Doing Things Differently

Hi, everyone! Welcome back! First, I'd like to thank you. Not just for continuing to come back, but for your feedback on the launch of the new website. I'm kind of a one man show at them moment, but I am working on improving the quality of the mobile version of the site. Your complaints are valid; I use Reddit almost exclusively on my phone, so when I link the site from there and the experience is suboptimal, I understand the frustration. I'm new to Website Builder, so I'll ask you all to please bear with me as I work on it.

Today, I'd like to showcase a few gameplay variants I've enjoyed with various playgroups I've played with since I migrated to Commander. Some of them were more successful than others, and hopefully this will serve to spice things up on the home front for each of you.

Let's start with Archenemy.

Embrace it! You know you want to...

Archenemy (4-5 players recommended)

For those that haven't played, the premise is pretty straightforward. It's a multiplayer variant wherein one player (the Archenemy) takes on the rest. In Commander, given the power level of cards you can play, I'd recommend 3-4 players on the good guys' team. I've played games where 3 good decks could barely take on one guy's deck (and his tuned scheme deck), and neither side felt overwhelmed. It rewards the use of cards like Imperial Mask and Death by Dragons, neither of which are usually worth running on their own.

Why, yes, I did bring enough for the class.

The format encourages teamwork, naturally, in a do-or-die way. Some of the schemes are harsh, and anyone not willing to play ball becomes a liability. It's not like Two-Headed Giant, in that you can block for one another, but to get at the Archenemy, each player has to be willing and able to contribute.

In my group, the Archenemy starts the game with 80 life, his Commander deck, and a deck of 20 schemes, with a maximum of 2 of each individual scheme. We could never decide on a poison counter total, but we experimented with both ten and fifteen, and found both to be pretty fair. If your meta has a lot of poison/infect, you might want the 15, but I usually find that the fewer modifications made, the better. The Archenemy takes the first turn, and draws (as is the norm for multiplayer Magic). At the beginning of the first main phase of each of their turns, the Archenemy plays the top card of their scheme deck (or sets it in motion, if you're a dramatic, Bond-villain sort of Archenemy), and then puts in on the bottom of the deck. Every twenty turns, the cycle will repeat.

As for your scheme deck, not all are created equal, and that's by design. You'll want a balance between the good ones (All in Good Time, I Call on the Ancient Magics) and the "meh" ones (Rotted Ones Lay Siege) that can scale to your opponents. If you really want a challenge, the Archenemy can play a highlight reel of two copies of the ten best schemes.

Free Time Walk, you say? Where do I join the Axis of Evil?

While a first turn Embrace my Diabolical Vision fucking sucks, (seriously; fucking ouch), the main drawback of this variant is that the only Archenemy expansion that's been release was released in the summer of 2010, more than five years ago. As a result, the physical Scheme cards can be scarce (and the better ones are pretty expensive, hovering around the $10 USD mark. Each.). As a workaround, I'd recommend checking the Google Play or the App Store for a Magic app that can simulate a Sheme Deck. MTG Doctor can do it, after a fashion, but there's undoubtedly a free app that can do the job just as well.


Planechase (4-5 players recommended)

Planechase is another variant that can be a lot of fun. Each player "needs" their own planar deck, numbering at least ten cards. Alternatively (and this works much better, given the scarcity of particularly the older planes from 2009), a group can use a shared deck, though I'd recommend that you run 8-10 planes/phenomena per person. To do it this way, each successful roll of the planar die flips the top card of the shared deck, rather than your own. It's straightforward, and makes this variant more feasible, especially when playing with newer players.

To begin the game, whichever player starts reveals the top of his/her/the shared planar deck, and that plane becomes the plane the game starts on. Each plane card has a name, a type, one static ability, and one "Chaos" ability.

Players also need a six-sided die, called the "planar die." While this is a nice to have, it's not strictly necessary, as you can use a standard D6, where one represents the "Chaos" facet, and six represents "Planeswalk," for example. If this is the route you're taking, just remember to make it clear at the beginning of the game. Clarity prevents hurt feelings and undue confusion.

During a player's main phase, that player can roll the planar die, with three possible outcomes. A blank roll of the planar die does nothing. If "Chaos" is rolled, the "Chaos" ability of the current plane card triggers. If the "planeswalk" symbol is rolled, the player "planeswalks away" from the current plane (put it on the bottom of its owner's planar deck) and he or she reveals the top card of his or her planar deck (or the shared deck), and now you're battling on a new plane.

