You Don't Need Your Commander

[@mrkryptis3104]

Jokes on you, I don't ever play my commander. I play edgar markov.

[@ericr4677]

😂😂😂😂

[@TheBigDrew947]

This one, officer, this is the one

[@hexbox2182]

+equips ur dragon+ it’s on like donkey Kong!

[@foolishmetaunedited1920]

*laughs in doom of fools*

[@johnnyborbon5085]

Its not a mistake to build around your commander, sure it is better to build around the 99 but if you really want build around your commander, run enough protection/interaction to keep it around

[@rodrigoramos2583]

I just run interaction and destroy the aura. bada bing bada boom

[@bisowa8883]

If it would be that easy lol

[@erikandersson9060]

Cries in rakdos

[@grantbowersox1875]

All I heard was, “Play expensive staples because they work and run more interaction.” Also, “Run tried and true pre-tested strategies that usually win so your commander doesn’t actually matter. What does is the colors your commander is representing.”

[@Machiroable]

6:39 Orhzov Eriette plan A is to play pillow fort with drain, the negative auras auras being there to help with that, alongside being pretty good interaction with Darksteel Mutation, Reprobation and pacifism effects helping you control the board, she's a control commander after all. The plan B is aura centric enchantress package one with cards like Light-Palms, Sigil of the Empty Throne, Archon of Sun's Grace and Ajani's Chosen as wincons, especially given how the majority of Orhzov Eriette's deck mana curve is pretty low, allowing for you to rebuild your board pretty fast.

[@demanzanop]

Dont play your commander. In fact, dont put a commander, and put 4 copies of each card. And use just 20 life too...

[@Machiroable]

And then in your first match you go against a companion deck.

[@junomuro]

60 card formats for Life

[@Solus3D]

Most of time Grixis don't need his Commander

[@mofomiko]

*cries in Saruman, the White Hand*

[@D.K.M.Espers]

This just kinda gave me an idea for a really fun multifaceted Clues deck, even though none of these decks mentioned Clues as a strategy. However, since card draw and artifacts are inherently incredibly strong on their own, and can work well together in tandem, it gives me a super fun idea for a shell for either a Sophia, Dogged Detective, Morska, Undersea Sleuth, Inquisitor Greyfax, or maybe even Lazav, Wearer of Faces deck. This video was honestly really well timed in my commander journey as I learn how to build better decks. Thank you for this. Absolutely fantastic insight, and very thoroughly explained as well.

[@MTGAnotherLook]

Those options sound like a lot of fun. I like Morska a lot but ended up building Gimbal instead, although it's still a work in progress. If you choose Inquisitor Greyfax, dont forget Urza, Chief Artificer. Hes very strong and cheap right now. Clues and other artifact tokens can be pretty powerful. Good luck with your build!

[@philvess6376]

I focus the player for the next 5-6 games.

[@agentkhaine2204]

I build the core 43-44 cards of my deck, then choose my commander. Then I fill in the remaining mana and utility pieces. As a result, I’m never dependent on my commander and always have a fun 99. Instead of cards such as Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots to protect a threat, I play more threats.

[@MRAIClassroom]

I like this idea

[@kayel9489]

attack is the best defense

[@gtfawaynotnow]

I like to use bottom up builds and what I call “limited” builds meaning my commander functions as some sort of engine accelerator and there is a small window where it is more important but never necessary. Tbh it just makes good sense especially in mid power edh where on avg the turn cycle is still a little longer but most of your opponents have some level of optimized interaction slotted in.

[@HAYDS510]

my main deck is mono green omnath - i just use my commander to float mana and then play stuff like Vorinclex, doubling cube, a bunch of dorks.. then i'll play something like voracious hyrdra, stick 20+ mana into it's X/X, double it with something like zopandrel hunger dominus and use windswift slice to spray elves followed by elvish warmaster to double those elves, nek minute 40 elves on the field, then something like overwhelming stampede, craterhoof, the possibilities are endless. In short, commander can be useful but that whole thing would go-off to a lesser extent and still do some damage

[@ReillyPrescott]

You should look at upwelling! It’s a symmetrical effect, but also keeps mana from emptying from your mana pool at the end of turns :) I’m guessing you can probably get more value from it than the opponents though!

