Reading the Card Explains the Card | Commander | Magic: the Gathering

[@romanbowman1410]

You should of included the full text basic lands, truly allows players to understand what their lands are able to do

[@EDHRECast]

Oooooooh good call!

[@Couldnt_Be_Bothered]

​@@EDHRECast Don't forget the full text planeswalkers while you're at it

[@Syncopiia]

Somebody made a Falkor from Neverending Story custom that makes your sagas un-sacrificable, and I immediately was like "this needs all full text Plains".

[@celticknight2190]

Commander should really be Garth One Eye which has multiple cards on it with no descriptions

[@EDHRECast]

GREAT pick!

[@eagle_vision_13]

i was drinking coffee when the decklist showed, then i sprayed it all laughing

[@EDHRECast]

Ha awesome! Sorry about causing a mess! :P

[@mrTjstephens1]

This looks like a Ben Brode deck he would bring to commander at home to troll Oliva

[@FSUMercerian]

Well now he will and I’m ready to see it 😂😂😂

[@Fabiundso]

Everytime i see Ben in the thumbnail i'm excited to what he's gonna bring to the table, i love this guy with his infectious laughter!

[@zephyrpickell1398]

I love how Wheel of Misfortune just has the normal printing

[@marcoottina654]

0:47 cool that you've included the "non-artifact" Walking Atlas creature

[@ButzPuff]

You could also include the Green Border Serendib Efreet, Blue Hurricane and Spanish Misprint "Time Elemental" Serra Angel in here as well.

[@EDHRECast]

Those are all great suggestions!

[@fancycoat9900]

Just because of this video, i'm now honestly gonna make a legitimate, easy to read, play commander. You somehow made a challenge that I must accept

[@joedoe7572]

Might I suggest Jasmine of the Boreal? Or is that cheating?

[@CaramelTornado]

A friend just asked me to teach him how to play. Looks like I found the perfect deck 👌

[@hugmonger]

lol this reminds me of a video done by Red Bobcat who posted something very similar, just possibly a bit more grumpy than goofy. He was using Omnath as the commander iirc cuz you know, its important to have clearly stated up front what your commander does so everyone can read it.

[@KeroTheInvincible]

Great list! I think a nice include would be an original text Rock Hydra. It's a great way to let players know how rules text is formatted, and will TOTALLY not confuse them on how counters or activated abilities work. I know the deck is already pretty good on counterspells, but I think a worthy consideration would would be Mystic Denial. I'm sure they won't have any trouble understanding a counterspell that clearly says it's a SORCERY. And finally, I think the deck could definitely benefit from an extended art Tarmogoyf Nest. Such a neat piece of Magic history. And I'm certain a new player would have NO trouble figuring out what a Tarmogoyf token is.

[@barrytdrake]

Thanks, Cody and Joey! You could include Questing Beast in English, and it still wouldn't help. 😀

[@Lazydino59]

Reading the card explained the card 10 years ago when cards had simple effects and there weren’t 50 of them on the table with 5 different arts and frames and they all had card advantage stapled onto them

[@pianoman090]

Scryfall's about to have a really great day.

[@philopoemen1806]

I failed a literacy check so hard last night I conceded in brawl out of embarrassment. Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder was my commander and I was very sure I would win when I sacrificed her as part of a card my opponent played knowing her dealing damage on death would finish them. Turns out I needed two mana in order for that to work.

[@bkyang624]

I think this is my favorite video you all have ever posted. Hahaha!

[@bkyang624]

Also, I’d definitely include the full text basic lands because you absolutely need to read them in their entirety to understand how they work.

[@bertowiseguy]

I started smelling burnt eggs and seeing triple by the time I got to the end of the video. This is madness 🤣

[@toolthegreat]

Raging River is an auto include to make combat easier to understand

[@Stalzer2002]

This deck needs Ice Cauldron.

[@komitadjimcduff8853]

Great deck list, now to go find those cards and build it.

[@EDHRECast]

Surely with all those Secret Lair and promo cards it's a SUPER cheap deck to put together in paper!

[@joedoe7572]

​@@EDHRECastwhat's the total price?

[@Fabiundso]

It's funny, as soon as the showed us the textless urzas saga a few months ago i had the same idea. Thanks for putting this together so i don't have to. And the other confusing cards, i haven't thought about that, thats a great addition!

[@sucros]

My only copy of Cryptic Command is that textless version. Although it's largely been outclassed, I will never take it out of my cube as people's faces when they encounter it is always great.

[@Oktobyr]

This is great, I'm in love! My friend is just recently starting to dip toes into Commander.... Time to proxy this!

[@rainx381]

I recall Lagrella, the Magpie as an example of reading the card actually caused confusion.

[@Kaxxaa]

Reading the card explains most of the cards

[@slightly_confused_angel]

The original Power Surge and Mana Web are in my Yurlok of Scorch Thrash deck, and I always have to have Scryfall open to read the simplified text on them.

