Planeswalkers Workshop: Deckbuilding
There are a ton of ways to play Magic: the Gathering. And I mean a ton. From casual to competitive, from limited to constructed, from standard to vintage, from Pauper to Commander, from mono-colored to literally hundreds of combinations of colors, from mechanical to tribal--the number of ways you can play, I argue, are unquantifiable.
But there is one thing every last deck should have in common, and I sincerely mean every. Last. Deck.
They should be designed to win.
A good half of our group plays very casually. And I think that there's NOTHING wrong with that! In fact, I submit casual is the best way to play this game. I always look forward to game night, where I can let my hair down and be who I am, whether it's through the visage of the omnipotent DM or in the pile of cards I call my library. But casual doesn't necessarily mean, "I'm just playing for fun". Yes, you're playing to have fun. But playing to win should always be at least a secondary objective, if not the first. And a deck needs to be designed to win. Sure, you want to play a bear deck because you think bears are cool (spoiler: they are).
But the question isn't necessarily the theme behind it, so much as it is how your bears will strike fear into the eyes of your opponents.
Bears are crazy.
Today, I would like to open a deckbuilding workshop. Everyone, even our veterans, should continually learn how to play the game. If you haven't read the comprehensive rules (and you should), let me tell you: there's a lot of stuff to learn and absorb. Even judges will have to refer to intense studying of the rules in an unexpected situation. With literally over 10,000 unique cards, and a deep set of rules, no one can ever predict what'll happen in the next game--and we're just talking about a 2-player game, here! Add more players to add to that unpredictability, and suddenly you have a game where a brand-new player with a pauper deck could win out against a fully decked-out Sliver deck.
Nevertheless, it can't hurt your odds to build a deck that can go toe-to-toe with the decks built by those with a more comprehensive understanding of the rules. Not only is it increasing your odds of a win, it increases the fun when you can competently play the well-greased killing machine that is your library! So without further ado, my list of tips to increase your deckbuilding.
1.) What Does Your Deck Do?
This is absolutely the biggest question you have to answer when it comes to building a deck. And of course, the best way to understand that is to look at the types of ways to win. Are you going to drop your opponents' life to 0 as quickly as possible? Are you going to build an army and then attack with an unstoppable force? Will you control the battlefield to your favor until you can't lose? Will you force the opponent to "deck out" (put all their cards from their library into their graveyard)? Are you packing your deck with win-conditions (cards that say, "you win the game by doing x)? Or perhaps you're particularly sinister, and want to destroy your opponent with infect and poison counters?
Pick what your deck does. Sometimes this follows a theme, like playing a specific mechanic such as Infect or Proliferate; while others may choose a tribe (a creature subtype) like Angels or Zombies. Sometimes players like to build their deck around a specific card. For instance, I'm currently building a deck around this little monstrosity:
Throughout this article, I'll be using the deck I'm currently constructing around Star of Extinction as an example of good deckbuilding. I figure the best way to set an example is to practice what you preach, so for each tip I'm going to include an aspect of that tip in the construction of my deck. So with Star of Extinction, it does 2 things. 1: Land-hate, which is something everyone hates (and therefore I love). 2: It deals 20 damage to each creature. Whew! We'll get more into this later, but the second aspect of this card is what I'm most interested in. Now, it doesn't do any damage to the opponent, and there are cheaper cards that destroy all creatures--so why base my deck around this? It doesn't seem like it will cause me to win... I wonder why, then, I'm using this... we'll have to see, I suppose.
Whatever it is you decide to build your deck around, it's important to play cards that synergize with the style of the deck. For instance, if you're playing a mill deck, where the main point is to make your opponent run out of cards and forfeit, then it doesn't make much sense to add a card that gives all your creatures First Strike and Lifelink. Sure, those are good abilities, but you've effectively wasted a slot in your precious limited number of card slots.
Granted, it's important to have answers to problems, but you shouldn't waste half of your deck on contingencies that may or may not happen. I had this problem when I first started playing Magic. My first deck was a red and green deck that had no cohesion whatsoever. I put in all sorts of things I thought would be good answers to enemy tactics. The result was a steaming pile of garbage that never won a single game. Have an answer to a problem that could directly impact your deck and strategy, but make sure you narrow the scope down to what works with your deck and what doesn't.
