Next Level Commander: 3 Simple Tips To Power Up Your Magic: The Gathering Decks

How To Build a 3 Color Mana Base: • MTG - How To Build a 3...
How To Build a 4 Color Mana Base: • MTG - How To Build A 4...
How To Build a 5 Color Mana Base: • MTG - How To Build a 5...
How To Build a 2 Color Mana Base: • MTG - How To Build a 2...
How To Build Your First Commander Deck: • How To Build Your Firs...
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#mtg #magicthegathering #commander
Script by: Zach Martin
Video Editor: Kevyn Wallace
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"Vintage Education" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

New Deck Box Review Alert: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZOTlZx3Z65lnsU

[@adamorrin415]

I sense a new dies to removal coming just a hunch

[@Dracinard]

Step 1: Add Merfolk Step 2: Add more Merfolk Step 3: Add Islands (to cast the Merfolk) Professor guaranteed!

[@Lyricaon]

Don't forgett step 4: remove everything but Merfolks and Islands

[@skillganon606]

@@Lyricaon step 5: remove all the merfolk and replace them with counter spells. Call it seafood surprise.

[@marclabrie4063]

Not gonna lie I share the merfolk love and I wish he talked more about merfolk a XD

[@mrtalos]

@@spliffi869 hey, no making the deck overpowered to that level.

[@caioo08]

"Build a commander deck from scratch" stares at edhrec nervously

[@skillganon606]

I do it on gatherer, atleast EDH rec give you some structure

[@daydreamdirty]

I do that on a daily basis honestly. It’s nothing to be scared of if you have a plan.

[@jonlangthorne7924]

I usually start with a commander or “gimmick” and go to gatherer. Once I’ve got a good idea of a deck I check out EDHrec to see if there’s anything I’ve missed or something I hadn’t thought about.

[@AronFiechter]

@@jonlangthorne7924 I had no idea people actually used gatherer, I always found it absolutely horrible for searching cards

[@MidgarMerc]

I use edhrec as a primer then make my own tweaks here and there. There's like 30k cards no shame in not knowing every single one of them

[@NitpickingNerds]

This was a super informative guide. Lots of meaty information for newer players to think about. Great video, Prof!

[@hugopinto195]

Hey get back into your chat!

[@newworldsound]

Powering up your commander deck is easy. It’s powering down and everyone having a fun experience that’s harder. That said, sitting there with not enough lands is no fun. Great video on making sure you have a consistent deck.

[@gaiusjuliuspleaser]

Taking out all the extra turn shenanigans from my Atraxa deck has done wonders for my playgroup. I'd always end up having to play with other decks since nobody wanted to have to gang up on me before I locked everyone else out of the game. Now it's mostly just another Simic Value Engine With No Real Win Con, which is pretty much my preferred playstyle, while still allowing the rest of the table to interact and, more importantly, play a turn of Magic.

[@justnobody5527]

powering down is definitely difficult, our playgroup had a tournement night like 3 months ago and a few of us are still running decks for, having a deck that wins turn 6 every time isnt the most fun for people. howver I've found presenting the theat of lethal for a turn or so mentioning what my next step for me (Zur the Enchanter can be very stright forward) gives them a chance to disrupt it.

[@MrLoowiz]

It's not hard. Start by removing every tutor and extra turn cards. Remove infinite combos and cards that are auto-include in every deck. Don't ask "is this card good?", ask "is this card fun?". Magic players are way too competitive, which is why I don't enjoy playing with people outside of my circle of friends.

[@globenstine1335]

fun is subjective. there are a lot of people that find playing overpowered commander decks fun.

[@MrLoowiz]

@@globenstine1335 I find spending thousands of dollars in singles that give you just a bit more edge than a card that cost cents to be a stupid thing to do, the same way that I find not letting other players play and spending 5 minutes preparing and ramping just to lose to a one turn combo boring and dumb, but to each their own. Competitive commander should be segregated from casual commander, I don't want any of that near my play table.

