[commandergodo-blog]

Managing Playtime: Thirty Minute Turns and How to Avoid Them

I’d like to talk a bit about a subtler problem a lot of good players have when playing multiplayer—managing your playtime.  This is more of an issue if you play in a league or at events with a fixed amount of playtime, but gobbling up too much playtime can be a hazard even in kitchen table Magic.  Everyone has a story about three (or more) people sitting around waiting for a player to finish combo-ing out over a 30 minute turn (or, even worse, taking that 30 minute turn and failing to clinch the win). 

In multiplayer games, everyone wants to play.  Keeping your play time as lean as possible gives everyone else more playtime—and it also benefits you, by keeping other players more engaged in the game and keeping the pace of the game moving forward.  It is worth pointing out that you should try and be understanding when players less familiar with the game or format need a little more time to make decisions--but, for players who are already familiar with Commander, here are a few major time-wasters, and some thoughts on how to mitigate them.

Tutors:  A lot of people love tutors.  Some because they like being able to find answers for anything they may see (and some, regrettably, need to quash all randomness in their combo deck).  Tutors take a lot of time though—searching and shuffling.  Re-usable tutors are definitely the worst (like Survival of the Fittest).  I try and run a minimal number of tutors in favor of just drawing more cards (which is just mechanically faster, plus you don’t need to tutor for answers you've already drawn).   Another good guideline is to try never to cast a tutor unless you already know what you are searching for—you will usually know what’s in your deck (unless you’re borrowing one, I realize), and making those decisions before you search will definitely speed up the process.

Too Much “Cleverness”: By this, I basically mean using too many cards that provide minor affects, that have to be activated or trigger every turn, especially in concert with cards like Seedborn Muse.  I admit, I am often guilty of this.  You just build a deck with too many cards that synergize very well for little incremental advantages, but few ways to decisively WIN THE GAME.  So you take 30 minute turns, and, thanks to your Muse effect, take a 30 minute turn on each other player’s turn…at that point, no body is having fun.  You have to go through all the motions, and everyone else has to watch.  This is a little trickier to solve than the tutor problem—you have to look at your deck, and make conscious decisions to remove “clever” cards (like Crystal Shard, token producers, etc) in favor of more game-enders (like Craterhoof Behemoth, or Insurrection, or Rise of the Dark Realms).  You can also just limit the number of those clever cards that require you to make decisions—Verdant Force does something every turn, but you don’t have to pick targets or make any other extra choices.

Checking Out On Other Players Turns:  I've played with a lot of players who just literally pay zero attention to what happens on other players’ turns (once again, I and most players are guilty of this at least occasionally).  So every turn they take, they have to take time to re-evaluate everything that’s going on.  Try to plan as much of your turn in advance as is practical—most of the time you aren't going to get a huge amount of new information between your last opponent’s end step and your main phase.  You can also help other players not check out by keeping your turns moving more quickly.

Questions? Comments?  Feel free to tweet me @AJRart, and follow for new blog entries, artwork, and announcements.

[commandergodo-blog]

Mechanic Spotlight: Land Destruction!

When you say “land destruction,” a lot of people jump to Armageddon type effects, but Commander is lousy with powerful lands that can be a real problem (Maze of Ith, Cabal Coffers, etc). So here are a few thoughts on land destruction in Commander!

Mass Land Destruction

I mentioned in a previous post that land destruction is a strategy that won’t win you many friends, and mass land destruction is the worst offender.  That’s a bit of a generalization (but a safe assumption to make if you’re going into a play group you’re unfamiliar with). Most people don’t like sitting down to play Magic and not being able to do anything—and that’s essentially what mass LD does. 

If you’re in a very competitive playgroup, where mass LD is socially acceptable, keep in mind it’s a means to preserve an advantage.  Simply resetting everyone’s mana just prolongs the boring part of the game (and can easily backfire), so only cast your mass LD when you have a clear board advantage and can quickly win. 