A player can roll the planar die as many times as he or she likes, but successive rolls cost an additional one mana for each time the planar die has been rolled this turn. Your second roll will cost one mana, your third roll will cost two, etc.

Planechase 2012 adds a new dimension to Planechase, that of Phenomena. Basically, when a player planeswalks, there is a chance that rather than head to a new plane, instead you'll encounter a Phenomenon, wherein you follow the instructions on the card, and then planeswalk to the next card in the deck.

Yes, a phenomenon. That's what I call all of my random implosions.

Unlike Archenemy, there is a large degree of customization a player can make to the planar deck to synergize with their deck. A Rafiq player might love Bant, for example (I do), and many agressive decks love Tazeem, an obscure promo for the release of Planechase in 2009 (and sadly commands a surprising price tag). This implies, correctly, that like Archenemy, a relative scarcity exists, particularly for the older planes. This can be rectified by an app like Magic Planes (MTG Planes is now defunct, having been removed by its publisher at the request of WotC). Another option would be to produce proxies, but that, as with all such decisions, is best left to your playgroup.

Star (requires 5 players)

Star is one of my favourite ways to play any kind of Magic: the Gathering, especially Commander. The premise is this:



Figure 1 - A star

   You have five players, sitting in a star. The players to your left and right are your "allies." They aren't opponents, and so you can target their things with hexproof, things like that. The two players across from you are your enemies. The first player to eliminate both of their enemies is the winner.
You'll notice that each of your allies are enemies of each other, and so you share one enemy with each ally. This means that, in the example above, A and E are allies, and C is their common enemy. D is also A's enemy, but is E's ally. If A eliminates D, and B gets eliminated, then E and A both win when C dies. This adds a very real political element to gameplay, as you should be both supportive of your allies, but actively encouraging them to kill one another off. Furthermore, a draw is more appealing than a loss to some people, and so expect manoeuvring similar to the example to occur.

For those that struggle with the political element of the format, I'd encourage Star over the others, but each can help to ease someone into that aspect of the game. Star is appealing as you don't need any peripherals, save for some way to mix up the seating arrangement so things don't get stale (five assorted basics do the job, too). However, any of the formats I've mentioned today are well worth your while, and I'd recommend you give them a try the next time you're looking to shake things up.

Thanks for reading, everybody. As always, please let me know if you've got any feedback.

- Rebe1Scum

Getting by with a Little Help from Your Friends: The Top 10 Planeswalkers in Commander

Welcome back, everyone! I hope you had a great weekend, and that Game Day treated you well (if that's your sort of thing).

I was actually able to get some Magic in myself, for a change! Life had gotten away from me for a bit, there, and so I jumped at the chance to sit down and have a game with my wife.

While I didn't document the entire game, unfortunately, I do want to share one anecdote.

My wife was playing her Mayael the Anima deck, and I was on my Horde of Notions deck. I'll get to a deck tech on it eventually, but the deck looks more impressive than it really is. The matchup against my wife's Mayael deck is particularly poor; it's often explosive, and she runs cards I only have one niche answer for.

So here's how I managed to pull off the win last night.

I have Omnath, Locus of Rage and Sakashima the Imposter as a copy of Omnath. So, one land nets you two 5/5s, and each death nets you 6 damage to throw around, in multiples of three. I have Ashaya (Nissa's token), two Omnaths, and six 5/5s, and am staring down Avacyn, Angel of Hope and enough chump blockers that attcking doesn't seem profitable. I can't kill her guys anyway, so Avacyn would just eat one at a time. She's at 29, I'm at 30. Avacyn's systematically killed off Kiora, Master of the Depths, Dack Fayden, and Nissa, Woodland Sage.

So, I play Austere Command, that I "drew" off of Nissa, for all creatures. 9 Elementals die, for 54 damage to my poor wife.

Mad style points.

I'll try to get the next game either on video or at least a few pictures of board states; break it down for you guys. I was pleased by the interaction, and my wife was a good sport about it. Probably not how Omnath was hoping it'd go down, but hey.

Changing gears, and perhaps in memoriam of the three that died for me, I'd like to talk a bit about planeswalkers.

Planeswalkers in Magic's early lore were nearly gods; capable of creating and destroying worlds, of warping the very fabric of reality. They couldn't be policed, except by one another, and often did as they pleased as they became further and further removed from the mortals they once were. Morality and empathy were often abandoned.