[@user-qd8pb2xq7j]

It is also important to take into consideration the mana costs of cards in your deck, not only your commander's color identity. I used to have a bunch of boros lands in my Edgar vampire tribal deck until I realized that most of my bity boys ask for black mana, now i only run orzhov and rakdos lands apart from the ones giving any color ofc.

[@skillganon606]

An old friend a mine taught me to calculate devotion before doing your mana base. Has saved me many times.

[@gaiusjuliuspleaser]

That's why I like building decks on sites like TappedOut. As you build the deck it keeps track of stats like devotion, allowing you to better tune your mana base. I used to have the same thing in my Atraxa deck, basing my mana base more on the color identities of the cards, rather than the actual colored mana costs of those cards.

[@SovereignwindVODs]

@@skillganon606 I started doing that myself about 2 years ago after a deck I'd built kept getting screwed on colored mana. "Why do I keep getting white mana when I need black mana?! Oh, it's cus my mana base is split about 45/55 white/black, but the mana requirements is closer to 30/70."

[@nickbalmes6640]

The phrase "Simic value engine with no real win-cons" completely counters the first point you presented Prof ^_^

[@SwagnerCountsThings]

"oh, hello. I didn't see you there" is my comfort opening.

[@KingMadDog7]

Those battlebond lands and filter lands are super useful too, they’re my favorites for sure.

[@Time2GetSweaty]

Thank you professor for getting me into commander. I've been a skeptic for years about it. But after learning from you about the different facets of the gameplay and how fun it can be from you, I gave in and got into commander when AFR came out and now I have 9 decks and I can't get enough. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

[@MTG69]

Andrew, it happens to the best of us. I have been playing since 1994(on and off) and always avoided commander, because that's not how we played growing up. About 4 years ago I got into EDH/commander, and it brought back all the nostalgia of playing back in the day. It's a true expression of what MTG should be, and one of the purist, and most enjoyable formats.

[@stoogeslap]

A few more things to add to the Professor's list of win cons (when riding the 1-trick pony) is counters to counters (going for direct damage in red, run Red Elemental Blast and Pyroblast), ways to limit spells (Silence or City of Solitude), return from graveyard to hand/play, or be able to play from the graveyard. For example of that last one, if there's an artifact that can end the game (Walking Ballista, for example), run Burred Ruin... have an artifact that get's countered a lot and you want to repeatedly use it as a finisher (let's say to multiple opponents), also play Crucible of Worlds to repeatedly be able to get back Buried Ruin. I own over 100 Commander decks and when I am deck building, I think about back-up plans & ways to recoup a combo killer.

[@fallenlords3151]

you can use academy ruins instead of buried ruin + crucible of world too

[@stoogeslap]

@@fallenlords3151 Very true, but only if running blue.

[@Sonitus523]

Just in time! I actually just starting playing commander for the first time with some friends. Im putting a deck together and I hope its good :). I kept most of these in mind I just hope it works out haha thanks for the video professor

[@raymondgonsalves3217]

Thank you, Professor. I enjoy all your content / Collab's, and commander battles.

[@wolvraisyntares1149]

"But as I've said before, time is valuable. Yours and mine." I feel like the cut after this was because you said something to the effect of, "But mostly mine," and thought it wouldn't go over well, but my mind filled in the blank anyway and I found it hilarious hahaha

[@pierpaolomercurio]

Always a pleasure to refresh the basics

[@Vathyk]

I always enjoy my classes with the Prof. Merging informative & fun is no easy task, but it is greatly appreciated.