For instance, in my Commander Sliver Deck, it's more or less impossible to destroy, exile, or otherwise incapacitate individual Slivers once they've started snowballing because I can give all Slivers I control Hexproof and Indestructibility. But my Slivers do have a glaring weakness: Boardwipes. Specifically ones that exile all creatures. I understand this, and so I put into my arsenal defensive cards to deal with this game-ender as it arises. Specifically, I have chosen to stick a card in called "Jaded Response" into my bag of tricks, which is perhaps my favorite Instant in the deck. It costs 1 blue and it counters a Sorcery being played. Most Boardwipes that exist are Sorceries, meaning that Sorceries are perhaps my greatest bane. So when I have a Jaded Response in my hand (and when I don't make the stupid mistake of being tapped out; thanks Zach), my Slivers are virtually-untouchable. My defensive spells are in direct relation to covering my weaknesses. So when planning your deck, it's important to use spells that specifically aid your strategy, be they offensive or defensive. Earlier, I saw a bad example, where someone was playing an aggro red-white deck designed to throw your opponent out of the game as early as possible. Turn one, creature with 3 power. Turn 2, creature with 2 power and Haste (so they'd be able to deal 5 damage and their opponent couldn't do much about it). Turn 3...
Gain 4 life and draw a card?
I mean, sure... It's a decent card, but it has literally nothing to do with your aggro strategy. Why is it there at all? Maybe you have a reason, like if you have an Ajani's Pridemate or two in your deck. But at this point in the game there's no reason to throw that on the field by turn 3. It messes up the syngery. Maybe it's the only card they have to play that turn. My question then is... WHY? You're doing a disservice to your deck and to yourself by placing cards in your deck that don't jive with your overall theme and/or strategy. That card could be replaced by one that gives his creatures double-strike, or a spell that zaps any low-level creatures into oblivion.
Also, when picking what your deck does, make sure that whatever it is that your deck does is able to win. So you want to put a bunch of +1/+1 counters on your creatures. Great! But will it win? It certainly won't if your opponent has a bunch of 1/1 Squirrel Tokens that outnumber your army of 20/20 Avatar Creature Tokens. Splash some trample in there, and suddenly all those squirrels, along with your opponent, are going to be road-pizza! Give yourself benefits to having a bunch of +1/+1 counters on the field. Reward yourself for sticking to your plan from turn 1 to turn 5 (the end of the game because you laid your opponent out faster than they could get their ball rolling).
I can't stress this enough:
Plan what your deck does and don't stray from it when you're building. Whatever it is you pick, it needs to have the objective of "win" in mind.
2.) What Colors Are You Using?
Color identity is very important in Magic. I think that this is perhaps the biggest difference between Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: the Gathering. In Duel Monsters, you can choose cards from any quote-unquote "color identity", and can summon ridiculously-powerful monsters on the first turn. This allows for explosive and fast-paced, albeit predictable gameplay. Magic is far more complex, thanks largely in part to the color system of the game. In games like Commander, color identity is intrinsically-tied to your General, a legendary creature or Planeswalker; you can only use colors that share the color identity of your General. This format takes color to another degree, but in all Magic: the Gathering formats, color identity is essential to the planning of your deck. Therefore, it is important to understand what the colors are generally used for.
White is the color used for making small, cheap creatures, and for removal. Think of white as the color of justice. White players make good usage of Exile and First Strike, as well as detaining abilities that prevent creatures from attacking, blocking, or using abilities. They're not usually very strong creatures, but they can go toe-to-toe with foes stronger than them.
Blue is the color of misdirection. Blue players are often the most hated in Magic, mainly because their spells and trickery can reduce entire armies and strategies inert. They're also the prime color to have something called "Card Advantage", which means they draw cards more than other players (which means they have more options than other players). Not generally creature-heavy, blue relies heavily on Sorceries, Instants, and Enchantments.
Black, unsurprisingly, is the color of rot and death--and for those unlucky enough to be in a targetable graveyard, undeath. Cards that destroy creatures, make you lose life, and manipulate the graveyard are common, and oftentimes a black player will revel in your suffering as it sustains them in the game in some way. Zombies, Vampires, and Demons are commonly seen under the Black banner.
