Good/Fun Commander for a new EDH player?
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Nov. 19, 2018, 9:50 p.m. by Loa_Wolfe
I've been rather stuck on deciding a general for a commander deck, the main issue is that I just don't know what colors I'd enjoy the most. I'm also unsure how competitive I would want the deck to be, probably not too strong where I get exiled from all play groups in the country. I'd like to hear some ideas with some explanations for them! The current commanders I'm considering are Marchesa, the Black Rose, Zedruu the Greathearted, Ramos, Dragon Engine and Scion of the Ur-Dragon.
Ghostshaman33 I'm a little unsure about mono-colored decks, especially blue.
I also forgot to mention Derevi, Empyrial Tactician/Roon of the Hidden Realm and Queen Marchesa
November 19, 2018 10:12 p.m.
DrukenReaps says... #4
For your first deck I would recommend something in two colors. You get more than a single color but the mana base is still easy to put together. 3+ can be a little tricky...
Of the ones you have mentioned though I would highly recommend either Marchesa. They are just an absolute blast to play. My Divine Decree is a bit expensive but shows that Queen Marchesa has a lot of play styles. My black rose I just put back together with cards I had lying about so it is semi-budget, The Ever Returning Rose.
For Marchesa, the Black Rose you do need some key pieces like Unspeakable Symbol or you are going to have a tough time keeping +1/+1 counters on your guys. With recent prints of Guildmages' Forum and Forge of Heroes plus good old Opal Palace it is a pretty good time to get in on the black rose band wagon. My version really revolves around entering and leaving the battlefield, effects like Dire Fleet Ravager going off every turn really puts the hurt on people. It takes a little bit of setup to do that though.
My Divine Decree is a group slug deck with pillow forts to stop the relentless onslaught from my pals as I drain their lives away. People really underestimate the power of Manabarbs until they have to pay for their big hitters, lol.
November 19, 2018 10:33 p.m.
Homelessguy says... #5
I'm having a blast with Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow there's a someone expensive version of it using extra turns but I've just been using damage and filling the deck with split cards. Also Draco is the best Ninja!
I got a primer for the deck on my page.
And if you're worried about it being too competitive you can do both by taking out some of the more expensive tutors.
November 19, 2018 10:47 p.m.
3+ doesn't seem that bad when I can get fetch, shock and signets. I sort of started making the deck with Sensei's Divining Top, Sol Ring, Strip Mine (the basics) with some extra cards depending on colors (Decree of Pain, Vandalblast, Cultivate and Rakdos Charm). Picking a 2 color commander with the chance of being mildly competitive sounds like a tough pick. The biggest problem is that I haven't been playing enough to figure out which colors I enjoy the most which is why I'm considering a 5 color commander like Ramos, Dragon Engine for spellslinger and Scion of the Ur-Dragon for dragon tribal
November 19, 2018 11:04 p.m. Edited.
Homelessguy says... #8
Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder? Lots of good cards in the colors. Interesting game mechanic. Dynamic turns. Multiple ways to build. It's got a lot going for it
November 20, 2018 12:01 a.m.
Hello !
I think to start commander, you need to find a general that easily provides card advantage or a "build aroud" general. So, you don't need to go too much competitive.
I would reccomend 2 or 3 colors too for a first commander. But, if you want to go 5 colors, you can consider Jodah, Archmage Eternal too (Ramos goes in). If you don't know which colors you enjoy, I don't think 5 colors is the best way to go. Look at some lists, the most played general. But don't try to be competitive right now, try to have fun. An cEDH deck takes a lots of time and tests. And imagine your deck isn't adjust to your meta... you will spend time to built a 5 color deck and finally, it doesn't work. Firstly, just have fun !
You can be sure of some mono colored decks !
Some of them are great: Daretti, Scrap Savant, Talrand, Sky Summoner, Arcanis the Omnipotent, Gonti, Lord of Luxury. They are good build around commander.
You can find some good build around commander in Theros with the gods: Karametra, God of Harvests, Ephara, God of the Polis, Athreos, God of Passage. They prodvide CA, are indestructible. Or simply look at the most played commander to be inspired
November 20, 2018 12:34 a.m.
mgc974 Gonti, Lord of Luxury was a commander I was thinking of but I was (and still am) a bit uneasy going a full mono-colored commander deck (not to mention I'd like to use fetch lands, shock lands and the like), just seems as though I'll be missing a lot of utility from the other colors. The only mono-color deck I'll pass on is green (mainly because I don't like elves and I plan on making a fun snake tribal deck in the future).
