BinderLoot / Glossary
Deck building
The words players use for the shape of a deck and for the games it wins or loses.
38 terms
What goes in the deck
The counts that decide whether a deck works, before a single card is drawn.
- Mainboard
- The mainboard is the deck that you play in the first game of a match.
- The mainboard must beat the whole field and not one deck. Cards that are narrow belong in the sideboard. Commander has no sideboard, so the mainboard is the whole deck.
Example
Your mainboard is the sixty cards that you shuffle for the first game. The other fifteen wait in the sideboard.
- See alsoSideboard
- Sideboard
- The sideboard is a set of extra cards that you swap in between games of a match.
- A constructed sideboard holds up to 15 cards. You swap cards after game one, when you know what the opponent plays. Commander and most casual formats use no sideboard.
Example
You lose game one to artifacts. You swap artifact removal in from the sideboard and win game two.
- See alsoMainboardDead card
- Singleton
- A singleton deck holds only one copy of each card, except basic lands.
- Commander is the best known singleton format. A singleton deck is less consistent, so card selection and search effects matter more. You cannot lean on four copies of the best card.
Example
Your Commander deck holds one copy of each card. Only the basic lands may repeat.
- See alsoArchetype
- Land count
- The land count is the number of lands in the deck.
- A 40 card limited deck usually runs 17 lands. A 60 card constructed deck runs 20 to 28 lands, typically 24. A 100 card Commander deck usually runs 35 to 38 lands, and heavy ramp can lower that number.
Example
Your sixty card deck plays twenty four lands. You draw about three of them in your opening seven.
- See alsoMana curveRampColor sources
- Color sources
- A color source is a permanent that produces one specific color of mana.
- Count the sources of each color, not the total number of lands. A deck with four green cards needs enough green sources to cast them on time. A double colored cost such as needs many more sources than a single one.
Example
Your deck plays eight Forests. Those eight lands are your green sources, and a spell needs many of them.
- See alsoLand countMana screw
- Mana curve
- The mana curve is the count of cards at each mana value in the deck.
- A deck with a low curve acts early, and a deck with a high curve acts late. Draw a bar for each mana value, and look for a smooth shape with a peak at two or three. The curve tells you how many lands the deck needs.
Example
Your deck holds ten cards at {1}, twelve at {2}, and four at {5}. That shape is the mana curve.
- See alsoMana valueLand countCurve-out
The lands of a deck
The words players use for the lands that make the mana of a deck.
- Mana base
- The mana base is the group of lands in a deck.
- A good mana base has enough lands, and enough sources of each color. The land count and the sources of each color decide how often the mana works.
Example
Your mana base is 10 Forests, 10 Islands and 4 dual lands. That is 24 lands, 14 green sources and 14 blue sources.
- See alsoLand countColor sourcesBasic land
- Basic land
- A basic land is one of the five lands that each make one color of mana.
- The five basic lands are Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain and Forest. They make white, blue, black, red and green mana. A deck can hold any number of copies of a basic land.
Example
Your green and blue deck plays 12 Forests and 12 Islands. Each Forest is a green source, and each Island is a blue source.
- See alsoDual landColor sourcesMana base
- Dual land
- A dual land is a land that makes either of two colors of mana.
- A dual land counts as a source for both of its colors, from one land slot. It lets a deck of two colors reach the source count of each color. Many dual lands enter the battlefield tapped, which costs you mana on that turn.
Example
Your green and blue deck plays four lands that make or . They add four green sources and four blue sources.
- See alsoBasic landMana fixingColor sources
- Mana fixing
- Mana fixing is the group of cards that help a deck make every color it needs.
- Dual lands are the most common fixing. Some spells and creatures also find a land or make mana of any color. A deck of three colors needs fixing, because basic lands alone leave each color short.
Example
Your deck adds a third color for two cards. You add dual lands of that color first, so you can cast them.
- See alsoDual landSplashColor sources
- Mono-color
- A mono-color deck plays cards of one color only, and colorless cards.
- Every land in a mono-color deck makes the color that every card needs, so the colors of the mana almost never go wrong. The deck has fewer cards to choose from than a deck of two colors.
Example
Your deck plays green cards and 24 Forests. Every land you draw casts every card in your hand.
- See alsoSplashBasic land
- Splash
- A splash is a third color that a deck plays for a few cards only.
- The splash cards usually cost more and have one pip, because the deck has few sources of that color. A splash with basic lands alone takes lands away from the two main colors. Add dual lands or other fixing first.
Example
Your green and blue deck plays two red cards that cost five. Three dual lands that make red let you cast them late in the game.
- See alsoMana fixingMono-colorColor sources
When the mana goes wrong
Most losses of a first deck come from the mana, not from the spells.
- Curve-out
- To curve out is to cast a spell that uses all of your mana on every turn.