Red is the color of rage. Most-often attributed with aggressive playstyles, red gives libraries early oomph. Be careful, however, for while red has good early starts, they are known to fizzle out early too. Red also utilizes First Strike, Doublestrike, Haste, and Menace. Lastly, they also deal lots of damage in the form of Instants and Sorceries. Strong start, but early finish. Insert inappropriate joke here.
Lastly, green is the color of supreme nature. They focus mainly on building armies of massive unstoppable creatures that opponents dread defending against, and the speed at which they come out is assisted by cards that "mana-ramp". They are a secondary color for card advantage, but primarily the color to bring out as many Mana sources as possible. Perhaps one of the more important aspects of green is the philosophical and mechanical hate they have for artifacts, for nature is the opposite of machine.
On their own, each of these colors are powerful. But often more potent is a combination of colors. Lately, I've been experimenting with decks of 3-5 colors, and thus far it has been rewarding--provided I supply it with mana-rocks and mana-fixing. Oftentimes, if you don't, you'll end up with 1 or 2 lands in your opening hand and no cards of which you can cast with it. Nothing is more disheartening than having nothing to play on your first 3 turns.
Picking your color identity is as important as picking what you want your deck to do. Let's take another look at the deck I am building around Star of Extinction. It consists of 4 colors: White, Black, Red, and Green. I excluded blue because I didn't see a need for it in this deck, despite the fact that not having blue makes me kind of nervous. The main focus I have is creatures that do something when they take damage. So I went and painstakingly found as many creatures as possible that did something in proportion to the damage they received. Why? 20 damage to each creature sounds like a super fun mechanic to punish!
I thought, "Sure it basically becomes a 'destroy all creatures' card, but if they wanted it to be that, then the card would have said 'destroy all creatures'. This gives me a different avenue that I can abuse! Muahahahaha!" And that's how my deck came to be. So once I found creatures that did something once they took damage, I had found that the most efficient uses of this mechanic resided in cards from 4 of the 5 colors. Honestly, it COULD work with 3 colors. The only green cards I have in this deck are 3 copies of Hornet's Nest. Every time I use Star of Extinction on a Hornet's Nest, I get 20 flying creatures.
Even if I miss hitting other creatures in my deck with Star of Extinction for some reason, I get 20 flying creatures as a result. That benefit alone is so obscene I honestly think it's worth such a tiny splash of green, even if it complicates my opening hand that much more. The good news is that I am considering throwing in cards with Explore, which is sort of a half mana-ramp/card advantage hybrid. So that could be a solution to my green splash.
3.) Check Your Mana Curve and Land Ratio
It is common knowledge that you want to be as close to the minimum number of cards in your deck as possible. Standard practice is 24 lands for a 60 card deck, 17 lands for a 40 card deck, and between 35-50 lands for a 100 card deck (the reason for variations in land-spread here is because a Commander deck is far more unpredictable and the options for decks open up in ways uncommon to other gametypes).
Most people know about this, but I want to say it anyway: you should also be checking the mana-curve of your deck. How many cards have a CMC (Converted Mana Cost) of 1? How many have a CMC of 9? Your Mana Curve determines the speed at which you will play. So if the bulk of your deck has between 1-4 CMC, then chances are your deck is built for aggro and will likely fizzle out in the mid-game. If you've been consistently losing games and I ask to check your Mana-curve, and the bulk of your deck has a CMC between 7-9--well, no wonder you've been losing! Your opponents are getting started way faster than you are and they're running you over before you can get the ball rolling!
I have a personal rule: if by turn 5 you aren't a threat to at least one opponent, chances are your deck isn't working right, and chances are you are not going to win. Now, there are definitely some flops that happen. We all sometimes get an avalanche of lands (like Matthew who didn't see a nonland card until turn 9 last week), or not the right cards pop up, or the opponent just gets super lucky with their opening hand. But for the most part, every turn played, every spell cast, every attack made... it needs to in some way gain an advantage over your opponent(s). Every turn needs to feed the strategy of your deck, and that strategy needs to get you to win the game.
