similar in power to current preconstructed decks. Wins are usually telegraphed and incremental. Same restrictions as Bracket 1, making it perfect for beginners.

Bracket 3: Upgraded

Improved but not cutthroat. Thoughtfully designed decks with strong synergies. Allows up to 3 Game Changer cards and some combos, but no early-game infinite combos.

Bracket 4: Optimized

High power, no restrictions. These decks use the most powerful legal cards and strategies. All Game Changer cards are allowed.

Bracket 5: cEDH

Competitive Commander. Built to win in tournament settings, often following the current metagame rather than personal expression.

For your first deck, we recommend aiming for Bracket 2 or 3. This ensures your deck will be appropriate for most casual playgroups and won't accidentally become too powerful for friendly games.

The most important part of brackets is communication — always discuss what bracket everyone is playing before you start a game!

Step 1: Choose Your Commander

Your journey starts by selecting the legendary creature that will lead your deck. This choice dictates the colors you can play and often the deck's overall strategy. There are two main approaches:

Top-Down: Start with a Commander You Love

Find a legendary creature whose art, abilities, or lore inspires you. Do you love big dragons? Crafty wizards? A specific character from Magic's history? Build your 99 cards to support what your commander wants to do.

Bottom-Up: Start with a Theme or Mechanic You Love

Maybe you have a favorite card, mechanic (like +1/+1 counters or artifacts), or tribe (like Elves or Zombies) you're dying to build around. Your goal is then to find a commander in the right colors that best supports that theme. This commander acts as the engine or payoff for your chosen strategy.

Step 2: Understand the Commander Deck "Recipe"

A common mistake for beginners is to only include "cool" cards without a balanced structure. A resilient deck needs a mix of essential components. While these are guidelines, not rigid rules, they provide a fantastic starting template:

• 1 Commander
• 36–38 Lands
• 10 Ramp Cards
• 10 Card Draw Effects
• 10 Removal Spells (mix of single-target and board wipes)
• ~35 Cards for Your Core Strategy

This leaves you with a balanced shell that can execute its game plan while interacting with opponents.

Lands: Your Foundation

In a 100-card singleton format, consistently hitting your land drops is crucial. Starting with 37 lands is a safe bet. You can adjust this number later.

• Color Fixing: If your deck has multiple colors, prioritize lands that can produce more than one color. Command Tower, Path of Ancestry, and lands like Stormcarved Coast are affordable and effective.
• Utility Lands: Some lands, like Bojuka Bog, can hate on graveyards, while others, like Rogue's Passage, can help you win the game.

Ramp: Get Ahead and Stay Ahead

Ramp spells allow you to produce more mana than your land drops normally would, letting you play your bigger threats sooner.

• Mana Rocks: Sol Ring is a staple for a reason. Arcane Signet and Mind Stone are other excellent options.
• Land Ramp: In green, spells like Rampant Growth and Cultivate put lands directly onto the battlefield.
• Mana Dorks: Creatures like Llanowar Elves provide fast mana but can be easily removed.

Card Draw: Your Engine

The player with the most cards usually has the most options and wins the game. Card draw ensures you don't run out of gas.

• Repeatable Effects: Cards like Phyrexian Arena or Beast Whisperer provide value over many turns.
• Burst Draw: Spells like Harmonize or Windfall can refill your hand in a single turn.
• Conditional Draw: Many cards draw you cards based on what your deck is doing, like Toski, Bearer of Secrets for attacking with creatures.

Interaction: Dealing with Threats

Commander is a multiplayer game filled with powerful strategies. If you can't interact, you will lose to them.

• Single-Target Removal (5–7 cards): You need answers to problematic creatures, artifacts, and enchantments. Versatile spells like Beast Within or Anguished Unmaking are incredibly powerful.
• Board Wipes (2–3 cards): When one player's board gets out of control, a well-timed Wrath of God or Blasphemous Act can reset the game. Try to include wipes that synergize with your deck—for instance, Cyclonic Rift in a blue deck that bounces its own creatures.

Step 3: Flesh Out Your Game Plan

The remaining ~35 cards are where your deck's personality shines. This is where you put the cards that define your strategy.

• If you're building a tribal deck, these are your Zombies, Elves, or Dragons.
• If you're building a thematic deck, these are the cards with specific mechanics or synergies.
• This section also includes your primary win conditions—the big spells or combos that will secure your victory.

Step 4: Refine and Tune Your Deck

Once you have a first draft of 100 cards, the real work begins.

1. Playtest! Goldfish your deck (play against no opponents) to see how it flows.
2. Check Your Mana Curve: Look at the converted mana cost of your spells. A healthy curve has a majority of spells costing 2–4 mana.
3. Make Cuts and Adjustments: This is the hardest part. Be critical. If a card doesn't directly advance your strategy, it might be a candidate for cutting.

Essential Resources for Commander Deck Building

• EDHREC (Commander Deck Recommendations): The absolute best resource for Commander. It aggregates data from thousands of decklists to show you the most popular cards for any commander or theme.
• Moxfield: An excellent deckbuilding website where you can build, goldfish, and share your decklists. Great for testing before you buy or proxy.
• Scryfall: The most powerful Magic card search engine. Essential for finding cards with specific rules text.
• TCGplayer: A popular marketplace for buying singles (if you choose to purchase cards).
• Archidekt: Another fantastic deckbuilding platform with great visual tools.
• Magic: The Gathering MTG Facebook Group: A large community with 300k+ followers for discussion, deck help, and connecting with other players.

The Most Important Rule: Have Fun!

Commander is a format of self-expression. Your first deck doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to be yours. Use these guidelines as a starting framework, not a prison.

Remember our stance on proxies: Don't let budget constraints limit your creativity. Most casual playgroups are happy to play against proxies, especially when you're starting out.

And remember the brackets: As you build, think about what bracket you're aiming for and communicate that with your playgroup.

Now, go find that legendary creature that calls to you and start building!

— Comrade KAS