The Correct Answers | The Command Zone 101

[@Flickstro]

I love the diversity of topics you guys cover and the perspective you lend to this format. I honestly wouldn't change a thing. Thank you :)

[@xancaster]

I love how you guys are always saying what me and hopefully everyone wants to hear, and all you guys need to do is keep on doing what you're doing. Every week I wait until a video comes out. Love you guys keep up the good work.

[@nathanmarcano3171]

Quick note; For Anafenza, it only says creatures your opponets control get exiled if they'd go to the graveyard.

[@jeremynelson1347]

I like how you guys talked about knowing what your deck is weak to. I have found this increasing true when I was brewing a Phenax deck. The deck lost to Ulamog and Aggro and I now how about a dozen ways to respond to an Ulamog shuffle effect and a dozen other ways to slow down aggro. Found you guys in the last few months and love all your videos. Keep it up!

[@jeremynelson1347]

I unfortunately don't have a deck list. =/ If your playing Phenax ( are in B/U) there are a couple cards i use to medicate getting run at. Some gain me life and others remove the creatures. You can also use politics to your advantage! If you have enough control you can promise retaliation in counter spells, targeting, and removal. This is even better at instant speed. The cards below all help with aggro in one way or another. Another strategy is sit back and don't give them a reason to target you. I will hold onto my scary cards if i cant defend myself after I play them. Profane Memento, Propaganda, Aetherize, Reality Shift, Avatar of Woe, King Macar, Cemetery Reaper(creates blockers), Coffin Queen, Undead Alchmist, Toxic Deluge(board wipe on turn three?!?!?), Black Sun Zenith(removes little guys early or makes them smaller later), Turn to swine(remove one or more problems early or late) Hope this helps!

[@ThePhantomphan11]

I haven't heard too many of the level up episodes, but this is probably my favorite episode you guys have done. And I'm definitely going to go back and listen to all the level up episodes!

[@alexkuzara6003]

My favorite episodes are he ones with special guests. Just listening to some of the best personalities in the MTG community share why they love the game and delve into different factes of the game is awesome. I also really love when the guests spotlight a deck they have and you guys run through it all. One addition that would be sweet would be some live gameplays. You guys rock!

[@simonlefebvre2005]

What I like the most?: It's a very broad podcast with alot of different topic and you guys nailed everyone of them. I also like when you invite guest to the show. What I dont like?: I missed the live stream of the 100th episodes. Common guys more advertisement! What I wish you talked about more?: 1v1 in Commander, specifically, French commander. How can you improve it? : Try new things, and add visuals, we need to see you :) From French Canadian fan !

[@joemeenie]

I think you guys are the best part. You're friendly and make the show interesting. I'd like to hear more deck doctors!

[@NYoumans]

What I like most: You guys cover a wide variety of topics and cater to many different audiences. Your explanations are clear and concise, and you display a profound knowledge of the game and of this format in particular. You've also produced a fair deal of content since the podcast's inception. Kudos. What I like least: You tend to focus exclusively on free-for-all, multi-player edh and far less on two-headed giant and 1v1 variants... almost to the point that one might think there is no other way to play commander. Of course, some principles discussed here are transferable, but not all. Having played in a meta where two-headed giant and 1v1 games far outnumber those played as a free-for-all, I have drawn the conclusion that they are each their own "beast" in terms of basic scenerios encountered, optimal deck construction, and varioius strategies. For instance, the advantage that comes from cards with the myriad mechanic is quite strong in FFA, but is less so in two-headed, and is null in 1v1. You see where I'm going with this.

