The Commander Social Contract | Learn These Unwritten Rules For Better Games | Magic: The Gathering

Be sure to also check out "Dealing With Difficult Commander Players" here: • Dealing With Difficult...
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[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

A reminder that my Discord has a 100% free "Looking For Game" section, with games of everything from Commander to Modern (and even Pauper) firing off. So if you want to get some webcam Magic, just check out discord.gg/tolariancommunitycollege

[@MainlyHuman]

Heyo, not sure where the right place is to make a suggestion but here goes: I'd like to submit for review 70mm business card boxes for mtg storage. They have a lot of flaws, can't fit double sleeved cards and often fall open, but they're transparent which makes them great for display and they're very very cheap. I use them for nearly all of my decks and highly recommend them for anyone on a budget.

[@channeling764]

Thank you Professor. I’m having a hard time in this store where playgroups really don’t know how disrupting it is to not have a proper board display. I’ve been playing since 2005 and I’m always looked as a douche for lecturing people how to play correctly or winning arguments of how rules actually work. For some people it’s impossible to stop thinking you’re attacking them.

[@Wijjum]

Is it just paper/webcam magic? Or is there any mtgo players?

[@diogenes42069]

The way you're opening went was very poetic and I appreciate that as a writer

[@yumo]

❤

[@breeze7464]

Helpful tip for token decks: if you use paper tokens and make a mass of a certain type, you only need two of those tokens. Have one upright and the other tapped behind that one. then use dice to represent the number of untapped and tapped tokens. Helps keep the board clear and concise.

[@nymphrodellsalavin]

I also use one to represent my summoning sick creature tokens

[@breeze7464]

@@nymphrodellsalavin that's a good idea as well. I don't make tokens that have activated effects so I never came across that before lol

[@peterrowley110]

Just in case I feel 4 of each would be needed. If you attack out it can be useful to know how many are going at each player and which are held back/summoning sickness

[@otacon444]

I have 50 soldier tokens, I’m absolutely going to use them.

[@breeze7464]

@@otacon444 I don't blame you. I have a sidisi deck where I have 20 different zombie tokens. I flex those everytime I play it lol

[@TransformersBoss]

Opponent: “professor, who are you talking to? Why are you just looking off to the side of the table? Take your turn already! It’s been like 15 minutes!”

[@flat3016]

Man it seems insane that you have to talk about hygienic habits but it's absolutely a problem and Im glad you put it in the video. I've stopped going to so many LCS because unfortunately people just smell awful and no one does anything about it.

[@blundercrush]

for anyone running into this issue: a kind word to an owner will immediately let you know whether you want to go back. It will get fixed, or it won't and you'll know whether to return.

[@strikefreedom-3992]

I stopped going to ALL game stores because of the hygiene issue. There have been people with extremely poor hygiene at EVERY single event I've EVER played cards at. I'm not talking about stress sweat smell after playing a bunch of grueling rounds of tough competition, that just happens to some people. But those people who walk in the door with poor hygiene disgust me. Few things smell as bad as a person who has terrible body odor because the don't wash. I'd rather never play cards again then have to tolerate another filthy person. 🤮

[@ebolasoda]

I've called out a fair share of "sweats" in my life If you have money for cards you have money for soap

[@mumra0715]

It's really sad that this has to be addressed, but I am glad the Prof. added it in. Unfortunately it seems that it's all too common that at all LGS' there are a few of those people that always show up.

[@pawels.5669]

This sounds weird but the worst thing is after pandemic this can be an issue. And it's not just about habits, but also the fact that after the virus some people had their hormones flipped upside down and have smell issues they never had before.

[@Chilledsky2]

Moxfield is great for showing you what tokens your deck generates, I use it for all my commander decks so I don't have to take apart my deck to make swaps etc

[@ericdevey7520]

It's a good start, but sometimes it's missing tokens. For example, blessed sanctuary creates Unicorn tokens, but since an official one was never printed, it doesn't show up in the tokens tab. But I've seen it where other cards don't have the tokens show up, even when there are official tokens.