[@Mecal00]

I really enjoyed this exhaustively thorough and definitive guide :) (12:40)

[@richardjohnson8991]

I really enjoy this editing style. I don't watch your videos daily but this feels really new and fresh. Keep it up Prof

[@prosamis]

One thing about the ratio of what cards to play to add is how accessible they are in your overarching gameplan. An artifact deck that can easily tutor out removal artifacts don't need anywhere as much single target removal, but could still benefit from removal that's more flexible or efficient, based on how you access them Having some cards with niche effects can be really nice if they happen to coincide with what you can tutor should your deck be very toolbox heavy And one thing I love incorporate into the decks I make are engines: understanding what engines your deck can play and what they offer, should they be a win condition, value, interaction, or a pseudo form of value is heavily reliant on the deck's structure Not every deck with black should play torment, though one that establishes urborg and cabal coffers easily should certainly consider it. Artifact decks with blue have access to Artificer's intuition, but it's only truly good if the 1 mana or less artifacts you have in the deck are really worth it Having some mana sinks can be really good in your deck, but not all decks can play mana sinks. Control decks that keep their mana open all the time especially love sinks, yet decks aiming to make the most use out of their mana every turn would have a hard time ever activating a 4 mana activated ability There's so so so much that goes into commander deck building, and as a deckbuilding fanatic that loves making everything from scratch by looking over all the cards in magic's history several times, I've been working on refining my deck building for years to reach a point where I can beat my friends playing netdecked cedh decks (though my decks aren't as powerful as those decks, they can definitely win games and not just through sheer luck) I love discussing deckbuilding strategies with others as well as techs and upgrades, for commander is so unique that everyone can have valuable input Very often do I give people my decks and ask them what I can improve, especially after a game, to get some insight. Overtime, it became my friends coming to me to improve their decks Deck building has to be one of my favorite things in not just magic, but as a hobby I spend hours of my free time committing to

[@Mikefromarsenal]

Thank you for all the info prof!

[@TuxedoReiko]

Love everything about it. Keep up the great work! 👏

[@lvciferx]

Appreciate the recommendations!

[@tobiasstange8346]

Early greetings from Germany! Enjoying your content. Thank's for your shared knowledge!

[@reyny2118]

Diese Kommentarspalte gehört nun der BRD!

[@1KamaronConClase]

Great video as always! I will look at some of the spells in my collection with a different light now.

[@johncochrane312]

Another awesome video, Prof. Thanks for everything you do for us. Agape love from ATL.

[@cboyd2131]

I love these videos! They make my day so much better and I always learn something new.

[@breadenthusiast]

I love your videos! They bring me nothing but joy!

[@richardthomas9529]

I enjoyed this breakdown :) Thanks Prof!

[@Lyricaon]

I can also recomand that if you play a combo, try to use one where the individual pieces are also good on there owne. That can make a huge difference if you end up topdecking.

[@gaiusjuliuspleaser]

That's why I love my Atraxa Counters deck. Most cards will work with one another on some level, and sometimes the right combination of pieces allows me to go infinite 'by accident'. Sometimes I don't even notice it until someone else goes "Dude, you have infinite damage on the board."

[@casketbase7750]

I run the *Chance For Glory* / *Angel’s Grace* combo in my Feather deck, and the latter has saved my butt by itself before.

[@Lyricaon]

@@gaiusjuliuspleaser I have somthing simular with my Korvold Treasures Deck, didn't even plan to have any infinite combos in the deck and realised while playing I build one in by accident.

[@okanut]

This video is of some help to me! Thanks Prof!

[@MegaFlecki]

I love everything you do on this channel!

[@grampaw5605]

Love your work on IHYD -especially when you and Post traded get ups. Prof Rocks!

[@enemene22]

Great video, Proff. One of your best instructional videos so far. Thanks for all of your great work!

[@phoenixjones2569]

Very nice guide prof, I’m personally a little confused as a new player to some of the land stuff mentioned, but I think I understand well enough. Hope y’all having an awesome day today dudes!

[@torinwilliams4671]

Amazing video prof, i frequently show my boyfriend to your channel if he has a question or is learning a concept you have covered in the past

[@mizzogames]

Great video as always professor!

[@sillyb1975]

Thanks for the tips prof!

[@aaronoyster9627]

Thanks for the tips Professor.

