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Commander, also referred to as EDH (Elder Dragon Highlander), is a multiplayer format for Magic: the Gathering that mixes the fun of deckbuilding with the thrill of social interplay. In contrast to different codecs, Commander permits you to play with distinctive legendary creatures as your leaders and encourages the creation of various and flavorful decks. With its charming gameplay and boundless prospects, Commander has grow to be some of the widespread codecs in Magic, attracting gamers of all talent ranges and backgrounds. Whether or not you are a seasoned veteran or a curious newcomer, this information will offer you the important information and methods to embark in your Commander journey and expertise the unparalleled joys it has to supply.
Earlier than delving into the intricate world of Commander, it is essential to know the elemental guidelines that govern this vibrant format. Commander is performed with a deck of precisely 100 playing cards, led by a legendary creature that serves as your commander. Your commander begins the sport within the “command zone,” a particular space exterior of your deck and battlefield. When solid, your commander enters the battlefield from the command zone and will be repeatedly solid all through the sport by paying its mana price plus a further two generic mana. Nevertheless, every time your commander dies, it returns to the command zone as a substitute of the graveyard. This distinctive mechanic provides a layer of technique and resilience to Commander, permitting you to constantly redeploy your commander and leverage its skills.
The selection of your commander is paramount in Commander, because it shapes the identification and playstyle of your deck. Commanders possess various skills, starting from mana technology to creature summoning to battlefield manipulation. When deciding on a commander, take into account your most well-liked playstyle and the synergy between your commander’s skills and the playing cards in your deck. For instance, if you happen to take pleasure in controlling the battlefield and manipulating your opponents’ methods, a commander with skills that grant you card draw or countermagic can be an acceptable alternative. Alternatively, if you happen to choose aggressive methods that overwhelm your opponents with creatures, a commander with skills that increase your creatures’ energy or grant them evasion can be simpler. The probabilities are infinite, and a part of the allure of Commander lies in exploring the myriad mixtures of commanders and deck archetypes.
Gathering Your Commander Arsenal
The muse of any Commander recreation lies in your arsenal of playing cards, rigorously curated to align together with your chosen commander and technique. Assembling this arsenal is a journey that requires each strategic planning and a contact of serendipity. This is a complete information that will help you collect the playing cards it’s good to unleash your internal commander:
1. Select a Commander
Your commander is the center of your deck, setting the tone for its gameplay and overarching technique. Take the time to discover the huge collection of legendary creatures and planeswalkers within the Commander format. Take into account their skills, colour identification, and potential synergies with different playing cards in your deck.
Listed below are some elements to think about when selecting a commander:
- Colour Id: Decide the commander’s colour identification, as it will prohibit the nonland playing cards you possibly can embrace in your deck.
- Casting Price: Goal for a commander with an inexpensive casting price, making certain you possibly can summon it reliably all through the sport.
- Talents: Analyze the commander’s skills and take into account how they align together with your desired playstyle and technique.
- Reputation: Analysis the recognition of potential commanders. Excessive-demand commanders might drive up card costs or make it tougher to seek out particular playing cards.
2. Construct a Deck Round Your Commander
As soon as you have chosen your commander, start crafting a deck that helps its strengths and compensates for its weaknesses. Take into account the next ideas:
- Synergy: Choose playing cards that work together nicely with one another and your commander’s skills.
- Mana Base: Guarantee a constant mana base that may assist your commander’s casting price.
- Elimination: Embrace playing cards that may take away threats posed by opponents’ creatures or spells.
- Card Draw: Incorporate playing cards that can help you draw further playing cards, fueling your methods and sustaining hand dimension.
3. Purchase the Playing cards
Together with your decklist in hand, embark on the hunt to amass the playing cards you want. Make the most of varied platforms corresponding to on-line marketplaces, native recreation shops, and buying and selling occasions. Be affected person and chronic, as discovering particular playing cards might take some effort and time.
The next desk supplies a snapshot of potential sources for buying Commander playing cards:
| Supply | Execs | Cons |
|—|—|—|
| On-line Marketplaces (eBay, TCGPlayer, and many others.) | Wide array, aggressive costs | Transport prices, availability points |
| Native Recreation Shops | Bodily looking, neighborhood connections | Restricted choice, greater costs |
| Buying and selling Occasions | Alternative to barter, socialize | Availability depending on attendees |
Choosing the Very best Commander
Selecting the proper commander is essential in Commander because it units the tone on your deck and defines your playstyle. Listed below are some elements to think about when deciding on your commander:
Mana Price
The mana price of your commander will decide how shortly you possibly can solid it and begin constructing your board presence. Decrease-cost commanders can help you ramp quicker and deploy threats early, whereas higher-cost commanders present extra highly effective skills however require extra mana to solid.