[@defiantparsnip]

Tappedout is also good for this.

[@jianhaogao7608]

Well of course it can’t show you not existing token

[@FlowBerni]

Archidekt has the same feature :)

[@jinxed7915]

Tappedout also has the same feature as well

[@AmarAsrrak]

This sounds like now you have to design an official Tolarian Community College Playmat with all zones and trackers

[@thatguyintherain3168]

I support that

[@WolfLink64]

Learn these unwritten rules and watch your opponents continue to break them anyway.

[@happybrain2674]

but this time you hopefully saved the link and can show it ;)

[@ericsalisbury3583]

They are no rules if they are not written.

[@SniperGoldfish]

Lol

[@noelkoster1994]

@@ericsalisbury3583 fine let's call them norms, it's not about semantics here now is it

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

@@apophis456 they are not rules then as it is not fair to assume someone knows to not bring MLD or other cards that people hate

[@darkenstranger]

I've noticed actual tokens are important especially with something like my Krenko deck. Cause many times the new tokens can't attack, but the old ones can. So usually I'll have one token that represents goblins that can't attack and one for ones that can.

[@jimmysmith2249]

@@XCodes While it may be combersome, being able to make it rain treasure tokens is worth it.

[@jimmysmith2249]

And a counter for ones that attacked/are tapped. I use 3 of the dial counters they used to make to keep track of my little green children with my krenko deck. I usually get killed off first, too.

[@serazac25]

Will like to see a mat with all those zones representing the stack and what not. It would be perfect for spell table and not have to worry about post it notes.

[@briancrook9055]

there is one out there.My old LGS had it in their playmat collection.

[@noahwarp9]

You can make a custom Playmat with all the required zones quite easily. Inked Gaming will make pretty much anything for you, so long as you provide the image file. I encourage downloading a free image editing software like GIMP if you don't have image editing software already, and creating a playmat with the zones. For your convenience, Inked Gaming has a template you can download that has dimensions perfectly sized to print on a playmat.

[@3nertia]

Someone should design one and see about getting Inked Gaming or something to print it :D

[@noahwarp9]

@@3nertia You're just gonna have to DIY. It's easy, and you'd get to choose the artwork on the mat.

[@3nertia]

@@noahwarp9 If I could, I would :)

[@HidaMan]

I came just expecting an explanation of what to expect from the pre-game discussion/rule 0 type stuff since I know plenty of players still aren't onto that, was not ready for a whole lot of great out-of-actual-game advice. Wonderfully thorough as always, thank you Prof!

[@eric4946]

I think he does have a couple videos of that already although in podcast form

[@jkatttt]

As a new commander player I loved this video. It really helps to know some expected etiquette during matches but also high lights the things I’ve found fun when playing commander. It does SUCK to lose but sometimes I’ve had fun watching a friends deck finally pop off and beat another friend who usually wins. I’ve tried to remind myself that this game is bigger than myself and that I am in it for the experience and the people I’ve met the last 4 months. When I appreciate those small things the wins just become something extra sweet rather than the whole pie.

[@jolteon345]

I'm glad you have that mindset. One thing that can help improve a sore loser mentality, if your friend group accepts it, is to play a casual game where you either pass the decks left/right or do a white elephant "draft" of the decks where you can't end up with your own. It can be a surprising amount of fun to not only play a deck you don't/barely know but also watch your deck pop off if you lose, so in a 4 player game you go from 25% chance at "winning" to 50% as you naturally want to see your child grow up and be great.

[@notequalto5179]

Asking other players at the LGS for advice is super helpful. Many times when I've made new decks, I've been able to ask other players who have played similar themed decks about interaction advice and card upgrades.