Playing Against Mass Land Destruction

If you are in a group where mass LD happens, it’s not unbeatable.  If it’s something you can expect, you can skew your deck building to include more non-land mana sources, lower your mana costs, or throw in a few counterspells.  There are also a few unique cards (mostly white) that protect lands or quickly recover like Planar Birth or Second Sunrise (which has broader uses).

In game, you can also adjust your play to give you better chances.  Save a few lands in your hand to recover if you know it could happen.  Good players won’t blow up world unless it’s advantageous—so just keep the player with mass LD from gaining a significant board advantage (either by killing his stuff or keeping out better stuff of your own).      

Of course, if you’re playing with griefers who like to slow the game to a grinding halt “because it’s funny”, you have a few other options.  You can just not play with those people until they correct their behavior.  If that’s not an option, the advice for playing around mass LD still applies—just remember not to make a big deal about it.  Griefers want to get a reaction—don’t complain, don’t “feed the troll.”  Just beat them quickly, calmly, and efficiently.  They’re usually not top caliber players. And then forget it, don’t let some jerk ruin your whole night.

Spot Land Destruction

That all being said, single target land destruction is pretty essential part of your Commander deck’s toolbox. I tend to look for “friendly” options—you want to remove major problems, not another players ability to play the game.  Think more like Ghost Quarter than Strip Mine.  Usually, I rely on removal that can hit a variety of targets—like Acidic Slime or Vindicate effects that don’t target land exclusively.  A lot of games you aren't going to see lands that cause a significant problem, so I try not to waste too many slots on dedicate land destruction (using single target LD to control tempo isn't as realistic in multiplayer as it may be in a duel).

Try to be diplomatic; if everyone has like 10 lands in play, blowing up that Academy Ruins is going to keep that artifact from coming back every turn, but it’s not going to singlehandedly shut that player out of the game.  Doing it on turn 2 is a bit less friendly (and honestly in the super early game colorless non-basics are usually already putting players at a disadvantage). 

Kind of/Sort of Mass Land Destruction vs. Ramp

I will say that in groups where mass LD, combo, and heavy permission aren’t looked on favorably, mana ramp is king.  If you have to play against a lot of dedicated ramp decks (Maelstrom Wanderer is a common ramp commander), heavy land destruction is one of the ways you can reign them in—but symmetrical effects don’t often end in your favor (ramp decks tend to play more land and more ways to get land into play—they can often recover faster than other players from an Armageddon).  Plus it can often make everyone switch focus away from the ramp deck to you. 

So if you want to try to use land destruction to reign in ramp decks, there are a few cards that selectively leave players with a set number of lands like Keldon Firebombers and Natural Balance.  There are also some other older cards which can just blow up a large number of lands like Orcish Settlers, or you could just recur a creature like Woodfall Primus.  Once again, it’s probably not in your long term best interests to shut the ramp player out of the game completely (ramp has the advantage of appearing innocuous or “fair”, so many newer players don’t finger it for a big threat until it has a 65+ power indestructible army and 20 cards in hand).  But if you just kind of “equalize” the ramp deck's mana to about what other players are at, most players won’t see you as a bully. 

So there are a few thoughts about Land Destruction in Commander!  I’ll be doing similar overviews of other mechanics and strategies in the future, so stay tuned!

Questions? Comments?  Feel free to tweet me @AJRart, and follow for new blog entries, artwork, and announcements.

[commandergodo-blog]

Strategy Spotlight: Voltron!

This is the beginning of a series of posts giving some basic info about common Commander deck types!  Since this is CommanderGodo, first up is Voltron!

Overview

Basically, “Voltron” decks are decks that load up a creature with equipment, auras, or both, often attempting to kill players with Commander damage.  Called Voltron because you assemble a giant threat from less significant pieces, like it’s namesake.

Common Commanders

These are some of the more popular Commanders tailor made for Voltron strategies.  If you see these guys, you can kind of bet you’re going to be playing Voltron:

Bruna, Light of Alabaster

Godo, Bandit Warlord

Uril, the Miststalker

Any cheap commander with either evasion or an ability to protect itself (like Hexproof), especially if one of its colors is white.