Colour Id
The colour identification of your commander restricts the playing cards you possibly can embrace in your deck. Select a commander with colours that assist your required playstyle and can help you entry particular playing cards and synergies. Take into account the supply of mana fixing to assist your chosen colour identification.
Talents
The skills of your commander will outline your deck’s capabilities. Some commanders concentrate on card draw, others on creature summoning, and others on disrupting your opponents. Consider the skills that greatest align together with your most well-liked playstyle and the technique you plan to pursue.
Capability Kind |
Description |
|---|---|
| Card Draw | Generates further playing cards in hand, offering gas for spells and methods. |
| Creature Summoning | Lets you shortly populate the battlefield with creatures, overwhelming your opponents with numbers. |
| Disruption | Interferes together with your opponents’ plans, countering spells, destroying creatures, or gaining management of their permanents. |
Mastering Land Administration
One of the necessary facets of taking part in Commander is managing your mana base. With every participant beginning with solely 40 life, even a single flip of mana points can have devastating penalties. By understanding the ideas of land administration, you possibly can guarantee that you’ve the assets it’s good to solid your spells on time and dominate the sport.
1. Play the Proper Variety of Lands
The variety of lands you play depends upon a number of elements, together with the mana curve of your deck, the variety of mana-producing creatures or artifacts you’ve gotten, and the common casting price of your spells. An excellent rule of thumb is to begin with 36-38 lands and modify as wanted.
2. Select the Proper Lands
Not all lands are created equal. Some lands produce extra mana than others, whereas others present further advantages, corresponding to card draw or life achieve. When constructing your mana base, take into account the mana necessities of your deck and the sorts of results you need to have entry to.
3. Use Land-Producing Spells and Artifacts
Along with taking part in lands, you may also use spells and artifacts that produce mana. These will be particularly useful within the early recreation, when chances are you’ll not have sufficient lands to solid your spells. Some widespread land-producing spells embrace Rampant Progress and Kodama’s Attain, whereas Sol Ring and Arcane Signet are frequent mana-producing artifacts.
4. Handle Your Land Drops Successfully
The best way you handle your land drops can have a big affect in your recreation. Listed below are some ideas for maximizing the effectiveness of your land drops:
| Flip | Motion |
|---|---|
| 1 | At all times play a land, if potential. |
| 2 | In case you have a alternative, play a land that produces a number of colours of mana. |
| 3-4 | Begin ramping, if potential. Play land-producing spells or artifacts to extend your mana manufacturing. |
| 5+ | Proceed to play lands as wanted, however watch out to not flood out. |
Fight Technique and Ways
Positioning
Correct positioning is essential in Commander. Preserve your commander protected by shielding it with different creatures or taking part in defensive playing cards. Concurrently, place your attackers to maximise harm output and decrease losses.
Risk Evaluation
Establish essentially the most threatening threats on the board and prioritize them. Focus your assets on eliminating high-value targets that pose a big hazard to your recreation plan.
Card Benefit
Gaining and sustaining card benefit is important in Commander. Play playing cards that generate further playing cards, corresponding to card draw spells or creatures with enters-the-battlefield skills that can help you draw. This lets you replenish your hand and reply to your opponents extra successfully.
Defending Your Commander
Your commander is your cornerstone. Defend it from removing by equipping it with indestructible playing cards, counterspells, or creatures that may redirect harm. Avoiding commander harm can also be essential, as a number of losses can result in defeat.
Board Management
Gaining and retaining management of the board is significant. Use playing cards that sweep away opposing creatures, corresponding to board wipes or mass removing spells. This lets you dominate the battleground and forestall your opponents from overwhelming you with their very own forces.
| Board Wipe Sorts |
|---|
| Creature-based wipes |
| Noncreature everlasting wipes |
| Mass land destruction |
| Graveyard wipes |
| Hand disruption |
Card Choice and Draw Mechanics
Filtering
When constructing a Commander deck, it is necessary to incorporate playing cards that can help you filter via your library and choose the particular playing cards you want. These playing cards can be utilized to seek out lands, creatures, spells, and even particular playing cards with sure skills.
Card Draw
Card draw is important for retaining your hand full and growing your choices. There are a selection of the way to attract playing cards in Commander, together with:
Spells
Many playing cards in Magic: The Gathering can help you draw playing cards straight. These spells can be utilized to replenish your hand after taking part in a number of playing cards, or to seek out particular playing cards you want.