[@3nertia]

Absolutely love you asserting that "power levels" are essentially meaningless and that you outline ways to have a more productive discussion on the subject

[@TheTallestGnome]

"be kind and wear deodorant" words to live by

[@Loki-]

Great video as always. Something I find difficult to approach because so many players have habits because they're normal human beings, but I have misophonia. Which means some sounds evoke an uncontrollable uncomfortable reaction. Mostly it's just card flicking, but sometimes it's mouth clicking or something similar. I didn't ask to have this reaction but I have it, and the people doing those things aren't being malevolent, so it's a difficult topic to broach because I don't want to sound controlling to have them change something they don't even know they do and I dont want to sound weird in general.

[@Blakkichan151]

I also have misophonia so I totally get it. There are some earplugs out there that are specially made to filter out quieter sounds like mouth noises while still allowing you to hear voices, so maybe you could see if something like that will work? If you need to bring it up, you can try saying something like "I'm really sensitive to sounds" or "I'm really easily distracted by sounds, so I can't focus on the game if you're flicking cards" or similar. In my experience as long as you aren't aggressive or accusatory about it, most people will be chill.

[@Loki-]

@@Blakkichan151 thank you! Great advice. I didn't know about the ear plugs.

[@benjaminhuber7923]

This video is excellent. I'm trying to set up an MTG club for my students focused on commander and if it ends up happening I'll 100% be playing this video for them before at the start to set expectations for what the club should be about.

[@ehyoflake8315]

I have never once walked away from a table due to power levels or personality - I feel like among magic players this sort of thing can work itself out over time. I can't count the number of times I've walked away because the person sitting next to me smelled like a burning dumpster fire. I've left game nights at my LGS early because every open table had a stinker. Please shower.

[@frosty980]

And please people brush your teeth if you’re going to be sitting directly across from people at your LGS 🤢

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

@@frosty980 Actually the tongue is what gives the bad smell if you don't brush it not the teeth

[@frosty980]

@@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena brush the tongue, use mouthwash or whatever. You know what I mean though

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

@@frosty980 Dude isn't that what i just said?

[@frosty980]

@@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena yes, I don’t know why you felt the need to correct me

[@cmlogan7094]

Thank you for your videos, Prof. I've been playing since Mirage, but I took a long break (until a few years ago). Your videos have done much to maintain my interest in this game as well as make me a better player. I raise a glass to you, good sir!

[@jimmysmith2249]

Oof. That IS a long break. I jumped out after Chronicles and Iceage, and came back in at the Khans of Tarkir block. It is an unsettling feeling coming back to a game after so long; you go through an uncanny valley kinda thing, where it is so similar to what you know, but is just that little bit different due to how the game has changed in your absence. Good to have you back, dude.

[@cmlogan7094]

@@jimmysmith2249 I should say, as I wasn't clear, I've been back for a few years now, but yeah a lot can change.

[@aidanschauer1581]

🎉 so many thing to remind myself while simultaneously glad that this is just being put out there for all players. We put so much of ourselves into our decks, even if net decking, and put so much time into a game of commander. It can be difficult to remember to that it is a game to enjoy with others and that there are boundaries and norms that need to be followed so everyone has an equal opportunity to have fun. Always appreciate all your content.

[@thomascanfield8368]

Thank you Prof for another awesome video. Making the game we love as much fun as possible for everyone is such an important part of growing your playgroup.

[@Panthersman52]

One thing I didn’t notice being talked about during the board phase is having clearly delineated areas for each permanent type. It can be confusing when someone puts their mana generating artifacts in with their lands

[@Jambamjar]

Oh i do that for my own benefit lol if i dont i forget about them

[@jinxed7915]

I'm fine with the mana rocks *around* the lands, but absolutely they do need to be separated to some degree, like by putting them a bit higher than the lands, and by grouping them together for clarity's sake

[@francesca3386]

I feel called into question...I always forget my counters and tokens... >.> I love that the Prof is basically telling us to wash ourselves :D

[@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299]

You'd think you wouldn't have to remind people of personal hygiene but what the Prof mentions is TRUTH. I was playing a couple weeks ago at FNM and someone just absolutely reeked, LOL, like my buddy stopped playing for a minute and just stared around them like their nostrils just witnessed the apocalypse ;)

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

@@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299 Honestly people are really fucking stupid as you would think they would wash their hands and have good hygiene before the pandemic started as seriously it should ahve been common sense to do that before as people would get sick way less often if they did

[@fevereddreams3805]

such a vastly important topic and a wonderful video. thank you for addressing these matters so thoroughly, explicitly, and eloquently.