[@Rich2799]

Solid tips. I need to check my decks and see what swaps I need to make

[@georgosogourousis4014]

Liked, subscribed, bell hit, and this is a comment. Great video! Keep putting out useful and informative content like this, please. Your reviews and buying guides have been invaluable in helping me make better purchasing decisions and resisting that impulse to buy product in sets I really don't care all that much for but nonetheless feel the "buy the box, crack those packs" compulsion. Thanks, Professor.

[@ahoesman]

Always good to go to the basics

[@arleojrmarcelino4465]

Very informative sir, Thanks! 👍👍👍👍

[@benjamindonovan8108]

Thanks for the awesome video!

[@tedhand6237]

I get a lot out of these videos not only for working on my MTG game but also appreciate the Prof's modeling good stuff for my teaching game.

[@markverdugo4501]

Thanks for another great video! Your content is always so great.

[@shadowinddeath4853]

Thank you,you're videos are awesome and extremely helpful.please keep up your awesome work

[@Divinegon1706]

Great vid prof!

[@nathancrane8214]

One thing I’d recommend is to include more cards that make the table more dynamic, not for tuning but simply because it’s fun. Cards like Fact or Fiction or Telepathy are good cards yet also very interesting.

[@skillganon606]

I used to run telepathy in my group hug deck, got me killed a few times.

[@itsallenwow]

Also Monarch cards make Commander games much less likely to turn into 2 hour slogs of nothing!

[@benjyskutch-freedman6839]

Fact or Fiction is great. It's basically "get the best card out of the top five cards of your library, and sometimes another card (or two!)" All for four mana at instant speed. It's such a strong card that back in the day, WotC had to print Seedtime-a two mana, green, instant Time Walk that can only be cast if an opponent cast a blue spell this turn-to combat Fact or Fiction.

[@MTG69]

@@skillganon606 everyone hates on Telepathy.

[@scotthelgert6473]

Great video professor!

[@chrisriggio1996]

we love you proff keep the videos coming and we will keep watching

[@ianomalley6100]

that thumbs up "good job" really sent a warmth through me

[@tike481]

Can always count on the Prof to make videos that I now don't have to explain certain concepts to newer players! I use your land videos all the time as I know how I want my mana bases, but I struggle to explain things to a newer player. Magic gets complex and even the basics can be a bit of a battle to explain so having these as a option or choice is great.

[@arturvisconde4146]

Loved the tips prof

[@ggpt9641]

Happy to have this video exist.

[@benjaminvic53]

Can't wait for your Merfolk commander guide with the Dominaria-centered future releases :3

[@fl4tgamer639]

Always love your videos ☺️

[@andersrkeness2721]

Nice Video Sir, Commander Is My Favorite. Keep Up The Good Work! Your Videos Are Always Entertaining & Informative 😀😀😀

[@samsparks7239]

I thought I had a pretty good understanding of chaos until I started playing the commander format. I always get stuck on the amount of removal spells and the types to use. Thanks for the upload.

[@not_cardoso]

Just built my first ever commander deck so this video might be useful! 😁

[@AscendtionArc]

Thanks for this video.

[@arturozambrano2667]

I really love your content keep it up!

[@joshvannatter2012]

Most excellent!!!

[@burnsboy101]

Those mana base videos have helped a lot

[@magicjnkie216]

good info. thanks!

[@stephenswift125]

good job as always prof

[@ballisticcbee4373]

Needed thissss. I have 3 decks I’ve built from scratch and I want to make them better

[@3lg3r4ld6]

Very usefull video professor👍

[@cosmicturban2797]

I would really enjoy hearing about the prof's breakdown of card valuation regarding commander gameplay.

[@Kajin1976]

Finally an upload that does not drown in commercials

[@avatarkc]

Figuring out that there were tons of different Land Cycles from past editions was a real eye-opener for me.

[@DerInselaffe]

If the Prof ever stops turning around pretending to be caught off guard at the start of every video, I will be very sad.

