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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 joy 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 fascinating gameplay and boundless potentialities, Commander has grow to be some of the in style 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 data and techniques 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 grasp 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 outdoors of your deck and battlefield. When forged, your commander enters the battlefield from the command zone and could be repeatedly forged all through the sport by paying its mana price plus a further two generic mana. Nonetheless, every time your commander dies, it returns to the command zone as an alternative of the graveyard. This distinctive mechanic provides a layer of technique and resilience to Commander, permitting you to repeatedly redeploy your commander and leverage its skills.
The selection of your commander is paramount in Commander, because it shapes the id and playstyle of your deck. Commanders possess various skills, starting from mana technology to creature summoning to battlefield manipulation. When choosing a commander, contemplate your most well-liked playstyle and the synergy between your commander’s skills and the playing cards in your deck. For instance, in case you get pleasure from controlling the battlefield and manipulating your opponents’ methods, a commander with skills that grant you card draw or countermagic can be an appropriate alternative. Alternatively, in case you choose aggressive methods that overwhelm your opponents with creatures, a commander with skills that enhance your creatures’ energy or grant them evasion can be more practical. The probabilities are limitless, and a part of the allure of Commander lies in exploring the myriad combos of commanders and deck archetypes.
Gathering Your Commander Arsenal
The muse of any Commander recreation lies in your arsenal of playing cards, fastidiously 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. Here is a complete information that can assist you collect the playing cards you want to unleash your interior commander:
1. Select a Commander
Your commander is the guts of your deck, setting the tone for its gameplay and overarching technique. Take the time to discover the huge choice of legendary creatures and planeswalkers within the Commander format. Contemplate their skills, shade id, and potential synergies with different playing cards in your deck.
Listed here are some elements to contemplate when selecting a commander:
- Colour Identification: Decide the commander’s shade id, as it will prohibit the nonland playing cards you’ll be able to embody in your deck.
- Casting Value: Intention for a commander with an inexpensive casting price, making certain you’ll be able to summon it reliably all through the sport.
- Talents: Analyze the commander’s skills and contemplate 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 search out particular playing cards.
2. Construct a Deck Round Your Commander
As soon as you’ve got chosen your commander, start crafting a deck that helps its strengths and compensates for its weaknesses. Contemplate the next rules:
- Synergy: Choose playing cards that work together properly with one another and your commander’s skills.
- Mana Base: Guarantee a constant mana base that may assist your commander’s casting price.
- Elimination: Embody playing cards that may take away threats posed by opponents’ creatures or spells.
- Card Draw: Incorporate playing cards that permit you to draw further playing cards, fueling your methods and sustaining hand measurement.
3. Purchase the Playing cards
Along 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 gives a snapshot of potential sources for buying Commander playing cards:
| Supply | Execs | Cons |
|—|—|—|
| On-line Marketplaces (eBay, TCGPlayer, and many others.) | Wide variety, aggressive costs | Transport prices, availability points |
| Native Recreation Shops | Bodily shopping, group connections | Restricted choice, greater costs |
| Buying and selling Occasions | Alternative to barter, socialize | Availability depending on attendees |
Deciding on the Ultimate Commander
Selecting the right commander is essential in Commander because it units the tone in your deck and defines your playstyle. Listed here are some elements to contemplate when choosing your commander:
Mana Value
The mana price of your commander will decide how rapidly you’ll be able to forged it and begin constructing your board presence. Decrease-cost commanders permit you to ramp sooner and deploy threats early, whereas higher-cost commanders present extra highly effective skills however require extra mana to forged.
Colour Identification
The colour id of your commander restricts the playing cards you’ll be able to embody in your deck. Select a commander with colours that assist your required playstyle and permit you to entry particular playing cards and synergies. Contemplate the supply of mana fixing to assist your chosen shade id.