Having fun is subjective, I obviously don't want a purely fun deck, I also want to have a good chance of winning. The thing holding me back from making my first "real" commander deck is that I imagine treating it as "the deck". Jodah, Archmage Eternal seems to be the kind of commander I'm looking for, one to constantly build upon and maxamize potential (same as Ramos, Dragon Engine and others). What I probably need to do is identify which colors I like the most and decide from there.
November 20, 2018 7:18 a.m. Edited.
Also when I said "the deck" I meant one I could find new combo pieces or support for years to come. Something to constantly build off of and improve. Starting at $200 and maybe in a couple years be closer to $1,000. I'm not too sure how to describe it in the best way possible but I'm sure you get the picture.
November 20, 2018 7:27 a.m.
Homelessguy says... #12
[PRIMER]Parley Girl cEDH There's an combo that I have fun with
[PRIMER]Honey Nut Jhoiraos Cheerios in Commander
[PRIMER]Don't Touch China!!! Meme your opponent to death with walls. Always fun to make Trump jokes and say things like you shall not pass!
Sex Toy Santa Just punching people as hard as I can
Crouching Tiger Hidden top deck It's not finished I mean I have all the cards I'm just lazy But the primers finished
November 20, 2018 8:50 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #13
If you are looking to build your first commander deck, my suggestion is that you shouldn't spend too much time fretting about color combinations. I think you should first land on what strategy you enjoy playing the most. Are you a control player? Combo? Timmy? Johnny? Tribal? Lands-matter? etc. Commander is such a vast format that you could achieve any of these strategies in just about any color combination. That being said, certain strategies do rely heavily on certain color combinations. Once you land on a strategy (even the list of commanders you mentioned has a wide range) it will be easier to provide suggestions.
I'd suggest checking places like EDHrec or some of the youtube streamers (like JumboCommander) for more ideas once you land on a strategy or a commander. EDHrec even has things organized by strategies and/or colors which makes it nice and easy to navigate.
Also, don't be afraid of mono-colored decks, especially Black. They can be extremely powerful.
Lastly, I'll leave a list of my current decks here if you just want to see some more. I tend to have a wide variety of deck focuses as I prefer less conventional strategies:
This deck has HUGE tracks of land - My baby, which I have been building/modifying over years. It's a lands deck that was originally led by Omnath, Locus of Rage, but it is now helmed by Lord Windgrace because I have been missing the addition of black.
Pocket Sand v2 - A Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow list which isn't as powerful as it can possibly be (i.e. it isn't an extra turns deck), but it's still pretty potent.
Brudiclad's Brutal Budget - An ultra budget brew of Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer where I only allowed 2 cards over $5 and 5 cards over $2. It is still surprisingly competitive.
The Skund Nature Preserve - Another budget deck, but this one uses Jolrael, Empress of Beasts to animate my lands and beat down opponents.
I am also working on a Boros Reanimator list which is turning out to be pretty spicey.
All of these decks came from me wanting to execute a specific strategy or from a commander which just spoke to me. So first find that, and then go from there. Good Luck!
November 20, 2018 10:34 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor EDHrec is the main plus I go to look for commanders and honestly, the main site that gives me such indecisiveness about a commander. As for playstyle... I haven't had enough experience to really know. I've been studying the history, rules and cards of MTG for a few years and only recently have I started to get into it. I have an Azorius "control" with Ephara, God of the Polis but I haven't had too much fun with it.
