MTG Commander: The Best Lands to Proxy First

This post helps Commander players decide which lands to proxy first by explaining a Good/Better/Best upgrade framework and a simple “how many is enough” rule of thumb, so they can cast spells on time instead of watching their hand slowly become modern art.

TLDR

• The best lands to proxy first are the ones that fix colors early and enter untapped. Your deck can do cool things after it can do things.
• If you proxy only 10 lands, start with on-color fetch lands plus shock lands (or Battlebond “bond lands” if you hate paying life).
• Rule of thumb: for 3+ colors, aim for 16 to 20 untapped color-fixing lands and keep ETB tapped lands under 8 to 10 unless you enjoy skipping turn two.
• Use the Good/Better/Best framework below to upgrade in a way that actually changes how your deck feels, not just how your decklist looks.

You want the best lands to proxy first in Commander because your deck feels slow. That is rarely because you forgot to include one more seven-mana dragon. It is because your mana base is doing the tabletop equivalent of tying its shoes in the middle of a fire drill.

And yes, lands are boring. That is exactly why upgrading them works. Nobody writes “my mana base entered tapped” in their highlight reel, but everyone loses games that way anyway.

Why lands are the first upgrade you should care about (sorry)

Commander is a format where people cast twelve-mana spells and argue about whether a squirrel counts as a win condition. So it is tempting to treat lands like background scenery.

But lands are the only card type you are forced to play every turn. When they are clunky, everything becomes clunky:

• You keep hands that look fine, then miss a color on turn three.
• You play taplands, then spend turn two “developing” by… not developing.
• You jam more ramp to compensate, then draw ramp you cannot cast because your mana is still bad. Beautiful.

If your deck consistently stumbles in the first three turns, you do not need a new combo. You need fewer lands that show up late and apologize for being there.

How many is enough: the Commander mana base rule of thumb

This is the “how many is enough” part, because you do not need a perfect mana base to stop losing to your own deck.

Step 1: Start with a sane land count

If you are newer, start around 40 lands and trim later. If you are experienced and your deck is lower curve with real ramp, 36 to 38 is common. If your commander costs a small fortune in mana and your deck is full of five-drops you “totally cast on curve,” add lands, not prayers.

Step 2: Cap your taplands

Here is the rule that actually fixes your life:

• 2 colors: try to keep ETB tapped lands at 6 or fewer
• 3 colors: 8 to 10 tapped lands is the practical ceiling
• 4 to 5 colors: you can go higher, but every extra tapland is basically a self-inflicted time walk

If you are running 14 taplands in a “casual mid-power” list, you have built a deck whose main theme is “turns that start next turn.”

Step 3: Aim for this mix (not perfect, just functional)

A quick target for most Commander decks:

Colors	Untapped fixing lands (dual / rainbow)	Taplands max	Basics (roughly)	Utility colorless lands
2	10 to 14	6	16 to 22	2 to 4
3	16 to 20	8 to 10	6 to 12	2 to 4
4 to 5	20 to 26	10 to 12	0 to 6	1 to 3

This is not sacred text. It is a way to stop your deck from doing that thing where it keeps two lands and a dream.

The Good/Better/Best land upgrade framework

Think of your mana base like tires. You do not need racing slicks to get groceries, but you do need tires.

Good: stop bleeding tempo for free

Good upgrades are mostly about removing your worst lands, not buying the fanciest ones.

Priorities:

• Replace “always tapped” duals first (Guildgates, gain lands, most random tap duals).
• Add cheap untapped duals (pain lands, check lands, some slow lands).
• Add 1 to 2 “rainbow” lands in any multicolor deck.

If you are playing 3+ colors, these two are the “I would like to cast my spells” starter pack.

And yes, they are popular for a reason.

Better: untapped duals that do not hate you back

Better upgrades are lands that consistently enter untapped without needing a full spreadsheet.

The usual all-stars:

• Battlebond “bond lands” (amazing in multiplayer pods)
• Pain lands (the damage is tiny compared to the time you save)
• Slow lands (often untapped after turn two)
• Check lands (solid if you run enough basics and typed duals)
• Pathways (clean, simple, does the job)

Example of a bond land you will happily draw on turn two:

If you are proxying on a budget, “Better” is where your deck starts feeling like it got a caffeine habit.

Best: the premium engine (fetches + typed duals)

This is the good stuff. This is also the stuff that makes your wallet make the Windows shutdown noise.

