8 Tips to Level Up Your Magic: The Gathering Deck Building Skills

Are you looking to take your Magic: The Gathering deck building abilities to the next level? Constructing a well-oiled machine of a deck can be challenging, especially in formats like Commander with 100-card decks. But fear not! We've compiled advice from seasoned players on Reddit to bring you 8 key tips to improve your deck building prowess.

1. Have a Game Plan

First and foremost, have a clear vision for what your deck is trying to achieve. Figure out your synergies, win conditions, and what you want your ideal turns 1-4 to look like. Every card choice should contribute to enabling your central game plan.

2. Weigh the Pros and Cons

Critically evaluate the pros and cons of each card you're considering. Recognize that less removal makes a deck less adaptable, light ramp weakens your late game, and too few high mana value cards can lead to fizzling out. Strive to strike the optimal balance for your particular strategy.

3. Imagine Your Draws

When assessing potential cards, imagine drawing them at different stages. Would they be impactful in your opening hand on turns 1-4? If you topped them on turn 6+, would they still be meaningful or do they require too much setup? Visualizing realistic in-game scenarios helps hone your card evaluations.

4. Practice, Practice, Practice

As with any skill, practice makes perfect. Build a variety of decks and playtest them extensively. Even solo "goldfishing" helps you notice patterns in what performs well and what flounders. The more you build and test, the more you'll internalize good habits.

5. Pressure Test Your Builds

When goldfishing, introduce "rules" that simulate realistic challenges. For example, if your commander would be kill-on-sight, pretend it always gets removed before you untap with it. This stress tests your 99 and avoids the trap of only playing ideal scenarios.

6. Utilize Tools

Take advantage of sites like EDHrec and Scryfall to research popular cards and builds. But don't just netdeck the average list - use filters to find decks with similarities to your own brew. Then customize based on your meta and preferences.

7. Adapt Conventional Wisdom

You'll often hear mantras like "run X pieces of ramp, card advantage, and interaction." But blindly following that advice can lead to suboptimal decks. Let the needs of your specific strategy dictate those numbers instead of defaults.

8. Embrace the Journey

Improving your deck building chops takes time. You'll construct piles that underperform and jam clunky cards. But each attempt teaches valuable lessons. Embrace the process and iterate frequently. Experience will hone your card evaluation and architecting abilities.

Becoming a master deck builder doesn't happen overnight. But by defining clear goals, making analytically sound card choices, and amassing experience through repeated practice and refinement, you'll be crafting well-tuned machines in no time. Happy brewing!