[@joedoe7572]

What about the new textless full art Gigantosaurus? "And what's this one do?" "Do? Why would you think it does something?"

[@garlicxlr]

Add cards that change individual words in card texts. And Exchange of Words that change the whole textbox. "See, this card has no text on it, so your card is now a vanilla!"

[@TheWarden04]

I have collected 1 phyrexian text card for this deck i cannot wait to get the rest

[@legruntdu94]

Next Semester Secret Lair Deck looks incredible

[@JJMickeyMusic]

So I had an idea for a "Judge Tower' variant using these kind of cards with the added rules that you can 'challenge' your opponent on playing a card wrong (the only time you're allowed to look a card up) and if they are they lose but if they're playing the card correctly you lose.

[@DustRodg]

Lifeline (exists) Lifeline: What am I, a functional card as-written to you?!

[@thomaseddy7347]

Is the Oil Slick Zopandrel in there? The normal art only costs 2 phyrexian green to activate his ability, but if you have the Oil Slick version, you have to pay an extra generic mana more to activate it. I wonder if that means I can play both in the same deck?

[@EDHRECast]

Great pick!

[@zcck7885]

Came here to say this

[@Azeria]

I have a deck I built most of while I was in Japan. Most of the cards are English but it’s still very much a ‘I promise that is what that does’ experience.

[@Sedr1s]

Hilarious, love the ironic decklist with the most confusing printings possible! The wave cycle is another one that’s confusing, cards like Parallax Wave and other such cards that accidentally break the game.

[@Kyronex0]

Wait what's wrong with Parallax Wave?

[@Sedr1s]

@ it works fine if you use it the way it was intended. But if you destroy it or remove it while the “remove a counter: exile target” effect is still on the stack, its “return all exiled with it to play” triggers and resolves before the new target gets exiled. So someone can remove the enchantment before its target gets exiled in order to permanently exile the wave’s target(s). It’s a bug with how the card was written, misbehaves with the stack and effect resolution. The card should tie the effects together, but because they are separate triggers, it leaves room for interference and abuse.

[@Kyronex0]

@@Sedr1s Ah, so it works the same as stuff like Leonin Relic Warder or Fiend Hunter, where you can blink it with the exile effect on the stack to permanently exile something

[@Sedr1s]

@@Kyronex0 exactly. It’s unfortunate, in my opinion. I really liked the idea of using those to protect my own stuff or play with “enters play” effects. But because of the mistakes in how the cards are written it makes you vulnerable to people messing with the priority and trigger effects.

[@UnreasonableOpinions]

Don't forget Simulacrum, which now works in exactly the opposite order to the text on the card.

[@CivMaster6517]

german ugin the spirit dragon exile everything with X or more.

[@CmdrUD87]

3:20 make sure your brother gives him a foli ladership vacuum for christmas

[@skinkintreeshade3673]

My favorite card for this is the poster version of Arwen, Mortal Queen. It especially good since all the text IS on the card... but where? Also seeing how many times you can play her for 1 less mana is a fun game since the 1 blends into the background super well. Also shout outs to the entire goblin instagram secret lair for having *almost* all the text.

[@ashsattva]

This is great. I like the idea of making another deck like this but the theme is including every single mechanic I can from magic's history, especially the confusing ones like day/night, enter the dungeon, miracle. A deck nobody could ever pilot correctly their first time, and then give it to a new player 😈 Unfortunately I never built it because I enjoy playing with people lol.

[@brendans1983]

One must include a foil 10th edition Time Stop

[@jaredg7516]

Someone needs a hug!

[@facehill72]

Wish all decks where this easy. 😂

[@Aerix]

So.. full-text basics or mono-chrome moon-lit basics?

[@empurress77]

Might as well throw Humility in there too.

[@DrOmnipotent]

Kellan, Daring explore adventures to make map tokens without telling you what they (or exploring) is. Also feel like Ring tempting needs to be here haha

[@zacburgess5318]

You fell for one of the classic blunders! Most well known is never get involved in a land war in Asia. Only slightly less known is never assume that reading the card explains the card! *cackles in Sicilian*

[@lokidragon8725]

Definitely include lifeline that thing seems innocent enough, Definitely didn't get errata nerfed in the early days of Magic then forgotten about because it's a reserve list card... I'm not salty that it messed up my aristocrats deck... X(

[@devinkerr5474]

There is someone named Cody out there, and I refuse to tread on them

[@jacc1854]

Personally I think Spacegodzilla Death Corona deserves a place in there

[@Jon_East]

Hey, I'm new around here (edhrec, not mtg in general) and just wanted to say: Heck yeah, more queer representation among mtg personalities!

