Post by kartheunlucky on Jul 1, 2012 14:35:22 GMT -6
My name is Patrick, and I’m a Magi-holic.
I’m sure many of you who have gathered here are in a similar state. I, like many Magic players, truly love casual Magic. I like competitive Magic, too, but there is just something about getting together with a group of your closest friends and absolutely wiping the floor with them that I can’t help but love. This is why, for the past few years, I have had a casual playgroup come over to my place every Thursday night for all sorts of alternate format play experiences. We’ve played almost everything it’s possible to play, and my players love to experiment.
Chief amongst my many Magic-related obsessions is Commander (EDH for the old pros). I have physically built upwards of 50 decks since I began playing the format a few years ago. On paper, I have sketched out far more than I could count. I eat, sleep, and breathe this game (for better or worse), and this format is always in the forefront of my mind.
Why do I build so many? If you play a lot of Magic casually, you know one of the first things that happen when you suggest a different format is that someone says they don’t have a deck for it. My solution was to build tons of loaner decks so everyone could join in. I soon ran into problems. Many of the players I play with are new players. When someone plays Commander, they tend to leave the experience wanting to build their own deck. Most new players don’t have access to the ridiculous cards that make the format so notorious. I soon realized that my decks were too competitive and needed to be toned down a little. They were very good decks if you wanted to always win. That isn’t the goal for a great Commander deck, though.
Truly great Commander decks aren’t about how fast the game can be won, but about how to maximize the amount of fun a group can have (while still causing me to win). Most of my decks are built for a huge, game-ending punch to knock out the rest of the table. I’ve often remarked that if I was a boxer, I’d only ever throw one punch, and it would be to kill my opponent. I like a good wave of earth-shattering annihilation.
I’ve also found that the most fun decks have an over-arching theme that is slavishly supported, to the extent that heavy restrictions are enforced in the deckbuilding process. I have a Sygg, River Cutthroat deck that is designed to steal everyone else’s stuff. I have a deck based around Ulasht, the Hate Seed that makes about 30 different types of token. These kinds of decks play smoothly, with a recurring theme, making my decks easy for others to understand and pilot.
While building all these decks, I began to think about what people hate about playing the format. Non-interactive Time-walking decks, constant shuffling, the need for sacrifice outlets to combat theft, and counterspells are things I’ve heard whined about consistently. With all these things in mind, I created this:
Commander - Riku of Two Reflections
Creatures (26):
Acidic Slime
Avenger of Zendikar
Bogardan Hellkite
Chancellor of the Spires
Charmbreaker Devils
Conquering Manticore
Consecrated Sphinx
Eternal Witness
Frost Titan
Gamekeeper
Garruk’s Packleader
Indrik Stomphowler
Inferno Titan
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Loaming Shaman
Magmatic Force
Magus of the Future
Mnemonic Wall
Phyrexian Metamorph
Riku of Two Reflections
Sphinx of Uthuun
Stormtide Leviathan
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Venser, Shaper Savant
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
Woodfall Primus
Planeswalkers (7):
Chandra, the Firebrand
Jace Beleren
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Garruk, Primal Hunter
Garruk Wildspeaker
Karn Liberated
Sarkhan Vol
Artifacts (10):
Darksteel Signet
Druidic Satchel
Gruul Signet
Izzet Signet
Lightning Greaves
Mimic Vat
Mizzium Transreliquat
Proteus Staff
Simic Signet
Sol Ring
Enchantments (8):
Burgeoning
Cream of the Crop
Doubling Season
Killer Instinct
Lurking Predators
Oath of Druids
Sneak Attack
Stranglehold
Sorceries (8):
Animal Magnetism
Creeping Renaissance
Explore
Genesis Wave
Hull Breach
Mass Polymorph
Polymorph
Rite of Replication
Instant (4):
Beast Within
Brainstorm
Chaos Warp
Reweave
Lands (37):
Boseiju, Who Shelters All
Breeding Pool
Command Tower
Copperline Gorge
Dryad Arbor
Fire-Lit Thicket
Forest x3
Forgotten Cave
Gruul Turf
Halimar Depths
Highland Weald
Homeward Path
Island x5
Izzet Boilerworks
Kazandu Refuge
Kessig Wolf Run
Khalni Garden
Lonely Sandbar
Mosswort Bridge
Mountain x3
Raging Ravine
Reliquary Tower
Rupture Spire
Simic Growth Chamber
Temple of the False God
Tranquil Thicket
Vivid Crag
Vivid Creek
Vivid Grove
This deck never counters spells, never takes extra turns, never (permanently) steals anyone’s permanents, and never, ever searches its library. There are a lot of strange, sub-par cards in this deck, but anyone who has run it in a game can tell you it is tremendously fun. It’s like a slot machine rigged heavily in your favor. A deck like this is difficult to make run smoothly, but this one is fairly close.
This deck is a favorite, which means when a new set hits, I have to see if there are any new cards that fit my themes. So here’s the list from Dark Ascension:
Polymorphable creatures: Huntmaster of the Fells, Moonveil Dragon
Top o’ the deck manipulation: Jar of Eyeballs
Recycling the ‘yard: Mystic Retrieval
Huntmaster makes tokens I can Polymorph. Moonveil Dragon pumps plant tokens (amongst others) to a deadly level. The Jar is just fun. I like the idea of stashing my creatures’ eyeballs in a jar. Mystic Retrieval will probably not make the cut. I don’t think I have enough spells to make it work.
Not every deck should embrace these sorts of restrictions. However, anyone can build the normal Commander deck with all the best cards of each color your deck contains. Making insane restrictions for the deckbuilding process can lead to some very fun gameplay, and should be tried by everyone at least once.
With that said, that’s my time for this week. I appreciate any and all feedback. Until next time, remember, creativity breeds fun. And mayhem.
Thoughts?