Embarking on your Commander deck-building journey can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Commander, also known as EDH (Elder Dragon Highlander), is a popular Magic: The Gathering format that allows you to build a singleton deck around a legendary creature. The key to success in Commander is creating a well-balanced deck that can adapt to various situations and outlast your opponents. Let's dive into the basics of Commander deck building, tailored for beginners.
Before you start, it's essential to understand the Commander format's rules and structure. Each player chooses a legendary creature as their Commander, which serves as the deck's centerpiece. Your Commander is the most powerful card in your deck and often dictates your deck's strategy and theme. The deck must contain exactly 100 cards, with no more than one copy of any card (except basic lands), and you must start the game with 40 life instead of the usual 20.
Choosing Your Commander
Selecting your Commander is the first and most crucial step in building your deck. Your Commander should reflect your playstyle and the kind of game you want to play. Some Commanders are aggressive and focused on dealing direct damage, while others are more controlling and aim to disrupt your opponents' plans. Still, others are designed to synergize with specific card types or mechanics.
When choosing your Commander, consider the following factors:
- Artwork and lore: Many players choose their Commander based on its visual appeal or connection to Magic: The Gathering's rich lore.
- Playstyle: Choose a Commander that aligns with your preferred playstyle. If you enjoy aggressive strategies, consider a Commander with high power and toughness, like Atraxa, Praetors' Voice. If you prefer a more controlling approach, look for a Commander with powerful abilities that can protect you and disrupt your opponents, such as Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir.
- Deck-building constraints: Some Commanders have unique abilities that require you to build your deck in a specific way. For example, some Commanders may require you to include a certain number of lands or artifacts, while others may benefit from a specific card type or mechanic.
Commander Colors
Magic: The Gathering's five colors – White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green – each have their unique strengths and weaknesses. When choosing your Commander, consider the colors' synergies and how they might complement your playstyle. For example, White is known for its powerful creature buffs and healing abilities, while Blue excels at card draw and manipulation. Black offers powerful removal and recursion, but at the cost of life. Red provides quick, aggressive damage, while Green focuses on ramping and big creatures.
You can also choose a Commander that combines multiple colors, known as a multicolor Commander. Multicolor Commanders often have powerful abilities that synergize with both of their colors, but keep in mind that they may be more expensive and difficult to cast than mono-colored Commanders.
Commander Abilities
Your Commander's abilities are crucial to your deck's strategy and should be the cornerstone of your deck-building process. Some Commanders have abilities that trigger when they enter the battlefield, while others have static abilities that remain active as long as the Commander is in play. Still, others have activated abilities that can be used at any time for a cost.
When evaluating your Commander's abilities, consider how they might fit into your overall strategy. For example, if your Commander has an ability that allows you to draw cards when it enters the battlefield, you might want to build a deck focused on card advantage and controlling the game through superior knowledge of your library.
Building Your Deck
Once you've chosen your Commander, it's time to start building your deck. The first step is to determine your deck's strategy and theme. This will guide your card selection and help ensure that your deck is cohesive and focused. Some common Commander strategies include:
- Voltron: Focusing on making your Commander as big and powerful as possible, often by equipping it with powerful equipment and auras.
- Stax: Disrupting your opponents' game plans through powerful hate cards and lock pieces, often combined with a controlling strategy.
- Combo: Building a complex web of interactions that, when assembled, result in a powerful or game-winning effect.
- Good Stuff: Filling your deck with powerful, efficient cards that can stand on their own and don't rely on specific synergies or combos.
When selecting cards for your deck, keep the following guidelines in mind:
Card Quality and Power Level
Commander is a format that encourages powerful, synergistic gameplay, so it's essential to choose cards that are efficient and effective at their intended purpose. When evaluating a card, consider its power level in relation to its cost and compare it to other cards at the same rarity. Keep in mind that Commander decks are built with a higher starting life total, so cards that deal direct damage or disrupt your opponents' plans are often more valuable than they might be in other formats.