If you draw your opening hand and see that you have two Mana sources, but three spells that can't be cast because you don't have the right colors, then chances are you're relying too much on basic lands. This hurts the most between turns 0-5, which is the time you need to be spending to get your deck in play. To combat this, your deck needs to be stocked with land viability that will allow you to cast spells no matter what you have in your opening hand. Dual-Lands are the most obvious avenue, here. Sure, they usually come in tapped, but they give you more flexibility with your opening hand and top-decking. Cards like Monalith are excellent Mana rocks. There's also fetch-lands that, when sacrificed, let you put a basic land from your library tapped. Depending on your deck, Lanowar Elves are perfect in a pinch, and get you to Mana-ramp to boot.
Some spells also add Mana; I am using a card in my Star of Extinction deck called Seething Song. This card has a CMC of 3, and it adds 5 red to my Mana pool. Essentially, it adds 2 more to my Mana pool that turn than I normally would get, but only for casting red spells. Now, this benefit gives me an even bigger boost if I have something like, I don't know... this:
I can cast Seething Song for 1 less. Which means I get 3 extra red instead! Not only this, but it also means Star of Extinction, the card I based my deck around, gets a discount of 1 Mana. So if I'm lucky, with only one Ruby Medallion on the field and a Seething Song, I can theoretically have Star of Extinction by turn 3! This boosts my Mana curve to a RIDICULOUS level. My deck has gone from being a pile of cards to being a well-greased killing machine that puts any Kaladesh inventions to shame! Everything here either interacts with or helps me cast Star of Extinction.
This has been one of my better articles, actually. I'm pretty proud of the work I put into it. I hope the explanations I gave, with the hand-crafted examples along with them, have inspired you to improve your own deckbuilding. There are times where I'm reading an article or looking at spoilers for a new set that I find a card that interests me. I will then build a deck around it. Other times, I will find a mechanic I like and will build a deck that utilizes that mechanic. The same can be said of a tribe. For instance, vampires are a fun and easy deck to play, since their mechanics are straightforward and give you an avenue for winning pretty easily: whenever someone takes damage, you benefit in some way!
Sometimes, I'll even think about a card or mechanic and then ask myself: how can this be abused? I call Magic: the Gathering a game of lawyers--because it is. It has rules, and sometimes, in special circumstances or combinations of regular circumstances, those rules need to be interpreted. Nothing is cooler than having to spend 30 minutes figuring out the order in which effects happen because other effects happen at that specific instance. That's the beauty of Magic: the Gathering! The rules are outlined in a very specific way, but the cards themselves bend the rules, and a combination of them create unique circumstances that are seldom ever reproduced again. This means that with the 10,000+ cards that exist in Magic: the Gathering, you have a blank canvas for building a deck. Using these guidelines for deckbuilding, you can build a deck that not only rocks on a thematic level, but also flattens your opponents with efficiency and style!
But there is one thing every last deck should have in common, and I sincerely mean every. Last. Deck.
They should be designed to win.
Bears are crazy.
Today, I would like to open a deckbuilding workshop. Everyone, even our veterans, should continually learn how to play the game. If you haven't read the comprehensive rules (and you should), let me tell you: there's a lot of stuff to learn and absorb. Even judges will have to refer to intense studying of the rules in an unexpected situation. With literally over 10,000 unique cards, and a deep set of rules, no one can ever predict what'll happen in the next game--and we're just talking about a 2-player game, here! Add more players to add to that unpredictability, and suddenly you have a game where a brand-new player with a pauper deck could win out against a fully decked-out Sliver deck.
Nevertheless, it can't hurt your odds to build a deck that can go toe-to-toe with the decks built by those with a more comprehensive understanding of the rules. Not only is it increasing your odds of a win, it increases the fun when you can competently play the well-greased killing machine that is your library! So without further ado, my list of tips to increase your deckbuilding.
1.) What Does Your Deck Do?
This is absolutely the biggest question you have to answer when it comes to building a deck. And of course, the best way to understand that is to look at the types of ways to win. Are you going to drop your opponents' life to 0 as quickly as possible? Are you going to build an army and then attack with an unstoppable force? Will you control the battlefield to your favor until you can't lose? Will you force the opponent to "deck out" (put all their cards from their library into their graveyard)? Are you packing your deck with win-conditions (cards that say, "you win the game by doing x)? Or perhaps you're particularly sinister, and want to destroy your opponent with infect and poison counters?