How it Works

Voltron is pretty straight forward.  You play a dude (most often your Commander) and make him huge, and then attack.  Voltron decks usually give their big threat several layers of protection from normal removal, in addition to big power and toughness boosts, making the threat not only scary but hard to deal with.  Look for equipment or auras that cause your Commander to kill in fewer turns (for example, if your Commander is a 5/5, giving it +2/+X makes it kill in 3 turns, rather than 5).

Common Problems

Voltron decks can fall apart if their big threat is killed, and are often vulnerable to sacrifice affects that don’t target the creature (like Diablolic Edict or Barter in Blood), or mass removal that doesn’t rely on “destroy” effects (like Hallowed Burial or Merciless Eviction).  Mass enchantment or artifact removal can also cripple most decks (Bruna does tend to bounce back if her auras are merely destroyed).

  A lot of Voltron players also tend to pack their deck full of enhancements with very few bodies, so if their General is removed somehow (like being “tucked” into their library with a Hallowed Burial), it’s pretty much game over.  I’d suggest limiting your enhancements to the best 5 to 10, and playing more card draw and recursion.  Godo is great in that he’s a tutor, so he grabs a great equipment himself, no need to load your deck down with them.  Uril and other enchantment based decks can take advantage of many of the new Bestow creatures as well, which can function as new bodies in a pinch.  I also am a fan of less flashy token producers (like Kher Keep, Trading Post, or Kjeldoran Outpost) that can pump out new bodies for your enhancements.

  Some Less Common Alternative Commanders

Dakkon Blackblade—This guy is big and smashy in a color combination full of great enchantments and equipment-friendly cards.  Rather than making him huge, you just have to protect him and give him evasion.

Ruhan of the Formori—A fun random general, he already has the magical 7 power for a 3 swing Commander damage clock, and comes down early.  Just give him evasion and hope he swings in the right direction!

Questions? Comments?  Feel free to tweet me @AJRart, and follow for new blog entries, artwork, and announcements.

[commandergodo-blog]

Why You Lose at Commander (Even with a Great Deck)

Regular FNM duels are pretty simple, your cards against theirs.  Winning and losing is based on the deck lists and play skill, and either outcome can be traced to one of those things.  Multiplayer formats like Commander are not so simple—you still have to have a decent deck and play skill certainly helps, but you also have to deal with the social aspect of play.  A 4 player free-for-all can quickly turn into a 3-on-1.  A lot of people who first cross over into Commander from tournament Magic tend to focus too much on card lists and mechanics, and not enough on the social side.  And then the find themselves losing.  Often to “less good” decks or players.  So, here’s a list of some of the most common reasons you lose, even though you have a good deck and know how to play it!

1.  Today Just Wasn’t Your Day

Assuming you’re playing people of equal skill, your chances of winning a 4 player game are 25%.  That means your chance of loosing is 75%.  You’re just going to lose more in multiplayer than in 1v1, all other things being equal, because there are more players.

2.  Your Deck isn’t Fun to Play Against

Even if you love your deck and it’s great, the other players at the table may not agree.  The primary offenders--the Unholy Trinity of mechanics (mass land destruction/instant win combo/heavy control or permission)--are incredibly frustrating to play against for the vast majority of players.  There’s a reason WotC has pretty much phased out the cards that allow these play styles from contemporary Magic.  If people think that at any moment you could irrevocably break the game, they’re going to try to minimize how many moments you get in the game.

3. You’re Being Too Passive/Too Aggressive

This varies a lot by play group and the particular individuals at the table.  Some folks focus on the player in the lead, some on the player with the weakest position.  Being too aggressive early force other players to band together to beat you.  Being too passive can cause you lose opportunities.  This is more of an art than a science, you kind of have to feel out what pace is best depending on your deck and the other players at the table.

