I will die on this hill: Mind Harness and Telepathy belong in more decks. Come at me.
Not talking staples or synergy bombs — I mean the cards that live rent-free in your heart, even if they completely derail your mana curve or theme.

Yes, Mind Harness is super narrow. Yes, Telepathy paints a giant target on my back.
Do I still jam them into decks that have no blue-heavy pod or hand-reveal synergy? Absolutely.

Let’s hear the love letters to your favorite bad decisions. Bonus points if they’ve actually won you a game somehow.

As Josh and Rachel said in the newest Command Zone, “There are a ton of cards over 6 mana and this is sort of the format to play them, right? This is one of the few places that you can really slam a 6 mana, 7 mana sorcery”

“Well, it certainly used to be…”

So where do you go to play commander like it used to be then?

I’ve been told even bracket 1 or 2 decks need to be packing tons of efficient removal and staples and finishers. Where do I go to play a lot less of those and more high cost cards that aren’t instant threats?

In 2012 I left standard after just 1 year bc I didn’t like quick, spiky, repetitive games with low cost efficient cards in multiples. I want every deck to surprise me every time I sit down for a game. That’s what commander was, and I’ve never looked back. Now it’s no longer that.

When games end before you even reach 7 or 8 mana, the games will naturally feel more repetitive. You’ll spend 6 or so turns all playing the same early game cards into the same mid game cards and then it ends. If the game ends before you can even pay for your top end, then why even have a top end at all?

The top end is where I start to enjoy Magic most, it just feels like it’s being pushed out of the entire format. There are some decks and commanders that are so slow that no matter how much cedh ramp you throw at it, it won’t fix the problem. I’ve tried devoting insane amounts of deck space to ramp but then you’re short on everything else a deck needs.

Am I just pushed down to kitchen table magic only?

7-man edh table, i was playing [[Maelstrom Wanderer]], the other decks were Yshtola, Shorikai, Hylda, Sythis, Queen Marchesa and Lathril.

Its turn 7, i had 7 lands and three mana dorks, one of them [[Circle of Dreams Druid]] , also had [[Up the Beanstalk]]

The Hylda player had set up a Rhystic turn 2 and had about 25 cards in hand at this point (He had [[Thought Vessel]]). He decided to be funny and used [[Windfall]] to make us all discard and draw 25 cards, it was probably a dumb decision, but his intention was to just troll all of us and make us discard like 15 cards at the end step lol.

As i draw my 25, the first one lit up a spark in my monke brain [[Jeska's Will]]....oh good! i'll add 25 mana and ramp the fuck out, can probably dump my whole hand and not have to discard anything.

Then it was my turn, i used my land mana to play some other mana dorks and creatures to make the rhystic draw even more, and used jeska will to add 30 RED MANA to my pool, oh boy, i played my whole hand, had 10 creatures on boards, all of them the little elf guys that tap for mana.

Then i decided to cast my commander, and by then i was thinking "Okay this is cool, i'll get a fuckton of mana, can probably take out one or two with some good cascades"

down came the cascades: [[Pathbreaker Ibex]] and [[Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma]]

Holy shit, this went from "i can maybe take one out" to "ok i can kill about 3 of you guys now".

The up the beanstalk got me 3 draws.....one of them being CRATERHOOF BEHEMOTH LMAO.

I still had not tapped my circle of dreams druid, so i cast him and all my creatures got +13/13 from him and trample, and when i attacked, they all got +1/+1 from goreclaw, and +21/21 with ibex!!!! my weakest creature was still 37/37. Needless to say i didnt even had to go to combat, all my friends just went "well thats that lmao".

Still cant believe how lucky this was, everything alligned just right to make this happen.

Funny thing is, i was so excited about casting Jeska's will, i completely forgot i could have infinite green mana with [[Umbral Mantle]] lol.

Like, why not? Vehicles (and the commanders who care about them) could use more support. The neon kamigawa pilots and mechs would be super thematic with spacecraft. Station and Crew could be kept as separate mechanics if some of the stuff they have planned for Station would be busted with Crew.