[@jinxed7915]

Is.... someone going to tell him?

[@bloodblade487]

I've been building some of my first cEDH decks. Would love some videos about cEDH :)

[@SPLITKOOKS]

Thanks for all the work you do for the gathering! The prep and sheer volume of effort always shows, another killer upload! See you in Vegas (hopefully)!

[@SPLITKOOKS]

ALSO, thanks for always saving me time, that's something that I think is generally TOTALLY overlooked, because more time having fun playing is the end goal.

[@travisdaniels1643]

I have been playing 10 years this guide helps my newer players alot

[@aladoristcg3769]

Very well done video

[@starlord157]

Besides a magic lesson, the prof is teaching us vocabulary. Bravo sir, bravo. 🎩🎩

[@uwtartarus]

As a veteran player, I knew all of these things and yet having it explained for newbs and elders alike, it made more of it make sense. Time to reevaluate my dozen EDH decks!

[@777CrimsonChaos]

I think it’s also important to consider options for protecting your critical pieces as well as yourself sometimes. Sometimes a Greaves or Boots are enough, but it always pays off to have options. White and green both have myriad options for protection. Blue of course relies on counters but has options like Lazotep Plating as well. Black has plenty of reanimation like Kaya’s Ghostform as well. Red probably the hardest time with protection, it’s best options being either artifacts that offer it, pairing with other colors, or of course Deflecting Swat.

[@felipeattux9616]

I'll watch another one of your videos right now ;)

[@bluecraftsandgarden5130]

Thanks prof! I have a hard time balancing the mana value of my cards 😅

[@nicholashowie5829]

Prof kinda touched on it when talking about the efficiency of removal, but just in general you can power up your decks by lowering the average mana value. If yours is over 3.5 without lands you gotta have a really good reason for that and I wouldn't even attempt it without green.

[@scottier5590]

Thanks Prof!!!!

[@coltoncollects290]

Nice Video! 👍

[@Jerhevon]

I do like having a set of cards with a similar goal (Say, help my creatures survive combat) but that explore different spaces. For instance one effect regenerates a creature repeatedly, another one prevents my opponents creatures from dealing damage, and a third is a flash creature that mass buffs my creatures. That way they solve my primary problem, but also contribute additional utility.

[@ZakKena]

usefull video ! thanks

[@christiancornier9357]

Thanks prof!

[@befuddledfaun]

Thanks prof!!!

[@Phe0nix1986]

Scrolling back!!!

[@watchdogsboston]

Let’s go! Just in time for work.

[@burglesnatchandcompany5062]

1 and 2 drop mana rocks are key in my opinion. Of course 0 drop if your wallet can afford it. Or any artifact that draws you a card and or adds mana. Ex. Chromatic star or urza's bauble

[@STVMcarbondragon]

Hmm, I may take some time to go apply these to my decks. I did recently prune back the non-basics I keep around for deck building, but I don't think I really had any formal logic for it. This could help refine that process too.

[@giannisforrester7375]

Me and my boyfriend have spent the past five years listening to you for hours on end as we play magic, work on art, or do chores. I'm glad to hear that the algorithm appreciates it!

[@judgekonnan]

Flavor above all.

[@CstylesX]

My EDH decks got destroyed at my LGS this past weekend and was thinking about this topic. Thanks TCC! Now get out of my head.

[@yeetthins7561]

Good info thx

[@westernredcedar1097]

Love seeing more edh content

[@chriszhang4822]

Clicked an older video because you’re awesome and asked so politely

[@thomassawyer3685]

Good suggestions here, but I still focus more on ramp and card draw capability when trying to squeeze a little extra performance from a deck.

[@daleunsaque]

We love you too, Prof!

[@patchristian9174]

Thanks for making another video about commander decks prof, I need this since I'm new in mtg and hoping to buy myself a commander deck old stickfinger commander deck from midnight hunt innistrad. Keep it up prof, this will be a big help.. 😁👍🙏♥️