4. You Aren’t Fun to Play Against

This can be something sinister, like actively trying to make other players miserable with plays that clearly give you no advantage, or excessive gloating/trash talking.  It might be something more innocuous (you might not even notice you’re doing it!). Things like talking too much, loudly flicking cards in your hand, taking long pauses to read text messages in the middle of your turn, tapping people with your legs or feet under the table, hygiene issues, etc, can making having you at the table unpleasant, especially if you aren't playing with close friends who know you personally.  Just try and be aware of how you present yourself and try and respect the other players' time. 

5. Also, You may be Wrong about your Deck

Worth mentioning, although I’d say it’s the minority.  Skill in constructed tournament formats doesn't necessarily transfer to Commander directly.  A lot of mechanics and strategies that are great in duels fall apart in multiplayer.

Questions? Comments?  Feel free to tweet me @AJRart, and follow for new blog entries, artwork, and announcements.

[commandergodo-blog]

Deck Building, Part 5: Adjusting to Your Playgroup!

I covered the basic nuts and bolts stuff already, so that leaves us with the hard part—adjusting your deck to your playgroup.  You deck doesn’t exist in a vacuum.  Most Commander players have a regular group of friends or league play at a local shop.  You’ll need to adjust your deck over time as you encounter different strategies, cards, and mechanics.

Building Against Strategies!

This is the most straightforward.  If your playgroup has tons of graveyard based decks, throw in a Tormod’s Crypt and/or some other graveyard removal.  Token decks are also common?  Try pulling in some cards like Ratchet Bomb that easily destroy tokens in mass.  I've personally seen three different players polish new Phenax mill decks over the last couple weeks, so I’ve been throwing in more effects that shuffle my graveyard into my library. 

Building Against Specific Cards and Mechanics!

Pretty much every color combination has a few very specific cards that can fill in gaps in the color’s normal mechanics (sometimes an older card, from before the color’s mechanics areas were hammered out in their present form, sometimes just a random “flavor” card that slipped through).  Sometimes you have to sort of sidestep the problem.  As I often mention, in multiplayer if someone plays something super scary, you may be able to just kill the player more easily than the scary card.  Or you may need to adjust how you play future games, saving certain spells for key moments. 

The biggest part of good deck building is realizing you’re never done—new sets come out every couple months, your playgroup will get new players or players will try new strategies.  That’s why I’m not such a big fan of “deck list” articles—it’s great to get some inspiration, but you've got to continually tweak your deck to the environment it’s being played in.

Deck Building Conclusion!

Alright, so those are the basics of putting together a functional Commander deck!  I tried to focus on broad strokes for folks newer to the format (though hopefully some things to think about for more experience players, too).  I really wanted to hit some of the points that don’t get much press—the internet is lousy with info about powerful Commanders and card combinations, but not so much info about the less flashy parts of your deck (which are more often than not the problem if you’re not getting the outcomes you hoped for). 

I’ll also say, try not to measure you’re deck’s success solely on how many games you win. Aim to always have cards on the board, cards in your hand, enough mana to give you options, and keep tweaking.  

Questions? Comments?  Feel free to tweet me @AJRart, and follow for new blog entries, artwork, and announcements.

Stay tuned to CommanderGodo for more Commander-y goodness!

Part 1: Creatures!

Part 2: Removal!

Part 3: “Card Advantage!”

Part 4: Mana Base!

Part 5: Adjusting to Your Playgroup!

[commandergodo-blog]

Invisible MPV: Burnished Hart

When I first saw the spoiler for Theros, this was the card, not the fancy shmancy gods, that made my jaw drop.  This is legitimately the most exciting Commander card I've seen in a good while--because it gives awesome mana ramping to EVERY color combination, not just decks with green. Plus it's an artifact, a creature, and only 3 mana, which makes it relatively easy to recur with most colors!  I immediately picked up several on release day.  

[commandergodo-blog]

Deck Building, Part 4: Mana Base!

Building a mana base that works reliably is probably the biggest problem I see from new to moderately experienced Commander players.  It's harder to pick up what works through normal play, and I think a lot of people kind of throw it together as an afterthought.  But in order to cast your spells reliably, you have to be thinking about it through the whole deck building process.