As the Multiverse would learn, however, autonomy and nigh-limitless power can make for some pretty bad situations, up to and including huge tears in reality.

The plot of the Time Spiral novels surounded the last few "oldwalkers" repairing the Multiverse. Here, we were introduced to the first two "neowalkers," Venser of Urborg and Radha. While Radha's spark was extinguished by Jeska (who used the former as a sort of lens/power reservoir), Venser's spark would ignite and he would become the first of the new, more relatable planeswalkers (plot-wise, at least). Save for Karn, Nicol Bolas, and Teferi, who's no longer a planeswalker, all of the other oldwalkers from early Magic stories are dead.

This created a clean slate, as it were; while some new characters were written to have been "there the whole time," the vast majority of the planeswalkers alive today are characters that never experienced the unlimited power of their predecessors. This change makes planeswalkers more relatable than they were, with the added benefit of being acceptable for addition to Magic without ruining player perception of planeswalkers (seriously, there's no way a worthy Urza card would have ever seen print).

So, beginning with their introduction, planeswalkers have shown up in nearly every set since, with the exceptions of Morningtide, Shadowmoor, Eventide, and Alara Reborn. Many of them saw heavy competitive play, with one even being banned in Standard.

Given their impact on the lore, generally solid power level, and reasonable price (for most), many of them see play in Commander, for a variety of reasons. They tend to provide solid value for their mana costs, they're often desirable for thematic reasons, and there are ways to abuse them.

So, while the cards are powerful (usually), I'd argue that they have to make a significant impact in order to warrant inclusion in a given Commander deck. Some planeswalkers simply don't do enough, while others make deckbuilding demands on you that are either too stringent (Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas) or not worth the hoops you'd have to jump through (Chandra Ablaze). Some are outright bad, through no fault of their own (Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded).

For my top ten, then, I'll look at the planeswalkers that benefit their deck the most, make an impact, and must be answered. Physical cost will be a secondary factor here, given that you usually have to own the cards to play with them, and if I'm recommending them, it'd be nice to be able to pick them up (if you felt so inclined).

With this in mind, let's get started!

10. Garruk, Apex Predator

Seven mana is a lot, and while there are decks against which Garruk would struggle to come down in enough time to be relevant, I'd argue that he's still quite strong, and clocks in at number ten on my list. He protects himself, and the 3/3 Beast is a respectable size, on top of having deathtouch. He kills rival planeswalkers and sticks around at six loyalty, or kills problem creatures and hangs around at two (while gaining you some life, regardless of whether you kill the creature or not!). It's not usually worth pointing out planeswalker "ultimates," but Garruk's is fun and flavourful, but it doesn't close out the game on its own.


9. Dack Fayden

Stealing hearts. And wallets.

One of only a few planeswalkers printed outside of a Standard-legal set, to say that Dack feels a bit... pushed is an understatement. I run Dack in five different decks, and his abilities are versatile enough that he's nearly always relevant. Politically, you can target anyone with his +1, offering them card selection while filling their graveyard. In Nekusar, that's an extra two damage. In a Grixis reanimator deck, he can fill your graveyard. And his -2 is extremely useful, when you consider how many utility artifacts see play in this format. In the game I referenced above, in fact, I stole my wife's Birthing Pod, and sacrificed Imperial Recruiter to find Sakashima, which set up the win for me. I've stolen things like Akroma's Memorial, Mana Crypt, even Sol Rings aren't safe with Dack around. At only three mana, Dack is, somewhat ironically, a steal; it's his price tag that earns him a spot way up here.


8. Tezzeret the Seeker

I've mentioned Tezzeret before, when talking about inexpensive "staples." Given the popularity of Commanders like Muzzio and Arcum Dagsson, and of cards like Sol Ring, Mana Crypt/Vault, and the artifact lands, Tezzeret often finds a home somewhere in a given meta. He's as good as Garruk Wildspeaker in the right deck, and his tutor-to-battlefield ability is unbelievably powerful. He's somewhat more of a niche player in that you can't really jam him in any deck and expect results, but it takes little effort to make him well worth your while.


7. Sorin Markov

You can tell he's a Blood- check the gang signs!

Players either love or hate Sorin. I've heard him called overpowered because of his -3, and early on in my Commander "career," I'd have probably agreed. Yeah, he's not always skill intensive, but he keeps decks like Oloro honest. Showing up on turn six, making someone's life total 10, and then maybe eating a utility creature might not be worth his mana cost, but he's a fine metagame call. Triple B is harsh, though, even in a two colour deck.


6. Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker

I like to imagine his voice is like Tim Curry's.

He's eight mana in three colours, but man, does he make an impact. Stealing an Avacyn, blowing up a key land, generally just being a dick until someone can muster an answer. And if they can't, then he basically Cruel Ultimatum's somebody. Bolas comes in at number six almost solely because of his extremely awkward mana cost. Grixis isn't known for its ramp, but Bolas deserves consideration if these are your colours.


5. Jace Beleren

We've talked about Party Jace before. Cheap (in both physical cost and CMC), easy to use politically, and not as huge of a target as Jace, the Mind Sculptor (who's mostly a target out of reflex from his old Standard days).


4. Elspeth, Sun's Champion

Elspeth does it all. She defends herself (and you), generates significant card advantage, and can handle a board of huge creatures. Her mana cost isn't prohibitive, she's readily available, and she can run away with the game. The decks that want her the most will tend to run small enough creatures that you'll be in the best position when she nukes the board. With one anthem effect out, she becomes 6 power and a planeswalker for a mere six mana, and becomes really difficult to remove through combat. If you can pull off her ultimate, her tokens become 3/3s with no other cards in play. The synergy between her abilities is not to be overlooked, and it's entirely possible she'll run away with the game on her own, just as she did in Standard if left unanswered.


3. Karn Liberated

Ironically, not free.

Karn goes into any deck, where he shows up, exiles someone's best thing, and then invariably dies. Scour from Existence and a Fog(ish) effect for the same price? Probably worth it. The only downer is his pricetag; only two printings, with one being ~4 years ago and the other being somewhat limited make Karn a little more scarce than I wish he was. He really can (and probably should) go into most decks, though, but you're competing with Modern Tron players, who are the primary source of demand on our silver friend, here.


2. Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

As Sarkhan will tell you, Ugin takes some effort to make work. He can exile things en masse, which is a useful political manoeuvre, and shines with colourless artifacts and the new Devoid Eldrazi. Gaining loyalty while removing utility creatures or damaging opponents and rival planeswalkers is a benefit, as well. His ultimate is absolutely hilarious, and it's more likely to happen than those of other planeswalkers, given Ugin's talent for destruction. It might not win you the game outright, but anyone who claims it's not backbreaking is either crazy or lying.


1. Liliana Vess

Can't mess with perfection.

Wizards got it right early on, at least from a Commander point of view. The Vampiric Tutor is what really makes Liliana appealing from a mechanical standpoint. Even if she dies right away, a tutor for five mana isn't horrible, especially if she baits a removal spell or eats an attack. She comes down fairly early, sets up your next draw, and she can even keep a struggling opponent in topdeck mode. Given that you're primarily playing Liliana for her -2, her -8 isn't really worth mentioning, but it's fun and flavourful, and I've seen it happen. She's a fun kinda gal, and you can pick her up easily (not a sexist double entendre!).


That's all for today! I hope you enjoyed today's entry; please let me know how you like the new site! I've tapped two friends of mine with things to say, and their features should be online soon.

And, as always, I appreciate your feedback and thank you for reading!

Bargaining and Bribery: Politics in Commander

Hi, everyone; welcome back! This is the third in a loose trilogy of articles expanding on Promoting Yourself to Commander. We've discussed interpersonal relationships, building a collection of "staples" (many of which can be obtained quite inexpensively, given their popularity and usefulness), and now we get to the most difficult part of Commander and indeed multiplayer Magic: the Gathering.

And that, my friends, is politics.

I mean, so is this, but... ah, hell. They'll both win you the game.

Whether you know it or not, if you've played Magic, you've likely employed at least one of the tactics I'll touch on today. If I had to guess, I'd say that at some point, you've either bluffed or attempted to bluff. Some examples of bluffing would include "sandbagging," which is to say, holding a land or something in hand to convince your opponent you have a counterspell, or a combat trick. In relatively low stakes Magic, this might not always have the results you'd expect. There's no real penalty for calling your bluff if I'm just there to play.

At higher stakes Magic, however...

Now, casual Commander is about as low as one can go, stakes-wise. Please consider, however, that games tend to go on a lot longer in 5-6 person Commander games. After more than an hour, you might hit a point at which you're emotionally invested in the outcome. People are competitive, after all, and some derive fun from winning, from success.

