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!