Mana Costs

Start by thinking about what mana costs your deck will have.  I usually arrange a deck I’m building by converted mana cost (CMC), with separate piles for creature and non-creature spells. Try starting with a pretty even distribution of creatures from 2 to around 6 CMC.  Other spells tend to center around the 2 to 4 CMC range, with a few at higher costs.  Even though it’s a big mana format, try to keep only the most important spells you want to play that cost more than 6 mana (and whatever one mana spells you want that fit well—there are just fewer that scale well in the format compared to other CMCs).  At least try starting in that range, you can always revise depending on what works for your specific deck.

Also, think about how hard it is to cast those spells.  For example, if your playing a three color deck, spells that require more than one or two mana of any color might give you problems unless you have access to a rock star set of multi-color producing lands.  Even in a two color deck, minimizing the amount of colored mana in costs will allow you to play more colorless producing utility lands or acceleration artifacts without having problems casting your spells.

Lands

Okay, this may be the most contentious advice I give people, but I always say, play 40 lands.  Maybe drop to as low as 38 if you run a lot of cheap mana artifacts (NOT spells that put lands into play from your library).   If you get mana flooded a lot, play more draw spells to draw through land pockets. However, it's always better to get mana flooded in Commander than mana starved—you’re almost always going to have your Commander to play at least.

Dual lands and other lands that produce multiple colors are great, but don’t feel like you can’t compete unless you have a set of Alpha duals…no single card is going to make or break you in Commander, much less a land.  There are quite a few good common and uncommon duals, and basic lands are actually really good. Several cards (including colorless ones available to all decks) can search for basics, and there is a lot of very punishing hate out there for non-basics. I try to keep at least half my lands basic, just for the stability they provide. 

I usually also pick out up to 4 colorless producing utility lands that fill in holes or have good synergy with my deck's theme.  I try to keep from playing more than that because it can cause problems meeting the colored mana requirements of your spells early on.

Artifacts/Mana Ramping

Artifact and mana acceleration are both very common in Commander, and can also provide inexpensive color-fixing.  Keep in mind that mana ramp spells take lands out of your library, so you’ll draw few lands to play normally—don’t replace lands with mana ramp spells (there’s no point in playing Rampant Growth on turn 2 if you then miss your turn 3 land drop).  I’ve played several games where I was playing decks with no ramp at all, but ended up with the most mana by just consistently making my land drops each turn.

Artifact (and other non-land) mana sources are usually more fragile than lands from ramp spells, but they give you a mana advantage without removing future land drops.  There are also artifacts that grant more significant mana returns than the standard ramp spells.  (Side-note: If you are in a play group where mass land destruction is more common, skew toward more mana artifacts rather than ramp, and try to save a few lands in hand to recover).

So that’s the basics of building a mana base.  I don’t usually use a complex formula for determining the color balance.   Just try to have a mix roughly proportional to the mix of colors in your spells.  My last bit of advice—sometimes you are going to have mana problems, and that’s okay.  That’s just part of Magic.  Don’t go crazy pulling out 5 lands after having a problem in one or two games, give your deck a few chances to work before you decide that it doesn't.

Just one more Deck Building segment to go!  Next time: Deck building is never done: making adjustments based on your play group and more!

Questions? Comments?  Feel free to tweet me @AJRart, and follow for new blog entries, artwork, and announcements.

Part 1: Creatures!

Part 2: Removal!

Part 3: “Card Advantage!”

Part 4: Mana Base!

Part 5: Adjusting to Your Playgroup!

[commandergodo-blog]

Invisible MVP: Elixir of Immortality

A lot of the best recursion spells are old, and quite expensive to pick up.  Just draw more cards and throw in one of these!

[commandergodo-blog]

Deck Building, Part 3: "Card Advantage!"

In a 1 on 1 duel, the player who draws the most cards will usually win—however, having several other opponents who can pool resources means that’s not quite as inevitable in Commander multiplayer.  So when talking about card draw and recursion, my focus won't be on keeping “card advantage” over each of your opponents.  I tend to just ask myself “Do I always have options?”  If you’re in top-deck mode on turn 5 or 6, you probably have a problem.

