Commander guides

Updated 1 November 2026

Short, practical guides to building Commander decks you'll enjoy playing, whether it's your first deck or your fiftieth.

• How to build a Commander deck, step by step

  The rules that shape a deck, the jobs every deck needs and how to test and improve it.

• Commander brackets explained

  What the five brackets mean, what Game Changers are and how to use brackets for better games.

• Building a Commander deck on a budget

  Where the money goes in a deck, the cheap staples worth buying and what you can skip.

• Building a Commander mana base

  How many lands to run, how to balance colours and which nonbasic lands earn a slot.

Want to skip ahead? Brewhall builds a complete, legal deck for any commander at the bracket and budget you choose. The questions and answers page explains how.