Talents
Some playing cards have skills that can help you draw playing cards when sure situations are met. These skills will be triggered by taking part in playing cards, casting spells, or attacking with creatures.
Card Results
Many playing cards have results that may draw you playing cards. These results will be discovered on creatures, enchantments, artifacts, and lands.
Desk: Examples of Card Choice and Draw Mechanics
| Card Kind | Instance | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Creature | Phyrexian Enviornment | Draw a card in the beginning of your repairs. |
| Enchantment | Rhystic Research | Every time an opponent casts a noncreature spell, draw a card. |
| Artifact | Skullclamp | Everytime you sacrifice a creature, draw two playing cards. |
| Land | Temple of Epiphany | Faucet: Add 1 mana of any colour. Draw a card if you happen to solid a spell this flip. |
Political Alliances and Diplomacy
Collaboration and Negotiation
In Commander, forming alliances with different gamers is essential. Talk about methods, negotiate trades, and help one another to realize benefits. Communication and belief are important for profitable alliances.
Threats and Deterrents
Recognizing potential threats and using deterrents is equally necessary. Threatening to assault or disrupt an opponent’s technique can deter them from concentrating on you. Preserve your opponents in examine, however keep away from pointless aggression.
Worth Evaluation
Assess the worth of various targets. Take into account the playing cards in your opponents’ decks, their board positions, and the potential affect of attacking or leaving them alone. Prioritize and select targets correctly.
Traces of Communication
Establishing open channels of communication is important. Have interaction with different gamers, ask questions, and convey your intentions. This fosters understanding and minimizes misunderstandings.
Desk Manners
Respect the social norms of the sport. Keep away from extreme gloating, poor sportsmanship, and pointless distractions. Preserve a constructive and respectful ambiance.
Political Networking
Construct relationships with different gamers past the sport. Attend native tournaments, take part in on-line boards, and interact in discussions. Increase your community to collect info, share methods, and discover potential allies.
Endgame Methods and Win Circumstances
Commander Harm
Commander harm represents a direct risk to every opponent. As soon as a participant has taken 21 factors of harm from the identical Commander, they lose the sport. This technique requires persistently casting the Commander and defending It for a number of fight phases as the sport progresses.
Infinite Combos
Some card mixtures can create a loop that generates infinite mana, harm, or card draw. These combos can finish the sport instantly for the participant who executes it.
Mill
Mill methods intention to exile all of a participant’s playing cards from their library. When a participant has no playing cards left to attract, they lose the sport.
Management
Management decks concentrate on stopping opponents from executing their recreation plans. They use counterspells, removing spells, and board wipes to neutralize threats and disrupt the stream of the sport.
Aggro
Aggro decks intention to overwhelm opponents with a speedy stream of creatures. They concentrate on dealing harm shortly and persistently to cut back opponents’ life totals.
Group Hug
Group hug decks share assets and advantages with opponents. By offering worth to all gamers, they create a fancy political panorama that may result in surprising alliances and alternatives.
Stax
Stax decks intention to lock down opponents’ assets and forestall them from taking part in the sport successfully. They use playing cards corresponding to Humility, Armageddon, and Grand Abolisher to disrupt mana bases, board states, and card draw.
Different Win Circumstances
| Card Identify | Win Situation |
|---|---|
| Thassa’s Oracle | Don’t have any playing cards in hand and library. |
| Method of the Second Solar | Solid the spell twice. |
| Helix Pinnacle | Pay 1 life for every card you draw. |
Navigating the Commander Meta
The Commander meta is consistently evolving, with new decks and methods rising on a regular basis. It may be tough to maintain up, however there are some things you are able to do to remain forward of the curve:
1. Learn Up
There are a selection of nice assets out there on-line that may make it easier to study in regards to the Commander meta. Some widespread web sites embrace EDHREC, Commander Central, and MTG Salvation. These web sites present decklists, ideas, and articles from skilled Commander gamers.
2. Watch Movies
One other nice method to study in regards to the Commander meta is to observe movies of individuals taking part in the sport. There are a selection of widespread Commander content material creators on YouTube, Twitch, and different platforms. Watching these movies may give you a good suggestion of what is good and what’s not within the present meta.
3. Play On-line
Top-of-the-line methods to study in regards to the Commander meta is to play on-line. There are a selection of on-line platforms that can help you play Commander with individuals from everywhere in the world. It is a nice method to take a look at out new decks and methods, and to get suggestions from different gamers.