Card Draw

The most straightforward way to keep having options is to just draw about as many cards as you play.  Of course this is easier for some colors than others. I’d say Blue, Black and Green have the most draw options (in roughly that order), then Red, then White lagging a distant 5th. 

Permanent based card draw is usually the best.  An extra card or two a turn from an enchantment or artifact will give you options indefinitely.  One shot card draw will give you a burst of options, but you’ll probably burn through the advantage in a few turns (and, outside of blue and a few red Wheel effects, the cost efficient options are very limited).  Be sure to have a significant density of cards that provide draws—a single Consecrated Sphinx may give you all the cards you could ever want when it’s in play, but if that’s your only card draw you’ll play a lot of games in top deck mode waiting to draw it.  I suggest at least 8-10 sources of cards, favoring cards that have other value: creatures like humble Mulldrifter, or spells that provide value beyond card draw like Decree of Pain.

Also, if you’re in a color combination that has difficulty with card draw, colorless “each player draws” effects are a great option.  They tend to be relatively cheap and generate a lot of good will, plus getting outdrawn 3 to 2 is always better than getting outdrawn 2 to 1.

Recursion

Recursion is also a great way to keep options in multiplayer, especially if games go long and libraries start to empty.  Black and green and white can get creatures back from the graveyard, blue can bounce and white can blink creatures to reuse their Enter the Battlefield abilities.  Red and blue also have some options for recurring artifacts and instants/sorceries.  All colors have access to cards that shuffle their graveyard into their library, and if you’re playing a deck that draws a LOT of cards, just doing this might be all the recursion you need.  In general, good recursion follows the same rule as good card draw, you want primarily reusable effects or effects that net several cards, and a minimal number one-for-one spells.

Tutors

Tutors tend to take much longer to resolve than draw spells (with the searching and shuffling), and take a lot of the variety out of games.  They also add a step between a card in your hand and a card that actually does something useful (which can be especially significant for higher mana cost tutors).  I tend to play a minimal number in favor of straight card draw.

Avoid Dead Cards

Another way to maximize your options is to just play fewer cards that aren’t always useful.  Minimize the number of situational cards that require other cards or very narrow situations to be good (like creature pump spells) as well as certain types of creatures and removal spells I mentioned in Part 1 and Part 2.  Also look for modal spells, like charms, that give you several options for different situations.

And that’s a good start for thinking about how to keep your hand full!  Next time: Deck building continues with a discussion of mana bases!

Questions? Comments?  Feel free to tweet me @AJRart, and follow for new blog entries, artwork, and announcements.

Part 1: Creatures!

Part 2: Removal!

Part 3: "Card Advantage!"

Part 4: Mana Base!

Part 5: Adjusting to Your Playgroup!

[commandergodo-blog]

Invisible MVP: Rapid Hybridization

One mana instant speed creature removal with no targeting restrictions?  In Blue?  Sign me up!  A 3/3 ground pounder is not even worth noting in a format like Commander.  Also, look out for it's older brother, Pongify.

[commandergodo-blog]

Deck Building, Part 2: Removal!

Removal in Commander can be tricky.  The slower pace of (most) games makes you want to play all those weird or splashy spells—and normally I’d say go with that impulse.  But, on the other hand 90% of degenerate “I win” combos can be beat by cheap, instant speed removal.  I’ll split removal into the same general categories most people do:

1. Targeted/Pinpoint Removal

When it comes to targeted removal, you generally want at least a handful (as I said in Part 1, I usually play about 3-5) cheap, instant removal spells.  Instant, so you can break up combos, use for combat tricks, etc, and cheap, so you aren’t skipping out on playing your own threats so you can (maybe) cast a removal spell later.  Try to find spells that cost 3 mana or less, preferably that can target a variety of different types of permanents.

Supplement these instants with creature based removal, or other sorcery speed removal that is very versatile, very cheap, or solves a problem that the instant speed removal you have access too can’t.  And don’t forget to pack several ways to deal with enchantments and artifacts—I’ve seen many games decided by 3 players not drawing a Disenchant effect.