[@solusaldrain]

This is precisely why I run my spot removal/boardwipe tribal. It keeps the whole table organized and the game running smoothly.

[@redbirdriot]

Wow, I really like the idea of specifically marking the zone, especially the spell being cast. Really good idea.

[@georgeneuman488]

All of this advice is much appreciated, and very helpful to new players or people playing with strangers, and of course over Spelltable... That said I'm so glad I got a set group. We have a big unorganized stack of tokens anyone can grab from, we use whatever dice we got, there's no "Rule 0" conversations. Mana trackers, really!? We just play and have fun without having to worry over every little thing!

[@cax1175]

The social contract that my group agrees to, whether they want to or not, is having their permanents annihilated by my colorless deck.

[@MrAskmannen]

Eldrazi gang

[@WiseHodor]

Hell yea brother and their turns are getting fucked by Emrakul, then denied the extra turn by Ugin’s Nexus and, thanks to DMU, Gerrard’s Hourglass Pendant. Fun for everyone!

[@tashannoc]

One thing I learned at PAX this year is that I have to temper my expectations of what's acceptable social interaction. I played with a number of people who were likely not neurotypical, and found it personally challenging, much to my surprise. It important to accept people for who they are and not impose our expectations of what's acceptable or normal. Feel free to add air quotes as you see fit

[@javierlavanchy5316]

As someone who's very recently getting into MTG in general, exclusively Commander, this helped me a lot. Thanks, professor. That said... "shower yourself"? Is there really people out there that don't do it? 😰

[@FearOgre]

Well YuGiOh has a tournament rule about basic hygiene

[@Cardboard_or_bust]

Thank you so much. As a person who has struggled my whole life being a sore loser, these etiquette videos have really helped. My play group has seen an improvement, and they have voiced this improvement. So now I can proudly say that the ocean finally has more salt than I do. Thank you professor! ❤

[@Dryblack1]

Wow, same. Here's to self-improvement.

[@infinitokens6748]

Thank you for the mention, and thank you for this great guide! Many players don't know that dice should be placed over the text on SpellTable so it can read the card. Whether or not players will follow all of this advice, they should at least be aware of it in order to decide if they agree or disagree.

[@wnightshade]

Prof, I have been loving your comedy videos, gameplay videos, and salty rants about WOTC. But, man, I forgot how good it is when you lay out important information with thought and clarity. This was brilliant, and I look forward to more.

[@Rebecajean]

This was an amazing video! ❤ so thoughtful of how to make sure everyone has fun.

[@marcoaureliofernandezreyes1413]

Love the detailed information you share. It applies for Yu-Gi-Oh! as well. Thank you, Professor.

[@williamfarias7068]

One thing I would add is if a new player is joining a play group, let the player play they're deck. I've seen far too often (and been a victim of myself) of a new player being ganged up on because the other players don't know about the new players deck. Let everyone have some fun and learn with the new players. You may get surprised.

[@aquariusmontoya]

that’s happened to me once or twice

[@wesleynicewanner5855]

Prof your videos are always awesome and I think this may be one of the best yet. Its so simply but so important in the process of making thw game what it is. Keep up the great work prof.

[@TerryTags]

WOW, the Professor is taking us to school! I might just use this video to teach my adult son how to interact with people in real life IN GENERAL, since most of this video is packed with transferrable information for socially awkward people of ANY genre, hobby, or setting. Thanks, Prof!

[@jimmysmith2249]

This info is much needed for some. Some of us had to go through blood, sweat, and tears to learn this stuff in life (literally). Hope someone can benefit from the fruits of my mistakes. Life is too short to only learn from one's own mistakes; learn from the mistakes of others.