This isn't wrong, but I have observed people approach bluffs with more caution late in a given game. Swinging into a Rout feels bad, and barring some blue shenanigans, I might not know what you've got.

So bluffing has a place. Body language (confidence, good posture, a slight smile, fingers close to untapped lands as they move to combat) will help sell any bluff you're making, as can some good, old-fashioned trash-talking.

As an aside, there is a right way and a wrong way to do this.

Right way: "Are you sure you want to attack me?" (raises eyebrow)

Usually wrong way: "Do it motherfucker, I dare you! 1v1 me IRL!" (foams at mouth)

This will, of course, vary from playgroup to playgroup. As a rule of thumb, consider the above guidelines when playing in public, or with a new group.

Negotiation

As important and intuitive as bluffing is, I'd argue that negotiation comes up far, far more frequently in a given game of Commander.

Everyone's been there- someone has a planeswalker ready to ultimate next turn, has resolved a Doubling Season, or has Nekusar out and you know your group's about to see more wheels than Vanna White.

You or someone seated nearby invariably says something like:

"I can deal with that... if you guys can keep me alive/help me to draw a card/pick me with Spectral Searchlight."

"Anyone got a light?"

What do you do?

This, more or less.

Naturally, barring some circumstances (you've just hit the two hour mark and need to get dinner soon, etc.), a hasty alliance is formed until Public Enemy #1 is dealt with.

Easy, right?

Here are some other tactics, with a few examples.

The Auction:

"So... are we bidding on the thief, or are we the thieves?"
"Yes."

This approach creates competition via an auction of sorts. When multiple parties want the same thing, you want to divide them, to pit them against one another. Often, when people know that they may lose out on something, they will want it even more. Not only do they want the thing that is being bid on, they also want to win, just to win. Taking advantage of someone's competitive nature can get you everything you want, and more. 

Brinksmanship: 

Hooded Dude does not screw around. The stick is for playing hardball, motherfuckers!

This is the "all or nothing" approach. One party aggressively pursues a set of terms to the point at which the other negotiating party must either agree or walk away. Successful brinksmanship convinces the other party they have no choice but to accept the offer and there is no acceptable alternative to the proposed agreement. Will you Wrath if you don't get the life from a Grove of the Burnwillows? Maybe. But they don't have to know the truth.

The Red Herring: 

Negotiators use this tactic to pretend that an issue of little or no importance to him or her is very important. Then, later in the negotiation, the issue can be traded for a major concession of actual importance. 

A game of "chicken": 

We've touched on this one already. Players propose extreme measures, often bluffs, to force the other party to chicken out and give them what they want. This tactic can be dangerous when parties are unwilling to back down and go through with the extreme measure. But there's no fun in playing it safe all the time.

Flinch: 

Seriously. If you take one thing away from this article, let it be this flavour text.

Back to the body language I mentioned above. Flinching is showing a strong negative physical reaction to a proposal, like gasping for air, or a visible expression of surprise or shock. You can manipulate your opponents by overemphasizing, or by carefully controlling your reaction to their threat. Seeing a physical reaction is more believable than hearing someone saying, "I'm shocked." 

Cards

Okay, so we've gone over ways in which you can hide your intentions, and manipulate your opponents.

But when it comes to card selection, cards exist that are decidedly political in nature. Most of these are cards Neville Chamberlain would play. If he played Magic. 

And, you know, if he were still alive.

"Are you lads up for some Vintage?"

From popular Commanders like Phelddagrif, Nekusar, the Mindrazer and Zedruu the Greathearted to cards like Jace Beleren, Spectral Searchlight, and Weird Harvest, many political cards seem geared toward appeasement. 

History time!

For those unaware, appeasement is basically making concessions in the name of peace. The Commander riff on appeasement is that you often concede resources not for "peace," but for favours. Neville Chamberlain, onetime Prime Minister of Great Britain, employed this policy when dealing with Hitler's Germany. Chamberlain's acknowledgement of the Reich's new borders did not, as it turned out, secure "peace for our time" as he'd hoped, but it does follow logically that offering incentives for your opponents to do as you want them to should produce some results.

So, yes, you can use your cards in addition to your brain and body language to convince your opponents to do you small favours. Like not attacking, targeting someone else's permanents, and killing one another.