Talents
The skills of your commander will outline your deck’s capabilities. Some commanders deal with card draw, others on creature summoning, and others on disrupting your opponents. Consider the skills that finest align together with your most well-liked playstyle and the technique you plan to pursue.
Capacity Sort |
Description |
|---|---|
| Card Draw | Generates further playing cards in hand, offering gasoline for spells and techniques. |
| Creature Summoning | Allows you to rapidly 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
Some of the necessary facets of enjoying 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 rules of land administration, you’ll be able to guarantee that you’ve the assets you want to forged your spells on time and dominate the sport.
1. Play the Proper Variety of Lands
The variety of lands you play will depend on a number of elements, together with the mana curve of your deck, the variety of mana-producing creatures or artifacts you’ve got, and the typical casting price of your spells. A very good rule of thumb is to start out with 36-38 lands and regulate 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 acquire. When constructing your mana base, contemplate the mana necessities of your deck and the sorts of results you wish to have entry to.
3. Use Land-Producing Spells and Artifacts
Along with enjoying lands, you may also use spells and artifacts that produce mana. These could be particularly useful within the early recreation, when you might not have sufficient lands to forged your spells. Some in style land-producing spells embody Rampant Progress and Kodama’s Attain, whereas Sol Ring and Arcane Signet are frequent mana-producing artifacts.
4. Handle Your Land Drops Successfully
The way in which you handle your land drops can have a big influence in your recreation. Listed here are some suggestions for maximizing the effectiveness of your land drops:
| Flip | Motion |
|---|---|
| 1 | At all times play a land, if doable. |
| 2 | When you have a alternative, play a land that produces a number of colours of mana. |
| 3-4 | Begin ramping, if doable. 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 secure by shielding it with different creatures or enjoying defensive playing cards. Concurrently, place your attackers to maximise harm output and reduce losses.
Menace Evaluation
Establish probably 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 permit you to 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 elimination 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 elimination 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 permit you to filter via your library and choose the particular playing cards you want. These playing cards can be utilized to search out lands, creatures, spells, and even particular playing cards with sure skills.
Card Draw
Card draw is important for protecting your hand full and rising your choices. There are a selection of how to attract playing cards in Commander, together with:
Spells
Many playing cards in Magic: The Gathering permit you to draw playing cards instantly. These spells can be utilized to replenish your hand after enjoying a number of playing cards, or to search out particular playing cards you want.
Talents
Some playing cards have skills that permit you to draw playing cards when sure circumstances are met. These skills could be triggered by enjoying playing cards, casting spells, or attacking with creatures.
Card Results
Many playing cards have results that may draw you playing cards. These results could be discovered on creatures, enchantments, artifacts, and lands.
Desk: Examples of Card Choice and Draw Mechanics
| Card Sort | Instance | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Creature | Phyrexian Enviornment | Draw a card firstly of your repairs. |
| Enchantment | Rhystic Research | At any time when 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 shade. Draw a card in case you forged 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 test, however keep away from pointless aggression.
Worth Evaluation
Assess the worth of various targets. Contemplate the playing cards in your opponents’ decks, their board positions, and the potential influence of attacking or leaving them alone. Prioritize and select targets correctly.
Strains of Communication
Establishing open channels of communication is important. Interact 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. Keep a constructive and respectful environment.
Political Networking
Construct relationships with different gamers past the sport. Attend native tournaments, take part in on-line boards, and interact in discussions. Broaden your community to assemble info, share methods, and discover potential allies.
Endgame Methods and Win Situations
Commander Injury
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 constantly casting the Commander and defending It for a number of fight phases as the sport progresses.
Infinite Combos
Some card combos 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 deal with stopping opponents from executing their recreation plans. They use counterspells, elimination spells, and board wipes to neutralize threats and disrupt the movement of the sport.
Aggro
Aggro decks intention to overwhelm opponents with a fast stream of creatures. They deal with dealing harm rapidly and constantly 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 posh political panorama that may result in surprising alliances and alternatives.
