Even being part of the game, mana screw is a major problem for any MTG player, whether a newbie or even a professional one. Optimizing deck shuffling to avoid mana screws in Magic: The Gathering involves ensuring your deck has a proper mix of lands and spells, as well as improving the randomness and consistency of your shuffling technique.

Here are some tips to help you avoid it:

1. Good Deck Construction

• Mana Curve: Ensure your deck has a balanced mana curve (the distribution of spells at various mana costs). If your deck has too many high-cost spells, it might be prone to mana screw (not drawing enough lands) or mana flood (drawing too many lands).
• Land Count: Generally, decks run about 24 lands in a 60-card deck, but this can vary based on your deck’s needs. Aggro decks may need fewer lands, while control or ramp decks may need more.
• Mana Sources: Include a mix of basic lands and non-basic lands that help with fixing mana (e.g., dual lands, fetch lands, or other mana-fixing cards). Adding cards that allow you to search for lands or provide mana fixing (e.g., “Farseek” or “Fellwar Stone”) can also help reduce mana screw.

2. Shuffling Technique

• Riffle Shuffling: The most common method used in competitive Magic, riffle shuffling creates a good randomization of your deck. Do it at least 7 times to ensure proper distribution of cards.
• Pile Shuffling: Though not strictly random, pile shuffling can help you ensure your deck is in good order and has a roughly equal distribution of lands and non-lands. It’s also a good way to avoid clumping, although it shouldn’t be relied on solely.
• Overhand Shuffle: This shuffle can help mix the cards, but is less effective than a riffle shuffle. It’s useful for additional randomization once you’ve already riffled.
• Avoiding Clumping: When shuffling, be aware of the possibility of clumping lands together or separating them. If you notice lands clumping together, reshuffle them to further distribute them throughout the deck.

3. Mulligan Strategy

• Know When to Mulligan: If your opening hand has no lands or only one, it’s often better to mulligan. Magic’s mulligan rule lets you draw a new hand with one less card, which can help fix a bad draw.
• Scrying: Some formats allow you to scry (look at the top card and choose to put it on the bottom or keep it on top). If available, use this to adjust your draws and improve your chances of drawing the lands you need.
    

4. Shuffling Before the Game

• Multiple People Shuffle: When you get a chance, having multiple people shuffle the deck can increase randomness and minimize the risk of clumping. It’s common in competitive play for both players to shuffle each other’s decks.

5. Look for Patterns in Your Draws

• If you find yourself getting mana screw frequently with a particular deck, analyze your land base. Perhaps the distribution or number of non-basic lands isn’t providing enough consistency. Adjust the deck to better suit your playstyle and improve mana fixing.

By combining solid deck-building choices with a thorough and diverse shuffling method, you can reduce the risk of mana screws and increase your chances of drawing a balanced hand.

Thanks for reading and until the next blog post.