[@sniff3000]

omg i loved this video! thanks prof! nice to see these unwritten rules actually explained thoroughly!

[@TheDiscoveryCH]

Very insightful Professor, and definitely a message that is worthwhile to be told every once in a while! Even already knowing this information, hearing it again is a good reminder to value/reflect on your interactions with others and respecting them.

[@caedmonbraun8713]

this is probably my favorite video i've seen from you so far, thanks so much for all the information and advice. didn't even realize i needed it tbh

[@abser703]

This is an excellent video and I'll definitely be sharing it with some folks I just built decks for. Thanks prof! :)

[@prop-a-gent]

I'm very happy to have the unwritten rules, soft though they might be, said out loud for once. I especially like this particular take on the ever-evolving Rule-0, or pregame Conversation. With such a big playerbase, having everyone agree on what power levels actually mean is always going to be near impossible.. Not to mention how, by the nature of the game itself, inconsistency of power level is inherent to the game. Sometimes a 5 will get a lucky draw and play as a 9, sometimes a 9 will mull down to 4 and get screwed the rest of the game. The thing that really matters, is what the actual goal of the deck is, and how that will effect the course of the game. Got a deck that wants to play fast and has minimal late-game strats? Might not do well at a pillowfort table. Got a deck that coasts along until it hits some explosive turns in the mid-late game? Maybe don't bring it to the table that wants to combo off by turn five. Feeling a little burned out by your only deck getting hated out of the game because it always becomes the archenemy? Maybe borrow a deck for the night. Basically, enjoy riding the line between co-operation and competition. There would be no games to win, if not for the other players at the table after all.

[@houndoom73]

The professor is always a class act

[@Malachi57]

As a very casual player, this was great. While there were plenty of things I knew of already or that seemed very common sense, there are a couple nuances of the commander style that I wasn't aware of. And having an idea of the social etiquette will hopefully keep me from getting into too much trouble with the more seasoned players of the format. Thanks!

[@Flyboy245]

Thanks Prof! Especially for all the clarifications. I hope everyone takes something from this, cause it seemed like there was something in there for everyone

[@MackRangerPower]

So glad I jumped into this game. I used to play yugioh and it’s become so disgustingly toxic. It’s so open and welcoming. Not to mention it evolves in a positive way. Thank you for being a beacon of light.

[@gordon7700]

bro same XD ygo meta is just making negates its so boring nowadays. there's so much deck building in magic

[@CrystalxKyuubi]

This is so inclusive and helpful even for kids and people with learning disabilities! I didn't expect a video on the basics to go so above and beyond! This is truly a guide to access for everyone to play Magic: the Gathering. You're an inspiration to all competitive communities - not just Magic. If everyone followed this, it would be a lot easier for newcomers to be welcomed in.

[@DeaconTaylor]

i like that idea of setting a zone for the stack. i did make sure to go through my decks to look for token generators and gather the correct ones although some of them need updating

[@chazzybrown54]

Commander players " We want to play vintage casually." Me: That's stupid and impossible.... but I'll Play."

[@EasilySuede]

In pregame, I like to tell what my deck DOES NOT do rather than what it DOES do (no tutors, nothing infinite, no hard locks, whatever the case may be).

[@hiver285]

One of my personal board states is maintaining a D10 on my commander in the command zone to help maintain how many times I've played them. Then when cast, I'll tick it up and place next to my life counter. I also usually keep extra D10s when I play my Atraxa deck so everyone can maintain their poison count as the game goes.

[@navehcilvap]

Being able to just chill is great. I will have this on in the background of my next play group. They will slowly learn how to play social commander (=

[@TheGamingHutt]

Super great video Professor!!! Loved watching this one.

[@gavinforbes5645]

What an amazing video, so many delicate concepts described and explained thoughtfully and sensitively. Tokens are my personal bugbear - I make sure to have at least two of each type of token my deck produces (more in certain token-based decks) so that it’s clear what’s what, and when I see major content creators or people who’ve obviously spent time and effort building their decks slap down a few empty sleeves it really detracts from the experience.