2.  Mass Removal

Most Commander decks use some form of mass removal.  Many overuse it.  Look for mass removal that doesn't just reset the board, but actually gives you an advantage, and keep in mind that if you just play a lot of scary threats, you probably won’t need/want to blow up the world.  In that case, cards like In Garruk’s Wake can clear a path for your army, where as Day of Judgment, in that situation is just a dead card. Modal spells, which allow you to select the type of permanents that are destroyed so you can hurt your opponents more are great, spells that only affect your opponents are even better. 

The exception would be if you're playing a deck that develops very slowly, or your play group is just incredibly aggressive.  In that case, cheap mass removal might be a necessary evil.

3.  Counter Magic

Counterspells are, in general, weaker in multiplayer.  You just aren't going to be able to keep up with 3+ other players by trying to counter everything they play (and if you do, you (1) probably could have already won if your deck wasn't wasting space on an arbitrary amount of counter magic, and (2) are probably going to find yourself without anyone willing to play with you).  A lot of players have an irrational hatred of the Counterspell, and keeping it to a minimum will go a long way to winning friends.

Having a counterspell or two saved to stop that game ending Sorcery or Instant, though, can make you a hero.  So, my usual tact is to play counter magic sparingly, and save it for moments when someone does something most of the other players aren't happy about.

So those are a few things to think about when selecting removal.  Probably the biggest point I can make is just to remind you that in multiplayer, not losing isn't the same as winning.  You can’t win by just playing removal, so play enough to deal with major threats, and remember that in multiplayer you can always remove that troublesome enchantment by just killing the player who cast it!

Next time:  Deck building continues with a discussion of card draw and recursion!

Questions? Comments?  Feel free to tweet me @AJRart, and follow for new blog entries, artwork, and announcements.

Part 1: Creatures!

Part 2: Removal!

Part 3: “Card Advantage!”

Part 4: Mana Base!

Part 5: Adjusting to Your Playgroup!

[commandergodo-blog]

Invisible MVP: Reclamation Sage

I'd also like to occasionally highlight inexpensive cards that are kind of superstar "nuts and bolts" for many decks that can play them.  These aren't going to be the things you build around, just solid cards from (mostly) recent sets that are rock-star utility cards.  Since I'm doing the deck building articles, I figured I'd tie the first few to the themes discussed in the article.  

So, first up is Reclamation Sage.  This Magic 2015 uncommon is an amazing three mana Commander creature you can pick up for around a dollar at the moment (or you could just find one in a 2015 pack, since the set just came out a week ago).  Great early for blowing up enemy Sol Rings, or late game for giant threats like Akroma's Memorial.

[commandergodo-blog]

Deck Building, Part 1: Creatures!

I’m going to start by assuming most folks have picked a Commander and thrown together 99 other cards before, so I’ll skip the rules of the format and start with the general outline of how I go about building decks.

90% of the Commander decks I play, regardless of theme, power level, or colors contain:

25-35 Creatures

3-5 INSTANT removal spells

~2 NON-SYMETRICAL mass removal spells

~8-10 cards that draw 2+ more cards

~5 cards that recur other cards

38-42 Lands, and a few non-land mana sources

I’ll talk about everything eventually, but I’m going to start with Creatures, because they just DO more than other types of cards.  They attack, block, and can be easily reused for value by almost all color combinations.  That great instant removal spell can keep you from losing the game, but it’s unlikely to win one by itself.  Just about any (non-Defender) creature can help you win the game. 

So what creatures are good in Commander?  In general, creatures are good for what they do, not how big or cost efficient they are.  Even the big, expensive, muscular creatures that define the Commander format should DO something.  Avoid playing Big Dumb Creatures (creatures that are just large for their cost), as well as smaller cost efficient creatures that will become less useful as the game progresses (a vanilla 2 mana 3/3 is great on turn two, but it’s going to be outclassed and practically useless later in the game).  You still want dudes you can play early, they just need to be dudes that are still useful throughout the game.  So, when looking at creatures, ask yourself:

1.  “Does this creature DO something as soon as I play it?”