How to buy an opponent, however? No one way will work 100% of the time, and you should be acutely aware that if you are dominating the game, it's unlikely resources will help in buying cooperation. That's where threats/ offering to allow them to live come in. Other than those circumstances, there are two main categories of bribes: tangible and intangible.

Tangible incentives include cards drawn, life, mana, and even creatures. Jace Beleren can allow all of your opponents, or even just one opponent, draw a card. Grove of the Burnwillows offers a small amount of life that you can bargain with. Spectral Searchlight can help you make friends. And a favourite of mine, Forbidden Orchard, allows you to give another player a colourless 1/1 with flash. All of these, with the right request can be all the manoeuvering you need to work your way ahead. 

You're in for a tree-t!

Intangible incentives are basically promises. They can be promises of tangible incentives, or an exchange of favours (an attack, a well-timed combat trick, a targeted removal spell). Now, a warning. If you never honour your word, you begin to build a reputation for yourself as That Guy. You don't always have to honour your word to the letter, but I recommend keeping yourself "in the black," so to speak. People will trust you, and it can be fun to watch people be bound by the language they used in their request. Not attacking someone, for example, often doesn't cover nuking them from orbit. Walk the line between letter and spirit, but I'd suggest keeping things sporting. It can go both ways, too- if you promise to wipe someone out, follow through. See the negotiation section above. 

"Impractical blades- forehead blades."

Gearing One's Deck Toward Politics

You don't need to be running a group hug or group slug deck to make friends. Yes, purple hippos and liches can influence the course of a game on their own, but you don't have to leave your comfort zone if politics is something that's new to you.

How do you make a deck more political? You choose a few key interactive cards. Removal, card draw, combat tricks; whatever best suits your style and taste. Consider running cards that offer some flexibility in how they're used. Modal cards are good for this. I've talked about Austere Command and Primal Command before; their strength lay in their versatility. Not only are they fine cards to run in a vacuum, but choosing to spare a player's permanents with Austere Command or shuffling a problematic graveyard back into its owner's library with Primal Command are perfectly valid plays that you can use as leverage. Back when tuck was still legal, Bant Charm saw a lot of play for its ability to destroy artifacts or tuck a problematic creature (not so much to counter instants). This helps to ensure that the card is seldom dead in your head; you can use it to make a friend. 

Planeswalkers are another useful tool. It may not be a secret at this point that I love planeswalkers. They can be hard to remove, and in many cases offer up a huge amount of value for a very reasonable mana cost. Incidentally, many loyalty abilities are tools you can employ to curry favour with your opponents. Untap one of their creatures with Kiora, Master of the Depths. Have Dack Fayden help them loot. Sorin Markov can help a bullied opponent take revenge on his oppressor. Teferi can untap, well, damn near anything, and in large quantities. All of these are useful ways to convince your opponents they should be listening to you. By all means, plan to run them for your own benefit. I'm simply suggesting that while they're there anyway, maybe they can help you increase an opponent's loyalty, too.

Another reference to thieves in this politics article... hmm...

Lastly, if they can't be bought, I'd consider running a few rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes are cards that should intimidate people into not antagonizing you. One of my favourites is this:

Dropping this sends a clear message to you opponents- play a third creature, and see what happens. Cards like this warrant an immediate answer, or people will back down until they have an answer. Doing little more than buying you time can still be worthwhile in certain circumstances. The fact that this only might put you on someone's radar is valuable, as well. It needs an answer, but how much more urgently than the Jhoira player suspending an Obliterate? Unless your group knows you and your deck well, someone might just trigger this trap. And then you can play the blame game! After all, is it really your fault someone played a third creature? And is it really your fault that Elesh Norn and Avacyn were the first creatures you saw? You only want the game to carry on quickly, after all! And it was So-and-So that forced you to sacrifice Defense of the Heart...

Really, you're blameless in this.  

That's it for this week! The new website is coming soon!

Thanks for reading! As always, your feedback is both welcome and appreciated!

From the Ground Up

Hi, everyone! Welcome back!

Today, I'd like to talk about my the second point in my second article, Promoting Yourself to Commander. For those that don't remember (or care enough to check- it's okay, I still love you), I touched on not worrying about having the best, rarest, and most blinged out deck right off the bat.

Cooking is another hobby of mine. To cook, you need a handful of key ingredients in the pantry, with which you can make any number of dishes. The meals might not be the kind you'd find in a 5-star restaurant, but they'll keep you eating, right?

