I Need Help Deciding on Which Deck to Play

Commander Deck Help forum

Posted on April 16, 2017, 10:32 p.m. by JDMCRIB

So, recently my pod of friends and I have gotten back into MTG to play EDH. While everyone else has more-or-less found the deck they want to play, I'm finding myself stuck between a few appealing options. I don't have access to nearly enough funds to build each of these decks in paper, so I'm wanting to know what the wisest investment would be here.

There are three main ideas I've stumbled across and brewed. Perhaps my favorite of these is a Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons deck modeled after Daedalus19876's popular list. Essentially, it aims to kill off opposing creatures, capitalize on Hapatra's trigger, and use her sneks as sacrifice fodder for things like Natural Order and Attrition. As I'm a big fan of midrange strategies in any format, she appeals a lot to me.

The next deck isn't as "competitive," but there's a specific reason I brewed it up. Ever since I got into the game, the Myr creature type has always made me happy. There's just something about those little guys that makes me glad to play them. Anyway, here's a Breya, Etherium Shaper deck I threw together to take advantage of the clearly-powerful Myr tribe.

deck chart

Breya's Marvelous Myr | Artifact Tribal EDH

Commander / EDH JDMCRIB

SCORE: 1 | 2 COMMENTS | 516 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER

Finally, there's two reasons why this last deck appeals to me. One, I've liked the look and feel of the Partner commanders ever since they were spoiled. Two, I want to play with Nissa, Steward of Elements. I know, great reason to play an EDH deck. Regardless, after watching some of the Commander VS videos by SCG, I stumbled across Justin Parnell's Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa & Thrasios, Triton Hero list. This deck just looks really wacky, fast, and fun. It's also midrange-aggro-like, which is a plus to me. Anyway, here's my take on that deck.

So, that's what I'm working with. I'm not hesitant to branch out to other commanders, but I'd really like to build one of those three decks in paper. I'd be fine with any one of them, but I'm asking for the opinions of more experienced players to guide my decision of which one I buy into.

For extra info, the decks I'll be playing against are a Queen Marchesa, an Oloro, Ageless Ascetic, a Meren of Clan Nel Toth, a Nekusar, the Mindrazer, and a Prossh, Skyraider of Kher pod. Not sure how relevant that is to know, but there it is.

Anyway, I hope this wasn't too wordy and drawling, but I'd just really like some sound advice before I start investing hard into a single deck. Any feedback, opinions, or deck advice would be appreciated! Thanks for reading all of this lol

TL;DR - I've made three commander decks and can't decide on which one to buy into. I'm looking for advice on which one of the three to build.

DJMintEFresh says... #2

I would go with Breya. Tribal decks are tons of fun! Check out my Gahiji deck if you need any ideas for tribal-specific cards.

Using a four colour commander like Breya allows for so much flexibility and accessibility to cards (every non-green card ever printed) which is hugely important in EDH. Having access to blue counter spells, white and black removal, and red... Well, just red in general. You're missing the green ramp, but oh well, that's a small sacrifice to make.

You also mentioned being on a budget. If you play Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons, you're going to need Doubling Season which will set you back $60-$70. You can buy an entire army of Myrs for that much. If you play Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa and Thrasios, Triton Hero you won't be on the same level as your friends (mainly the ones playing Meren of Clan Nel Toth and Nekusar, the Mindrazer) unless you pump some serious cash into your deck; at least from my experience.

I hope this helped :)

April 16, 2017 11:21 p.m.

DrukenReaps says... #3

I'm biased towards the hapatra list but I've been chomping at the bit to build her since her reveal. However looking at the amount of detail you put into the myr deck I think you should build that first, come back to the others when you have more money. It seems like the list you are the most in love with which means you will have fun with it. It also has the advantage of a low average cmc so you get to play even if knocked out early.

It is very easy to power artifacts up if you find yourself with a deck that is too weak, myr have an easy time being infinite if you use Sculpting Steel or similar on Myr Galvanizer.

April 16, 2017 11:22 p.m.

DrukenReaps says... #4

sorry double post but i needed to say that doubling season is not needed in hapatra and can even be a nonbo depending on what you include.

April 16, 2017 11:24 p.m.