The “Best” core is simple:

• Fetch lands
• Shock lands (and other typed duals you can fetch)
• Triomes for 3+ colors (they enter tapped, but they fix perfectly and are fetchable)

A classic fetch:

A classic shock:

You are not doing this for deck thinning fantasies. You are doing it because fetches turn one land slot into “whatever color I’m missing right now,” and typed duals make those fetches actually have good targets.

The best lands to proxy first, in order

If you want a clean priority list, here it is. This is the part you came for.

1) Fetch lands that actually find your colors

In a 3-color deck, you can usually run most fetch lands that can search for at least one of your basic land types. You do not need the one fetch that only finds the two colors you are not playing. That one is just cardio.

Start by proxying:

• The fetches that hit your primary color pairings
• Then the “off-color” fetches that still find one of your types, if you have enough targets

Proxying 5 to 9 fetches in a 3-color deck is often the fastest way to make your opening hands stop being rude.

2) Shock lands (or other typed duals) in your colors

Shocks are popular because they:

• come in untapped when you need them
• have basic land types (so fetches and some ramp spells can find them)
• fix two colors cleanly

If you proxy fetches without enough good fetch targets, you basically built a very fancy way to find a basic land. That is still fine, but it is not the dream.

3) Battlebond “bond lands” (for 2 to 4 colors)

Bond lands are a Commander-specific cheat code because multiplayer is the default. If your deck is 2 or 3 colors and you want fast mana without fiddly conditions, this is a top-tier pick.

4) Two or three premium rainbow lands

You do not want to overdo these, but a small number smooths everything:

• City of Brass style lands
• Mana Confluence style lands
• Any “tap for any color” land that does not enter tapped

The life loss is almost always worth it because you are paying life to cast spells, which is the entire point of the game.

5) Triomes (mostly for 3+ colors)

Triomes enter tapped, so they are not “speed lands.” They are “my deck would like to function in multiple colors” lands. In 3+ colors, having a few fetchable triomes can make your midgame draws feel way less sketchy.

Do not go overboard unless your deck is slow on purpose.

6) The finishing touches (pain lands, slow lands, pathways, utility)

After you have the premium core, the rest is tuning:

• Pain lands for clean early turns
• Slow lands for stability
• Pathways if your colors are tight
• A couple utility lands that actually win games, not just look clever

If you can only proxy 10 lands, do this

Here is the practical mini-plan:

2 colors

• 4 to 6 fetch lands that can find your types
• 2 to 4 shock lands or other strong duals
• 1 to 2 premium rainbow lands if needed

3 colors

• 6 to 8 fetch lands
• 2 to 4 shock lands
• Optional: 1 triome if your deck is slower

4 to 5 colors

• 7 to 10 fetch lands
• 0 to 3 shocks plus 1 to 2 triomes
• Use the rest of your fixing through green ramp or rainbow lands if that is your plan

If you do nothing else, just proxying the first 10 lands with this approach usually removes the “my deck cannot cast spells” problem. Then you can go back to arguing about whether your commander is “fair.”

A quick mana base audit (5 minutes, no spreadsheets)

Do this once and you will immediately know why your deck feels slow.

1. Count your taplands. If it is above the guideline for your color count, you found your problem.
2. Count your colorless utility lands. If you have 6 colorless lands in a 3-color deck, your mana base is doing side quests.
3. Look at your early requirements. If you need double-pip spells early, you need more sources for that color.
4. Check your ramp package. If you are ramping for green but cannot make green on turn two, that is not ramp. That is performance art.

FAQs

Should I proxy lands before I proxy spells in Commander?

Usually, yes. Lands make every draw better. Spells only matter when you can cast them.

How many fetch lands should a 3-color deck run?

Often 6 to 9, depending on how many good targets you have. If you only have basics, fetch lands are still fine, but you are not getting the full smoothing effect.

Are shock lands worth it if I hate paying life?

In most pods, yes. But if your meta is extremely aggressive, lean more on bond lands, pain lands, and slow lands. You will still be faster than a pile of taplands.

Are Triomes “good” even though they enter tapped?

They are good at fixing and excellent as fetch targets. They are not great if your deck needs to curve out hard in the first three turns.

My deck is two colors. Do I even need premium lands?

You need fewer of them, but you still benefit from untapped duals and a lighter tapland count. Two-color decks get to be consistent. It is their entire thing.