4. Discuss to Different Gamers
Top-of-the-line methods to study in regards to the Commander meta is to speak to different gamers. Attend native tournaments and recreation nights, and strike up conversations with different Commander lovers. Sharing ideas and concepts will help you all enhance your understanding of the sport.
5. Experiment
The easiest way to seek out out what works and what would not within the Commander meta is to experiment. Do not be afraid to check out new decks and methods. The extra you play, the extra you will study in regards to the recreation and the meta.
6. Do not Be Afraid to Lose
Dropping is part of Commander. Do not get discouraged if you happen to lose a number of video games. Simply use every loss as a possibility to study and enhance.
7. Have Enjoyable
Commander is a recreation, so be sure to’re having enjoyable. Do not take it too severely, and do not forget to benefit from the social facet of the sport.
8. Be part of a Commander League
Many native recreation shops have Commander leagues. These leagues are an effective way to play Commander frequently and to satisfy different gamers in your space.
9. Keep Up-to-Date on the Banned Listing
The Commander Guidelines Committee (RC) maintains a banned checklist for Commander. This checklist consists of playing cards which might be thought-about to be too highly effective or disruptive for the format. The banned checklist is up to date periodically, so it is necessary to remain up-to-date on the newest adjustments.
| Banned Playing cards |
|---|
| Ancestral Recall |
| Black Lotus |
| Time Stroll |
Ideas for Enhanced Gameplay
1. Select a Commander that Enhances Your Playstyle
The appropriate commander can elevate your gameplay expertise. Take into account your most well-liked methods, colours, and card varieties when deciding on one.
2. Construct a Cohesive Deck
Guarantee your deck synergizes together with your commander’s skills. Select playing cards that assist its technique and decrease weaknesses.
3. Leverage Card Draw and Ramp
Achieve entry to extra playing cards and mana to maintain your methods flowing. Embrace playing cards that draw further playing cards or speed up your mana manufacturing.
4. Prioritize Interplay
Management the battlefield with removing, counterspells, or disruptive results. Defend your threats and hinder your opponents’ plans.
5. Plan for the Lengthy Recreation
Commander is a marathon, not a dash. Pack late-game threats, resilience, and methods to get better from setbacks.
6. Handle Your Commander Harm
Be aware of how usually you solid your commander. Every time you do, you improve its “commander tax,” making it extra expensive to recast.
7. Do not Neglect Fundamental Land
Guarantee you’ve gotten a stable mana base to assist your deck’s casting prices. Embrace a mixture of fundamental lands and mana-fixing results.
8. Be Diplomatic
Commander is a social format. Construct relationships, make alliances, and negotiate when potential. Diplomacy can result in surprising outcomes.
9. Experiment with Variations
Do not be afraid to tweak your deck and check out totally different methods. Experiment with totally different commanders, colours, or card mixtures to maintain gameplay contemporary.
10. Understanding the Commander’s Tax:
| Variety of Instances Commander Solid | Mana Price Improve |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 4 |
| 3 | 6 |
| 4+ | 8 |
While you solid your commander from the command zone, it enters the battlefield with a “commander tax.” This tax will increase every time you solid it from the command zone.
How To Play Commander
Commander is a multiplayer format for Magic: The Gathering that makes use of a 100-card singleton deck and a legendary creature as your commander. The purpose of the sport is to be the final participant standing by both dealing 21 fight harm to every of your opponents or by casting a spell that wins the sport outright.
To play Commander, you will have a deck of 100 playing cards, a legendary creature to be your commander, and a method to monitor your life complete. You may as well use a wide range of different playing cards, corresponding to creatures, spells, and artifacts, that will help you win the sport.
The sport begins by every participant shuffling their deck and drawing seven playing cards. Gamers then take turns taking part in playing cards from their arms, casting spells, and attacking their opponents. The sport ends when one participant is defeated or when a participant casts a spell that wins the sport.
Individuals Additionally Ask
What number of gamers can play Commander?
Commander will be performed with 2-6 gamers.
What’s one of the best ways to construct a Commander deck?
There are a lot of other ways to construct a Commander deck, however a very powerful factor is to decide on a commander that you simply like and that matches your playstyle. Upon getting chosen a commander, you can begin constructing your deck round it by including playing cards that synergize with it.
What are a few of the greatest playing cards to play in Commander?
There are a lot of nice playing cards to play in Commander, however a few of the hottest embrace:
- Sol Ring
- Mana Crypt
- Command Tower
- Cyclonic Rift
- Swords to Plowshares