[@yubeluchiha]

Jokes on y’all I’ll cast my kaalia for a 12 mana cost and still win the game

[@thomasbenoit8955]

“Voltron decks get shut down relatively easily” I introduce to you Geist of saint traft, a body that comes with hexproof. It’s funny watching my opponents trying to find an answer to him that isn’t a boardwipe.

[@Suhrvivor]

A Solemn Simulacrum usually does it.

[@George-mm8cr]

Shadowspear usually what I do

[@aquamage9788]

What would you say to someone building with a commander where this is basically impossible? My Arcades deck is my favorite, most treasured deck, and it does pretty well, but I'm painfully aware of how crucial he is to the game plan. The only real replacement for his effect is High Alert, and Assault Formation, even if it's more inconvenient to pay to attack. I kinda just run protection and take comfort in the fact that my huge walls will protect me until I can get Arcades back on the field. In the case of this commander (and many others), I feel like you kinda just have to bite the bullet. If there's an alternative, I'd love to hear it, but it seems kinda unavoidable.

[@MTGAnotherLook]

You're right that some strategies don't have a lot of redundancy. Besides those two enchantments, Pride of the Hull Clade and Wakestone Gargoyle let your defenders attack. A classic deck used walls + Day of the Dragons, which is still an option but not a guaranteed win. At least you get your walls back when it leaves play. Rolling Stones and Rammas Echor, Ancient Shield can make any attacker into a big exalted creature. Towering Titan is a decent Arcades backup finisher. Including a couple randomly good cards, like Thousand Moons Smithy can make you big creatures that grow based on the number of walls you have. Grand Crescendo can protect your walls and make an army if your wall enablers are shut down. I agree that Arcades should be your main plan and you should try to protect it but some backup plans might not be a bad idea. And it's up to you how you want to build it. If you like your build and don't want to change it that's cool too. There's nothing wrong with how you like to play it. These are just some suggestions for alternative threats since you asked. Good luck!

[@Harbord]

A budget kaliaa deck please! I bought her and I’m trying to build her for my first deck! Just need to pick out cards to go with her!

[@frankthetank520]

My buddy plays the worst zur deck. 27 lands 2 mana rocks. "All I need is 4 mana and a zur trigger" Dude wonders why he doesn't win

[@Garwinium]

b...but rolling dice with funny gambling man funny

[@daneburke6592]

I love playing oubliette in my yarok deck and phasing out two peoples commanders and they’re real sad because their deck does nothing without them 😂

[@NSixtyFour]

just run stuff like winter orb, nev disk, and mana vault. make them waste all of their removal

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

Counter point: If your deck can run fine without the commander then what's the point in having a commander in the first place?

[@bisowa8883]

Commander can be just a massive helper instead of a driving force behind your deck. We could see that another card in your hand can do wonders with companions

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

@@bisowa8883 Companions were the worst thing to ever be allowed in commander as it just does not fit. For non commander decks sure it simulates commander as you get a extra card, but for a 100 card singleton format? it does not make sense rules wise to get a free often times broken extra card for a 101 card deck. Hell a lot of companions are being banned in other formats as well as they are too strong, hell it was so strong they had to literally errata how the companion mechanic works as instead of casting that free card you put it into your hand and then you have to pay it's mana cost when you wanna cast it. Like way to make a mechanic to where reading the card does not explain the card so that everyone that reads the card will think "Oh i can just cast it". Even Wizards came out and agreed that Companion was the worst design mistake they ever made even if it was for the year that the mechanic came out. Like you may hate Infect or MLD or some other casual taboo but those taboos never took over and ruined entire formats to wizards actually having to errata how the mechanic of those taboos actually works And a massive helper? no a commander should be the key focus of your deck even in casual not just something that allows you access to your favorite pet cards otherwise there is not really a point in having a commander. Sure i will agree on being able to win the game without the commander in play but the deck should still revolve around the commander Now there are decks and themes that unfortunately have to use whatever they can get and in those cases the commander does not matter just use any generic legend as they have no commander to represent them. Example: say you have a Mono Green Maze's End deck you need a generic 5c identity commander otherwise you can't use the gates because of the way the rules are structured and there is no commander for it as Golos is banned so you have to make due. In that example you literally can't make the deck revolve around the commander as to my knowledge Golos is literally the only one that cares about Non basic lands. Like the wincon would be Mazes End so you can't just use Nine-Fingers Keene if Baulder's gate did not come out Now Maze's End does not care if they are guild gates for the win it just cares if they are gates with different names. Gateway Plaza, Gond Gate, Baldur's Gate, Black Dragon's Gate, Heap Gate, Manor Gate, Basilisk Gate, The Black Gate, Dimir Guildgate, Golgari Guildgate just to name a few Now a staple would be Gond Gate as it makes gates you control enter untapped and Amulet of Vigor would be put in anyways as it has "When a permanent you control enters tapped untap it" to sum it up. Before you ask the mono green part is to play ramp and allowing you to play extra lands per turn thus speeding up Maze's Ends win. Fun fact there are very few cards that allow you to search for non basic lands and play them or add them to your hand. And yeah before Nine-Fingers Keene came out Maze's End decks had to be 5 colors so it had an excuse to use any random generic 5c commander

