How many lands in an aggro deck?
Aggressive decks solve a different problem: they need to cast a threat on turn 1, another on turn 2, and keep applying pressure. Fewer lands, but the colors have to be there early.
Why aggro runs fewer lands
Aggro decks want to spend every mana they have on threats and burn, not on drawing extra lands they will never use. A deck that empties its hand by turn four is punished for every land it draws after the third. That is why classic mono-red lists live at 20 to 22 lands rather than 24 — the fourth and fifth land drops are wasted slots.
The trade-off is that the early game gets tighter. A deck with fewer lands has a smaller cushion when it comes to hitting land drops one, two, and three. That is fine, because the deck is planning to win the game before land drop five matters.
The early-color problem
The catch is that aggro decks also demand more colored mana early. A turn-1 one-drop and a turn-2 two-drop both need their color on the turn they are cast. Missing a color on turn 2 in an aggro deck can lose the game outright — you are behind on tempo and behind on damage.
That is why two-color aggro decks lean so heavily on painlands, fastlands, and cheap fixing lands that enter untapped. Every tapped dual land in an aggro deck is essentially a Time Walk in the wrong direction; it hurts more than the fixing helps for the first two turns.
Practical targets for aggro
Some starting points, computed at a 90% threshold on the play in a 60-card deck (the calculator above is preset to check a turn-2 single-pip cast):
- Turn-1 one-drop, single pip (): about 14 sources of that color.
- Turn-2 two-drop, single pip (1): about 12 to 13 sources.
- Turn-2 two-drop, double pip (): 20 to 22 sources — this is the number that most surprises aggro builders.
- Turn-3 three-drop, double pip: more forgiving; roughly 18 sources.
These are the numbers to have on hand when you consider a two-color aggro deck. If you want a turn-2 double-pip play in each color, you are looking at 20-plus sources per color, and a 22-land deck simply cannot get there without giving up on one of the two goals.
How to build an aggro mana base
- Pick your total land count based on curve: 20 to 21 for a very low mono-color curve, 22 for a normal two-color aggro deck, 23 if you have a real four-drop finisher.
- Identify your most demanding early spell — usually a turn-2 double pip.
- Use the calculator to find the source count you need for that spell at a 90% threshold on the play.
- Compose your lands so at least that many produce the color, mostly untapped.
- Fill the rest with the other color's needs and any utility slots.
FAQ
How many lands in an aggro deck?
Most 60-card aggro decks run between 20 and 22 lands. Mono-red aggro often lives at 20 to 22; two-color aggro sits at 22 to 23 to fit the color requirements. Cheap card selection lets you shave one; heavy double-pip costs push you up one.
How many sources for a turn-1 colored spell?
For a turn-1 single-pip creature at a 90% threshold on the play, you want about 14 sources of that color in a 60-card deck. Turn-1 double-pip creatures are almost never viable in a two-color deck — you would need 18-plus sources of that color, which forces a nearly monocolor build.
Can two-color aggro deliver turn-2 double-pip spells reliably?
Only with heavy commitment. A two-color aggro deck aiming to cast a double-pip two-drop on curve needs roughly 20 to 22 sources of that color, which typically means at least 13 or 14 lands producing it. That is a real cost in a 22-land aggro deck.