Roll a D20 / Field notes
Build an MTG roll a D20 deck
An MTG D20 deck combines cards that roll twenty-sided dice with support that makes those rolls useful. Start with a playable mana curve and a clear way to win, then add the dice theme.
Choose your format and game plan
Begin with the format your group plays. For a casual 60-card deck, red can support a creature-and-token plan using Swarming Goblins and Delina, Wild Mage. Blue adds access to Pixie Guide. Choose colors for the cards you actually want to cast; adding a color also makes the mana base more demanding.
Commander uses different deck-building constraints, so do not copy a 60-card shell directly into it. Check current format legality and, where relevant, commander color identity before selecting cards.
A practical 60-card D20 deck shell
Use this as a starting allocation for casual play, then adjust after testing. Assign each card to one main role so you count exactly 60 cards.
| Role | Slots | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Lands | 24 | Mana sources matching your colors and early casting requirements. |
| D20 cards | 12 | Mix cheaper dice effects with finishers such as Swarming Goblins or Delina, Wild Mage. |
| Dice support | 4 | Barbarian Class in red, or Pixie Guide if you add blue. |
| Interaction | 8 | Removal or protection that works even when no dice support is in play. |
| Other creatures or card flow | 12 | Early board presence and ways to avoid running out of useful plays. |
Do not fill all twelve dice slots with expensive cards. Start with useful early plays, put only a few cards at the top of your curve, and ensure the deck can act before its biggest dice effect. Test more lands if you repeatedly miss land drops; reduce expensive spells if your hand stays uncastable.
A complete casual blue-red D20 starting list
This original example fills the 60-card role allocation above. It is an untested starting list for casual games, not a tournament recommendation or a current Standard/Arena legality claim. There is no sideboard. Confirm that your group accepts these cards, and check format legality if you move to organised play.
| Copies | Card | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Island | Lands |
| 12 | Mountain | Lands |
| 4 | Scion of Stygia | D20 cards |
| 4 | Hoarding Ogre | D20 cards |
| 4 | Swarming Goblins | D20 cards |
| 2 | Barbarian Class | Dice support |
| 2 | Pixie Guide | Dice support |
| 4 | Shock | Interaction |
| 4 | Negate | Interaction |
| 4 | Brazen Dwarf | Other creatures or card flow |
| 4 | Feywild Trickster | Other creatures or card flow |
| 4 | Opt | Other creatures or card flow |
Download the 60-card D20 deck list
Play inexpensive support or payoff creatures first, then use Scion of Stygia, Hoarding Ogre and Swarming Goblins to produce dice events. Treasure can help pay for later plays; flyers and a growing token board provide a route to win without requiring a natural 20.
The 24 basic lands keep this example easy to assemble, but are not a tested optimal mana base. Blue-red fixing can improve color access. Start by checking whether opening hands cast the spells you have, and reduce costly cards if you cannot act early. Keep interaction useful when you draw no dice support.
Select dice cards and support by role
Create a board with D20 effects
Swarming Goblins turns its roll into creature tokens. Delina, Wild Mage copies a creature during an attack and can offer another roll on a high result. Choose creatures whose copies help your plan instead of including every card that mentions a die.
Improve rolls without depending on them
Barbarian Class and Pixie Guide provide extra-die support. Keep support slots limited initially: drawing several support cards with no dice effect can leave you without pressure. Compare the deck with and without those cards during testing.
Use MTG D20 card examples and dice rules to understand the effects before adding them. For a simple single extra-die comparison, the D20 advantage probabilities show how keeping the higher of two changes a target’s chance. More than two dice need a different calculation.
Balance mana, interaction and a way to win
List the colored mana each spell needs and the turn you hope to cast it. A red deck splashing a blue support card still needs reliable blue sources; a hand with a blue spell and only red mana cannot execute that plan.
Keep removal and early creatures that function independently of dice. In a token plan, your board and attacks should move the game forward even after an ordinary roll. Treat a natural 20 as a bonus rather than the only route to victory.
Playtest and tune the deck
- Draw several opening hands and note which have lands and early plays you can cast.
- Play sample games, tracking missed land drops, unused support and hands clogged with expensive spells.
- Change one role at a time: mana, dice effects, support or interaction. Compare the next games with the same plan.
- Recheck current card wording and format legality before playing at an event.
Use the online D20 roller for required rolls during casual testing if your group agrees. A sequence of high results is not evidence that the deck is consistent; judge whether its mana and card roles work through ordinary outcomes too.
Check card wording and format rules
Use the official dice-card release notes for the examples above. If you play Commander, read the official Commander format rules before adapting this casual 60-card plan. This shell is a starting method for your own choices, rather than a tested tournament list.
Adapting the theme to Commander
Farideh, Devil's Chosen is a blue-red commander example whose payoff follows dice events. Build a new 100-card singleton list, including the commander, within its color identity; this 60-card list is not a Commander deck. Basic lands are an exception to the singleton restriction.
Start with enough mana sources, ramp, card flow and interaction for your table before filling the remaining slots with dice effects. A commander payoff still needs cards that actually roll dice. Consult the official Commander format rules and check the current banned list before play.