[@1KamaronConClase]

A basic, concise, educated and superb video about the social aspect of Commander. Love it, this kind of content is very much always welcome, and the ideas for helping the readability of the board are super clever! Will apply most of those for sure!

[@hootiemike3091]

I find that when all 4 players are equally ripe smelling that's when the game truly gets good.

[@jimmysmith2249]

Ew.

[@ricepresidents]

🤤

[@bobbiechristine]

That introduction was so beautiful my gosh

[@Thollux]

I just got back into mtg/commander and I enjoy changing things up, so I'm glad my current pod doesn't mind me proxying.

[@sauron2221]

It’s not enforced at 99% of tournaments or games but technically tracking floating mana with dice is expressly against the MTR at competitive or professional REL under “Player Communication”. And I know that at least 1 major EDH tournament organizer does enforce this rule

[@FearOgre]

Correct, for competitive/ and professional REL. MTR 4.1

[@Superphilipp18]

Just wanna tell you that is by far the most positive piece of media I have seen in a while. Going to my Commander Gathering now.

[@forbiddenaether1012]

I didn’t even think about using dry erase to display power/toughness on spelltable for modified creatures. Great video, I see my dice aren’t the greatest for spelltable

[@nauticoom]

Great tips, Professor! Thank you~

[@poeticserenade]

I have no idea how to say this but it feels like this video was the point of your channel. It sums you and what you've been trying to do with people and the community for the past however many years.

[@UVAFoozle]

The only thing with touching peoples cards: if you don’t wanna anyone touching your stuff at all, that needs to be part of the pre game discussion. Theft effects are as old as the game itself and if you refuse to allow them, thats fine, but at least give the rest of the table the opportunity to swap to a deck without them.

[@3nertia]

Sorry but, "theft effects"?

[@jcair4017]

@@3nertia gain control effects

[@3nertia]

@@jcair4017 Thank you!

[@TheKilaby]

in our playgroup the graveyard is always above or under the library and exiled cards are tapped underneath the graveyard to keep some space. If cards are being exiled under a card and have more conditions, for example "return if..." or "you can cast if..." the we either put them underneath the responsible card or in the middle of the table of from the playmat.

[@RandonActs5]

"Always ask before touching or grabbing a player's [possessions]." I had to learn this the hard way. I was going off and I couldn't keep track of everything I was doing, so I grabbed another player's dice to use. Immediately afterwards I remembered how much of a germaphobe he was and saw the look of horror on his face. I also remembered some of the crazy stories I have heard about his childhood traumas. After the game I had to apologize profusely and now I ask before doing anything of the sort.

[@DeeJy33]

If someone randomly grabbed my stuff, I'd teep kick them across the room (: people need to learn manners

[@alecmullaney7957]

​@@DeeJy33 assault is not justified because someone touched your stuff.

[@DeeJy33]

@@alecmullaney7957 I would disagree completely 😀

[@brando5705]

This is my favorite mtg channel. That said, have you ever watched a fast food commercial? The professor and his friendly gameplay, I am happy for them, its like the perfect looking burger. The reality is when you open it up and go to your LGS its a mess. Half the people are salty. It's so bad now just simply playing one counterspell on someone all game can set them off and ruin your night. Like the professor, find people and make your own private group. It may take a few months of figuring out at the LGS but it is well worth it. More than half the games I've won have been not even enjoyable. My win rate is like 10 to 15%. I'm kind. I dont target players out. I play like the prof probably does in his videos. Trust me. Form that group ASAP. Goodluck. Have fun!

[@captainron7120]

Professor, it’s time to Kickstart “Commander Ready” playmats. I love your suggestions, thank you!

[@Crypt4l]

I always insist on card shaped objects to represent tokens, not only because of the ambiguity and the tapped status, which you mentioned, but also because dice are easy to overlook. How often is there a random dice lying around, not representing anything anymore in a long game of commander?

