Well, it looks like no one is reading this yet. No matter; it's still constructive for me to get my thoughts out, and hey, maybe I'll be discovered by some big shot on the Internet. If not, hi Mom!
So I've gone over the basic theory of Commander. In this part, let's explore the guts of a fairly standard EDH deck.
Also, Blogspot is not great about links and stuff, so I won't be linking all the cards like I did before. Hopefully, I can get my information on a site that has plugins for MtG information.
Concept 2: What's In The Flippin' Box?
(Disclaimer: this is not supposed to be a magic recipe for making an EDH deck. This is intended as a baseline to help you make decision on what cards you can play.)
So over the next 3 parts, I'm going to go through, card by card, the three decks I mentioned in the first post. The first one we'll be examining is Ezuri, Renegade Leader. He's the first one up because his deck is fairly straight-forward: make more elves and make them bigger.
We'll start with what Ezuri himself does, and what the deck should revolve around. Both of his activated abilities affect the elves that you control, so obviously, we want the deck to have as many elves as possible. That should be easy enough. Also, he's a mono-color Commander, so we only need to look at the green and colorless (there's a few) elves, right?
There are 207 (at time of writing) different cards with the type Elf. Since the deck can only have 100 cards in it, and we need to make room for lands, we obviously need to pare that list down somewhat. So, here's the elves that made it into the deck, sorted by the role they fill.
Mana-producing elves:
Llanowar Elves (foil, of course)
Arbor Elf (can come in really handy)
Joraga Treespeaker (good on turn 1, really good when you have lots of tokens)
Heritage Druid (only good with lots of dudes, but it's REALLY good)
Priest of Titania (required for any Elf deck)
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary (no longer banned, yay!)
Wood Elves (technically a mana elf. If you can flicker it, it's really good)
Elvish Archdruid (pumping my guys and making mana? Yes please)
Keeper of Progenitus (can be risky, but the dividends can be massive)
Wirewood Channeler (having three guys that make mana equal to the number of elves totally isn't overkill)
Argothian Elder (part of the only infinite combo in the deck; also good on its own)
More damage/more creatures
Joraga Warcaller (combos well with Immaculate Magistrate)
Fauna Shaman (Survival of the Fittest on a creature)
Elvish Champion (forestwalk is totally relevant in many matchups)
Imperious Perfect (tokens and pump equals necessary)
Gilt-Leaf Ambush (not a creature, but still type Elf, and the element of surprise is good)
Timberwatch Elf (temporary pump is still pump)
Jagged-Scar Archers (because flyers suck)
Immaculate Magistrate (combos well with Joraga Warcaller)
Elvish Promenade (also not a creature, but this can get crazy fast)
Heedless One (because bigger is better)
Drove of Elves (more in here for the big hexproof than anything else)
Lys Alana Huntmaster (free tokens are best tokens)
Voice of the Woods (turning elves into tokens since 2002)
Blowing stuff up
Elvish Skysweeper (because flyers still suck)
Viridian Corrupter (random infect is gamechanging)
Nullmage Shepherd (easily one of the biggest threats to a gamestate)
Utility elves
Taunting Elf (being a distraction is its own reward)
Quirion Ranger (untapping creatures is good, and replaying lands if you don't have a land drop is good)
Seeker of Skybreak (untapping creatures continues to be good)
Gaea's Herald (because blue decks suck)
Nissa's Chosen (we'll get to Nissa in a bit; don't worry)
Wellwisher (lifegain due to elves is the most common cause of survival)
Eladamri, Lord of Leaves (remember, he doesn't give himself shroud)
Tajuru Preserver (good against lots of stuff)
Elvish Harbinger (searching for an Elf, eh? We got lots of options)
Masked Admirers (costs more than Elvish Visionary, but it's easier to repeat its effect)
Yeva, Nature's Herald (a good way to bounce back from a Cyclonic Rift)
Sylvan Messenger (it can whiff, but when it hits, it is so good)
And that's all the elves in the deck. That's not the entire deck, of course. There's a strong supporting cast. So, here's the non-elf creatures.
