Mtg Mana Ratio Calculator
Calculate the optimal land and mana ratio for a Magic: The Gathering deck. Get color distribution, probabilities, and mana base recommendations.
Mtg Mana Ratio Calculator
Calculator
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Formula: Recommended Lands = round(19.59 + 1.90 x Average CMC) - Nonland Mana Sources
Additional inputs: Colorless (C).
Worked example — 19 Islands recommended | 31.7% land ratio | 82% chance of 2+ lands in opener
Formula
Recommended Lands = round(19.59 + 1.90 x Average CMC) - Nonland Mana Sources
Based on Frank Karsten mathematical analysis, the optimal number of lands scales linearly with your average converted mana cost. The base formula is calibrated for 60-card decks and scaled proportionally for other sizes. Nonland mana sources are subtracted from the total land count.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Aggressive Mono-Blue Tempo Deck
Problem:A 60-card mono-blue tempo deck has an average CMC of 1.8 and runs 4 nonland mana sources. How many Islands should be in the deck?
Solution:Base lands = 19.59 + 1.90 x 1.8 = 19.59 + 3.42 = 23.01 Adjusted for nonland sources: 23 - 4 = 19 lands Land percentage: 19/60 = 31.7% All 19 lands are Islands (mono-color) Probability of 2+ lands in opening 7: ~82%
Result:19 Islands recommended | 31.7% land ratio | 82% chance of 2+ lands in opener
Example 2: Midrange Dimir (Blue-Black) Control
Problem:A 60-card blue-black control deck has average CMC of 3.5, no nonland mana sources, 20 blue pips and 12 black pips in casting costs.
Solution:Base lands = 19.59 + 1.90 x 3.5 = 19.59 + 6.65 = 26.24, round to 26 lands Color ratio: Blue = 20/(20+12) = 62.5%, Black = 37.5% Blue sources: round(0.625 x 26) = 16 sources Black sources: round(0.375 x 26) = 10 sources Use dual lands to efficiently cover both colors.
Result:26 lands | 16 blue sources, 10 black sources | 43.3% land ratio
Frequently Asked Questions
How many lands should I run in a standard 60-card MTG deck?
The number of lands in a 60-card deck depends heavily on your average converted mana cost (mana value). Aggressive decks with an average CMC of 1.5 to 2.0 typically run 20 to 22 lands. Midrange decks with an average CMC of 2.5 to 3.5 usually need 24 to 26 lands. Control decks with higher curves often want 26 to 28 lands. The general rule of thumb is that about 40 percent of your deck should be lands, which equals 24 lands in a 60-card deck. Frank Karsten published a detailed mathematical analysis showing the optimal formula is approximately 19.59 plus 1.90 times your average mana value, adjusted for nonland mana sources like mana dorks and mana rocks.
How do I calculate the right mana base for a Commander deck?
Commander decks (99 cards plus your commander) need proportionally more lands since they are larger. The typical range is 35 to 40 lands for a 99-card Commander deck. Scale the same principles from 60-card: a low-curve aggressive Commander deck can get by with 33 to 35 lands, while a high-curve battlecruiser deck needs 38 to 40 lands. Mana rocks are especially important in Commander since they provide ramp and color fixing. Count each mana rock or mana dork as roughly 0.5 to 0.8 of a land when adjusting your count. Also consider your commander mana cost since you want to reliably cast it on curve, which may require extra sources of its specific colors.
What is the hypergeometric distribution and why does it matter for land counts?
The hypergeometric distribution is the mathematical formula that calculates the probability of drawing a specific number of successes (like lands) from a finite population (your deck) without replacement. It directly answers questions like the probability of drawing exactly 3 lands in your opening 7 cards. This distribution is more accurate than simple percentages because MTG draws are without replacement. Each card drawn changes the probability of the next draw. For deck building, you want to maximize the probability of drawing 2 to 4 lands in your opening hand (ideally above 80 percent) while minimizing the probability of flooding with 5 or more lands (ideally below 10 percent).
How do I determine the correct color distribution for my mana base?
Color distribution should be based on the number of colored mana symbols (pips) in your deck casting costs, not just the number of cards of each color. Count every colored mana symbol across all your nonland cards. If you have 30 blue pips and 15 black pips, your blue to black ratio is 2:1, so roughly two-thirds of your color-producing lands should make blue mana. For cards with double or triple color requirements (like a spell costing UUU), weight those colors more heavily. In multicolor decks, dual lands and fetch lands help bridge color requirements. Aim to have at least 14 sources of any color you need by turn 3 with high consistency.
What are nonland mana sources and how should I count them?
Nonland mana sources include mana creatures (like Llanowar Elves and Birds of Paradise), mana artifacts (like Sol Ring and Arcane Signet), and rituals or temporary mana acceleration (like Dark Ritual). When calculating your mana base, each reliable nonland mana source can replace approximately 0.7 to 1.0 lands depending on its reliability. Mana dorks that cost 1 mana and tap for mana are nearly equivalent to lands for the purpose of calculation. However, they are more vulnerable to removal than lands, so going below 20 lands in a 60-card deck is risky even with many mana creatures. Temporary mana like rituals should not be counted as land replacements since they do not provide sustained mana access.
What is the difference between average CMC and the mana curve?
Average converted mana cost is a single number, and it is what drives the recommended land count in the formula on this page. The mana curve is the full distribution of costs across the deck. Two decks can share an average CMC of 3.0 while one plays a smooth spread from one to five and the other plays only one-drops and five-drops. The average tells you how many lands you eventually need; the shape tells you when you need them, which decides whether cheap interaction or ramp is the better way to smooth out draws.
How many sources of a colour does a double-pip spell need?
A cost such as BB requires two sources of that colour in play on the turn you want to cast it, not merely one. Hypergeometric maths makes this considerably more demanding than a single pip, because you need two successes from the same limited population by a fixed card count. As a rule, adding a second pip pushes the required source count up sharply, often by a third or more over the single-pip requirement. If the deck cannot support that count, the practical fix is to cut the card or move it later on the curve.
How do dual lands, fetchlands and utility lands count as colour sources?
Count a land once for every colour it can actually produce on the turn you need it. An untapped dual counts as a full source for both of its colours, and a fetchland counts as a source for every colour it can retrieve from your remaining deck. Lands that enter tapped still count as sources but not for on-curve plays, so they should be weighted against your curve. Colourless utility lands count toward your total land count but toward no colour, which is why loading up on them quietly breaks a mana base.
How does the London mulligan change the land count a deck wants?
Under the London mulligan you draw a full seven and then bottom cards, so you keep far more control over which seven you start with and are much less likely to be stranded on a one-land or six-land hand. That reduces the penalty for a slightly leaner mana base, particularly in decks that function on two or three lands. It does not change the hypergeometric probability of drawing a land off the top later in the game, so it argues for trimming a land only in low-curve decks, not in decks that genuinely need to hit consecutive land drops.
When should I run fewer lands than the recommendation?
Cut below the formula when the deck replaces lands with something that finds them or does not need them. Heavy cantrip density, cheap card selection, treasure or ramp packages, and a curve that tops out at two or three all justify trimming a land or two. Nonland mana sources are already subtracted by the formula, so do not subtract them twice. The failure mode is asymmetric: flooding costs you a card while screw costs you the game, so err toward the recommendation unless the deck has a genuine surplus of ways to spend extra lands.
References
Reviewed for accuracy by Daniel Agrici, Founder & Lead Developer · Editorial policy
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