by JR Cook - 11 years ago     show comments

Now that we have discussed the basics of building a deck, it is time to get down into the finer details. Even once you have amassed a library of cards and decided what kind of deck you want to build, you still must pick the individual abilities and minions. This process can take ages due to the sheer number of cards out there even after you have narrowed down your selection a bit. Thankfully, wiser card-players than I have theory crafted and number crunched all kinds of strategies to help ensure that we get the most out of our decks, and so we will start by addressing one of the most fundamental aspects of deck building: The Mana Curve.

The mana curve is a term given to the theoretical optimized deck composition based solely on resource cost, which is usually referred to as “mana” in most CCGs. In simpler terms, it gives a basic idea of how many cards you should have in your deck of different mana costs. Generally, all mana curves go upwards at a sharp angle from no cost to around three or four, at which point they turn down gradually before tapering off at higher values. This means that cards that cost lower mana should maintain the highest ratio within your and then fewer fives, even fewer sixes, and so on.

The reason for the curve shaping this way is that low mana cost cards are generally useful throughout an entire game. You want to ensure that you can play something early on, but even in the late game a cheap two or three mana card can mean the difference between victory and defeat.  Even if a card alone is not spectacular by the time you have eight to ten mana, the fact remains that if your current hand is comprised of nothing but these cards you can put a lot into the field at once that will have an impact. Many players tend to put the bulk of their deck into cards that cost around two to four mana, but your decision is based solely on how “fast” you want your deck to be. If you plan on beating your opponent quickly with overwhelming numbers, put more lower cost cards in. If, on the other hand, you want to build a deck that takes a bit to get going but becomes unstoppable once you reach the late-game, focus more on the mid-tier cards such as fours, fives, and maybe even a few sixes.

It should be noted that the mana curve is not an end-all-be-all rule that must be followed to the letter. It is possible to create a deck that uses nothing but low or high-cost cards due to the mechanics of the deck. However, these are usually more advanced cards that should only be attempted once you have crafted a few competent decks already. The mana curve simply offers a guideline for your basic decks. Once you have crafted a few winning decks and feel more confident in your ability to put cards together that complement one-another you can run wild with your strategies. Chances are though that once you reach this point, you will already be a formidable opponent for any CCG player.