As a player who was reliably mana screwed before, I put 39 lands in *each* of my decks and never regretted it. Just add a few mana sinks and you'll always have something to spend excess mana on. I do run 3 to 5 taplands in all of my decks, usually cyclers like Forgotten Cave and maybe 1 - 2 utility lands if they fit the theme or strategy. And I run a lot of basics, between 20 and 27 out of the 39 lands. People usually overestimate how much fixing they'll need. If you've access to green, fixing should never be an issue. Non-green decks should run an ample amount of artifact based fixing. Bauble, signets, sad robot. Even Armillary Sphere or Journeyer's Kite are useful in 3+ color decks. Edit: I recommend 2 color decks, especially for newer EDH players and for those on a budget. The mana base is easier and cheaper to build and is waaay more reliable than for 3+ color decks.
I was using the Deck Builder on Card Kingdom to tabulate up what getting all the desirable non-basics to run 3 colors with the bare minimum to add Black as a distant 4th place color (For building Atraxa), and my total came up to like 340$ Admittedly that included 2-3 of the best Rainbow Lands there are cheaper alternatives to, but wow! Edit: If you’re going to run pain-lands, shouldn’t you just go ahead and play the rainbow-pings? I mean, you can’t fish for them, but is that really a major snafu in such a small minority of your mana base? (Legitimate not at all rhetorically intended question.) Also, what’s your opinion on Cascading Cataracts in 4 colors (Building an Atraxa +1/+1 Counters deck)
Great video and all good tips. Personally, I'll never run Temple of the False Gods in any of my decks. I don't care what the probability numbers say. That card always makes its way to my opening hand 😢
My mana base advice for new players: Thou shalt not play less than 35 lands! Going lower than that is a thing you only do when you have the experience to know, and new players don’t (yet). Also, the more colors you’re in, the more expensive the mana base; mono colored can run just fine on all basics, but 5 color wants the most flexible (and expensive) lands available. There are a ton of one off land that can fix mana, like the Gruul land that comes in untapped, but gives an opponent 1 life if you want colored mana. Or Meteor Crater, which taps for a color mana among permanents you control (bad on an empty board, priceless if your commander is out).
Great video as always. I love Field of the Dead in any 3 colour+ deck, it's never a redundant card. Also, you're wrong about Temple of the False Gods 😛
Less than 36 lands in normal, 6-7 power Commander deck with 8-10 ramp spells is just wrong. Every time I play against someone who's like "God! I keep missing land drops! I run 34!" It's like... yeah dawg. Run more.
A decent mana base guide. I would disagree with your land count suggestions, i would "up by 2" all your counts. I cant feel safe recommending any new player run less than 36 lands. And there are so many spell-like effects on lands that I rarely feel flooded. I too like temple of false god in all my mono coloured decks. But there are so many fantastic tap lands, I wouldn't ignore: Path of Ancestory, Myriad Landscape, Man-lands, Bounce lands, cycle lands, Bojuka Bog, Axgard Armory. Valakut, Emeria, Field of the Dead. These all have powerful homes in the right decks.
How to quickly improve your mana base: Get 2000USD Buy all lands except for original dual lands and reserved list stuff. Now you have all mana options for all your decks (and you can proxy for other decks) ???? PROFIT?
Or proxy all lands and pay maybe up to 10-30 usd. Depending on how much of them you need and how much your copyshop charges/printer charges you. Alternativ just be an good artist and pay less xD
I think Alex doesn't want us to run taplands that don't either tap for 3 plus colours, have land types or both.
... tap lands are fine... the thriving lands are all in the bargain bin in my LGS and they are the best taplands IMO for anything 3 color plus
Alex has a hatred of waiting an extra turn to cast his spells! 🤣
Did someone say, taplands are the very best lands and you should only use taplands ever?!???
🤣
As a player who was reliably mana screwed before, I put 39 lands in *each* of my decks and never regretted it. Just add a few mana sinks and you'll always have something to spend excess mana on.
I do run 3 to 5 taplands in all of my decks, usually cyclers like Forgotten Cave and maybe 1 - 2 utility lands if they fit the theme or strategy.
And I run a lot of basics, between 20 and 27 out of the 39 lands. People usually overestimate how much fixing they'll need. If you've access to green, fixing should never be an issue. Non-green decks should run an ample amount of artifact based fixing. Bauble, signets, sad robot. Even Armillary Sphere or Journeyer's Kite are useful in 3+ color decks.
Edit: I recommend 2 color decks, especially for newer EDH players and for those on a budget. The mana base is easier and cheaper to build and is waaay more reliable than for 3+ color decks.
I was using the Deck Builder on Card Kingdom to tabulate up what getting all the desirable non-basics to run 3 colors with the bare minimum to add Black as a distant 4th place color (For building Atraxa), and my total came up to like 340$
Admittedly that included 2-3 of the best Rainbow Lands there are cheaper alternatives to, but wow!
Edit: If you’re going to run pain-lands, shouldn’t you just go ahead and play the rainbow-pings?
I mean, you can’t fish for them, but is that really a major snafu in such a small minority of your mana base? (Legitimate not at all rhetorically intended question.)
Also, what’s your opinion on Cascading Cataracts in 4 colors (Building an Atraxa +1/+1 Counters deck)
Great video and all good tips. Personally, I'll never run Temple of the False Gods in any of my decks. I don't care what the probability numbers say. That card always makes its way to my opening hand 😢
Sounds like skill issue
My mana base advice for new players: Thou shalt not play less than 35 lands! Going lower than that is a thing you only do when you have the experience to know, and new players don’t (yet). Also, the more colors you’re in, the more expensive the mana base; mono colored can run just fine on all basics, but 5 color wants the most flexible (and expensive) lands available.
There are a ton of one off land that can fix mana, like the Gruul land that comes in untapped, but gives an opponent 1 life if you want colored mana. Or Meteor Crater, which taps for a color mana among permanents you control (bad on an empty board, priceless if your commander is out).
Going below 36 is asking for high power games where you have at least half of your deck with ramp or lands
Great video as always. I love Field of the Dead in any 3 colour+ deck, it's never a redundant card. Also, you're wrong about Temple of the False Gods 😛
Less than 36 lands in normal, 6-7 power Commander deck with 8-10 ramp spells is just wrong. Every time I play against someone who's like "God! I keep missing land drops! I run 34!"
It's like... yeah dawg. Run more.
I love you
Already taken sorry 😉
A decent mana base guide.
I would disagree with your land count suggestions, i would "up by 2" all your counts. I cant feel safe recommending any new player run less than 36 lands. And there are so many spell-like effects on lands that I rarely feel flooded.
I too like temple of false god in all my mono coloured decks. But there are so many fantastic tap lands, I wouldn't ignore: Path of Ancestory, Myriad Landscape, Man-lands, Bounce lands, cycle lands, Bojuka Bog, Axgard Armory. Valakut, Emeria, Field of the Dead. These all have powerful homes in the right decks.
How to quickly improve your mana base:
Get 2000USD
Buy all lands except for original dual lands and reserved list stuff.
Now you have all mana options for all your decks (and you can proxy for other decks)
????
PROFIT?
Or proxy all lands and pay maybe up to 10-30 usd. Depending on how much of them you need and how much your copyshop charges/printer charges you.
Alternativ just be an good artist and pay less xD
That's certainly an option that would work! 😂