How to Build a Sealed Deck in Magic: The Gathering

Sealed deck is a Limited format where you open six booster packs and build a 40-card deck entirely from that pool. Unlike draft, you do not pass cards, so your deck is limited to what you happen to open. Start by sorting every card by color, separating creatures from spells, so you can see the depth and power each color offers.

Lay out your bombs, removal, and best creatures first, since these are the cards that will shape your deck. Looking at the whole pool at once helps you judge which colors have enough playables to support a deck. Sealed rewards patience and careful evaluation more than draft, because you have your entire card pool in front of you from the start.

Most Sealed decks are two colors, chosen by finding the two colors with the deepest, most powerful playables in your pool. Count how many strong cards each color gives you, weighting bombs and removal heavily. Your goal is two colors that together provide roughly 23 solid nonland cards with a reasonable curve.

Do not force a color just because you opened one exciting card in it; a single bomb is not worth a shallow color. If two colors are close, lean toward the pair with better removal and a smoother curve. You can splash a third color for a standout bomb if your fixing supports it, but keep splashes minimal so your mana stays consistent.

The standard build is 23 nonland cards and 17 lands for a 40-card deck. Fill your 23 with bombs and removal first, then a curve of creatures that lets you act on every turn from two onward. Aim for enough early plays to survive and enough mid-to-late threats to win, avoiding too many expensive cards that clog your hand.

Set your lands to match your color balance, weighting the color you use more heavily. If your curve is low and aggressive, 16 lands can work; if it is slow and top-heavy, 18 lands may be safer. A clean curve with strong removal and a bomb or two is the recipe for a winning Sealed deck.