[@coryledwitch6492]

I think a valid point that is missed when talking about improving yourself as a MtG player is that you really need to expand your knowledge of a great number of popular builds within your format. I understand that there are a great number of EDH decks out there, but there really are very few highly popular decks that you are most likely to encounter within games that you play- either within your playgroup or outside of it. The most wonderful thing about this concept is that there is such a vast array of information online where you can pull up deck lists and actually see, "what ARE the current popular builds?", or, "what ARE the most used cards per budget?". The Command Zone is a perfect example of this. I would bet my entire collection that if a novice player watched every episode of your webcast, they would most definitely become a better player in general. I digress. Anyways, unless you are playing Commander every night of the week, and playing different popular decks every time, your only resources to find proper answers to popular card threats needs to be online research. Even if it's not a popular deck archetype, you can at least find something similar with similar cards and mechanics to research answers. Mechanics. That's a good point. It really does boil down to what kind of mechanic that deck using. If you do some research, there are only a few 'overall' mechanics of popular successful decks. In Commander, i would feel good at making the assumption that 9 times out of 10 your opponents commander will telegraph what main mechanic that deck is using. Atraxa=proliferate so you're going to need answers for counters and plainswalkers. Muldrotha= graveyard recursion so you'll need answers for that i.e. graveyard exile or cards like Ground Seal. Etc. etc. Obviously, you can never have every answer to every threat within every deck, and you can't expect every random "high ceiling" card, but most experienced EDH players won't put too many cards outside of the flow of their deck in their decks, anyways. It's just not efficient to do so. Two or three at most i would say. But, knowing the popular cards in every color that are most popular in whatever format definitely helps out there as well. And Josh, 90% of every sport is mental. So, you can be a great basketball player with great game, but if you fold under mental stress and don't have the brain game....you're not going to be great. Michael Jordan was the GOAT not because he had the capacity to score more points than anyone else, but he was able to get inside his opponents head and mess with their mindset. When you excel at both the game and the mind game......you become a great player.

[@jacobdachauer4377]

Honestly, I really love what you guys do. You have a fantastic variety of things you talk about. Different tactics, ways to improve, mistakes people make, ways to build decks, the new cards coming out, and how they fit into decks, deck doctors (although a touch more of this would be nice). All the things you do have improved myself as a player, with the decks I have and use, even though you have never gone over a deck build for my decks that I play. That is what I love the most. I know I was a below average deckbuilder and player before, while now I know I am much better. I may not spend as much, but the concepts are what I use to improve. Keep up the fantastic work guys, I really love watching this every week.

[@michaelislost7164]

What I love the most : You guys are just fun and entertaining to listen to! I'll never stop listening.What I love the least : I would love more coverage on ways to make commander more Fun. Not competitive- but full of laughs and enjoyable. Also I feel a lot of the episodes are too narrow, or only focus on new players- not as great for veteran players. (like top decking your Elvish mystic turn 10)

[@Festentorsdag]

I really like how you break the game down to what is important making it less about what cards we play, but more about how we play them. I hate feeling forced to buy certain cards to win. Though, I had like you to set up scenaries of real game play, showing your point. Maybe seeing the scenarie when you are doing wrong and then when doing right. And that brings me to what I think you should make a topic about. How to learn from a game. I think that's oftens where most of us fail, including me. Did I pinpoint the right misstake I did, so that I can correct it next time? I'm not sure I did. Anyway, I love you're shows, even though I've just resonately started watching them. :)

[@kennethcole6230]

I really like when y'all have guests on the show and also when you do deck techs or talk strategy. I would love to see that deck improvement series and maybe just briefly talking about an interesting deck idea/ commander in each episode.

[@maxpower2480]

I really loved the collaborative deckbuilding... Always fun to see a cool deck come toegether

[@Bucket_Boy101]

The way I see the difference between "strong players" and "weak players" is both having answers when they're needed and correct threat assessment. Weak players are bad at threat assessment.

[@peterhousen7974]

Late to respond here, but this can also be people who can sequence properly. Being good at both Sequencing and Assessing Threats is very important.

[@its_CatNap]

love most: when u guys theorize about magic plays and really show the game as an art form and not just a game. love least: hard to say other than maybe more deck doctors n more interviews?! really tho u guys rock!

