Direct answer
How many basic lands should a Commander deck run?
Updated
A budget Commander deck runs 10-15 basics. A mid-tier deck runs 5-8. A high-power deck runs 3-5 basics as fetch-land targets. In non-basic hate metas (Blood Moon, Back to Basics), lean toward more basics regardless of budget.
More context
Why the answer is what it is
The specific number depends on color count and budget. Mono-color decks maximize basics for Nykthos-style payoffs. Two-color decks land in the 8-12 range. Three-color decks minimize basics to make room for triomes and duals.
In any deck running Land Tax or Emeria's Call, keep at least 8 basic Plains — the tempo of tax triggers matters more than the individual land quality.
- ◆Mono-color: 20+ basics (Nykthos payoff)
- ◆2-color budget: 8-12 basics
- ◆2-color high-power: 3-5 basics
- ◆3-color: 4-8 basics
- ◆4-5 color: 0-4 basics (mostly fetch targets)
Related