The first decision of every game happens before anyone plays a card. You look at your opening hand and decide whether it is good enough. Get it right and the game starts smoothly. Get it wrong and you might be fighting uphill from turn one.
Mulligans scare many players because throwing cards away feels like losing. But keeping a bad hand often costs more than starting with one card fewer. Here is a clear way to make that call without second-guessing yourself.
🔁 What is a mulligan, and why do rules differ?
A mulligan lets you shuffle away your opening hand and draw a new one, usually with some penalty. Each game handles it differently. Some make you draw one card fewer. Others let you replace only the cards you choose. Several digital games let you swap selected cards before the match starts with no direct cost.
Always check the exact rule for your game, because it changes the math:
- Full redraw with a smaller hand: mulligan only when the hand truly fails.
- Selective replace: you can be much pickier, since you keep the good cards.
- Free first mulligan: in formats that allow one, you can take a bit more risk.
The principles below apply in all cases. Only the threshold for "throw it back" moves.
🧱 What makes a hand keepable?
A keepable hand does three things: it lets you play the game, it does something on the early turns, and it has a path toward your deck's plan. You don't need the perfect hand. You need a functional one.
Ask these three questions in order:
- Can I cast my spells? Enough resources, or a reliable way to find them, for the first few turns.
- Do I have early plays? Something to do on turns one through three, depending on game speed.
- Does it move toward my win condition? At least one piece that fits the deck's main plan.
If the answer to the first question is no, it is almost always a mulligan. If the first is yes and one of the others is shaky, it depends on the matchup and your mulligan rule.
🌾 How many resource cards should you want?
For games with lands or similar resource cards, the classic danger zones are zero, one, and too many. A hand with no resources does nothing. A hand with only one relies on drawing more right away. A hand full of resources and nothing to spend them on loses tempo.
Here is a general guide for a seven-card opening hand in a typical 60-card deck with around 40% resources:
| Resources in hand | Usual decision | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Mulligan | No way to play cards |
| 1 | Usually mulligan | Keep only if everything is very cheap and you're on the draw |
| 2 | Often keep | Good if you have cheap plays; riskier with an expensive hand |
| 3–4 | Keep | The comfortable sweet spot for most decks |
| 5 | Depends | Fine if the spells are strong; weak if they're filler |
| 6–7 | Mulligan | Too little action |
These guidelines change with your deck. Very cheap aggressive decks can keep lighter hands. Slow decks full of expensive cards want more resources early.
🥇 Does going first or second change your keep?
Yes, and many players forget this. When you go second, you usually draw an extra card on your first turn, which means one more look at your deck before you need it. That makes slightly risky hands more keepable.
When you go first, you see one card fewer by each turn, and your opponent responds to your plays rather than the other way around. Hands that depend on drawing a specific card become riskier.
A simple adjustment:
- On the play (first): prioritize a solid early curve and enough resources.
- On the draw (second): you can keep a two-resource hand with cheap spells more easily, and accept a slightly slower start.
Tip: Before you look at your opening hand, remind yourself whether you are first or second. Having that fact front of mind stops you from judging the hand against the wrong standard.
🆚 How should the matchup shape your mulligan?
In best-of-three matches, you often know your opponent's deck after game one. That knowledge changes what a good hand looks like. Against a fast aggressive deck, cheap blockers and removal matter most. Against a slow control deck, threats and ways to pressure early become more valuable.
| Opponent's style | Prioritize keeping | Mulligan more aggressively if missing |
|---|---|---|
| Fast aggro | Cheap answers, early blockers | Any plays before turn three |
| Control | Multiple threats, card draw | Pressure or ways to fight counters |
| Combo | Disruption, fast clock | Interaction or a quick win path |
| Midrange | Balanced curve | Both early plays and late power |
In digital games with selective mulligans, apply the same idea when choosing which cards to swap. Throw away expensive cards against aggro, and keep threats against control.
🧯 Which common keep mistakes should you avoid?