[@-KillaWatt-]

The pilot of a deck matters tremendously. Card knowledge is superior to all others. Knowledge of what has been printed over the years is a big advantage to any player.

[@epee11c]

I like the command zone because you guys are great personalities and always make the podcasts interesting and helpful. I would really like to see more gameplay. It would be really cool if you guys could record your games and upload them occasionally. It wouldn't have to have some crazy edits but it would be cool to see. Then if you wanted you could even include short clips in the edit for the youtube version of the show. I just hope it wouldn't be too much work to upload (mostly) unedited clips and it would allow us to see how you guys play firsthand.

[@emilviuff2514]

The way to improve in magic is just to know mechanics and interactions and be well aware of how to "abuse" the cards available to you in said game. Since drawing from a shuffled deck will always add a random element, then learning how to adapt effeciently on the fly is a good skill to improve on.

[@GellarFieldEngineer]

I think I live stream of you going over your commander decks would be pretty sweet and some games as well.

[@AQuietMyth]

Also, Debt To The Deathless, enough said.

[@Jaimby]

I loved the guest interviews those were the best! But I would really love to see a game from you usual playgroup with Jimmy, Josh, Craig and the others.

[@Kestral287]

Doubling down for the end step questions~ Honestly the thing I think I like the most is the laid-back attitude that you guys have. I can tell that you (and your guests) are having fun with the discussions and really the game as a whole, and that makes the whole thing a lot more enjoyable. You clearly know what you're talking about, but so do the hosts of almost every successful podcast. But I hear a lot more laughter and such from you guys than a lot of your fellows, and that really does matter. About the only thing I dislike is how far away some of the discussions get from the actual cards. Don't get me wrong-- discussions like this are cool and important, but they tend to get very vague and theoretical. The pieces that had "hey, here's an example from my playgroup" like the Dictate/Anafenza bit about not answering an answered card, were much more impactful than the more generalized "well you shouldn't always kill something immediately, but at the last relevant moment". Both were great pieces of advice, and really the latter piece is probably more vital, but the Dictate/Anafenza sticks with you more I think. The only big improvement that I'd like to see is bringing back the Deck Techs. I love some of the older episodes where you spent a lot of time tying the topic of discussion back to the deck that you're going to discuss later, and then spent the last half or third of the episode talking about a guest's deck or some such. I do totally understand that they go long and that they're not for every discussion-- fitting one into, say, the banworthy cards discussion seems like it'd be rough-- but maybe once every two or three episodes could be workable?

[@joshleekwai8895]

+Kestral287 Great comment and well thought-out and stated. Thanks a ton!

[@maxpower2480]

Even worse: sometimes the wrong play is the correct play. Sometimes it's absolutely correct to play around certain removal, but failing to do so will reward you if your opponent doesn't have it. That is one of the big issues of improving in a game with hidden information.

[@VadeSatana]

Balancing the fun of Commander against the competitive nature of MTG is a very fine line. It is a game of skill and tact. We all want to do flashy things; but in reality what we really want is to do something flashy and pull it off some of the time.

[@Jake-rp4pe]

If you guys do more live stuff. I would love it to be more interactive with the chat with usage of Strawpolls, like chat can vote on the commander game they were playing. Let us randomly cast a Counsel's Judgement, vote to let a player draw a card, or other fun effects. Or go extreme and let chat play in the game. One of you can pilot basic stuff but let chat pick who you attack, nuke with a spell or something like that. I would love to help out however you guys need with this kinda stuff! LOVE listing to you guys and your a highlight of my work week! PS come to Minneapolis GP so we can play some EDH :)

[@WilhelmScreamer]