Stax
Stax decks intention to lock down opponents’ assets and forestall them from enjoying 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 Situations
| 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 techniques rising on a regular basis. It may be troublesome 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 assist you to study in regards to the Commander meta. Some in style web sites embody EDHREC, Commander Central, and MTG Salvation. These web sites present decklists, suggestions, and articles from skilled Commander gamers.
2. Watch Movies
One other nice solution to study in regards to the Commander meta is to observe movies of individuals enjoying the sport. There are a selection of in style Commander content material creators on YouTube, Twitch, and different platforms. Watching these movies can provide you a good suggestion of what is good and what’s not within the present meta.
3. Play On-line
Among the best methods to study in regards to the Commander meta is to play on-line. There are a selection of on-line platforms that permit you to play Commander with folks from all around the world. This can be a nice solution to take a look at out new decks and techniques, and to get suggestions from different gamers.
4. Speak to Different Gamers
Among the best 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 suggestions and concepts might help you all enhance your understanding of the sport.
5. Experiment
One of the best ways to search out out what works and what does not within the Commander meta is to experiment. Do not be afraid to check out new decks and techniques. The extra you play, the extra you may 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 in case you lose just a few 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 critically, 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 Checklist
The Commander Guidelines Committee (RC) maintains a banned record for Commander. This record consists of playing cards which might be thought of to be too highly effective or disruptive for the format. The banned record is up to date periodically, so it is necessary to remain up-to-date on the most recent modifications.
| Banned Playing cards |
|---|
| Ancestral Recall |
| Black Lotus |
| Time Stroll |
Suggestions for Enhanced Gameplay
1. Select a Commander that Enhances Your Playstyle
The fitting commander can elevate your gameplay expertise. Contemplate your most well-liked methods, colours, and card sorts when choosing one.
2. Construct a Cohesive Deck
Guarantee your deck synergizes together with your commander’s skills. Select playing cards that assist its technique and reduce weaknesses.
3. Leverage Card Draw and Ramp
Achieve entry to extra playing cards and mana to maintain your methods flowing. Embody playing cards that draw further playing cards or speed up your mana manufacturing.
4. Prioritize Interplay
Management the battlefield with elimination, 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 recuperate from setbacks.
6. Handle Your Commander Injury
Be aware of how typically you forged your commander. Every time you do, you enhance its “commander tax,” making it extra expensive to recast.
7. Do not Neglect Primary Land
Guarantee you’ve got a strong mana base to assist your deck’s casting prices. Embody a mixture of primary lands and mana-fixing results.
8. Be Diplomatic
Commander is a social format. Construct relationships, make alliances, and negotiate when doable. Diplomacy can result in surprising outcomes.
9. Experiment with Variations
Do not be afraid to tweak your deck and check out completely different methods. Experiment with completely different commanders, colours, or card combos to maintain gameplay recent.
10. Understanding the Commander’s Tax:
| Variety of Occasions Commander Solid | Mana Value Improve |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 4 |
| 3 | 6 |
| 4+ | 8 |
If you forged your commander from the command zone, it enters the battlefield with a “commander tax.” This tax will increase every time you forged 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 want a deck of 100 playing cards, a legendary creature to be your commander, and a solution to observe your life whole. You too can use a wide range of different playing cards, corresponding to creatures, spells, and artifacts, that can assist you win the sport.
The sport begins by every participant shuffling their deck and drawing seven playing cards. Gamers then take turns enjoying playing cards from their palms, 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 could be performed with 2-6 gamers.
What’s the easiest way to construct a Commander deck?
There are various alternative ways to construct a Commander deck, however a very powerful factor is to decide on a commander that you just like and that matches your playstyle. After you have 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 finest playing cards to play in Commander?
There are various nice playing cards to play in Commander, however a few of the hottest embody:
- Sol Ring
- Mana Crypt
- Command Tower
- Cyclonic Rift
- Swords to Plowshares
