What are the rules for a commander deck? Gaming Pedia

However, a companion is the only card that can exist there, if both the cards in the library and the commander card meet the companion criteria. This ban was somewhat controversial, as it was banned as a result of the presence of Flash Hulk decks in cEDH (competitive EDH). People who play competitive Commander are a pretty small segment of the community, but the Flash Hulk combo was warping the format so much that something had to be done.

Templates are pre-defined formulas that establish an ideal minimum number of cards for each role that a deck “should have”. A template works like a "cake recipe", where a deck's slots are divided into separate "packages" according to the cards' functions. Acceleration cards have the utility function of advancing your mana curve, giving you access to more mana sooner. In this category, we have examples of classic cards like Cultivate, Caged Sun and many others.

Check out the full decklist here for the cards that I didn’t give a verbose call out. Cards like Mana Echos give commander deck us extra mana for each token we create. Impact Tremors is a cheap and innocuous little enchantment that will keep pecking at opponents’ life totals. Seeing as Kykar can make tokens, we should try to capitalize on them in other ways, not just sacrificing them for mana.

Bottom-up decks lets you choose some of your favorite mechanics, themes, or individual cards from Magic’s history and then find a cool commander to tie them all together. It would be good for all players everywhere to take a step back and look at their decks with a critical eye. Maybe your deck just isn’t quite as strong as you think it is. Or maybe there’s a specific card that you need to take out.

Commander Deck Rules of Thumb: Building for Success

When you create a Commander deck, it’s essential to have a solid plan and theme. Yet, having a flexible deck lets you adapt to different players and the game’s trends easily. A deck can pivot with versatile cards and flexible removal options. Deck flexibility boosts resilience and suits various play styles in Commander. Embracing flexibility helps players maneuver through the format with agility.

What Power Level is a Commander Precon?

In my opinion, a win is only as fun as it is challenging. If you sit down with a fine-tuned, well-made deck and I’ve just got a pile of 100 cards I randomly pulled out of a drawer, you’ll probably win but it won’t be that fun. If your first Commander deck isn’t fun for you to build and play, you might have built it wrong. This is a great game that should make everyone playing it happy. If I haven’t made it clear yet, these guidelines don’t have to be followed exactly. Play around with the cards that you like or think would be good and adjust these recommendations accordingly.

It's not fun playing commander and finding your deck barely works. Less contentious is the popular banning of infinite combos. A lot of groups, especially those that lean hard into the “casual” side of commander, want to win through swingy combats, big spells, and commander damage. But in general, for medium-power midrange Commander decks, try not to go below 37 lands. Missing your third or fourth land drop sucks, and you will stumble on lands far too often if you play fewer than 37 lands.

This can be incredibly powerful in ensuring that you can execute your strategy efficiently and effectively. Ultimately, needing more lands actually still falls to your curve. Don’t worry about bloating your land base if you’re playing tiny spells.

A commander like Muldrotha, the GravetideMuldrotha, the Gravetide might want more ways to mill cardsmill cards than to draw them. If Prosper, Tome-BoundProsper, Tome-Bound is leading your deck, you'd probably want more impulse-basedimpulse-based "card draw". Fortunately, there are many ways to ramp in almost every type of deck. Another way to use EDHREC to help you find your wincons is to go to your commander's page. The owner of the commander can only move it from the graveyard to the command zone as a Statebased action. And we don’t check state-based actions while spells are resolving.

How many of a card can you have in a commander deck?

Understanding when to form alliances for mutual benefit and when to navigate rivalries to secure your position adds an intriguing layer to the social dynamics of gameplay. Regularly reassessing your deck’s performance and identifying areas for improvement allow you to make informed upgrades and keep your deck competitive in changing metas. I'd start out with one or two tutors that can get your wincons, but if you start working your way up the power scale, having more will be necessary for keeping up with your pod. Using our Elf example from before, Fierce EmpathFierce Empath is an effective way to find Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth. RegrowthRegrowth is a good example of recursion - it can get any card back from your graveyard.

Official Commander Website

This is the largest category as many of these effects overlap with other packages. Archmage Emeritus, for example, draws us cards whenever we cast a spell. Meanwhile, Storm-Kiln Artist supplies us with treasure tokens. Talrand, Sky Summoner and Young Pyromancer create us more tokens, while Veyran, Voice of Duality turns all this incremental value into a real threat.

Now that we have decided on our commander, we dive into the 99 cards to make the deck. Color identity refers to colored pips that appear anywhere on the card. For example, Tasigur, the Golden Fang has black in his casting cost and an activated ability that requires blue and green. Your Tasguir deck can have cards that contain black, blue, green, and any combination of those three. 6-8 spot removal spells and 3-5 board wipes is a good place to start. Adjust these numbers to match your specific build though.

Again, finding the right balance that fits your preference is key here. Building a Commander deck can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it can also be overwhelming with so many options to choose from. That’s where a Commander deck building template comes in handy. A template can provide a helpful framework for organizing your ideas and ensuring that you have a balanced and effective deck.