If you could quantify it, how many "silver bullets" would you include when building a deck? (In a vacuum?) I love the blackjack analogy with respect to instant versus sorcery. I think the biggest problem in my own playgroup when it comes to answers is easily the "half answer." So many players, (especially myself) have a constant issue with failing to recognize on board effects or combat tricks. This is something I'll have to make strides to improve upon. With respect to "for the listeners": One of the biggest appeals of the command zone is the high production values. So many podcasts I've tried to listen to about other games sound (and look) like they were produced with the most primitive methods possible. One other big appeal is the emphasis on the higher concepts of play over raw deckbuilding. Focus on the concepts of play means that I can take more lessons with me; this in turn helps me much more as a player to improve. As for improvements or suggestions: something that you mention often on the show but I think could be explored in far greater detail is alternate formats of play. And since I am a giant casual scrub I'd love to hear a more in depth exploration on the topic of tribal (which arguably runs counter to my point of preferring conceptual discussion to deckbuilding discussion, but who cares TRIBAL). The one problem I have with episode 100 is that the live game did not do much to improve the livestream. The game did not really interact with the podcast beyond the bell. And the bell could have been tied to an RNG controlled timer. The effect was more distracting than beneficial. Having a live game is super cool, but I think the presentation of it can be improved. Getting to see the gears in your collective heads turning was pretty fascinating too. The stream was extremely fun and I eagerly await the next thing you guys do.

[@bayard56]

The lies of locke lamora is so good! Congrats to whoever gets it.

[@zachclark2936]

Love listening to this in my car 10/10

[@jays2376]

I am the worst at doing things at the right time. I can pull Leyline of Anticipation 4 games in a row, and end up main phasing everything :(

[@Practicallyliterate]

I personally would love to see more gameplay in future streams. I enjoyed the whole special (it was a blast to watch) but I honestly would have preferred it if you guys had just played edh for 3 hours. Barely any content of that ilk actually exists and it would be awesome if you guys paved the way. Great podcast as always!

[@konaPup]

I'm loving the command vone because I'm not the best player but I'm getting better and better, my favorite thing about the show is it helps me grow, you guys give me so much usefully information. my least favorite thing about the show is umm... hmm maybe that sometimes I wish there was more of a vessels I guess. other than that I love the show so much

[@steffenbrand1788]

I'd love to see some more unusual commander analysis and deck strategies. To me it feels like there are only a few ways commander is played and there are a LOT of standard decks that feel the same. Breaking this up a bit would be fun to see =)

[@kappakappakappabitch]

The Lies of Locke Lamora is a great book.

[@josephg279]

my favorite part of episode 100 was the guest also a live game of commander was cool too

[@6ftTiny]

You know, you reviewed the 2014/15 Commander sets - what about the older products? Got anything planned for that?

[@joshleekwai8895]

+6ftTiny It's definitely something we may do in the future. The it becomes less and less relevant as each new set comes out. Taking the time to review old expensive products that not very many people are going to buy might not be the best use of our time? Or I could be totally wrong about that...

[@Garchicero]

The main issue I have with this is that every deck including all the right answers ends up creating decks that have 85-90% of the same cards. You get like 10 maybe slots to fit personal playstyle, but every other slot has to be every answer for every possible interaction between cards for every moment. It's boring. When I started I was told EDH was the format with endless possibilities... endless? I see the same 50-60 cards being used and re-used again and again. Also... I so so regret ditching white from my decks =(. White is getting most of the good stuff lately...

[@Vash1585]

Loved the professor under water and the infect hate ;D

[@maneatinplantguy]

I love the command zone If I were to give feedback, i would say to try expanding and exploring other metas, because each meta is very different and because of this your opinions might be narrow the podcast is doing great, keep up the extraordinary work

[@MrFoxbane]

What are the biggest mistakes in tribal or vorthos/lore based decks?

[@dylanreisberg1514]

more live game play, but with you guys playing!

[@Kestral287]

When Jimmy said he's done music in the past, my mind went straight to Asians in the Library. Gonna have to watch that again.

[@joshleekwai8895]

+Kestral287 Hahaha! It's so good. I watched it pretty recently, it still holds up.

[@Kestral287]

That was actually the video that led me to you guys. :D

[@aidan8473]

This is a great episode for new players. As a Grixis Neku-storm player however, please don't tell people how to answer my bullshit.

