The mulligan: how it works and when to take one
At the start of a game you draw 7 cards. If that hand is bad (for example, no lands or only lands), you can take a mulligan: put it back and draw a new one. In exchange, you'll end up with fewer cards.
The London mulligan, step by step
This is the current rule in every format:
- Look at your 7 cards. If you don't like them, say "mulligan".
- Shuffle your hand into your library and draw 7 new cards.
- If you keep this hand, put one card for each mulligan you've taken on the bottom of your library, whichever ones you choose.
- If you don't like it either, repeat: shuffle, draw 7 and, when you keep, put 2 on the bottom… and so on.
Example: you take 2 mulligans. You draw 7 cards, you like them, and you put the 2 worst ones on the bottom of your library. You play with 5 cards in hand.
In Commander, the first mulligan is free
In multiplayer Commander games, the first mulligan costs nothing: shuffle, draw 7 and keep all 7. From the second one on, you put cards on the bottom as usual.
When should you mulligan?
Some simple guidelines for normal decks (60 cards with about 24 lands, or Commander with about 36):
| Lands in your 7-card hand | What to do? |
|---|---|
| 0 or 1 | Mulligan almost always (unless the cards are very cheap and you're on the play with a very fast deck). |
| 2 | It depends: keep it if you have cheap cards or ways to draw more lands. |
| 3 or 4 | Keep it. That's the ideal hand. |
| 5 | Usually yes, if the rest are good cards. |
| 6 or 7 | Mulligan. |
Also ask yourself:
- Do I have something to do in the first 3 turns?
- Do I have the mana colors my cards need?
- Does this hand do what my deck wants to do?
Mulligan on SpellTavern
When the game starts, you'll see the opening hand screen, where you choose to keep your hand or mulligan. If you mulligan, the site asks you to choose which cards go on the bottom of your library and applies the free Commander mulligan rule automatically. The screen also counts your lands and warns you: "few lands, maybe mulligan", "too many" or "good hand to keep".
Want to practice? Try a game with one of the decks to get started, or use "Try a hand" in the deck builder to see sample hands from your deck.