The House method
More to explore · intermediate
The House method is the site's own category table: the one its AI deck builder has always used. It reserves room for indirect synergy, so a deck built with it does not come out looking like every other deck of its kind.
What is different about it
- It sizes protection and recursion by your backup plan. Ask what happens when your commander is removed. A deck that stops working without it wants the top of the range; a deck that shrugs it off wants few.
- It sets aside indirect synergy. Of the theme cards, 8 to 12 should be cards whose second ability serves the plan, rather than cards whose main ability is the plan. They are rarely the strongest card for the job, but they are almost never dead, and they do not tell the table what you are doing.
- It credits the commander. Your commander is the one card you have every game, so count its job as 2 to 3 cards of that role. A commander that draws cards lowers your card-draw target.
- It asks for graveyard hate. A little in every deck; a card you already want that also does it counts.
The targets
| Category | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lands | 35 to 38 | Lower with a very low curve; higher with X spells or expensive threats. |
| Ramp | 8 to 12 | Mana rocks, land ramp and cost reducers. |
| Card advantage | 10 to 12 | Repeatable draw engines over one-shot draws. |
| Removal | 6 to 8 | Targeted answers for creatures, artifacts, enchantments and planeswalkers. |
| Board wipes | 2 to 4 | At least one that is one-sided or uneven. |
| Graveyard hate | 1 to 3 | Lean high when your group has a known graveyard deck. |
| Themed cards | 15 to 25 | The archetype's payoffs and enablers, 8 to 12 of them indirect. |
| Protection and recursion | 0 to 5 | Sized by your backup plan, not by habit. |
| Win conditions | 6 to 10 | Cards that close the game plus secondary threats; some should win on their own. |
Each card counts in one category, and the ranges add up to about 100.
A curve note
Under a commander that costs 4, run fewer other 4-drops: that turn is already spoken for.
The game-plan check
Before you finish, go through the list and ask of each card: which step of my game plan does this serve? A card with no answer is good on its own but idle in this deck; cut it or name its step. Ramp, draw, removal and lands serve the plan by definition. This is a question to answer, not a rule that blocks a card; see What blocks a card, and what is only a note.