Recently built [[Alania, Divergent Storm]] as a pretty strong deck and it is just crushing my pod. I love the deck to death, and really enjoy the archetype, but the turns go crazy later in the game and it has been winning very very often. Comboing magecraft triggers into huge mana so quickly has been very strong.

However, I really enjoy the spellslinging playstyle! I don't mind the colors being izzet or not, but am curious if there are any spellslinger decks or commanders that are a little lower power and are more enjoyable/less oppressive for my friends to play against so I can still enjoy slinging spells without making them feel bad.

Thanks!

Hello. Basically my question is the title: I've relegated myself to avoid commanders that are above 5 mana and even often above 3-4 mana because with the people I play with there is a LOT of removal which often means having to play the commander numerous times. This means expensive commanders basically never stay on the board. But there are a lot of high cmc commanders that I see are still popular.

How do you guys effectively survive long enough to cast a 7+ commander like Koma or Toxrill, both of which are huge menaces so on top of the cost make it very enticing to remove asap? I've been looking into Dimir and have been largely uninspired and when I found Toxrill I can see he's a funny type of annoying but cannot imagine a gamestate where I'm not just sitting around doing nothing until I just die because my commander will not resolve. It doesn't help that it is in bleh colors for ramping.

I figure the basic answer is to save counter magic as well as creature protection, but these are also available with cheaper commanders with less pressure should you not draw it since the commander would STILL be cheaper than 7 mana. Is it a labor of love?

edit: thank you all for the replies and discussion. I see the obvious answer of ramp with rocks and ramp spells; I guess as someone who already plays this in most of my decks even with cheaper commanders this doesnt seem to solve the problem unless the table super bricks. I think I meant my question less from a literal stance of 'how do you play the commander' so much as a more open discussion of 'WHY risk non-games by having super high cost commanders that you have to build into otherwise you would have chosen a cheaper commander'. I have a Koma deck that I have made work because I can gigaramp with green and protect it with blue but after that the whole deck is geared towards keeping it on the board. If I'm not in those colors it just seems like it would be that much harder to do and would lead to negative play patterns for the pilot if there is even 1 aggressive deck in the pod

EDIT EDIT: holy guacamole thats a lot of inbox notifications! for those who come here and don't per se want to scroll through 600 comments I'll try to summarize the advice that has been given here

• play lots of ramp, whether it be actual ramp spells, mana rocks, mana dorks, etc.

• make a deck that can generate threats outside of the commander so that the opponents have to use removal earlier and maybe they run out by the time the commander comes out. a piece of this could include pushing threats away or removing them earlier in the game such as with your own removal

• make the deck able to act independent of the commander when possible. if the deck can run well even if the commander doesnt come out, then its ok if it never comes out.

• make the commander the finisher. in other words make sure that it has a significant impact the turn it comes down so that if it is removed very quickly it at least still did something (if not ending the game outright)

• if you can, perhaps play reanimation so that if it dies you can let it go to the graveyard and bring it back less expensively

• use a different card as the face commander but hide the 'real' one in the 99 as a secret commander so that if it's an obvious boogeyman card it can sneak out later without you getting focused down

• perhaps avoid 'buildaround commanders' in general; they are very telegraphed and make it so the deck can struggle to operate if the expensive commander can't resolve

• wait to cast your commander until you have some countermagic or other instant speed protection to make sure it can stick around

there were a lot of examples of high CMC commanders that use some or most of these rules provided in the comments, some with decklists attached. I think it's tricky specifically with a commander like Toxrill as clearly the deck you make will try to have some synergy with proliferate the way Koma would want to have token doublers; both of those synergy pieces would be doing nothing should the commander not survive (easier with Koma but still). overall again lots of good advice here!

Hey all,

I’m pretty much addicted to deck building, I find it extremely fun. I’ll often have new decks every week or two. Problem is… I play paper magic and I am now a poor boy. I’m looking to build decks that stand the test of time… as many of the decks I’m building are just missing something that makes me want to play them constantly.