Wirewood Symbiote (untapping creatures is still good, and "enter the battlefield" effects are good)
Skyshroud Poacher (what's that? You like putting elves directly into play? We can do that)
Seedborn Muse (practically required to play a green deck in Commander)
Genesis (for when your stuff is dead, and you don't like it that way)
Primordial Sage (you'll run out of cards quickly. Get more)
Regal Force (still need cards? Try this guy)
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger (beware: if you play this guy, you are an immediate target)
It looks like we need to cover a few more sections of cards. We'll move now into the non-creature spells.
Helix Pinnacle (alt wins for the win)
Concordant Crossroads (it's the cheapest way to give your guys haste, but it hastes everyone's guys)
Worldly Tutor (usually searches for Skyshroud Poacher, which searches for everyone else)
Nature's Lore (strictly better than Rampant Growth in a mono-green deck)
Elvish Guidance (this makes Arbor Elf waaaaaay better)
Recollect (recurring cards can be the key to success)
Extraplanar Lens (this is why I use weird lands)
Skyshroud Claim (strictly better than Nature's Lore, if you have the mana for it)
Greater Good (respond to board wipe by drawing cards)
Nissa Revane (I knew that Nissa's Chosen was in here for a reason)
Creeping Corrosion (because artifacts suck)
Gauntlet of Power (remember that this powers up opponent's green stuff)
Asceticism (hexproof for everyone!)
Lurking Predators (free creatures are best creatures)
Wild Pair (free creatures continue to be best creatures)
Mana Reflection (because green doesn't have enough mana ramp)
Desert Twister (wait, a green Vindicate? Huh.)
Akroma's Memorial (ha! Now the elves can fly!)
Genesis Wave (for when you just have to have 20 permanents come into play in one turn)
Now all that's left is the backbone of the deck's function: the landbase. (My no-lands EDH deck is coming along, but it's tricky).
27 Snow-Covered Forest (remember Extraplanar Lens? This means that I only double up my lands and not everyone else's Forests)
Dryad Arbor (creature lands? Why not)
Wirewood Lodge (untapping creatures is still cool)
Reliquary Tower (in case you have too much power in your hand)
Oran-Reif, the Vastwood (free +1/+1 tokens are nice)
Mosswort Bridge (it's inconsistent, but it can be a lifesaver)
Yavimaya Hollow (Ezuri can't regenerate himself. Give him a hand)
Gaea's Cradle (only acquire if you have $150+ to spend. If you do, it's totally worth it)
So that's the deck. This deck doesn't require a lot of strategy. You just want to have the biggest board presence, and then you start killing people. It works pretty well.
Tune in next time when I go through my blue/red deck and discuss the finer points of copying a spell five times.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Magic: the Fun-ening 1: The Art of Living
And so I enter the wide world of sharing my opinions with the world.
printf("Hello world.);
My name is Blees. This is where I will share my opinions on my favorite hobbies with you: video games, Magic: the Gathering, and, from time to time, My Little Pony. I know that the last one is a polarizing subject, so my bouts of poni poni poni will be few and far between.
Right. On to business.
So I play Commander. It's my MtG format of choice. I won't give you a complete tutorial on How to Play Magic, but if you're new to Commander, here's what you need to know.
1. Pick your favorite Legendary Creature card. (Don't pick a banned one. Don't worry, there's only 3.) He's your Commander.
2. Note each colored mana symbol on your Commander. (Make sure to note the colors in the text box as well as the mana cost)
3. Congratulations! Every card in your deck may only have those colors. So, if we're going with my favorite Commander, the colors are blue and green. I can have blue cards, green cards, blue and green cards, and colorless cards. However, hybrid cards and split cards are right out, even if you can cast them.
4. Also, you can only make mana of your Commander's colors. If a land would make other colors, then it can't. If a land can only make other colors, it makes colorless mana instead.
5. Got that all so far? Good. Let's take a breather.
6. Back to it. Here's how the deck is actually made. Including your Commander, the deck has to have 100 cards EXACTLY. In addition, you can only have 1 of any card, excluding basic lands.
7. Your deck is made? Cool. Keep the Commander outside of the rest of the deck. Shuffle up the rest of it and get ready to play!
