Illus. Terese Nelson 
©1998 Wizards of the Coast, Inc 

 
 
 
 

 

 
 
When playing Magic, you need mana.  Land is a major part of
mana, but there are others.  Most decks use about 20 land & 40 
spells, but a master's deck would use more or less (depending on   
they play).

Weenie decks (WW, Necro, Sligh, Stompy) usually use between
16 - 19 land.  Many slower decks use as much as 25 land.  
Land is the permenent source that you need, but you can't just use
land.  Most good decks use "alternate mana."  A good amount in a
deck will have about 5 - 12 extra mana sources (Dark Ritual, Elves
Birds, Mind Stone, etc.) 

Try to overload the mana supply a little.  It is always better to have
more mana than not enough.