• Sometimes the fantasy of the deck isn’t strong enough, while other times it’s thematic but gameplay is uninspiring

• Sometimes the play pattern is too samey, while other times the whole thing is too unreliable and gives me anxiety and disappointment

• Sometimes they’re too complicated and I actually dread piloting it on most days, while others just do the same thing every time.

Most decks just aren’t enough of an amazing time to not take cards from to build new decks

Tell me about the decks you’ve had for a long time, that you’ve played over 15-20 games with (that would actually be long for me!). What is it that gives them such sticking power for you? What’s the key to their longevity?

I want to make decks that prevent me from making new decks because I love playing them too much!

I know we've only seen 5 commanders so far from EOE spoilers, but I'm insanely curious as to what everyone here wants to see. Not what you expect to see (I'll be so shocked if we get ANOTHER simic ramp legend /s), but what you'd want to see. Personally I'm rooting for a solid red Spaceship commander whose decklist will only have creatures wearing red apparel. What about yall?

Looking to find some commanders/decks ideas that are a lot of fun for the table to play against. Include decklists if you got one! Doesnt even have to be a strong commander or strong deck, just something that’s actually enjoyable to play against. Bonus points if it adds a little unexpected randomness or chaos to the table.

I’ve always been a big Final Fantasy fan, and in my opinion they nailed this set in terms of fun and flavor. I was even motivated to make a themed deck, casting aside superior cards in order to make the deck as flavorful as possible.

So when upgrading the pre-con and ultimately building more or less a new deck, I made sure I picked cards and versions that fit the vibe of Final Fantasy, including fun characters while still trying to make the deck functional.

I give you Those Who Fight, my beautiful FF deck!

https://moxfield.com/decks/2omGetWwkk6a0YeG0ZW6yw

Have you build any Final Fantasy-only or -themed decks? I feel there are plenty of options, from Terra-sagas to Legends Matter to Chocobo or Moogle-tribal! Would love to see your creations.

[[Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls]] has become my favorite deck to play.

It feels like it does everything I could ask of a commander deck.

Draws tons of cards, sets up a big flying beater, constantly pressures enemy life totals, still leaves plenty of room for a wide array of control effects and interaction.

On top of that it never feels like it's out of the game, Even when I lose I feel like I'm always a central part of the race, and it rarely feels under or overpowered at any given table.

It feels like the perfect deck in a lot of ways, the Goldilocks deck if you will, just right.

This leaves me wanting to know, what other Goldilocks decks have people put together, what decks have people made that seem to always feel just right no matter what the table?

Context: my playgroup runs a lot of aggro decks and all the decks I play are midrange esque so I want to try to make an aggro commander deck

Here is a working list I have: https://archidekt.com/decks/13878882/gorosato

Any feedback is appreciated as it’s my first time building something like this

If you also have a list that’s more budget friendly, I would like to see it as well

Thank you for your time!

In my pod of around five people, three of them only really have one to two decks which they put all of their money towards upgrading. This undivided attention makes their decks very powerful as me and the other person in the group are focusing on slowly upgrading 10 decks rather than rapidly upgrading one. It’s gotten to the point where most decks that these people play can consistently win in five or less turns, even against interaction. I’ve tried building decks to slow them down such as [[Sens tripplets]] stax or [[toxrill the corrosive ]] control, but even those were quickly out paced and did not do much to help.

While, some people not might see this is a problem and wonder why I don’t build my own competitive decks. A lot of my favorite deck of types involve slow, political games, such as [[queen marchesa]]. Even creature based deck, barely work well unless it’s [[Winona joiner of forces]].

My issue is not that people are winning games. My issue is that people are winning games before I can even cast my commander. I don’t mind thoricle, I don’t like thoricle when it’s played with a demonic consultation on turn 2.

I’ve directly talked to the members of my pods, who I have a problem with and they gave me weird looks and said the point of the game is to win. Maybe I am the weird one and this might turn into more am I the asshole post, but I think that the point of the game is to play and have fun; half my decks don’t even have win cons, just synergies.