8. Get friends with Commander decks. Commander is a multiplayer format.
9. You start the game like normal, with 7 cards in your hand, but you start with 40 life. You can cast your Commander from his place outside of your deck, known as the Command Zone, at any time you could normally cast him (and if you can pay the mana). Whenever your Commander would go to the graveyard or into exile, you may choose to put him back in the Command Zone. For every time you cast your Commander from the Command Zone, he costs 2 more colorless mana. So, for my Commander, he costs 1UG the first time, then 3UG, then 5UG, etc.
10. The same victory conditions apply, with one addition. If a player is dealt 21 or more combat damage from a single Commander (including his own), he is dead.
Got that? OK. Let's get down to what it means to play in a Legacy-legal (for the most part) multiplayer format.
CONCEPT 1: HOW TO SURVIVE
Let's say, for the sake of example, that there are 4 people playing in a game of Commander. One of them is playing Ezuri, which is a very aggressive deck. Another is playing Progenitus, an expensive control deck. The third is playing Melek, with a ton of instants and sorceries. And then there's you.
There are 3 other players in this game, 3 other players that want to win. When one player starts to build an advantage, the other players will cut him down to size, the better to win themselves. The trick to winning in Commander is living long enough to have so impressive a position that winning is trivial. This can be accomplished gradually, for instance, by building up a mountain of counterspells and other denial, or suddenly, like when you make 50 tokens and pump them up all in one turn.
This generally doesn't happen on turn 1. At the beginning of the game, advantages are small. But those advantages grow if left unchecked. How will you quell their numbers?
First, there is the direct way: remove his advantages. If he has a lot of creatures, blow them all up. If he has a lot of cards in his hands, get rid of them. Remember that artifacts and enchantments can be resources that need dealing with. If you need to take things one at a time, don't worry; there's plenty of cards that can do that too, but then this would be all links.
Secondly, make his resources useless. Remember all those creatures that you decided not to destroy? What if they can't attack? Imagine if those counterspells didn't work? Does his plan rely on targeting you and you'd rather he wouldn't? It doesn't take much for an advantage to turn into a liability, but if your disruption becomes too powerful, you'll find yourself on the receiving end, so make sure to play it smooth.
Thirdly, and most risky, just amass a bigger and better advantage. The reason why this is the riskiest strategy is because of the last two paragraphs. Everyone else at the table has the same goals in mind, and uses similar strategies to get there. If they see you attempting to enter a cold war with another player, they can take out two big advantages in one by neutering you both.
Now, not every color is going to have the same options. Let's go back to those three decks that you're playing with and start with the first one, Ezuri. He's aggressive and can only play green cards. He will quite a few options for artifact and enchantment destruction, but he will have very little creature removal or hand disruption, forcing himself to rely on his superior force.
The second deck, Progenitus, could have literally anything, since he can play all 5 colors. You've seen the deck before, so you know that there's a lot of control and not very many big threats. He's got lots of ways of making sure you don't win, but he doesn't have many ways of winning himself. Make sure you don't advance too quickly on him, because he will shut you down and then keep on going.
The third deck, Melek, is a mix of the two. Like the first deck, he can be aggressive, with all his red damage-dealing sorceries and "gain control" effects. Like the second deck, he can be controlling, with blue and red spells to ruin your day.
How you choose to control your own destiny is up to you. Remember to stay alive; that's how you win. Tune in next time, when I cover how to be an absolute barrel full of dicks.
(Also, the three Commander decks? All mine.)
printf("Hello world.);
My name is Blees. This is where I will share my opinions on my favorite hobbies with you: video games, Magic: the Gathering, and, from time to time, My Little Pony. I know that the last one is a polarizing subject, so my bouts of poni poni poni will be few and far between.
Right. On to business.
So I play Commander. It's my MtG format of choice. I won't give you a complete tutorial on How to Play Magic, but if you're new to Commander, here's what you need to know.
1. Pick your favorite Legendary Creature card. (Don't pick a banned one. Don't worry, there's only 3.) He's your Commander.
