The right number of spells in a 40-card deck depends on your metagame. If you want to avoid drafting with the two-drops, you should focus on classifying spells. This increases the likelihood of your deck curving out. Those who don’t classify spells often fall behind in drafting and neglect their two-drops. With spells, you’ll have eight cards on your board by the second turn.
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17 lands
There are many arguments for and against including 17 lands in a 40-card deck. Some decks are better with 17 lands while others may be better off with fewer. A deck with seventeen lands can be more versatile and have a lower average power level, since it can use cards such as non-Strixhaven lands and other supplemental mana sources. A Temur deck with two Curates, two Campus Guides, and one Field Trip isn’t likely to need the 18th land. However, the deck does have a high mana curve and some serious payoffs if a land drop is made.
Land cards should make up between 14 and 17 of your total cards. These numbers should be consistent across ninety-five percent of limited decks. If your deck is full of fast and low-cost cards, you should play 16 lands. If your deck contains a lot of mana-sinks, 19 lands might be best. This is because white cards have many one and two-mana cards.
24 spells
If you’re playing Magic the Gathering, the answer to the question “How many spells should be in a 40-card deck?” is a little bit complicated. The number of spells in a deck depends on the type of deck you’re playing and the kind of mana curve you want. This article aims to give you some insight into the right number of spells for your deck.
To build a high-quality deck, it’s crucial to choose the right mix of cards. A 40-card deck should have a touch over 40% lands. For example, a deck with 20 spells should have at least eight lands. An eighteen-card deck should have a little over forty lands. If you’re playing a low-cost deck, you might want to focus on two or three cheap spells, but a higher-cost one might need more than twenty. A 60-card deck should have at least twenty-four spells, which means you should have at least 16 spells. A deck with fewer creatures should contain 13 spells.
Legendary creatures
Generally speaking, you should have at least one Legendary creature in your deck. The following list includes some examples: the Human Wizard, a legendary 8/8 black Zombie God creature token, the Eye of Vecna, and the Hand of Vecna. A legend is a powerful unit in the game, but the rule states that you can only play one copy of a legendary creature on the field. To help compensate for the lack of big creatures in blue, you should look at copies of legendary cards, like Sakashima the Impostor and Spark Double, which copy any card except its name and legend. Shrines are returning to the game with familiar mechanics, as well as new ones.
Another example: the Double Major. This card can copy one-drop creatures, but you must pay two mana to activate it. The only exception to this is the Spark double, which removes the legendary part of a creature and gives you a +1/+1 counter to the target creature. Lastly, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, is a mono-red legendary goblin that costs five mana. The Mono-Red Goblin is an infinite combo engine, while the Leap of Flame is an instant replica of a legendary creature.
Cheap removal spells
There are several cheap removal spells in the metagame. A few of them have more utility than others, but you shouldn’t rely solely on them. In particular, you should focus on cards that cost two mana or less. Cards that can hit multiple creatures in the same cube should also be included. Moreover, cheap removal spells should be powerful enough to combat a number of creatures in the same turn.
Another cheap removal spell is Despark, an Orzhov creature that was first printed in War of the Spark. Despark is an instant that exiles any creature card with mana four or less, and it’s very cheap. Despark is especially useful against game-ending creatures. Because it’s an instant, it can remove even the most impactful cards in an opponent’s deck with near-instant speed.
Off-curve pile
It’s not enough to have 20 or 23 good spells. You need to include some off-curve pile spells as well. Depending on your strategy, you may want to include cards that give you an early game advantage. A good example is Dark Confidant, which can be cast on your first turn and immediately give you a card advantage. Also, keep in mind the stax and ramp abilities that you might want to incorporate in your deck, as these will help you win games.
Classifying your spells will increase your chance of having a curve. While it can be tempting to add extra 2 or three mana creatures to a deck, don’t forget to include spells that reduce the impact of removal spells on your crappy creatures. By the time you finish your second turn, you will have eight cards in your hand and more chances to play a powerful spell.