The precon baseline
More to explore · beginner
The precon baseline matches what real product decks run. The numbers are measured, not recommended: they are the middle values of the official preconstructed decks the site keeps in sync, so they describe a normal, tested deck before anyone changes it.
Where the numbers come from
The site syncs 176 official precons, from 2011 to 2026. The targets use the 95 modern precons (2022 or later) that grade Bracket 2, because older precons were built differently and a few grade higher.
Precons are counted the way Archidekt files cards: every card in one category, and removal includes board wipes and counterspells. So this method has one removal number for all three, and shows board wipes on their own only as a guide.
The targets
"About" marks a middle value: half the precons run fewer, half run more. "The rest" means whatever the other categories leave.
| Category | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lands | about 38 | Eight in ten of all precons run 37 to 40. |
| Ramp | about 11 | The middle value of the modern Bracket 2 precons. |
| Card advantage | about 11 | The middle value of the modern Bracket 2 precons. |
| Board wipes | 1 to 3 | From a sample of 5 precons. These already sit inside the removal number, so they take no extra slots. |
| Themed cards | the rest | Whatever is left after the commander and the other categories. |
| Removal, as precons count it | about 10 | Removal, board wipes and counterspells together. |
| Win conditions | 1+ | Not measured for precons. One is the least any deck needs. |
About 16 of the 38 lands are basic.
What else the precons show
- Curves are getting lower. The average mana value of a precon's nonland cards is about 3.6 across all 176, and 3.41 for the 2025 and 2026 decks.
- Community decks run a little leaner on lands. EDHREC's average decks for 12 commanders run 34 to 40 lands (35.8 on average), usually 1 to 3 fewer than the same commander's precon.
- Bracket comes from cards, not counts. Bracket 2 and Bracket 3 precons are built almost the same way; what moves a deck up is specific cards. See Commander Brackets.
- Not every precon is Bracket 2. Of the 176, 23 grade Bracket 3 or higher and 2 grade as illegal, so a precon is not automatically a Bracket 2 model.