Pick what your deck does. Sometimes this follows a theme, like playing a specific mechanic such as Infect or Proliferate; while others may choose a tribe (a creature subtype) like Angels or Zombies. Sometimes players like to build their deck around a specific card. For instance, I'm currently building a deck around this little monstrosity:
Throughout this article, I'll be using the deck I'm currently constructing around Star of Extinction as an example of good deckbuilding. I figure the best way to set an example is to practice what you preach, so for each tip I'm going to include an aspect of that tip in the construction of my deck. So with Star of Extinction, it does 2 things. 1: Land-hate, which is something everyone hates (and therefore I love). 2: It deals 20 damage to each creature. Whew! We'll get more into this later, but the second aspect of this card is what I'm most interested in. Now, it doesn't do any damage to the opponent, and there are cheaper cards that destroy all creatures--so why base my deck around this? It doesn't seem like it will cause me to win... I wonder why, then, I'm using this... we'll have to see, I suppose.
Whatever it is you decide to build your deck around, it's important to play cards that synergize with the style of the deck. For instance, if you're playing a mill deck, where the main point is to make your opponent run out of cards and forfeit, then it doesn't make much sense to add a card that gives all your creatures First Strike and Lifelink. Sure, those are good abilities, but you've effectively wasted a slot in your precious limited number of card slots.
Granted, it's important to have answers to problems, but you shouldn't waste half of your deck on contingencies that may or may not happen. I had this problem when I first started playing Magic. My first deck was a red and green deck that had no cohesion whatsoever. I put in all sorts of things I thought would be good answers to enemy tactics. The result was a steaming pile of garbage that never won a single game. Have an answer to a problem that could directly impact your deck and strategy, but make sure you narrow the scope down to what works with your deck and what doesn't.
For instance, in my Commander Sliver Deck, it's more or less impossible to destroy, exile, or otherwise incapacitate individual Slivers once they've started snowballing because I can give all Slivers I control Hexproof and Indestructibility. But my Slivers do have a glaring weakness: Boardwipes. Specifically ones that exile all creatures. I understand this, and so I put into my arsenal defensive cards to deal with this game-ender as it arises. Specifically, I have chosen to stick a card in called "Jaded Response" into my bag of tricks, which is perhaps my favorite Instant in the deck. It costs 1 blue and it counters a Sorcery being played. Most Boardwipes that exist are Sorceries, meaning that Sorceries are perhaps my greatest bane. So when I have a Jaded Response in my hand (and when I don't make the stupid mistake of being tapped out; thanks Zach), my Slivers are virtually-untouchable. My defensive spells are in direct relation to covering my weaknesses. So when planning your deck, it's important to use spells that specifically aid your strategy, be they offensive or defensive. Earlier, I saw a bad example, where someone was playing an aggro red-white deck designed to throw your opponent out of the game as early as possible. Turn one, creature with 3 power. Turn 2, creature with 2 power and Haste (so they'd be able to deal 5 damage and their opponent couldn't do much about it). Turn 3...
Gain 4 life and draw a card?
I mean, sure... It's a decent card, but it has literally nothing to do with your aggro strategy. Why is it there at all? Maybe you have a reason, like if you have an Ajani's Pridemate or two in your deck. But at this point in the game there's no reason to throw that on the field by turn 3. It messes up the syngery. Maybe it's the only card they have to play that turn. My question then is... WHY? You're doing a disservice to your deck and to yourself by placing cards in your deck that don't jive with your overall theme and/or strategy. That card could be replaced by one that gives his creatures double-strike, or a spell that zaps any low-level creatures into oblivion.
Also, when picking what your deck does, make sure that whatever it is that your deck does is able to win. So you want to put a bunch of +1/+1 counters on your creatures. Great! But will it win? It certainly won't if your opponent has a bunch of 1/1 Squirrel Tokens that outnumber your army of 20/20 Avatar Creature Tokens. Splash some trample in there, and suddenly all those squirrels, along with your opponent, are going to be road-pizza! Give yourself benefits to having a bunch of +1/+1 counters on the field. Reward yourself for sticking to your plan from turn 1 to turn 5 (the end of the game because you laid your opponent out faster than they could get their ball rolling).
I can't stress this enough:
Plan what your deck does and don't stray from it when you're building. Whatever it is you pick, it needs to have the objective of "win" in mind.