- A deck that curves out spends every point of mana from the first turn. A good mana curve makes this possible. A deck with too many expensive cards cannot curve out, and it loses the early turns.
Example
You cast a two mana spell on turn two, a three mana spell on turn three, and a four mana spell on turn four.
- See alsoMana curveAggro
- Dead card
- A dead card is a card that does nothing in the game that you play now.
- A card that destroys artifacts is dead against a deck with no artifacts. A land is dead when you already hold more lands than you need. Fewer narrow cards means fewer dead cards.
Example
You hold artifact removal and the opponent plays no artifacts. The card does nothing for the whole game.
- See alsoSideboardMana flood
- Mana flood
- Mana flood is a game where you draw too many lands and too few spells.
- Flood turns your draws into dead cards. Lands that do something, more card draw, and a lower land count reduce flood. Flood and screw are the two ways that a mana base loses a game.
Example
You draw nine lands in your first fourteen cards. You have mana for everything and nothing left to cast.
- See alsoMana screwLand countDead card
- Mana screw
- Mana screw is a game where you draw too few lands to cast your spells.
- Screw also happens when you hold lands but not the right colors. More lands, more color sources, and cheap card selection reduce screw. A hand with one land is usually a mulligan.
Example
You keep a hand with two lands and never draw a third. Your four mana spells stay in your hand all game.
- See alsoMana floodColor sourcesMulligan
- Ramp
- Ramp is the group of cards that give you extra mana ahead of schedule.
- Mana rocks, mana creatures, and land search spells all count as ramp. Ramp lets you cast a big spell one or two turns early. Too much ramp leaves you with mana and nothing to spend it on.
Example
You cast a two mana spell that puts a land onto the battlefield. On turn three you have four mana, not three.
- See alsoMana curveLand count
The shapes a deck takes
Four plans cover almost every deck, and knowing yours tells you which cards to cut.
- Archetype
- An archetype is a known deck plan, for example aggro, control, or combo.
- The archetype tells you what the deck wants and how it wins. Choose the archetype before you pick the cards. A deck that mixes two archetypes without a plan often does neither one well.
Example
You say that your deck is control. The other players know at once that you answer their cards and win late.
- See alsoAggroControlComboMidrange
- Aggro
- An aggro deck plays cheap creatures and tries to win in the first turns.
- Aggro spends its cards fast, so it loses power in a long game. It keeps a low mana curve and few expensive cards. The plan is damage every turn, not card advantage.
Example
Your deck plays a 2/2 on turn two and a 3/3 on turn three. The opponent is at eight life on turn five.
- See alsoMana curveControlTempo
- Midrange
- A midrange deck plays strong creatures in the middle turns and fights both sides.
- Midrange holds removal for aggro and threats for control. It wants the game to last longer than aggro wants and shorter than control wants. A midrange deck needs a clear plan, because it wins no matchup by speed alone.
Example
You trade with the cheap creatures of the aggro deck, then win the board with a stronger creature on turn five.
- See alsoAggroControlThreat
- Control
- A control deck answers the cards of the opponent first and wins late.
- Control runs removal, counterspells, and card draw, and it runs few creatures. It trades one card for one card until it holds more cards. The finisher comes down only when the board is safe.
Example
You counter the first threat, destroy the second, and cast one large creature on turn eight to end the game.
- See alsoInteractionFinisherAggro
- Combo
- A combo deck wins with two or more cards that work together to end the game.
- The deck spends the early turns to find the pieces and to stay alive. A combo deck loses to interaction that answers one piece at the right moment. Some combos win at once, and some create a loop that ends the game.
Example
Two cards together make endless mana. You find both, and the game ends on the spot.
- See alsoInteractionWin conditioncEDH
- Tribal
- A tribal deck is built around one creature type, for example Elves or Goblins.
- The deck plays creatures of that type and cards that reward that type. Wizards of the Coast now uses the word typal for this deck plan, and Kindred for the card type. Most players at the table still say tribal.
Example
Every creature in your deck is an Elf. One card gives each Elf +1/+1, and the whole board grows at once.
- See alsoSynergyArchetype
Cards that answer other cards
A deck that only acts loses to a deck that also answers.
- Board wipe
- A board wipe is a spell that removes all creatures or most creatures at one time.
- A board wipe answers a board that is too wide for spot removal. It hits your creatures as well, so hold it until you gain more than the opponent. Hexproof does not save a creature from a board wipe that targets nothing.
Example
Six creatures stand on the battlefield. One board wipe destroys all of them, including your own creatures.
- See alsoSpot removalRemovalHexproof
- Card advantage
- Card advantage means that you have more cards to use than your opponent.
- Every card that you draw adds advantage, and every card that you lose removes it. A spell that answers two cards gives you a two-for-one. A deck without card draw runs empty first in a long game.
Example
You answer two of their cards with one of yours. You hold more cards from that turn on.