November 20, 2018 3 p.m.
skoobysnackz says... #15
Hey, LoaTheWolf. From what I've read of the comments (only the first few) it seems like you are familiar with mtg already, and budget isn't too much of a concern. If you have already played other formats before, then starting out at 5 colors can be fine. Otherwise, I would also advise against it. If you really want to go 5-colors, I think Jodah, Archmage Eternal would be better than Ramos, Dragon Engine. Ramos can be tricky to build and pilot well, whereas I think Jodah will give you more room to learn and even evolve your deck as you decide what you like and don't like. Some fun Commanders I have played/played against are Muldrotha, the Gravetide, Yasova Dragonclaw, Samut, Voice of Dissent, and Nekusar, the Mindrazer. Muldrotha decks want to build up their graveyards full of cheap permanents that can easily be brought back and sacrificed for value, here's the version I'm currently playing: Tidal Graves. Yasova is pretty straightforward, make her bigger than all the other creatures and then steal the best one each turn, if you can then sacrifice it to Fauna Shaman or something, that's just a bonus. The Samut I play against is a voltron build that uses enchantments like Spectra Ward to deal 21 commander damage really quickly. Nekusar is also pretty straightforward, I'm sure you can find much better lists than mine, but the idea is use lots of Windfall type cards. Be careful with him though, he tends to make everyone at the table target you first. Hope this is helpful and good luck with whoever you chose.
November 20, 2018 7:38 p.m.
skoobysnackz Jodah, Archmage Eternal is currently what I'm leaning towards (along with Cromat), I'm toying with the idea of an aristocrats style deck with Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim. I think I'm ultimately going to make a 5-color deck, the reason I keep Ramos, Dragon Engine as an idea is because of his art and effect being awesome. I enjoy the idea of casting a few spells then using his ability in order to cast more/devestating spells (Progenitus comes to mind) or use Door to Nothingness to remove a problematic player from the game.
November 20, 2018 8:44 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #17
LoaTheWolf - yeah, EDHrec can be a bit overwhelming, but it is still a useful tool for ideas. That is fair if you aren't sure what strategies you enjoy. In response, all I can say is to just try different strategies and see what you enjoy, though it sounds like you are leaning towards Jodah, which is a good choice and a fairly flexible commander.
One last piece of advice I like to give to newer commander players is to make sure you include enough card draw and ramp (like 10 pieces each). Those numbers can fluctuate a bit depending on the deck, but it should generally be around 10 each.
November 21, 2018 9:41 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor My only issue with trying out strategies is how to to about it. I guess I could get some pauper decks for aggro, control, suicide/rack, lifegain and some others, but spending a fair amount in order to try each and then enough to build my commander deck is a little daunting. Not to mention I'd need someone to play with.
November 21, 2018 11:19 a.m.
skoobysnackz says... #19
There are plenty of websites and stuff to test out decks for free. I know X-Mage is pretty popular, but there are definitely a ton of others. I think the main idea that all these people are trying to get at is that if you just impulsively buy your first deck, there's a much greater chance you won't like it. This has happened to me and likely all these other people too, which is why we keep suggesting that you do more research to find out what you like before spending money on something you will get tired of after a few weeks. It sounds like you're pretty set on what you want, so I'd suggest you stop looking for ideas for commanders and start working on a list for your top 3 choices. From there it will be much easier for you to decide which final deck you want most, and it will also allow others to get a better sense of your play-style so they can give better advice. If you need real people to play with try to visit a local game store, people are usually very welcoming to new players.
November 21, 2018 11:53 a.m.
skoobysnackz I go to local game stores every Friday, I personally don't see them being very interested in helping a new player. The only real playstyle I can say I enjoy is a control/value deck, but not something like blue control, more like mono-black
November 21, 2018 12:53 p.m. Edited.
Sliver Hivelord could be a great 5 colors commander. Sigarda, Host of Herons IS an anti-meta deck and a good voltron commander
November 21, 2018 2:15 p.m.
skoobysnackz says... #22
Sorry to hear that LoaTheWolf. Anyways, I'd be happy to take a look at what you've got once you come up with a list or two. If you're interested in mono black control style builds, I personally think Chainer, Dementia Master looks like a ton of fun (Mikaeus, the Unhallowed would be my second pick). Another aristocrats style build you could go for would be Krav, the Unredeemed and Regna, the Redeemer.
Ghostshaman33 says... #2
Shaman’s altar Budget deck series, Jalira.
Commander / EDH Ghostshaman33
5 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
is a sub $50 budget primer I just posted, first in a series. Tons of fun and utilizes Jalira, Master Polymorphist to turn your 1/1s into massive hitters.
I don’t have much experience with the commanders you’re considering so I won’t comment on them.
November 19, 2018 9:56 p.m.