Eric's Deck Making Guide: 

This is a collection of some of the deck making tips that I have posted on Eric's Magic Card Shop blog.  Check it out for new posts on Magic Deck Making Tips as well as new product information and ways to get FREE Magic the Gathering stuff with every order! 


Tip # 1 - Keep your deck size at 60 cards maximum (Beginner Tip)  (Constructed Formats)

A lot of beginning players fall into the trap of playing with large and inconsistent decks.  This can happen because players want to be able to play with all of the cool cards they own.  Who wouldn't?  But winning can also be fun, so be strict with yourself and keep the deck to no more than 60 cards.  Also, keep in mind these other good guidelines when making your Magic the Gathering deck.

• Land Count: Your deck should contain 24 lands or other cheap mana producing cards.
• Creature Count: Most decks are creature based and should have around 25-30 creatures
• Creature Removal: Make sure to have at least a few cards, 4 or more, that can kill or deal with your opponents creatures. 
• Mana Curve: Be mindful of the mana cost of all of your cards.  You want to make sure your deck has a good mana curve. If you don't know what a mana curve is or how to tell if it is "good" see Eric's Deck Making Tips #4.
  

Tip # 2 - Use 4 copies of as many cards as you can (Beginner Tip) (Constructed Formats)

A lot of beginning players fall into the trap of playing with lots of single copies of cards in their decks.  This can happen because players want to be able to play with all of the cool cards they own.  Who wouldn't?  But winning can also be fun, so be strict with yourself and use up to 4 copies of each card you want in your deck.  This has the effect of making your deck much more consistent.  Also, keep in mind these other good guidelines when making your Magic the Gathering deck.

• Deck Size:  Make sure your deck is 60 cards max.
  
• Land Count: Your deck should contain 24 lands or other cheap mana producing cards.
• Creature Count: Most decks are creature based and should have around 25-30 creatures
• Creature Removal: Make sure to have at least a few cards, 4 or more, that can kill or deal with your opponents creatures. 
• Mana Curve: Be mindful of the mana cost of all of your cards.  You want to make sure your deck has a good mana curve. If you don't know what a mana curve is or how to tell if it is "good" then see Eric's Deck Making Tips #4.
  

Tip # 3 - Limited Formats: The 40 Card Deck (Beginner Tip) (Limited Formats)

Standard limited formats include draft and sealed deck play and typically have a 40 card minimum (although you can, you should not exceed 40 cards in your deck).  Drafting typically involves 8 players (although you can get by with less if necessary) who compete with each other for cards from a limited pool (typically 3 booster pack per person drafting).  Sealed deck is were each person gets a limited supply of sealed magic product (typically 5 booster backs per person) to make their decks.  Eric's Deck Making Tips will cover both of these formats more in-depth in the future so check back often!  For now, keep in mind these deck making tips when making your 40 card limited Magic the Gathering deck:

• Deck Size:  Make sure your deck is 40 cards max.
  
• Land Count: Your deck should contain 17-18 lands or other cheap mana producing cards.
• Creature Count: Limited decks are almost alway creature based and should have around 16-17 creatures
• Evasion:  Make sure to include some creatures that have some form of evasion (flying, fear, unblockable, etc).
• Creature Removal: Make sure to have at least a few cards that can kill or deal with your opponents creatures. 
• Mana Curve: Be mindful of the mana cost of all of your cards.  You want to make sure your deck has a good mana curve. If you don't know what a mana curve is or how to tell if it is "good" then stay tuned for more Deck Making Tips in the future.
  

Tip # 4 - The Mystery of the Mana Curve (Advanced Tip) (Limited Formats)

I'm sure many of you have heard the term "mana curve" before, and I'm betting many of you are a little uncertain about exactly what that means (the distribution of your spells/creatures by mana cost).  Or, you may know what it means but may not be too sure how to use that knowledge to build better decks.  The concept is based on the fact that in most games of magic you want to be able to put out a land each turn and to use all of your land each turn for casting spells/creatures.  So you want to have the right mix of land as well as the right mix of each level of mana cost.  This allows to you conintually put out creatures/permanents and for each creature/permanent to increase in power (as it increases in mana cost). 

Here is a quick guide to how many cards at each level of mana cost you should have in your draft or sealed deck:

• 1 Mana:  0-1  Cards - You usually don't want to play many one mana cards with a few exceptions (Llanowar Elves, Festering Goblin, Tattermunge Maniac).
• 2 Mana:  3-4 Cards
  
• 3 Mana:  4-5 Cards
  
• 4 Mana:  4-5 Cards
• 5 Mana:  1-2 Cards
• 6+ Mana:  0-1 Cards - These cards should only be bombs.  Bombs are cards that are so good you usually win the game in a turn or two. 
  

Also keep in mind the additional guidelines for limited deck construction (see Eric's Deck Making Tips #3).