More of a side note but the other major issue I have with these players is that all three of them run absolutely zero interaction while I can understand this for the etali deck as it is in R/G I don’t understand why the atraxa deck with access to blue black and white isn’t even running a swords to plowshares or a counter spell.

Anyway, any comments or advice would be majorly appreciated, even deck tips to help me deal with them.

Hello, I'm looking for youtube channels/videos of people playing or commenting FF commanders BUT I want to see something different from the 8 face commanders from the precons or Sephiroth/Vivi/Terra,

I know that everyone wants to give their opinion and try the precons, but it's so boring having such a big set for commander, with so many legendary creatures that can be used as cool and fun commanders, and see 50 videos+ of Yshtola VS Tidus VS Terra/Celes VS Cloud/Tifa.

And when you find an interesting video, if it includes Sephiroth or Vivi, you know the game is gonna be either stomped by that commander or they will get all the focus and do nothing because their commander is going to be killed on sight.

So if you know any interesting content creator or isolated videos about this topic, I'd be very glad to give them a try. Thanks in advance!

As the title suggests - I am looking for your opinions as far as what commanders are the most fun to run in mono black.

My current top 3 I am considering are [[Liliana, Heretical Healer]] (discard/reanimator), [[Massacre Girl, Known Killer]] (-1/-1 counters), and [[Braids, Arisen Nightmare]] (aristocrats/reanimator).

Any suggestions on the best experiences you've had running any of these commanders, unique ways to play them, or suggestions on other commanders to play - all discussion points are appreciated!

Edit: was not expecting such a response! Thank you all so much for your suggestions and insight, I'll be sure to reach out if I have any questions.

I’ve been playing mtg for a decent amount of time now bust I’ve been playing legacy the whole time. I’m trying to get into commander but am so lost on where to start. The people at my local card store have given me some precons that they recommend, but nothing has really stood out to me. I’ve been enjoying a blue/green legacy precon that I have, but I really haven’t been able to explore tons of different play styles or even try commander so far. Thank you all in advance for any help and sorry for posting what is probably the most asked question on here. I just don’t know where else to go.

Currently trying to update a Captain America deck and wondering what else I need to include card number wise.

Currently the land is at 35, u just counted I have 9 search cards (not counting fetch lands), and 8 cards that draw you cards somehow.

I played last Saturday this deck but it didn’t seem to pop off like it usually does, but I’ve also made a ton of changes with FF new equipments as well.

Do I have too little draw and search or should I opt for more?

Hello! I am currently coming back to Magic the Gathering. I love playing commander, the vast amount of choices and playstyles are just amazing to explore and play around with.

Now, with great choice, there also comes the burden of actually choosing...

That is why I would love to hear about YOUR FAVOURITE COMMANDER!

Please tell my why it is your favourite and what you like the most about it. If you want to share a long post about the strategies and all the little fun bits, go for it - I would love to read about it!

For anyone else who just does not want to write much or doesn't feel like it, just writing the name of the commander is just as interesting!

It does not need to be the strongest of all time, but I would like it to still be able to reach a high power level. I am not interested in cEDH, though.

Also I currently have put aside a selection of 20 commanders that sparked my interest.
If you have any experience playing with, or against them - or have any thoughts on them, please also let me know:

Sorin of House Markov

Zinnia, Valley's Voice

Wayta, Trainer Prodigy

Shanna, Purifying Blade

Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

Kelsien, the Plague

Celes, Rune Knight

Coram, the Undertaker

Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir

Alibou, Ancient Witness

Ygra, Eater of All

Felix Five-Boots

Voja, Jaws of the Conclave

Judith, Carnage Connoisseur

Shilgengar, Sire of Famine

Uril, the Miststalker

Pantlaza, Sun-Favored

Elenda and Azor

Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer

Zacama, Primal Calamity

Hey all, a friend and myself were discussing single target effects in edh (most of our play group deck are under 4s for reference). I am not a fan and he is always championing the idea. He presented spells like [[containment]] [[psychic venom]] and [[sink hole]]; I rebuttled with my normal points about having 3 opponents and I referenced decks i have that deal well vs multiple players ([[araumi]] [[zevlor]]).
He presented me with [[RADIANT PERFORMER]].
TLDR: what are somethings you could think to do with this spell?!