[@EnemyToad]

Sacrifice her in response. She has a +1/+1 counter so she’ll be back on end step. I don’t have much enchantment removal but I have to save the counterspells for RIP or Farewell. But yeah I agree with the thesis - you need a way to reliably play the game

[@DragonmasterSK]

You ally with the Blue Player 😂😂😂

[@cheapskateotaku7123]

My commander was build to be my commander, it is only ever needed to be a finisher when I want to hit my opponent or just use of of its ability as my contingency Thus, my commander had never been really cast for a really long time now 😅

[@Tae_Grixis]

My Breya deck is built to function without me ever having to cast her in a game. It's far better than the monolithic style the deck was a year or so ago.

[@shanaeverowe9626]

I confuse people with my kaalia deck. Its basically a giada angel tribal deck, but i use her to get access to better angel diversity and some powerful non mono white cards(vandalblast/ruinous ultimatum and recursion)

[@Wizardbeard91]

All of my permanents are worth a counter or a kill card when my commander hits the field if I have a good board state then killing a creature or getting rid of artifacts or enchantments on my side of the field is an extremely difficult choice what do you destroy when I have nekusar, niv mizzet parun and firemind, storm kihln artist and melek isset paragon and keep playing cantrips

[@darkrai205]

I play kess and have the joke here's kess you'll probably not see her on the field

[@zaqwsx41375]

I played Kaaila since release of Heavenly Inferno and now i prefer to play Zenith Seeker instead, wery underrated.

[@kevinbhicks]

Same here with regards to Heavenly Inferno but I actually recently cut Zenith Seeker from the 99. I'm curious about what I'm missing...

[@zaqwsx41375]

@@kevinbhicks reanimation package, and draw engine in command zone, you always have bunch of creatures to dump with many tormenting voice effects. Zenith seeker not a panic button, everyone asking "You play Kaalia, oh that one" and relax) And i play Worldgoger combo, with white silence backup. And with Zenit on board you draw every Dragon, Angel in deck.

[@MTGAnotherLook]

Zenith Seeker is great to play as a commander to go under the radar and then still do the same broken things.

[@kevinbhicks]

@@zaqwsx41375 Gonna have to try this

[@ZagrasNixillis]

Don't forget Belbe's Portal for cheating creatures into play.

[@sc100ott]

If someone puts Imprisoned in the Moon, Oubliette, Darksteel Mutation, or Song of the Dryads on my commander, and I don’t have enchantment removal in hand, I just piss and moan in the most obnoxious way so that player feels miserable for the rest of the game to the point that they know not to run those cards for unilateral commander removal ever again. 😈

[@zanny5169]

So it's your fault for not having removal and you're gonna make your opponents feel bad? I'm shocked you get people to play more than 1 game with you.

[@sc100ott]

@@zanny5169 Mostly joking. I play plenty of removal, but it’s not like every deck is going to have 10+ cards to deal with enchantments. Therefore it’s not unusual to sit there trying to topdeck the right removal, even if you have plenty. All in all, it’s a pretty nasty feel-bad to be dead in the water because someone unilaterally hosed your commander, when the other 3 players are free to play. That’s why I tend to NOT play those specific cards, or at least not use them on a commander unless it’s down to 1 v 1, or I’m in a familiar group which I know can handle it. And I personally try to make my decks redundant enough that they can still function without the commander.

[@zanny5169]

@sc100ott Right on, it's tough to tell if people are joking over text. I prefer to be beaten, and it makes me build stronger decks or find ways to circumvent what happened to me. I can control my deck and what I want to play, but not others, so when I play against others I can't be mad when they play some brutal stuff.

[@overshothydra1304]

This video is Canadian propaganda