The partners are a boy and his dog
Commander is an incredibly popular format, easily claiming its current place as MTGs most popular in-person game type
Theres a lot of established heuristics on this subject, and a few points I can toss in to help you construct an optimal mana base for Standard, Modern, Pioneer, or whatever MTG format you prefer
The original, most popular, and most obvious way is to end the game on the turn you play Squandered Resources
Mid Game This is the point in the game when the battle will begin in earnest as Characters with power of around 5000 to 6000 start appearing
Phyrexian Unlife Some might see Phyrexian Unlife as a card that simply gains you 10 life, that does nothing against infect