- See alsoTwo-for-oneCard draw
- Card draw
- Card draw is the group of cards in your deck that refill your hand.
- A deck needs card draw to find lands early and threats later. Many Commander deck builders aim for about ten sources of card draw. Card draw turns a slow start into a game that you can still win.
Example
Your hand is empty on turn six. One spell draws three cards and gives you three more turns of action.
- See alsoCard advantageRamp
- Interaction
- Interaction is the group of cards that answer what the opponent does.
- Removal, counterspells, and effects that stop an attack all count as interaction. A deck with no interaction has no answer to a card that wins the game. Many Commander deck builders aim for about ten pieces of interaction.
Example
The opponent casts the card that wins the game. Your deck holds an answer, so the game goes on.
- See alsoRemovalThreatControl
- Removal
- Removal is the group of cards that remove a permanent of the opponent.
- Removal answers the card that wins the game for the opponent. A deck needs removal for creatures and removal for other permanents. Removal that exiles answers a creature that returns from the graveyard.
Example
The opponent casts a 6/6 on turn five. Your removal spell destroys it for two mana on your turn.
- See alsoSpot removalBoard wipeInteraction
- Spot removal
- Spot removal is a spell that answers one permanent.
- Spot removal is cheap and fast, and it answers the one card that matters. It trades one card for one card. A board with many small creatures needs a board wipe instead.
Example
The opponent controls three creatures. Your spot removal answers the largest one, and the other two stay.
- See alsoRemovalBoard wipe
- Threat
- A threat is a card that wins the game when the opponent does not answer it.
- A large creature and a planeswalker are common threats. Count your threats and your answers, because a deck needs both. Too many threats loses to removal, and too few loses to a slow draw.
Example
You cast a creature that wins the game in three attacks. The opponent answers it, or the opponent loses.
- See alsoFinisherRemovalInteraction
- Two-for-one
- A two-for-one is one card that answers two cards or that draws two cards.
- A board wipe against three creatures is a large two-for-one. An Aura on a creature risks the reverse, because removal on the creature takes both cards. Repeated two-for-ones win long games.
Example
The opponent puts an Aura on a creature. You destroy the creature, and the Aura goes to the graveyard with it.
- See alsoCard advantageBoard wipe
How a deck wins
Name the card that ends the game before you pick the other fifty nine.
- Finisher
- A finisher is the card that turns a stable board into a win.
- A finisher is usually one large creature or one big spell. A control deck needs only one or two finishers, because it plans to survive. A finisher that dies to common removal finishes nothing.
Example
The board is stuck and nobody attacks. You cast one large creature with flying, and it ends the game in three turns.
- See alsoWin conditionThreatControl
- Synergy
- Synergy is the extra value that two cards create when they work together.
- A card that makes tokens and a card that rewards tokens have synergy. Synergy raises the power of a deck without raising the power of each card. A deck with strong cards and no synergy loses to a deck with both.
Example
One card makes tokens. Another card gets +1/+1 for each creature that you control. Together they do far more than apart.
- See alsoArchetypeCombo
- Tempo
- Tempo is the measure of who is ahead on board for the mana spent.
- A cheap answer to an expensive threat gains tempo. A tempo deck attacks early and uses cheap interaction to hold the lead. Tempo and card advantage are different, and one play can win one and lose the other.
Example
You return their creature to their hand and attack. They spend their turn casting it again, and you spend yours attacking.
- See alsoCard advantageAggroInteraction
- Win condition
- The win condition is the way that the deck plans to end the game.
- Combat damage, one combo, and a card that says you win are all win conditions. Write the win condition down before you build the rest of the deck. A deck without a win condition survives and then draws the game.
Example
Your deck answers every threat for twenty turns. One creature is your win condition, and it attacks for the last twenty life.
- See alsoFinisherComboThreat
Testing a deck
What players do between building a deck and trusting it.
- Goldfishing
- Goldfishing is a solo test where you play your deck against no opponent.
- You count the turn where the deck wins, and you watch the opening hands. Goldfishing shows the speed and the consistency of the deck. It does not show how the deck handles interaction.
Example
You play seven games alone against no opponent. You learn that your deck casts its first spell on turn four, which is late.
- See alsoPlaytestingInteraction
- Netdecking
- Netdecking is the practice of copying a deck list that somebody published.
- A published list is a tested starting point, and it saves hours of work. Read why each card is in the list before you change it. A list from another format or another power level often does not fit your table.
Example
You copy a deck list from a tournament report. You save the testing, and you know the deck already wins.
- See alsoArchetypePower level
- Playtesting
- Playtesting is the practice of playing real games to find the faults in a deck.
- Keep notes on the hands that you keep and on the cards that sit dead in your hand. Change one group of cards at a time, so you know what caused the change. Ten games teach you more than ten hours of theory.
Example
You play ten real games with the deck. One card is dead in every game, so you cut it.
- See alsoGoldfishingDead card