2.) What Colors Are You Using?
Color identity is very important in Magic. I think that this is perhaps the biggest difference between Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: the Gathering. In Duel Monsters, you can choose cards from any quote-unquote "color identity", and can summon ridiculously-powerful monsters on the first turn. This allows for explosive and fast-paced, albeit predictable gameplay. Magic is far more complex, thanks largely in part to the color system of the game. In games like Commander, color identity is intrinsically-tied to your General, a legendary creature or Planeswalker; you can only use colors that share the color identity of your General. This format takes color to another degree, but in all Magic: the Gathering formats, color identity is essential to the planning of your deck. Therefore, it is important to understand what the colors are generally used for.
White is the color used for making small, cheap creatures, and for removal. Think of white as the color of justice. White players make good usage of Exile and First Strike, as well as detaining abilities that prevent creatures from attacking, blocking, or using abilities. They're not usually very strong creatures, but they can go toe-to-toe with foes stronger than them.
Blue is the color of misdirection. Blue players are often the most hated in Magic, mainly because their spells and trickery can reduce entire armies and strategies inert. They're also the prime color to have something called "Card Advantage", which means they draw cards more than other players (which means they have more options than other players). Not generally creature-heavy, blue relies heavily on Sorceries, Instants, and Enchantments.
Black, unsurprisingly, is the color of rot and death--and for those unlucky enough to be in a targetable graveyard, undeath. Cards that destroy creatures, make you lose life, and manipulate the graveyard are common, and oftentimes a black player will revel in your suffering as it sustains them in the game in some way. Zombies, Vampires, and Demons are commonly seen under the Black banner.
Red is the color of rage. Most-often attributed with aggressive playstyles, red gives libraries early oomph. Be careful, however, for while red has good early starts, they are known to fizzle out early too. Red also utilizes First Strike, Doublestrike, Haste, and Menace. Lastly, they also deal lots of damage in the form of Instants and Sorceries. Strong start, but early finish. Insert inappropriate joke here.
Lastly, green is the color of supreme nature. They focus mainly on building armies of massive unstoppable creatures that opponents dread defending against, and the speed at which they come out is assisted by cards that "mana-ramp". They are a secondary color for card advantage, but primarily the color to bring out as many Mana sources as possible. Perhaps one of the more important aspects of green is the philosophical and mechanical hate they have for artifacts, for nature is the opposite of machine.
On their own, each of these colors are powerful. But often more potent is a combination of colors. Lately, I've been experimenting with decks of 3-5 colors, and thus far it has been rewarding--provided I supply it with mana-rocks and mana-fixing. Oftentimes, if you don't, you'll end up with 1 or 2 lands in your opening hand and no cards of which you can cast with it. Nothing is more disheartening than having nothing to play on your first 3 turns.
Picking your color identity is as important as picking what you want your deck to do. Let's take another look at the deck I am building around Star of Extinction. It consists of 4 colors: White, Black, Red, and Green. I excluded blue because I didn't see a need for it in this deck, despite the fact that not having blue makes me kind of nervous. The main focus I have is creatures that do something when they take damage. So I went and painstakingly found as many creatures as possible that did something in proportion to the damage they received. Why? 20 damage to each creature sounds like a super fun mechanic to punish!
I thought, "Sure it basically becomes a 'destroy all creatures' card, but if they wanted it to be that, then the card would have said 'destroy all creatures'. This gives me a different avenue that I can abuse! Muahahahaha!" And that's how my deck came to be. So once I found creatures that did something once they took damage, I had found that the most efficient uses of this mechanic resided in cards from 4 of the 5 colors. Honestly, it COULD work with 3 colors. The only green cards I have in this deck are 3 copies of Hornet's Nest. Every time I use Star of Extinction on a Hornet's Nest, I get 20 flying creatures.
Even if I miss hitting other creatures in my deck with Star of Extinction for some reason, I get 20 flying creatures as a result. That benefit alone is so obscene I honestly think it's worth such a tiny splash of green, even if it complicates my opening hand that much more. The good news is that I am considering throwing in cards with Explore, which is sort of a half mana-ramp/card advantage hybrid. So that could be a solution to my green splash.
