Commander is the most popular way to play Magic: The Gathering®, and building your own deck is half the fun. The rules are simple, and a basic template gets you to a playable 100-card deck quickly.
The short answer: pick a legendary creature as your commander, build a 100-card singleton deck within its colour identity, and start with roughly 36 lands, 10 ramp cards, 10 card draw, 10 removal and the rest on your theme.
A simple starting template
| Category | Typical count | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | 1 | Leads the deck, starts in the command zone |
| Lands | 35–38 | Mana to cast spells |
| Ramp | 8–12 | Extra mana early |
| Card draw | 8–12 | Keeps your hand full |
| Removal | 8–10 | Deals with threats |
| Board wipes | 2–3 | Resets the board |
| Theme cards | About 25–30 | Your deck's plan |
Treat this as a starting point and adjust as you play.
What are the basic Commander rules?
Decks are exactly 100 cards including your commander, with only one copy of each card except basic lands. Every card must fit your commander's colour identity, and players start on 40 life.
How do I choose my first commander?
Pick one whose ability excites you and points to a clear plan, such as tokens, +1/+1 counters or flying creatures. A simple, focused commander is easier to build around than a complicated one.
What is colour identity?
It's every colour in the mana symbols on your commander, including its rules text. Every card in your deck must fit within it. We cover it in our colour identity guide.
Should I start with a preconstructed deck?
It's a great way in. Preconstructed Commander decks are ready to play and easy to upgrade a few cards at a time. See how to store Commander precon decks.
Do I need to sleeve my Commander deck?
It's strongly recommended, because Commander decks get shuffled a lot. Most players single-sleeve so 100 cards fit in a standard box. See how to sleeve a Commander deck.
What else do I need for my first game?
Tokens, dice or a life counter and a deck box. Our Commander night packing list covers everything.
How do I make my deck better over time?
Play it, note which cards never do anything and swap them out a few at a time. Keeping the template balanced matters more than adding expensive cards.
Give your first deck a proper home – SquadPod Slim £19.99
100 single-sleeved cards + 10 tokens · commander window · hinged click lid · only 50 mm deep
Related reading
- How to organise Commander tokens
- How to shuffle a Commander deck
- Card game accessories every player needs
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