Izu_Korasu says... #5

so im leaning towards Hapatra, g/b gives you solid removal against the problematic cards from the above decks, and while I think it can benefit from some infect (Blightsteel Colossus, Triumph of the Hordes etc), I like the build and the creative space its exploring.

Breya feels like the wrong commander, she really doesnt do anything for the theme. i think Silas Renn, Seeker Adept+Akiri, Line-Slinger may be a better fit for the decklist. (one being a living Cranial Plating and he other connecting for artifact recovery)

and Bower Passage/Katabatic Winds/Gravity Well/Storm Front/Meekstone/Brave the Sands may be worth looking at for the Jamuraan Crusade

April 16, 2017 11:28 p.m.

Daedalus19876 says... #6

JDMCRIB: Hello! :) Deciding between many enjoyable options is always the hardest predicament, heh.

I mean, naturally I am biased towards thinking you should build Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons ;) She's proving to be powerful, fun, and cheap to build (and, as a bonus, seems to play differently every game). She's enough fun that I think she's joining my permanent roster. (Also, I've made some revisions if you want to take a look: she's running even more smoothly now.) I will also say that the deck has a lot of Golgari staples, so economically speaking it's likely to be a good investment (and you can easily use the pieces in future EDH decks).

I've built a lot of artifact decks, and I've never really gotten one to run in a way I enjoyed (which is the reason I never really built Breya, Etherium Shaper). As much as I think you'd enjoy Hapatra, though, I'm going to have to agree with Bhaal666: it seems to be the deck you've put the most thought into, and you say that Myr just make you happy. Commander is the format where you can play whatever you enjoy!

Either way, feel free to tag me if you want some help on the deck you decide to play! :) I'd obviously be more useful discussing a Hapatra deck, heh, but I can try to help with either. Happy deckbuilding!

April 17, 2017 12:15 a.m.

JDMCRIB says... #7

Thanks for all the advice, guys :)

I think it's important to note that the decks I'll be playing against aren't the fully fleshed-out versions of their commanders; for example, the Meren of Clan Nel Toth deck is currently just an upgraded precon (though he's looking to buy a Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger and Sheoldred, Whispering One soon), so I won't have to worry much about being underpowered compared to my friends.

So, as Bhaal666 mentioned, the Breya, Etherium Shaper deck has always been my pet-favorite of the three. Although I probably won't be able to get most of the landbase for a while (damn you, fetches!), most of the deck can be bought on the cheap and it has that janky-but-powerful feel I enjoy.

For Izu_Korasu, the idea behind Breya, Etherium Shaper as the commander was that she could serve as a utility piece for using your excess Myr tokens (in addition to giving me four colors). Though, now that you bring up Silas Renn, Seeker Adept & Akiri, Line-Slinger, I'm starting to reconsider. I may make the switch to those two, but I'll have to find a card to cut in the maindeck to make room for them. Any suggestions?

And yeah, Daedalus19876, I've been interested in Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons since she was spoiled, and she seems awesome (love your deck, btw!). While she's probably the best long-term investment in terms of acquiring staples and such, I currently run an upgraded Daretti, Scrap Savant deck when we play, so I could cross some of the artifacts I'm currently using between the decks. Not sure how practical that is, but it's an option I suppose.

Anyway, I'm gonna make a few revisions to the decks and mull over my options for a while. Again, thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it :)

April 17, 2017 6:54 a.m.

landofMordor says... #8

If I were you, I'd go for the deck that you think will be the most fun to play long-term (whatever that means to you). It might mean that you use the Myr tribal, but it might also mean that you go towards a janky combo deck.

For me, the decks that are the most fun to play are ones that are consistent without being predictable. For example, I have a Karador, Ghost Chieftain reanimator that is really good, but I don't usually play it because it only has like 3 or 4 win conditions. On the other hand, even though my Rashmi, Eternities Crafter deck only wins through combat damage too, there are so many synergies within the deck that every game plays out differently. That's what makes a deck fun long-term for me.

Therefore, my advice is to find what gives you that feeling of being able to play a deck for hours straight, and go for the commander that makes you feel that way. Best of luck!

April 17, 2017 7:52 p.m.

Please login to comment