TLDR
Decide your land count first, then pick your basic land art. Vibes do not cast spells (sadly).
Commander: start at 37 lands unless you can explain why you are not.
60-card decks: start around 24 lands for “normal” midrange, then adjust for curve and speed.
Pick a “basic land policy” (one matching printing per type, or a planned mix). Random is how carts get haunted.
Avoid duplicates with a simple workflow: one source of truth, lock versions, do a cart audit before checkout.
Basics are where a lot of carts get messy because basic lands feel “free.” They are not free. They are tiny cardboard decisions that quietly decide whether your deck plays Magic or reenacts a slow, emotional collapse. This is MTG basics done right: land count that actually functions, basic land art that looks intentional, and a dead-simple way to avoid accidental duplicates when you order proxies.
How many lands should you run
Let’s separate “rules” from “good decisions.” Rules are enforced by formats. Good decisions are enforced by your opening hand.
Commander land count (the default reality)
If you just want a baseline that works for most decks, start at 37 lands. That number is boring, which is why it is useful.
When you should go higher:
Your average mana value is high (you are playing dragons, angels, or “my deck is seven drops and a dream”).
You are a landfall deck, or you actually plan to hit land drops every turn.
Your ramp is slow, conditional, or mostly expensive.
When you can go lower:
Your curve is low and you have a lot of cheap filtering, cantrips, and efficient ramp.
Your commander is cheap and your plan functions on 2–3 mana (some cEDH shells live here, because they are allergic to turn six).
A good mental model: lands are how you start playing, ramp is how you keep playing. Ramp does not fix hands that never hit land two.
60-card land count (constructed)
If you are building a standard 60-card deck and you are not sure where to begin, 24 lands is the classic starting point for midrange. Then adjust:
Aggro / low curve: often 20–22
Midrange: often 23–26
Control / higher curve: often 26–28+
This is not a law. It is a “get on the road without crashing” suggestion.
The MDFC complication
Modal double-faced cards that can be lands sometimes count as “partial lands” in deckbuilding math, but they still need to be treated consistently in your ordering and your decklist.
If you are printing proxies, the practical tip is simple: decide whether you are treating each MDFC as a land slot or a spell slot, then stick to that decision when you tune the list. Otherwise you will “fix” mana issues by accident, and then break them again when you change five cards later.
Basics versus nonbasics: what you are actually counting
A land count is only step one. The next step is figuring out how many of those lands should be basic versus nonbasic, because that affects both gameplay and ordering.
Why basics still matter (even in fancy decks)
Basics are boring, but they do important boring jobs:
They dodge a lot of hate and punish effects.
They make your opening hands less fragile.
They keep your mana base from becoming a long list of “enters tapped unless you already did a quest.”
Even when you proxy, basics are often the most reliable part of your deck. Which is a mildly insulting compliment, but still a compliment.
Snow-Covered basics and Wastes
Two common “oops” moments:
Snow-Covered Island is not “Island.” If you meant snow, you need to commit to snow (and order snow).
Wastes is its own basic land. If you have colorless costs, do not pretend a Plains will do the job. It will not.
Commander singleton rules and why basics are the exception
Commander is singleton for named cards, except for basic lands (and a few cards that explicitly break the rule). That’s why your basics are the one area where you can safely run 10+ copies and not feel like a criminal.
That exception is also why basics are where duplicate mistakes hide. In Commander, one extra copy of a nonbasic is obvious. One extra basic looks “normal” until your deck is 101 cards and you are arguing with your deck box.
Which basic land art should you choose
Basic land art is the easiest way to make a deck look intentional without spending your whole life curating versions. The secret is to pick a strategy and pretend you meant it (because you did).
Here are three strategies that work.
Strategy A: One art per basic type (clean and fast)
Pick one Plains, one Island, one Swamp, one Mountain, one Forest. Use that same printing for every copy.
Pros: clean, consistent, easy to order, easy to replace later
Cons: if you love variety, this feels like eating plain toast on purpose
This is my default recommendation for anyone who wants the deck to look coherent and not spend 45 minutes deciding between “cool sunset Island” and “other cool sunset Island.”
Strategy B: Curated mix (variety, but on purpose)
You decide you want, for example, three Island arts, split 5/5/4. Or you match basics to your deck’s themes: haunted Swamps, volcanic Mountains, calm Islands, etc.
Pros: looks curated, feels personal
Cons: easiest way to accidentally order the wrong counts if you do not lock it down
If you choose this, write the exact counts in your decklist notes. Do not rely on your memory. Your memory is a liar that wants you to buy the wrong Swamp twice.
Strategy C: Full-art or “set identity” basics (maximum vibes)
Full-art basics can make a deck feel like a “finished product.” They also show every tiny detail, which is great until you pick an art where the horizon line looks like a crease from across the table.