[@fanimedusoleil]

As someone just getting into Magic, this is... mistifying

[@clall86]

This needs to be in shuffle up and play

[@dougo670]

Hope you get a chance to play this on an invite to shuffle up and play lol

[@Zachlareef]

Why is there no milk on Bant? They're Rakdos intolerant.

[@MajraMangetsu]

I'm sending this to my boyfriend.

[@MTGVS]

The prof needs to play against this deck on a shuffle up and play...

[@happybrain2674]

i hope one of the textless cards can be in a language outside of english. like spanish ^^ also there are some ursas glases that dont have the tap symbol

[@marlowehansen]

Does it run oubliette? Everyone knows what it does

[@ChristopherSmithGPlus]

How did you miss Simulacrum?

[@CosmicErrata]

This isn't April....

[@dapperghastmeowregard]

Great video, but if we wanna be pedantic (which, we play Magic :P), technically none of the textless cards qualify as textless cards can't be read, much like a nonexistent mana cost can't be paid.

[@FernandoGonzalez-hu3id]

And thats before you get into foreing lenguage cards I Have a M11 Spanish Disentomb that returns the creature to the battlefield instead of your hand

[@johnnyborbon5085]

Bring upping the average back:(

[@davidengkent7756]

Giving this deck to your husband would be grounds for divorce

[@lightfut]

When lands enter he.... Well you get mana and then.... ???? Profit

[@johnwhite3215]

Ben Brode coded

[@famousstranger8468]

Plantir of orthanc Do you scry first then target or vice versa? Who knows reading the card explains the card

[@GrimmGeist]

Your April Fool's video seems to have dropped a couple of months early.

[@ncuco]

WHAT

[@kurowasanabe]

No Wheel of Potential, where you get 3 energy, pat 1, and then make everyone draw 200?

[@kanaxai8448]

An Aprils fool video in december?

[@jasonwild7395]

No Prisoner's Dilemma?

[@joedoe7572]

It's really not that complicated, just long to write

[@commiecommandermtg]

Commie Commander here, I appreciate you making this video! In the short time I've been working to build a social media presence, particularly on Facebook, I've noticed how many people genuinely believe this statement. While I understand you’re being facetious, as a long-time viewer of your channel, I feel this is an important topic to address. One of the most pervasive ableist and discriminatory tropes in Magic: The Gathering is the phrase "reading the card explains the card." While not the worst, it’s definitely problematic, perhaps falling somewhere between outdated terms like "degenerate" (still commonly used) and the slowly fading "tribal." Since this is such a relevant discussion, I’d like to share my perspective. As someone who advocates for accessibility, champions diversity, and fights for accommodations both in Magic: The Gathering and in my daily life, I think it's worth highlighting why "reading the card" often doesn't actually explain the card. This is especially true not only for nuanced gameplay interactions but also for fostering an inclusive and understanding community. Thank you for sparking this conversation, and I hope we can continue to create a more accessible and welcoming environment for all players. With that, I wanted to give a lengthy reply so the community can understand why this statement is a pretty harmful assumption! (Sorry EDH rec for the long windiness, but hey at least it is interaction! :) )

[@commiecommandermtg]

1. Dismissive of Cognitive and Learning Differences The phrase assumes that everyone processes and retains written information in the same way, which is simply not true. Players with dyslexia, ADHD, or other cognitive differences may struggle to parse and interpret the text on cards, especially under the pressure of gameplay. The suggestion that reading the card is all that's needed dismisses these challenges and can make individuals feel excluded or inadequate.

[@commiecommandermtg]

2. Ignores Physical Accessibility Needs Some players with visual impairments may rely on accommodations such as screen readers or other assistive technologies to understand cards. When players assert that reading alone is sufficient, it disregards the additional effort and tools some individuals need to engage with the game. This creates a barrier to participation for those who require these resources.

[@commiecommandermtg]

3. Overlooks Complexity and Ambiguity Magic: The Gathering cards often have intricate interactions or ambiguous wording. Even for neurotypical and able-bodied players, the rules text isn't always immediately clear. By relying on this phrase, players dismiss the genuine need to discuss, clarify, and teach card mechanics, creating an environment where only those already familiar with the game can thrive.

[@commiecommandermtg]

4. Perpetuates a Culture of Exclusion The phrase is often used in a condescending or mocking tone, aimed at players who ask questions or need clarification. This contributes to a gatekeeping culture that discourages new or less experienced players from fully engaging in the game. For marginalized individuals, this additional layer of exclusion can make them feel unwelcome.

[@commiecommandermtg]

5. Reinforces Systemic Ableism In a broader sense, insisting on a “one-size-fits-all” approach to understanding perpetuates ableist norms, where society expects everyone to function in ways that align with neurotypical or able-bodied standards. Magic: The Gathering has the potential to be a diverse and inclusive game, but this kind of rhetoric reinforces systemic barriers that many are working hard to dismantle.

[@simplesandcastle]

No notes. This is perfect