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Editor's Note: If you'd like to discuss something, share your rants or opinions on the state of Magic or still discuss something else then please check out the "Be a Guest!" page. Thanks to community member Twinblaze for this article! -- Trick
The big news is out, and it seems like everyone is talking about the new commander decks from Wizards. Many players will be happy to be able to just pick up one of these decks and jump right in to the best format in Magic.
But maybe you're not everyone. Maybe you want to experience this format for the first time through the lens of your own unique creation. Maybe you're a Johnny like me, completely obsessed with deckbuilding. Maybe you just don't want to wait until June. Whatever the reason, you're going to need to build a deck, and you could probably use a little help.
Step One – Choosing a Commander
Grab a shovel, because we're going to be doing some digging. Search through your collection, your friends' trade binders, or if you're more ambitious, Gatherer. If you have a large collection or you're willing to buy cards for the deck on the internet, you're going to have a lot of options. Here are some good ways to narrow down the field:
- Is there a certain color or combination of colors that you're fond of? Maybe you want to start things off simple with a mono-green fatty deck, or maybe you want to keep playing Jund long after it's rotated out.
- Is there a certain strategy you want to play with? Do you want to have a board full of awesome enchantments, or play a deck loaded with flying creatures?
- Want to mess around with crazy effects? Look for generals with interesting abilities. Sisters of Stone Death can steal all your opponents' creatures if you have enough mana, and Intet, the Dreamer can cast spells straight off the top of your deck for free.
- Have a burning desire to use that special commander damage rule? Maybe all you need is a commander that can bring the beats. Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund can fly over those pesky blockers to kill in only 3 hits, and with a little help, Lord of Tresserhorn can kill in just two.
I could ramble on about which creatures make good commanders and why, but in the end it's up to you to decide. Remember, this format is about having fun, so choose whichever card you think will bring the most fun to your games.
Step Two – The Core
Now that you've chosen a Commander, it's time to fill in the rest of the deck. We'll be starting with what I like to call the core: The selection of cards that are directly tied to your commander. Take a good look at your commander. What kind of cards get better when its around? Does it have any abilities that could use some help to reach their full potential? Does it rely on a specific type of creature? Let's run through some examples:
- Isperia the Inscrutable wants to play with creatures that have flying. What kind of flyers would you want to be able to search up whenever you want?
- Experiment Kraj likes your guys to be wearing +1/+1 counters. What cards can you use to make sure all your creatures get at least one? The almighty ooze also enjoys activated abilities. What kind of abilities would be particularly fun or useful?
- Brion Stoutarm likes to throw creatures at people. Are there some creatures that like being thrown more than others? How can you turn the sacrifice into an advantage? What's the best way to make sure the airborne fellows are always nice and big?
Your core can be as big or small as you want it to be. Maybe you just want to kill people with Vorosh, the Hunter. You could have no core at all if you wanted, just a collection of your favorite cards in those colors. On the other hand, maybe you want to do some very evil things with Savra, Queen of the Golgari. You could devote every card in your deck to the sacrifice theme if you wish.
Step Three - The Mantle
[caption id="attachment_13067" align="alignright" width="211" caption="Get it... because it\'s a mantle!"]
[/caption]I hope you were paying attention during that earth science lesson in fifth grade. Otherwise, you're probably looking very confused right now.
The mantle is the in-between part of the deck. Not quite as central as the core, but more connected than the crust. This section can be whatever you want it to be. You can include cards to shore up potential weak spots, cards that work well with cards in the core, or even cards that just fit thematically.
A good way to start is by looking at the cards you selected for the core. Examine the different options that branch off from a certain card or group of cards. Choose a direction you'd like to explore, and see what you come up with. You can also look for cards that bridge the gap between two or more branches.
If you're using a very focused strategy, you might want to look at what kinds of cards might disrupt your game plan. Find something they have in common, and see if you can include cards that can fight back against the disruption. Fixing up an obvious weakness in your deck can make it much more effective.
Step Four – The Crust
The crust is the outer edge of the deck. Now that you've got all those nice cards in there working together, it's time to add some that aren't really part of the club. A big part of the crust is utility cards. A Commander deck should almost always have at least one way to take care of every type of permanent. You'll want some creature removal, some Naturalize effects, and probably something that can kill lands as well. (Tectonic Edge and Strip Mine work well for this.)
The crust is also where you throw in random cards that you want to play with. If there's a certain card you're just dying to use, put it in now. You could actually make an all-crust deck, but the lack of focus would likely limit its effectiveness.
One thing you should almost always include in the crust is some form of card draw and/or Scry-like effects. For card draw, it's best to have something that you can use more than once. Mind's Eye is a great option that can fit into any deck, and other colors have things like Phyrexian Arena and Honden of Seeing Winds. As for scry effects, Sensei's Divining Top and Crystal Ball are always great to have. Scry effects are plentiful in blue, but you may also find some hidden gems in other colors, such as Mirri's Guile and Sylvan Library in green.
Step Five – The Mana Base
Now it's time for the mana. Things are usually pretty simple here. Find as many lands as you can that produce your colors and put them into the deck. Assuming you have some experience in deckbuilding, balancing the colors shouldn't be too hard, and you should know by now that 40% lands is a good place to start.
Since you can only use one copy of each land, you're going to want to include even lands you wouldn't normally play with. Grand Coliseum isn't usually very good, but it will often make the cut in a Commander deck, especially if you don't have access to the more expensive dual lands.
If you have some space left, consider adding some mana-producing artifacts. Coalition Relic is almost always a great card to have, and Darksteel Ingot will stick around even when all the other artifacts go boom. The Ravnica signets are also particularly useful. Sol Ring is one of the best cards in Commander, and should probably be included if you happen to have one. Just keep in mind that these artifacts don't fully replace lands. Getting stuck on two lands with a Coalition Relic in hand is never fun.
You're Done! Or Are You?
A Commander deck is never really finished. As new sets come out, there will be new cards that fit with your strategy, or maybe just something cool you want to play around with. There might even be a new legendary creature that makes you want to start this whole process over again. As you continue to modify your deck, remember that the number one goal of this format is to have fun. Now get out there and start playing!
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