Mass removal can be prevalent, and there’s nothing more crushing than tapping out for your giant monster and then having one of 4 other players just blow up the world before it gets back to your turn.  Look for abilities such as “Enters the Battlefield” triggers, static abilities that make the creature affect the game as soon as it enters play, activated abilities you can use as soon as you play the creature, or even keywords like Haste and Flash, which allow you to get use out of the creature before it’s vulnerable to most mass removal.

2.  “Will I always be happy to draw this, at any stage of the game?”

Obviously some of your bigger creatures won’t be useful before you can play them, but that’s a lot less disheartening than drawing a vanilla 2/2 on turn 12.  Having creatures in play early can give you a lot of options early and save you from taking early damage, just look for cheap guys that scale well throughout the game.  When picking cheap creatures look for powerful activated abilities (especially ones that scale as you get more mana), creatures that provide removal (which will be more valuable as stronger threats are played), and creatures which provide card advantage.

That’s the basics of how I pick creatures, and why they’re important.  Next time: I continue the deck building conversation with a discussion about removal!

Questions? Comments?  Feel free to tweet me @AJRart, and follow for new blog entries, artwork, and announcements. 

Part 1: Creatures!

Part 2: Removal!

Part 3: “Card Advantage!”

Part 4: Mana Base!

Part 5: Adjusting to Your Playgroup!

[commandergodo-blog]

Introduction!

I’ve been playing Magic on and off since about 1998, and EDH/Commander almost exclusively since 2008. I was a founding member of three commander leagues in two Midwestern cities.  I’ve seen a lot of newer players struggling, or getting frustrated because their decks aren’t performing as well as they’d like, so I decided to start a series of short blogs to give some general advice—not decklists and card evaluations, but general principles you can use whatever your commander, collection, or budget. 

This first installment, I’ll just speak broadly about how I  approach commander.

The first big thing I think gives people trouble, is the fact Commander is not regular Magic. Regular Magic (esp. tournament magic) is about ruthlessly crushing your opponent in the most reliable way possible.  Commander was designed to be a casual multiplayer variant, and this changes a lot, from how you evaluate cards, to your goals in deck building and playing. 

Of course at the game level, most people want to win, but you also have to think about the other 2+ people you’re playing with.  Unlike tournament Magic, they usually have little to no motivation to continue playing with you if they aren’t enjoying the experience.  If players feel they can’t win (or that beating you is more frustrating than it’s worth), they will loose interest.  In casual groups/pickup games, this means they just won’t play with you.  In more organized leagues this means the league will start hemorrhaging players, and you’ll quickly find yourself without a place to play at all.  So I guess first piece of advice is to aim to win by inches rather miles.  Don’t set out to crush everyone at the table, just come out of the big back and fourth battle on top.

So what does this mean practically?  Basically, just don’t try to control every aspect of the game, and allow other players to have their moments.  Different play groups have different levels of tolerance for the less popular mechanics (ie, mass land destruction, two card “I win” combos, punishing control decks that do nothing but say “no”, etc), and you have to be willing to iterate to find the socially acceptable levels for your playgroup.  Or you could just play dudes and attack…most people are okay with dudes and attacking. 

That’s pretty much the mindset I start with.  There are a lot of cards I very seldom play because they’re just not fun to play against.  Or they just complicate the game in excess of their value (a lot of “tax” effects—-ie, “Spells cost (1) additional mana” fall into this category), or monopolize game time.  Not because they’re bad, or not playing them makes my deck mechanically better, but because they detract from the play experience of the other players.  You kind of have to feel out which cards fall into this category with your group, and nobody is going to say “Hey, thanks for not playing X card,” but it really affects the way players interact with you in subtle ways—and games tend to be more fun for everyone.                        

Questions? Comments?  Feel free to tweet me @AJRart, and follow for new blog entries, artwork, and announcements.