3.) Check Your Mana Curve and Land Ratio
It is common knowledge that you want to be as close to the minimum number of cards in your deck as possible. Standard practice is 24 lands for a 60 card deck, 17 lands for a 40 card deck, and between 35-50 lands for a 100 card deck (the reason for variations in land-spread here is because a Commander deck is far more unpredictable and the options for decks open up in ways uncommon to other gametypes).
Most people know about this, but I want to say it anyway: you should also be checking the mana-curve of your deck. How many cards have a CMC (Converted Mana Cost) of 1? How many have a CMC of 9? Your Mana Curve determines the speed at which you will play. So if the bulk of your deck has between 1-4 CMC, then chances are your deck is built for aggro and will likely fizzle out in the mid-game. If you've been consistently losing games and I ask to check your Mana-curve, and the bulk of your deck has a CMC between 7-9--well, no wonder you've been losing! Your opponents are getting started way faster than you are and they're running you over before you can get the ball rolling!
I have a personal rule: if by turn 5 you aren't a threat to at least one opponent, chances are your deck isn't working right, and chances are you are not going to win. Now, there are definitely some flops that happen. We all sometimes get an avalanche of lands (like Matthew who didn't see a nonland card until turn 9 last week), or not the right cards pop up, or the opponent just gets super lucky with their opening hand. But for the most part, every turn played, every spell cast, every attack made... it needs to in some way gain an advantage over your opponent(s). Every turn needs to feed the strategy of your deck, and that strategy needs to get you to win the game.
If you draw your opening hand and see that you have two Mana sources, but three spells that can't be cast because you don't have the right colors, then chances are you're relying too much on basic lands. This hurts the most between turns 0-5, which is the time you need to be spending to get your deck in play. To combat this, your deck needs to be stocked with land viability that will allow you to cast spells no matter what you have in your opening hand. Dual-Lands are the most obvious avenue, here. Sure, they usually come in tapped, but they give you more flexibility with your opening hand and top-decking. Cards like Monalith are excellent Mana rocks. There's also fetch-lands that, when sacrificed, let you put a basic land from your library tapped. Depending on your deck, Lanowar Elves are perfect in a pinch, and get you to Mana-ramp to boot.
Some spells also add Mana; I am using a card in my Star of Extinction deck called Seething Song. This card has a CMC of 3, and it adds 5 red to my Mana pool. Essentially, it adds 2 more to my Mana pool that turn than I normally would get, but only for casting red spells. Now, this benefit gives me an even bigger boost if I have something like, I don't know... this:
I can cast Seething Song for 1 less. Which means I get 3 extra red instead! Not only this, but it also means Star of Extinction, the card I based my deck around, gets a discount of 1 Mana. So if I'm lucky, with only one Ruby Medallion on the field and a Seething Song, I can theoretically have Star of Extinction by turn 3! This boosts my Mana curve to a RIDICULOUS level. My deck has gone from being a pile of cards to being a well-greased killing machine that puts any Kaladesh inventions to shame! Everything here either interacts with or helps me cast Star of Extinction.
This has been one of my better articles, actually. I'm pretty proud of the work I put into it. I hope the explanations I gave, with the hand-crafted examples along with them, have inspired you to improve your own deckbuilding. There are times where I'm reading an article or looking at spoilers for a new set that I find a card that interests me. I will then build a deck around it. Other times, I will find a mechanic I like and will build a deck that utilizes that mechanic. The same can be said of a tribe. For instance, vampires are a fun and easy deck to play, since their mechanics are straightforward and give you an avenue for winning pretty easily: whenever someone takes damage, you benefit in some way!
Sometimes, I'll even think about a card or mechanic and then ask myself: how can this be abused? I call Magic: the Gathering a game of lawyers--because it is. It has rules, and sometimes, in special circumstances or combinations of regular circumstances, those rules need to be interpreted. Nothing is cooler than having to spend 30 minutes figuring out the order in which effects happen because other effects happen at that specific instance. That's the beauty of Magic: the Gathering! The rules are outlined in a very specific way, but the cards themselves bend the rules, and a combination of them create unique circumstances that are seldom ever reproduced again. This means that with the 10,000+ cards that exist in Magic: the Gathering, you have a blank canvas for building a deck. Using these guidelines for deckbuilding, you can build a deck that not only rocks on a thematic level, but also flattens your opponents with efficiency and style!
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