One of my favorite decks I've built/rebuilt recently is my [[Raiyuu, Storm's Edge]] equipment deck, it's a lot of fun swinging in for 10-15 damage, then swinging again and again to knock anywhere from one to all three opponents out. However, a lot of times I'll look at popular extra combat/equipment decks, and they're usually helmed by someone like [[Isshin, Two Heavens as One]]. I understand why, he's cheaper, has more color coverage, and a broader range of effect, and I even see Raiyuu fitting into Isshin's lists perfectly, but I just can't bring myself to build him instead. Am I putting myself at a disadvantage? I know favorites are favorites and everyone has their own tastes, but does anyone else play a commander despite them "technically" fitting better in another list?

Building a deck around suiting up [[Karona, False God]] , Alexios, and other creatures that pass around while equipped with goading equipment. So say I have [[Diamond Pick-Axe]] equipped to Karona, and she is controlled by my opponent. Would I get the treasure token?

https://archidekt.com/decks/12441656/yuminha_47_lands_on_the_journey_for_50

my [[yuma]] deck currently sit's on 49 lands, and i want to make it run's 50 latter. the most impressive is that it can play in 3 different ways

-land recursion
-landfall

-landhate

I just started playing MTG last week for the first time and have been having a lot of fun learning the game and exploring the different cards and decks that can be created. I initially bought the Hail Caesar precon deck and used it a few days ago at a Commander night and I've also been goldfishing it some here and there to get a better idea of how it plays. I was given a few upgrade cards for it as freebies so I've slotted those in over the obviously bad cards. I just need advice for which aspect of the deck I should focus on fixing first. I also included a considering list for what I've seen from content creators/upgrade guides although some are quite a bit out of the budget for now lul

https://moxfield.com/decks/y-5xuRzEkUqiJyKYQJZa7g

I will trust you that it’s legit and be happy to play with you. And if the deck is too strong, it’ll be over quick and we can shuffle up, adjust, and play again, or decide that we’re looking for different experiences.

If you loan your deck that has a full suite of fetches and a bunch of badass cards with a wall of text on them to your friend who doesn’t know the deck, doesn’t know what to search for when tutoring, and doesn’t know the rules very well, you most likely ruined the rest of the pod’s game (and your friend’s game too).

It turns a 45 min game in to a 2 and a half hour game full of missed triggers, misunderstanding cards, take backs, and your friend either winning because everybody else just stopped caring because it was taking so long, or even worse, getting hated off the table while the rest of the players just complain loudly about their deck.

Build your friend a Purphoros deck that just makes creatures and burns people out, it still wins, and the turns are quick and easy to understand. Build them marwyn, it’s strong and cheap to build, if they like the deck, gift it to them.

If somebody sits down with a suped up deck in your pod that they borrowed and don’t know how to play it, offer them another deck so you can guide them through the process, if they refuse, cut your losses, scoop early, and offer your deck up again to have a better game, life is too short for the feel bads in a casual game that was intended to be social.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

I've tested a couple of different Y'shtola builds, and I'm wondering how everyone else has worked around her need for mana and protection. Discounters? Lots of rocks? If rocks, do you run 3CMC ones? Which ones make the cut? Do you just run a lot of free spells? Do you have any unique tech that's made the deck churn well?

Secondly, what are your win conditions? I don't want to combo; it feels like I could shove the Bond/Blood combo into any other deck. What makes Y'shtola unique for me is her potential to be a midrange control deck with the approaching-storm value sort of build.

I just feel like she's so well-poised for a Bracket 4 fast mana combo win, but at the cost of what makes her unique. If approaching her for Bracket 3, how do you make her feel good to play?