There are plenty of articles on Rise of the Eldrazi. A quick jaunt across the interwebz will bury you with descriptions of ROE limited, deck ideas for the new Standard, and analysis of the directions we think (or hope) Magic will go as the format continues to rotate.

Screw that. Let's talk about something else.

[caption id="attachment_10124" align="alignright" width="171" caption="Typical "Spike"."][/caption]

Many of us - that is, those of us who enjoy this site, this cozy little corner of the online M:tG community - fall primarily outside the camp of the "Spikes". The Spikes, who enjoy Magic primarily as a competitive exercise akin to chess or kickboxing, have plenty of places right now to read analysis and deck tech about how to master the format of the season. However, that leaves little material for the rest of us, whose main enjoyment of Magic has more to do with the experience of each game or with the creativity available with less competitive deckbuilding. Fortunately, despite the main focus on Standard right now, there is another format - and a less competitive one at that - which is always in season: Elder Dragon Highlander.

What is it?

Elder Dragon Highlander, or EDH for short, is a format invented by the judging community as a casual escape from the high-pressure competitive environment in which judges spend so much of their time. As such, this set of variant rules is specifically designed to encourage slower, bigger, more interactive, more creative, and less competitive games. The whole point is to get together with some friends (it's intended to be a multiplayer format) and have some crazy fun. This is a format for making stories, ones that you like to reminisce about and don't include your win-loss record in the telling.

How does it work?

The full rules for EDH can be found at this site, but here's a rundown of the basics. First, EDH makes use of the "Command Zone", which is the same zone in which the plane cards (of Planechase fame) reside. It's not the battlefield, it's not the graveyard, it's not exile. It's a separate space for storing special things - in the case of EDH, it stores your general.

Your what now?

Your general. This is one of the hallmark features of the format. In EDH, each deck has one legendary creature that you set aside as your "general", and will usually have a great deal more influence on games than any single other card in your deck. (Although the format got the first part of its name from the use of the Elder Dragons as generals, you can use any legendary creature.) The first way that your general affects EDH is in deck construction. When you choose your general, take note of its colors; your deck cannot use any colors but those of your general. More specifically, no card in your deck can have colored mana symbols anywhere on them (even in their abilities) that do not also appear in the casting cost of your general. This means that Kaleidostone is only legal in five-color deck, despite being colorless itself. This also means that Transguild Courier is legal in any EDH deck, despite being all five colors. Similarly, Vivid Creek's second ability does not restrict it to use in five-color decks, because the only mana symbol that appears on it is a blue one. (Do note, however, that if you try to produce a mana of an illegal color, you get a colorless mana instead. So no off-color sunburst shenanigans!)

[caption id="attachment_10134" align="alignleft" width="209" caption="Choose your General Carefully"][/caption]

Your general also has some special rules for gameplay. At the start of the game, you set your general aside in the Command Zone, instead of shuffling him (or her) into your deck. You can cast your general from the Command Zone, any time that you could normally cast a creature (unless, of course, your general has the flash ability). Also, if your general would be put into your graveyard or exile, you may choose to have it go back to the Command Zone instead (note that this will mean no graveyard-related triggers, like Tuktuk the Explorer). This makes your general very accessible, more so than any other card in your deck. However, to balance this out, casting your general from the Command Zone costs you an additional 2 colorless mana for each previous time you've cast him from the Command Zone that game. So the first time just costs the normal casting cost, the second time is that much plus 2, then an extra 4, and so on.

One last thing about your general: there's an alternate win condition in EDH involving generals. If a player takes more than 20 points of combat damage from a single general (even their own, via control-changing effects or damage redirection) over the course of the game, that player loses. This "general damage" will still kill you even if you have hundreds of life points, and once the damage has been successfully dealt you can never go back and "undo" general damage, even if you gain life later. Keep this in mind if someone has a very evasive general!

Okay, so it's all about the general. Seems cool. What else do I need to know?