Even experienced players fall into these:
- Keeping a "pretty" hand that does nothing early. Three powerful late-game cards and two resources look exciting, but they don't survive an aggressive start.
- Fear of the smaller hand. Shipping a weak seven is often better than playing a useless one.
- Hoping for a specific draw. If the hand works only when you hit one exact card, the odds are usually against you.
- Ignoring the matchup. A good hand against one opponent can be awful against another.
- Overthinking with a timer. Taking too long can cost you clock time you need later.
Quick keep checklist:
- I can cast spells on time with these resources.
- I have at least one early play, or a strong reason not to need one.
- The hand fits what my opponent is likely playing.
- I adjusted for being first or second.
- I'm not relying on one perfect top-deck.
🖐️ How do you judge three borderline hands?
Abstract rules only go so far, so here are three sample hands from a midrange 60-card deck. Picture yourself going first against an unknown opponent.
Hand A: two resources, a two-cost creature, a three-cost creature, a five-cost finisher, a removal spell and a card draw spell. This is a keep. You have plays on turns two and three, removal for a fast opponent, and a way to dig for more resources. The finisher is a bonus for later.
Hand B: five resources, one six-cost creature and one situational answer. This is a mulligan in most matchups. You will play resources for several turns while doing nothing, and the situational answer may be dead against your opponent. Even on the draw, the hand is too passive.
Hand C: three resources, but all of them produce the wrong color for your two-cost and three-cost spells, plus a four-cost spell you can cast. This is the trickiest one. If your deck has many ways to fix colors and you're on the draw, keeping can be fine. If you're on the play with few fixing cards, the first three turns may be wasted. Lean toward a mulligan unless you know your deck well.
Talking through hands like this, even by yourself, builds a mental library. Next time a similar hand shows up, you'll recognize it in a few seconds.
📝 How do you get better at mulligans over time?
Mulligan skill grows with deliberate practice. Most players never review their keeps, so they repeat the same mistakes. A little tracking makes a big difference.
Try this for a couple of weeks:
- Note your opening hands for borderline keeps, using a screenshot in digital games or a quick note in physical play.
- Write down whether you kept or shipped it, and why.
- Record what happened in the first few turns.
- Review the notes weekly and look for patterns.
You may find you keep two-resource hands too often, or that you mulligan too many slow but solid hands. Either way, your own data beats generic advice.
Many experienced players also test borderline hands by "goldfishing": playing out the hand alone for a few turns to see how it performs. It takes only a minute and builds a strong feel for what your deck actually needs.
If you play a digital game with match history, look back at your last few losses and check the opening hands. You may spot a keep pattern that keeps hurting you without you noticing.
Finally, learn your deck's specific needs. Some lists absolutely require one key piece by turn three, while others can play almost any reasonable hand. Before a tournament or ranked session, write down in one line what a "must-have" opening looks like for your deck. Having that sentence ready makes borderline decisions faster and keeps you from second-guessing under pressure.
🏁 Keep with confidence, ship without regret
A good mulligan habit is simple: check resources, check early plays, check the plan, then adjust for turn order and matchup. Make the call quickly and move on. Even a correct decision sometimes leads to a loss, and that's just variance.
Over dozens of games, sound keeps and mulligans give you more smooth starts and fewer non-games. That alone can noticeably lift your win rate without changing a single card in your deck.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is it ever right to keep a hand with no resources?
Almost never in games that require resource cards to play anything. A rare exception is a deck built around free spells, but most players should treat a zero-resource hand as an automatic mulligan.
Should I mulligan more in casual games?
The decision rules stay the same, but casual play is a great place to experiment. Try keeping or shipping borderline hands and note the results, without worrying much about the outcome.
How does a selective mulligan change things?
When you can replace specific cards, you should be more selective. Keep your best early plays and the key piece of your plan, and send back expensive or situational cards that don't fit the matchup.
Can I lose a game just from a bad keep?
Yes, and it happens often at every level. A non-functional hand can leave you several turns behind before you even make a meaningful play, which is why learning mulligans is worth the effort.