The same principle applies to building decks in Commander. If you already have the staples, you can build a wide variety of decks.

I hate the term "staple," but there are a few cards in each colour that do come pretty close. Many of them are inexpensive, too. I want to avoid this becoming a finance article, so I'll keep the list as short as I can, and I'll try to limit it to cards that can be obtained for less than ten dollars (USD, as most of the bigger, more reputable stores are located in the US).


White

Austere Command

Destroy... something!

One of the most flexible sweepers in the game, if not the most flexible. I remember opening 4 or 5 of these back when Lorwyn was in Standard, and while useless (and nearly worthless) then, I was glad to have them when I began building Commander decks. Their mana cost isn't at all prohibitive in this format, and the card can be played politically. It's at the higher end of our arbitrary budget, but I can't think of a single white deck, well, ever that hasn't run this.

Council's Judgment

The tribe has spoken, bitch!

This is a fairly new one, but a really cool card nonetheless. You get huge value out of it if everyone picks a different nonland permanent, but exiling whatever permanent you want for 3 mana is cool. Another card that can be played politically, with some thought.

Path to Exile/Swords to Plowshares

Swords is probably better, given that Commander damage can get around the additional life. The extra land Path provides can come back to bite you in the ass in a format of huge spells, but it's worth mentioning anyway, given its low mana cost and Instant-speed.

Elspeth, Sun's Champion

RIP.

She's not the oppressive finisher she was in Standard, but she's an extremely solid defensive card. Wraths the creatures most likely to hurt you, and churns out three blockers per turn. Add a few anthems (or an Elesh Norn, who's juuuust outside our budget, but still quite affordable!), and Elspeth becomes a problem they have to deal with.


Blue

Jace Beleren

Doesn't look like he's ready for a party...

Party Jace is cheap, innocuous, and draws you three cards for every one you choose to give your opponents. 3 mana to draw one card and then blank one attack isn't an awful deal, either.

Tezzeret the Seeker

Take my strong hand!

Tezzeret is more useful in an artifact shell, but if that's something you want to do, at any point, then he's going to improve the deck. Sol Ring, Mana Vault, Mana Crypt, and artifact lands all see play. Tezzeret tutors them up at little to no loyalty cost.

Clever Impersonator

Narset, with the low hanging fruit.

As Clones go, this might be the best. More flexible than even Phyrexian Metamorph. If you want a Clone effect, this is the one you want. Their best enchantment is now yours; their best planeswalker, yours. Clever indeed.

Rhystic Study

You need to know what I'm teaching you. So...

I personally don't enjoy this card a whole lot. There's not really a diplomatic way to play this fairly. Either you become That Guy, asking "Paying the one?" like a goddamn broken record, or you just draw, because fuck them for missing the trigger. Either way, people start to notice the significant volume of extra cards you've begun to accumulate. For three bucks, however? You could do a lot worse.


Black

Liliana Vess

Where my hug at?

Honestly, Liliana is probably the best planeswalker in Commander. Ideally, she's three Vampiric Tutors and a forced discard, all for five mana. She's been reprinted to death, which helps to make her a budget option, many with different art.

Necropotence

Thank Mr Skeltal!

40 life and a 3 mana "draw" engine that capitalizes on your life total? It's not the most splashable card, but in a mono-black or BX deck, this thing is a house. Expect to become public enemy number one.

Ashes to Ashes

Pic related, somehow.

This card is old, obscure, and awesome! For three mana and five life, you exile two non-artifact creatures. And it's less than a dollar! You'll always have two targets in a multiplayer game, so burn 'em up!


Red

Chandra, Pyromaster

Thank God she's wearing the goggles.

Chandra could be the best red planeswalker printed so far, if only for her revolutionary new red card draw. Red stuggles as a colour in a lot of ways; the creatures are bigger and the life totals higher than in "regular" Magic, so there are some hurdles to overcome. Anything that helps get a little extra mileage out of your deck is a welcome asset. And it's for this reason that Chandra makes this list.

Daretti, Scrap Savant

TFW you can't have Blue artifact support.

Same deal as Tezzeret, really. Until there's a more thematic UR artifact Commander than Jhoira (seriously, she's a kickass character), Daretti is one of the best options on the Red side of things.

Chaos Warp

A jump to the left? Wrong Warp, man.

