Differences when building two-colours versus three-colours

[Morganator 2.0]

I'm sure most everyone has built both two-colour and three-colour commander decks. Do you notice any strong differences when building these decks? For example, I notice that I use significantly less basic lands in a three-colour deck. I also don't use any of the guild signets (ex: Dimir Signet) when building three-colour decks, but I do use them when building two-colour decks. There are enough talismans and other 2-drop rocks out there, so the signets always get cut.

[Aetherium Slinky]

I'm actually the opposite: in sans-green three colours I dump Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone, all the Signets and all the Talismans and pretty much call it a day (9 ramp pieces). That's cheap, effective and gets you colours. In two colours I stick to land ramp or depending on the deck some rocks but they're mostly colourless (they're good in my books as long as they're less than three mana and enter untapped).

In two colours I almost never play dual lands, just basics and a few utilities. My land bases in three colours are often 90% nonbasics. It's kinda funny but I assume it's because I try to play things like Necropotence in a three-colour deck.

So yes, a dramatic difference!

[ApothecaryGeist]

Definitely a big difference in how I approach the mana bases.


In my two-color decks, even without green, I generally rely on my lands for the color fixing and utilize colorless ramp - Mind Stone, Thran Dynamo, Fellwar Stone.  I do usually use the Signet and/or Talisman just because they're 2-mana.  I'll typically have an even mix of color production within my lands.  There will be a lot more utility lands in my two-color decks; and about 6 to 8 of each basic.


In my three-color decks, I often skew my mana base toward one color.  Usually the color of my early drops.  If the deck has green, this is always green. And when it's not green, it's blue for the early card draw.  I'll only use mana rocks that make that primary color - green/blue and green/black, but not blue/black, for example.  Similar with the lands.  Mostly only duals that make that primary color (depends a bit on which dual cycles I'm utilizing).  Much less room for utility lands that don't make color.  There might be one or two, but they won't be frivolous; they will be crucial to the deck.  Only two or three of each basic.

[jlutzxinc]

I actually approach Decks of both types in the same way, probably because I make mostly tricolor Decks (although of my favorite three two are bicolor and one is rainbow).

I often fall into the "trap" of running mostly non-Basic Land, even though I know non-Basic hate is wildly popular in my playgroup; looking through a few of my Decks will show both that pattern and how far out of my way I'll go to correct for it.  I don't run a lot of utility Land (except Reliquary Tower, usually) unless I'm trying to; I favor Spells with lots of options (like the Charm cycles) over Land that can't make colored mana.

As for Signets vs. Talismans, I try to include both but default to Signets in Decks running a lot of multicolored cards because I like the filtering effect and I can usually sequence them to maximize my mana output; if I run out of space it's always the Talismans I cut.