First, players start at 40 life instead of 20. This makes the game slower, giving decks more time to draw all the crazy cards that you've always wanted to play but were afraid to. Also, this can make the general damage rule very relevant. Bonus points for anyone who builds around Isamaru, Hound of Konda.

There are a couple more restrictions on deckbuilding, designed to breed creativity. First, your deck has to be exactly 100 cards (including your general). No more, no less. Secondly, and this is important, no two cards in your deck (except basic lands) can have the same name. That's right, we're playing singleton here. This is where the "Highlander" part of the format name comes from ("There can be only one"). This has a couple of nice (in my opinion) implications for deckbuilding and gameplay. First, the fact that EDH uses all Vintage-legal cards (minus a short banned list on the website linked earlier) means you might see some crazy stuff. However, the singleton rule means that in all likelihood you won't be seeing the same stuff every game. It also means that if you manage to take out a problem card, your opponent isn't just going to plop down a second copy that they've had in their hand all along. Despite this restriction, however, basic utility effects are still available in droves, because lots and lots of variants of the core mechanics have been printed over the years. There are more Rampant Growth variants than I can fit into my Reaper King EDH deck.

Wait, what? 100-card singleton? I don't have enough cards for EDH!

You only think you don't have enough cards! I was able to build an EDH deck before I'd been playing Magic even two years, and I don't even buy boxes of sets that come out! You see, there are lots of cards that you're forgetting you have because they don't normally make the cut in constructed Magic. But remember, the only reason most "bad" cards are bad is because there's some other card that's better, and you can have four of them in your 60-card deck, so why use anything else? Because you only get one copy of that "best" card in your 100-card deck, that's why! When the best card is only 1% of your deck 7%, your card evaluations change. To get the same proportion of your deck filling the function that the 4-out-of-60 did, you need that card and the six next-best variants! Gravedigger is a staple in many black EDH decks, and EDH players jumped for joy when Cadaver Imp was spoiled. I even have Gloomlance in one of my EDH decks, just because it can target any creature. Not even kidding. Cards that are gathering dust in your "leftover jank" shoebox are suddenly good.

Alright, I'll give it a shot. But where do I start?

There are a couple of good ways to go about making your first EDH deck. First, see what potential generals you have lying around. Find one you like, even if it seems silly. I mean, I'm playing friggin' Reaper King (with real Scarecrows!) and having a blast! This is a casual format, remember? Find some legend that makes you smile, and start looking for cards in those colors.

Another method, especially handy for newer players with smaller collections, is to think about what colors you usually play and have bought more cards for. If most of your collection is green and white, for instance, then see if you can get a hold of a general to match those colors, like Tolsimir Wolfblood. Also, since it's a casual format, most people won't begrudge you a proxied general for your first deck; they'll just be happy you're playing!

I think I'm getting the idea. Any other pointers?

Firstly, value redundancy. Although there are some cards that are nice but not vital (like graveyard recursion), other effects (like creature kill or mana fixing) need to be drawn regularly. Since you can't count on drawing any particular card every game (or even every three or four games), make sure you have lots of cards that perform basic functions that you want to be able to do every game. Fortunately, these are the kinds of effects that are printed in every set under different names, so as long as you keep digging, you should be fine.

Secondly, remember that this is a slower format. You need things that can come out late and still be relevant, and you need ways to deal with big things. Tempo is very different in EDH than in Standard. Please, don't try to build Red Deck Wins in EDH. You'll just be disappointed.

Finally, remember to include ways of dealing with generals. Some of the best are in white, with cards like Condemn and Hallowed Burial. These rob your opponent of their general without giving them the option of putting it into the Command Zone. The bottom of a 100-card deck is a lonely place to be!

I hope you've enjoyed this introduction to the world of EDH. If you're looking for something fun that rewards creativity more than competitiveness, then Elder Dragon Highlander might just be the casual vacation you've been looking for.