How Many Lands Should a Commander Deck Run?
By MTG Master EditorialPublished Updated
One of the most common Commander questions is also one of the most important.
How many lands should you play?
There isn't one correct answer. The right number depends on your mana curve, how much ramp you're playing, your commander, and how quickly your deck wants to get going.
For most Commander decks, 36 to 38 lands is the sweet spot.
Playing too few lands is one of the most common mistakes in Commander. Missing your third or fourth land drop usually means falling behind while the rest of the table keeps developing.
Recommended Land Count
| Deck Type | Recommended Lands |
|---|---|
| Fast decks with lots of ramp | 34 to 35 |
| Balanced Commander decks | 36 to 38 |
| High mana curve or battlecruiser decks | 38 to 40 |
| Landfall strategies | 39 to 42 |
Use these as starting points, not hard rules.
Every deck is different.
Why 37 Lands Is So Common
If you look through thousands of Commander decklists, you'll notice that 37 lands comes up again and again.
It gives you a great chance of making your early land drops without flooding out too often later in the game.
It's also a flexible starting point.
From there, you can adjust the number depending on how your deck actually performs.
When You Can Play Fewer Lands
Some decks work perfectly well with 34 or 35 lands.
They usually have a few things in common:
- Plenty of mana rocks like Sol Ring and Arcane Signet.
- Green ramp spells that search for lands.
- A low average mana value.
- Enough card draw to keep finding lands.
If your deck consistently accelerates its mana in the early turns, you don't need to rely on lands quite as much.
Just don't cut lands simply because you're playing Sol Ring.
One powerful card doesn't replace three lands.
When You Should Play More Lands
Some Commander decks genuinely want 38 to 40 lands, or even more.
That's usually true if your deck:
- Runs lots of spells that cost six mana or more.
- Plans to cast its commander multiple times.
- Plays very little ramp.
- Uses landfall or lands as a core part of its strategy.
These decks need to keep making land drops almost every turn to work consistently.
Ramp Doesn't Replace Lands
This is probably the biggest misconception in Commander.
Ramp gives you more mana.
It doesn't guarantee you'll keep drawing the lands you need.
A hand with two lands and several ramp spells can still be a bad keep if the third land never shows up.
As a general rule:
- More ramp lets you trim one or two lands.
- It doesn't mean you should cut four or five lands.
A solid mana base is still the foundation of every consistent Commander deck.
How MTG Master Evaluates Your Mana Base
At MTG Master, we don't just count lands.
We look at how your entire mana base works together.
Our analysis evaluates:
- Total land count.
- Average mana value.
- Ramp.
- Color requirements.
- Mana curve.
- Commander mana cost.
- Card draw that helps you keep finding lands.
A deck with 35 lands isn't automatically wrong.
A deck with 39 lands isn't automatically right.
What matters is whether your mana base consistently supports your game plan.
Check the land count in your actual deck
MTG Master evaluates lands together with your mana curve, ramp, color requirements, commander cost, and card draw.
Final Thoughts
If you're not sure where to start, play 37 lands.
Then play a few games and see how the deck feels.
Are you missing early land drops?
Add another land.
Are you flooding out every long game?
Try cutting one.
The best Commander decks aren't built around a magic number.
They're built around consistency.
That's exactly what your mana base should give you.