[@lukebyer2614]

with the live stream, my favorite part was the game. yeah I liked the deck building but some parts were boring. I think that doing a live stream where you and a couple of other players play a game would be the best

[@MajorlySpicy]

Is Jimmy the same Jimmy from VGHS?

[@joshleekwai8895]

+Ben Yes he is!

[@MajorlySpicy]

+Josh Lee Kwai Awesome! You guys should do more game play videos like from your Ayli live-stream. We need an alternative to SCG!

[@shanonkallhoff2431]

Show more gameplay, deck edits, cards on the screen worth showing, and guests such as Danny West. Great show, would love to play a game with you guys.

[@cyber_spock]

I know this is an old video. I love you guys. Please stop saying "quote on quote." I still love you

[@MrBrewboy785]

at 18:30 anyone know the artwork that was used?

[@jeremynelson1347]

I don't remember the exact card but i believe it was in the original Innistrad blocks. Hope that helps!

[@nanolathesteel]

Angelheart Vial from Rise of the Eldrazi

[@michaelislost7164]

Hey commander community- I need some help. I love commander- but I feel its been getting stale lately. I know my two decks inside out (A Meren Sacrifice & A Jor Kadeen Robot tribal). I really want to build a fun new edh deck- outside of boros/ golgari. What decks do you never get tired of playing? Any advice?

[@AQuietMyth]

I feel like deck doctoring would just be a vast series of "Use Into the Roil instead of Void Snare" situations, which would be the most boring thing ever.

[@B1gLupu]

+QuietMyth Or you could just not put Void Snare in your deck in the first place.

[@AQuietMyth]

Exactly?.... The decks that will get submitted to them are people who have no idea what they are doing, and will thus be playing with things like Void Snare

[@allanmenzies8668]

play some paper magic next live stream. it'd be fun to hear you guys comment on your game. and just checking out your actual mega.

[@ValanceJ]

Love the most: This is the best podcast I've heard for commander. I love the topics that you talk about and how much you explore the topics. Love the least: You always focus on multiplayer, but I'm not particularly as interested in politics. I'd love to hear more pertaining to 1v1 (although I know it comes up often). Talk about more: The 1v1 thing basically. Make it the best: Add gameplay videos.

[@staghead8710]

An answer is called Grixis or Jeski colours bc of counters lol

[@calebjones1086]

More deck building videos

[@B1gLupu]

Correct answers? Strong players and weak players? When does improving on "casual EDH" make it "competitive"? There is this sub-reddit, www.reddit.com/r/CompetitiveEDH/ where people focus on raw power and synergy of the cards/decks in EDH without regard to flavor, price or "lameness" of them. Where is the line?

[@Lycandros]

Would love to see one guest at a time instead of multiple in an episode, sort of a hang out with new people.

[@gilgamoosh]

The most: You guys talk about things that apply to every meta and the you can address topics that are generally considered competitive and make them applicable to everyone, even a more casual audience. Dislike: I enjoy talks about cards you dislike, but sometimes it gets more into the realm of just complaining. It helps when other people are arguing for and against the card as opposed to just one person and their opinion. What I wish you talked about more: I love hearing about jank cards and card synergies. In other words: things that are ridiculous in their own unique way, and often require a lot of stupid set up to make them powerful. I think that's the best way I can phrase it. A good example of this would be Final Fortune, and how it's ridiculous and hilarious if you pull it on its own, but if you pair it with Sundial of the Infinite and Isochron Scepter it's game-winning. Improvements: You guys should work on more fan interaction. I believe you addressed that in this episode so I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes :)

[@Sandalphonium]

Basketball is all about being great at the basics. There aren't even basics in mtg.

[@Sandalphonium]

Stop giving away books I have.

[@joshleekwai8895]

+Galren We can't help it if you have awesome taste in books!

[@Sandalphonium]

Josh Lee Kwai At Audible.com/CommandZone