Additionally, consider the card's synergy with your Commander and your deck's overall strategy. A card that might be powerful in a vacuum may not be as effective in your specific deck if it doesn't contribute to your game plan.
Card Synergy and Interactions
One of the most important aspects of Commander deck building is identifying and leveraging synergies between cards. These synergies can take many forms, from simple keyword interactions to complex combos that involve multiple cards working together. When building your deck, look for cards that synergize with your Commander's abilities, your deck's theme, or your overall strategy.
For example, if your Commander has an ability that allows you to return it to your hand from your graveyard, you might want to include cards that can help you get your Commander into the graveyard in the first place, such as sacrifice outlets or self-mill effects. Alternatively, you might look for cards that can protect your Commander from removal or recursion effects that can bring it back to the battlefield.
When evaluating card synergies, don't be afraid to think outside the box. Sometimes, the most powerful interactions are the ones you discover for yourself, rather than relying on established archetypes or combos.
Card Balance and Curve
As with any deck, it's essential to consider the balance and curve of your Commander deck. The mana curve refers to the distribution of card costs in your deck, and a well-balanced mana curve ensures that you have enough cards to play at each stage of the game. In Commander, a good mana curve typically looks something like this:
| Mana Cost | Number of Cards |
|---|---|
| 0-1 | 10-15 |
| 2-3 | 15-20 |
| 4-5 | 15-20 |
| 6+ | 10-15 |
Of course, the optimal mana curve can vary depending on your deck's strategy and theme. For example, a deck focused on big creatures might have a higher mana curve, while a deck focused on quick, aggressive damage might have a lower one.
In addition to the mana curve, it's essential to consider the balance of card types in your deck. You'll want a mix of creatures, spells, and lands, as well as a balance of removal, disruption, and card draw. Keep in mind that Commander is a format that encourages interaction and disruption, so it's essential to have answers to your opponents' threats and plans.
Testing and Refining Your Deck
Once you've built your deck, it's time to test it out and see how it performs. Commander is a format that rewards iterative design and refinement, so don't be afraid to make changes to your deck based on your testing results.
When testing your deck, look for cards that don't pull their weight or don't fit your deck's strategy. Consider whether you're consistently drawing too many or too few of a particular card type, and make adjustments accordingly. Pay attention to your deck's consistency and speed – if you're frequently flooding or mana-screwed, you may need to adjust your mana base or card selection.
Additionally, consider playing against different opponents and in different metagame environments. Your deck may perform well against certain strategies but struggle against others. By playing against a diverse range of opponents, you can gain a better understanding of your deck's strengths and weaknesses and make adjustments accordingly.
Advanced Commander Deck-Building Techniques
As you become more experienced with Commander deck building, you may want to explore more advanced techniques and strategies. Some advanced Commander deck-building techniques include:
- Deck archetype hybridization: Blending multiple archetypes or strategies into a single deck, creating a unique and powerful game plan.
- Combo and synergy optimization: Identifying and optimizing complex combos or synergies, often involving multiple cards working together to create powerful or game-winning effects.
- Mana base engineering: Crafting a mana base that is efficient, consistent, and tailored to your deck's specific needs, often involving advanced mana rocks, fetch lands, or other mana-fixing effects.
- Sideboarding: Building a sideboard of 15 cards that can be used to adjust your deck's strategy or composition in response to specific opponents or metagame environments.
These advanced techniques can significantly improve your deck's performance and allow you to compete at higher levels of play. However, they also require a deep understanding of the Commander format and a willingness to invest time and resources into refining your deck.
As you explore these advanced techniques, remember that the most important aspect of Commander is having fun. Commander is a social format that encourages experimentation, creativity, and camaraderie. Don't be afraid to take risks, try new things, and learn from your experiences. The Commander community is vast and welcoming, and there's always more to discover and explore.
So, grab your legendary creature, shuffle up your deck, and get ready to command the battlefield. Commander is a format that offers endless possibilities, and the only limit is your imagination. Happy deck building, and may your Commander lead you to victory!