2. Note each colored mana symbol on your Commander. (Make sure to note the colors in the text box as well as the mana cost)
3. Congratulations! Every card in your deck may only have those colors. So, if we're going with my favorite Commander, the colors are blue and green. I can have blue cards, green cards, blue and green cards, and colorless cards. However, hybrid cards and split cards are right out, even if you can cast them.
4. Also, you can only make mana of your Commander's colors. If a land would make other colors, then it can't. If a land can only make other colors, it makes colorless mana instead.
5. Got that all so far? Good. Let's take a breather.
6. Back to it. Here's how the deck is actually made. Including your Commander, the deck has to have 100 cards EXACTLY. In addition, you can only have 1 of any card, excluding basic lands.
7. Your deck is made? Cool. Keep the Commander outside of the rest of the deck. Shuffle up the rest of it and get ready to play!
8. Get friends with Commander decks. Commander is a multiplayer format.
9. You start the game like normal, with 7 cards in your hand, but you start with 40 life. You can cast your Commander from his place outside of your deck, known as the Command Zone, at any time you could normally cast him (and if you can pay the mana). Whenever your Commander would go to the graveyard or into exile, you may choose to put him back in the Command Zone. For every time you cast your Commander from the Command Zone, he costs 2 more colorless mana. So, for my Commander, he costs 1UG the first time, then 3UG, then 5UG, etc.
10. The same victory conditions apply, with one addition. If a player is dealt 21 or more combat damage from a single Commander (including his own), he is dead.
Got that? OK. Let's get down to what it means to play in a Legacy-legal (for the most part) multiplayer format.
CONCEPT 1: HOW TO SURVIVE
Let's say, for the sake of example, that there are 4 people playing in a game of Commander. One of them is playing Ezuri, which is a very aggressive deck. Another is playing Progenitus, an expensive control deck. The third is playing Melek, with a ton of instants and sorceries. And then there's you.
There are 3 other players in this game, 3 other players that want to win. When one player starts to build an advantage, the other players will cut him down to size, the better to win themselves. The trick to winning in Commander is living long enough to have so impressive a position that winning is trivial. This can be accomplished gradually, for instance, by building up a mountain of counterspells and other denial, or suddenly, like when you make 50 tokens and pump them up all in one turn.
This generally doesn't happen on turn 1. At the beginning of the game, advantages are small. But those advantages grow if left unchecked. How will you quell their numbers?
First, there is the direct way: remove his advantages. If he has a lot of creatures, blow them all up. If he has a lot of cards in his hands, get rid of them. Remember that artifacts and enchantments can be resources that need dealing with. If you need to take things one at a time, don't worry; there's plenty of cards that can do that too, but then this would be all links.
Secondly, make his resources useless. Remember all those creatures that you decided not to destroy? What if they can't attack? Imagine if those counterspells didn't work? Does his plan rely on targeting you and you'd rather he wouldn't? It doesn't take much for an advantage to turn into a liability, but if your disruption becomes too powerful, you'll find yourself on the receiving end, so make sure to play it smooth.
Thirdly, and most risky, just amass a bigger and better advantage. The reason why this is the riskiest strategy is because of the last two paragraphs. Everyone else at the table has the same goals in mind, and uses similar strategies to get there. If they see you attempting to enter a cold war with another player, they can take out two big advantages in one by neutering you both.
Now, not every color is going to have the same options. Let's go back to those three decks that you're playing with and start with the first one, Ezuri. He's aggressive and can only play green cards. He will quite a few options for artifact and enchantment destruction, but he will have very little creature removal or hand disruption, forcing himself to rely on his superior force.
The second deck, Progenitus, could have literally anything, since he can play all 5 colors. You've seen the deck before, so you know that there's a lot of control and not very many big threats. He's got lots of ways of making sure you don't win, but he doesn't have many ways of winning himself. Make sure you don't advance too quickly on him, because he will shut you down and then keep on going.
The third deck, Melek, is a mix of the two. Like the first deck, he can be aggressive, with all his red damage-dealing sorceries and "gain control" effects. Like the second deck, he can be controlling, with blue and red spells to ruin your day.
How you choose to control your own destiny is up to you. Remember to stay alive; that's how you win. Tune in next time, when I cover how to be an absolute barrel full of dicks.
(Also, the three Commander decks? All mine.)
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