[@vinterbjork4128]

I love multiplayer MtG, but I have only played a few games of Commander, I think mainly because of the social contract. I like the idéa of it, but in reality it feels more like: Will I be allowed to play tonight or do I have to sit out because the table doesn’t like my deck? Can I cast this card without getting kicked from the table? When am I allowed to cast this card, do I need to wait a few turns to keep it casual? Can I do an optimal attack, or is that trying to win to much? Nevermind, someone just comboed off turn 3 and won..

[@FearOgre]

Commander had become more gatekeeping and toxic as time went on, its quite sad.

[@coltonphillips7781]

Exactly! I'm loving commander and play with one group so we thankfully never have issues with how powerful our decks are to each other. But playing with strangers, there's never a consistency of whether my deck is too powerful or too weak, even within the same playgroup, even after explaining how my decks work beforehand and getting the OK. But I also find it weird still, because no one seems to care how powerful their decks are in plain Magic or them being overpowered. Sure, if you play the same decks over and over again that use a gimmick that kills everyone each time, people will put that card or deck away for a while, but not the restricteness demanded by Commander. It makes building decks feel fruitless and unenjoyable knowing my opponent is gonna insist I just borrow their extra deck for a night instead of letting me use the deck I stayed up working on all night. I make sure my cards are legal, and they're all cheap, so unless I'm playing with someone who's never played magic before, I must say in the most respectful way possible, simply git gud

[@spootyfly412]

Thank you for providing the education on basic sociol skills everyone should have learned before touching a card.

[@joshrobinson2409]

Somebody thought it was excessive that I tutored twice in a turn, but I didnt care cause it was in my hand and it was the only thing I was able to do at the time, my deck is a combo deck but I dont really care about peoples feelings about playing it its like if you dont want me to combo then stop me in stead of complaining about my deck

[@WikiSnapper]

This is my favorite of your videos thus far.

[@AlvaroSaurus]

Prof, just wanted to say that we are god-damn lucky to have you as part of the MTG community.

[@dungeonrancher]

Thanks for this. Solid advice here.

[@nestorvelazquez5092]

I’ve used some of these rules personally when I host or when I’m at a lgs and it has help tremendously! The lgs guys tent to remember me and my play group likes that I host more now and have asked that I do.

[@jolteon345]

A major one for me that will cause me to play with someone as little as possible is interrupting/ignoring priority. If I go to cast Return to Dust on my main phase, you're next in priority, and you say "Ok" followed by the next player passing priority, I will assume the spell goes through. Don't go ahead and say something like "Wait I counter it" once you find out it targets one of your permanents, I will only give one chance and if it continues, I will actively avoid playing with you whenever possible. I've had to tell a few entitled players "I'll give it to you this time but don't say OK if you're going to counter my spell" and they improved as players and improved quality of games.

[@DudeBronkster]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think declaring targets is supposed to happen as the very first thing after casting, even before paying costs and before priority is passed.

[@jolteon345]

@@DudeBronkster You're half-right, costs get paid and targets are declared before it's put on the stack. That was a bad example, as my LGS has a bad habit of super shortcutting (and I've had the specific player try to tell me I can't counter his spells after targets are declared), but the point still gets across.

[@user-et3xn2jm1u]

I dunno if that's a new lighting setup but it is very flattering! Also picked up some tips for when I get to play Commander next.

[@SaltySparrow]

Commander is becoming one of those game types I feel is becoming hard to navigate. Unless you have a normal playgroup you regularly communicate with, trying to join others will often have all this whacky bans, deck stipulations and special rules. These are good staple rules though across the board.

[@FearOgre]

One of the many downsides of the format it picked up with its popularity.

[@aubertteo7005]

Didn't think I'd learn that much things, thanks professor

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

So happy you found it useful!

[@unseeliedream42]

ok. now I want a dry-erasable version of all these XD but thank you professor for mention personal space and health and safety, that is also why we love u

[@laelnoj]

Teach Prof! Quality advice good sir.