If you are going full-art:
Prioritize readability if you play in person across a busy table.
Prioritize contrast if you play on camera (glare and compression make subtle art muddy).
If you want to browse options efficiently, use Scryfall filters for full-art basics and narrow by set or land type.
Also, if you are going to pick five different full-art basics from five different sets, you can, but know what you are doing. That is not “aesthetic.” That is “my mana base has a backstory.”
How to avoid accidental duplicates in your cart
Accidental duplicates usually come from one of two places:
you changed the list and forgot you changed it, or
you accidentally selected multiple printings of the same basic (or snow vs non-snow).
Here’s the workflow that stops most mistakes.
1) Keep one source of truth
Pick one place where the decklist “is real.” That could be your deckbuilder, a text file, or a spreadsheet.
Then do this one simple thing: export a plain text list when you are ready to order.
If you do not do this, you are effectively ordering from vibes and hope. That works about as often as keeping a one-land hand because “the deck will cooperate.”
2) Lock your versions early
This is the big one.
Once you decide your basics, treat them like a “cycle” you are not allowed to touch casually:
Same set and art for all copies (Strategy A), or
Planned split counts with exact numbers (Strategy B), or
Full-art set identity, locked once chosen (Strategy C)
Version drift is how you end up with:
6 Islands from one printing, 6 from another, and 1 random promo Island you swear you never picked
Snow basics mixed into a deck with no snow payoffs, which is mostly just embarrassing
3) Do a cart audit before checkout (seriously, it takes 60 seconds)
Before you click pay, check three numbers:
Total cards equals your intended deck size (Commander should be exactly 100 including the commander).
Basic counts match your list (Plains 8, Island 10, etc).
Suspicious duplicates: same card name appears multiple times with different versions when you did not intend that.
If you are ordering proxies for multiple decks at once, do the audit per deck chunk. Yes, it is annoying. No, it is not as annoying as opening a package and realizing you ordered 12 Islands you did not need.
Common “duplicate culprits” and the fix
Island vs Snow-Covered Island: decide which you are running and delete the other.
Same basic name, different printings: pick one printing or intentionally split counts.
Deckbuilder auto-added basics after you changed colors: re-check your basics after any mana base edit.
Sideboard or “considering” cards got imported: remove anything not meant to be printed.
A 2-minute “Basics Done Right” checklist before you order
Keep it simple. You are not launching a rocket, you are ordering cardboard.
Confirm your deck’s format (Commander vs 60-card).
Set your land count (start at 37 for Commander, adjust honestly).
Decide your basic land policy (one art per type, curated mix, or full-art identity).
Write the exact basic counts in your source-of-truth list.
Lock versions for basics before you start shopping printings for everything else.
Build the cart, then run the three-number cart audit (total cards, basic counts, unintended version duplicates).
If you play at an LGS or new pod, remember: casual proxy norms vary, sanctioned events generally require authentic cards. Ask first, avoid drama.
If you want more on keeping proxy aesthetics consistent and readable (especially when you update lists), this is also a cube problem in disguise. The cube workflow advice applies almost perfectly to deck ordering hygiene: patch notes, one source of truth, and don’t rebuild everything every time. See: MTG Proxying a Cube: Keep It Updated Without Reprinting Your Life Story.
And if you are thinking about basics as “deck identity” (because you are, whether you admit it or not), the broader proxy culture angle is worth reading too: The History of MTG Proxies: From Playtesting to Modern Collectibles.
FAQs
How many basic lands should I run in Commander
There’s no single number because it depends on how many nonbasics you need for fixing and utility. A practical approach is: pick your total land count first, then decide how many nonbasics you actually need to function. Whatever is left can be basics. Many decks end up with somewhere around 10 to 20 basics, but land-heavy strategies and budget builds can run more.
Is it bad to mix different basic land arts
Not at all. It’s only “bad” if you did not mean to do it and now your cart is a math puzzle. If you mix, do it intentionally with planned counts.
Why did my decklist import split my basics into multiple lines
Because many tools treat different printings (and snow vs non-snow) as distinct versions. That’s helpful for collectors and chaos for checkout. The fix is to standardize your basic versions before ordering and then verify counts.
Should I use full-art basics for readability
Full-art basics can be perfectly readable, but some arts are low contrast or visually busy from across the table. If you play on camera or in dim lighting, pick basics with strong contrast and clear visual separation. “Pretty” is good. “Hard to parse at a glance” is not.
Can I run more than one copy of a basic land in Commander
Yes. Basics are the main exception to the singleton rule in Commander. Your deck still has to be exactly 100 cards including your commander.