It doesn't matter that the tuck rule changed. This is a red way to deal with enchantments. It's a non-burn way to deal with big creatures and planeswalkers. And it's dirt cheap! Some players scoff because with the tuck rule gone, this has little apparent value. It's all about perspective. This still solves a lot of problems. And you can use it politically- exile someone's Commander, but still give potentially give them something.


Green

Eternal Witness

Unforgettable...

Eternal Witness is probably my favorite creature of all time. Regrowth is a pretty powerful card, and Witness nets you the same effect plus a 2/1 body for one extra G. Nets you even more value if you Skullclamp her, and she's rumoured to be in the forthcoming Commander product later this fall.

Garruk Wildspeaker

The original Beast Mode.

Garruk comes down on what's most likely turn 3 in the deck that wants him, and protects himself with a 3/3. A 3/3 might not be the most relevant body in the late game, but it'll be more than adequate to protect Garruk in the short term, allowing you to ramp by 2 mana each turn until he's dealt with. Some decks are also going to want his overrun ability, given that it comes quickly. Playing any planeswalker for their ultimate abilty is a trap, but for a small handful of them, it's realistic to get there. Garruk is one of those.

Primal Command

See this green vase? Contains organic whoop-ass.

Decisions, decisions. I like modal cards, and Primal Command has three very relevant modes. Gaining life isn't that helpful, and is the odd one out here. It does come up occasionally, but it's the other modes you really want to look at. It's a form of graveyard hate, removal, and a tutor, all in one card. In green. It's run rarely enough for some reason that whenever I cast it, it's always a surprise. Your opponents will ask to read this one. You'll reap the benefits.

Exploration

This card used to be pretty expensive. Thanks to Conspiracy, however, this is no longer the case. You might not find the version with the old-timey ship, but this is a fun early play even without the Exploration flavour. Not every deck will want this, but it's a fun ramp card. Land Tax and Exploration for a good time.


Multicoloured

Mirari's Wake

Again, thanks to Conspiracy, this card is a lot more affordable than it has been in the past. It's a lot of value for five mana. I'd play this in any deck I could. It'll attract some hate, for sure, as it should; it's worth having one around if you intend on building a deck that can support it.

Pernicious Deed

Being the only reliable member of a group project has never looked so good!

A useful rattlesnake. Its low mana cost, utility, and epic flavour make this an attractive budget option. It doesn't hit planeswalkers, but controlling how much damage is done to the board can allow for some political manoeuvring.


Colourless

Scour from Existence

And to think, it was a big deal for the Beastie Boys to fight for our right to party.

I mentioned this in my first post. It's expensive at seven mana, but at instant-speed, it solves every problem short of Hexproof/Shroud. It's a Stone Rain, a Path, a Hero's Downfall, all of this and more, given that it's not at all easy to retrieve cards from exile. And it's a common.

Sol Ring

Ubiquitous!

I don't know if I agree with this card even being legal in Commander. What I do know is that for as long as it is legal, it's very worth playing. An early Sol Ring (or the denial thereof) can decide the outcome of the game. It's easy to find, very powerful, and just play it, already.

Mana Vault

Mana looks just like fiberglass insulation. Huh.

Other than the first turn this shows up, it's worse than Sol Ring. It's more expensive, given its scarcity, but worth playing if you want the redundancy. Be warned, however; the damage you take does add up, and it can matter. You have to decide if doing your opponents' work for them is worth the redundancy. Some decks (big white and red decks, for example) will want the fast mana regardless.

Chromatic Lantern

Inb4 "What's a Dimir?"

I can't believe this thing is still this cheap; good! This is decent mana ramp attached to great mana fixing. It's probably worth having one of these around, given the cost of most of the better dual lands.

Lightning Greaves

Sneakerheads be like, "Aw, he got the velcros!"

Even if you don't need to give your Commander haste, the shroud for zero additional mana is often worth it. Voltron-style players, beware- shroud is a real downer if you don't have another creature to equip and need to pile more auras and equipment on the boss. That said, there are plenty of Commanders that really benefit from shroud (Azami, Jhoira) and from haste (Rafiq, Prossh). Usually worth the slot.

Conclusion

Those are my budget picks that will help you to build/improve a variety of popular archetypes. Having access to powerful cards doesn't always imply having a bigger pocketbook, and having a good collection of basics (not lands) will enable you to build, upgrade, and modify nearly any deck.

Thanks for checking in, everyone! For those that aren't aware, I'll be launching a dedicated website where you'll be able to find this blog and others! Stay tuned for updates!