[@Potatomuffin]

The win/lose situation is easier to resonate with when you apply some math. Unlike a lot of 1v1 formats where the goal is to win and have the highest chance of winning EDH is to have the same except with decks as close to power levels as possible. Therefore assuming people are playing with even power levels then you're expected to win only 25% of your games with your pod. Now you could work on tuning your deck to increase that 25% or you can just accept that you're going to be losing more often than winning.

[@nathanielbellmore]

This is probably the best worded guide to keeping commander games fun for everyone. Personally I like to let everyone decide on what we are playing. Usually it's Almost Anything Goes Commander (no budget limit, but banned cards are not allowed) but running precon only or budget decks (precons and decks under 150) are always fun too, because usually in anything goes everyone targets the strongest/most expensive deck first 🤣

[@jlllorada8447]

Very informative and helpful. Thanks for the video Professor. :)

[@MagicManAleister]

Had a situation where I did not want to play against Winter Orb in a casual game. The guy was running Magda and it's one of the inherent wincons for his build. I politely let him know I was going to sit that game out due solely to the Orb and told him that while there's nothing wrong with him voluntarily playing it, I'm voluntarily not playing against it if able. He got mad at the fact that I respectfully declined and took it as an almost personal insult.

[@Cass99k]

thank you for this channel professor!

[@Lumin0us7]

As someone who as made the investment to start playing over spelltable this was very useful, thanks alot Prof ❤

[@hart7668]

Great video! You are the representation of the best parts of MtG

[@spark1128]

Can’t wait for the shuffle up and play episode where the professor follows all of these advices to the letter.

[@timelapsegs7676]

I bring a small box of extra commonly used tokens to share with my opponets who might not own them or forgot them, its really a small thing to throw it in my bag and it ends up being really useful.

[@JorgeLuisMarchenaDiaz]

I love This kind of videos! Thanks prof for you content

[@ObieNet04]

This video was definitely needed.

[@krotchy6667]

Awesome video Prof!

[@JonathanFisher1337]

What a great video - thank you!

[@scottnito2640]

Best way to start my morning at work 👍

[@threestaxx]

Professor! Niiice tie in this video, and the knot is on point

[@BrittishAnger]

The Social Contract is proof that the format needs Sideboarding implementation to allow for adjustments against how the table is set....

[@nuhuhnope7579]

I am 100% in favor of a 7 card sideboard. Have sideboarding happen after the commanders are revealed or gameplay discussion is had. You can even have a rule that makes the sideboard inaccessible to wish cards if wishboarding bothers you.

[@ericsalisbury3583]

Except that's not how a side board is played or built. They are built to counter specific strategies. They would waste a lot of time between games and encourage arms races game to game.

[@BrittishAnger]

@@ericsalisbury3583 How things are used historically doesn't define how to use them moving forward... It *could* be a similar use for competitive games, or a way to address the pregame discussion... Both are valid depending on the group you play with.

[@Blakkichan151]

I mean it's a casual format so you can already do that? Know which cards in your deck are the high-power ones or combo pieces and have a few extra cards in the deckbox to swap them out with if everyone else at the table is playing lower power decks. The only thing not having an official sideboard does for the format is prevent Wish cards from working but I doubt anyone would object to you switching out 5-10 cards between games.

[@Prince_Smugarina]

@@ericsalisbury3583 no, I definitely have a few hate cards as a pseudo sideboard. There are just certain cards that exist that just ain't kind to your deck, but if it's a stupidly.uncommom, rare situation, why waste a slot on the counter?

[@thenightangel05]

Love the video and the topic. Especially the Wash yo self section....

[@OmegaMTG]

On a side note, if you use dry erase tokens. if the marker dries too much or you use a permanent marker by accident, you can write over it with a dry erase marker and it will come right off. 99% alcohol also removes dry erase marker very well.

[@CheckYourBulk]

Always a good tip