Looking for the Meanest Commander
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on June 4, 2017, 9:45 p.m. by Epidilius
So, my playgroup is pretty chill about proxies, as long as you follow our unspoken rules. They are:
The card is only expensive because it is from an old set or in standard (looking at you Portal 3 Kingdoms)
The card is expensive and you already own it (and aren't proxying a dozen)
You are playtesting a deck
You ordered the cards online and they haven't arrived yet (or you want to trade and can't find it)
We've all proxied cards before (all of us for playtesting reasons), and we all will in the future. One of us has a proxy Jace, the Mind Sculptor because he has two in decks, and wanted one in a third. One of the group has most of a deck proxied because he is testing it out. I am currently proxying cards in a deck while I wait for my order to arrive. Another guy has a proxied Zodiac Dragon because it's from PTK.
The issue is that one of us has started taking it to extremes. He's out of work right now, and taken that as license to go overboard here. He's doing all the swords, shit like Nether Void, both pricey Jaces, ABUR duals, and its getting on our nerves. We talked to him about it, he says he's just playtesting, so it's all good.
So, I want to beat him at his own game. I am looking to build the meanest, most soul crushing deck possible. I don't want to combo off turn 3 or 4. I want to drag the game out forever. I want to be able to win whenever I want, but choose not to. I want to say "No" to everything. I don't want anyone to have fun. I want us all to be so worn out, that we all agree to stop playing Magic.
Because I'll be "playtesting", price is not a factor.
I was thinking maybe a Mishra, Artificer Prodigy deck, but I would like some opinions on what to play here.
Lilbrudder says... #3
Actually Mishra is a decent stax commander being able to abuse effects like Blood Funnel. If you want the meanest most soul crushing deck, however, I would think a 4 color blood moon stax deck with Tana and Tymna would be a good choice.
June 4, 2017 10:19 p.m.
costrander3689 says... #4
My play group runs a number of just terrible decks that do exactly what you're looking for.
1 Sharuum the Hegemon - the deck runs a bunch of flicker engines and life gain/tutor/bounce things. (Filigree Angel being the biggest of dicks.) It takes a bit to get going but is just awful. ($300)
2 Daretti, Scrap Savant - This deck is full of stall cards (Ensnaring Bridge,Silent Arbiter, Platinum Angel, Darksteel Forge) and all sorts of ways to cheat them into play. It doesn't really win, just stops anyone from doing anything. ($250)
3) Azami, Lady of Scrolls - just cheap, shitty wizards with shitty abilities, and a ton of counterspells and bounce cards, eventually leading to Laboratory Maniac. ($25)
4) Omnath, Locus of Rage - this deck just punches you in the deck until you quit, and screws you for doing anything. Again, not great, but a damn nightmare. ($35)
5) Zurgo Helmsmasher - My favorite deck that I built, but am not allowed to play... it's just Zurgo, mana rocks, and board clears. That's it. It got banned by my group, which is impressive considering the rest of the decks.
I know there are worse cards out there, but these are just my favorite
June 4, 2017 10:21 p.m.
Stax decks usually end fun for most other players if built well. Here are 3 suggestions:
June 5, 2017 midnight
demonicgrizzly says... #7
Tasigur, the Golden Fang can be a major toolbag.
So can Atraxa, Praetors' Voice, which is one of my favorites.
June 5, 2017 12:05 a.m.
Ahh, the old "someone in my playgroup is being a dick so I'm doing to be an even bigger dick".
You're better off telling them to tone it down or you'll boot them of the playgroup. And don't take "I'm just playtesting as an answer". Or talk to your group and get EVERYBODY to start ramping up their decks. But there's no point trying to be Judge Dredd here.
But if you must, stax is the way to go. Meren of Clan Nel Toth resource denial is one of the jerkier options. Just rip open their mana base.
That or Sen Triplets control stax. Not only are you shutting them down, but you're also playing their nice things.
But again, you really should deal with the problem at hand, not take things into your own hands.
June 5, 2017 6:29 a.m.
Winterblast says... #9
If you want to show him what proxies without limit are capable of, play stax with The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale and Mishra's Workshop. My favourite commander is Grand Arbiter Augustin IV and he does a good job at showing the "pub stomper" decks who is boss.
Everything else would just secure a quick win, but with stax you can punish other players for quite a while until they give up themselves or you decide to go for the win by searching for the combo in your deck
June 5, 2017 6:35 a.m.
I'd deifnetly say Stax as well and I've found my favorite Stax commander is Narset, Enlightened Master. I have a deck with her and it's mean. Pleanty of artifact ramp, land destruction and extra combat steps, plus the usual resource denial, especially vs creatures (you only need one)
June 5, 2017 6:38 a.m.
Wow! That's the most horrible thing anyone has ever said about this game - especially this format! I must ask you to reconsider your vindictive attitude, sir. Your playgroup does not deserve to have its fun drained by one of his upstanding players, because of one upstart ruffian!
All jokes aside, don't do this man. You will just enforce a horrible precedent in your playgroup that will lead to you guys actually falling appart (at least for what MtG is concerned). Not worth it.
EDH is meant to be FUN and playgroups are meant to manage bad boys through conversation! Talk to the guy. If he doesn't listen then be polite while you point him to the nearest unoccupied table to play by himself.
Another thing to do is to change your perspective on proxying. Do not allow it. The lack of resources promotes creativity; this motto has led my playgroup to find lots of hidden gems. If we ever allow a proxy or two for playtesting reasons we ask this of the person proxying: "If you like the card, when will you get the physical copy?". A card like Nether Void usually means "never" is the answer. So talk within the group and don't allow this kind of stupidity.
Now, although I don't want to have any part in the quarrel between your playgroup, I will also promote the stax-strategy. This is a very valid and very competitive playstyle that is mostly fair (not a lot of wins out of thin air - not many infinite combos etc). I would recommend Derevi, Empyrial Tactician or Glissa, the Traitor as my favourite stax commanders. Be warned, that even though a well prepared deck can still perform through the locks imposed, most builds will fold to them as they are quite oppressive (Cf. Stasis, Winter Orb, Smokestack). The pressure applied to all players - the pilot included - is bone crushing. So there you go, have fun, and welcome to the dark side. Stay to long and you will end up lonely! VERY lonely!
June 5, 2017 7:40 a.m.
"I want to drag the game out forever. I want to be able to win whenever I want, but choose not to. I want to say "No" to everything."
If this is what you want, then perhaps you'll like my deck deck:And I'll Pay a Red | Only 5 Red Spells! PRIMER. Take a look at the "Current Best Game" section, cause that's basically what I do with it.
Essentially once you combo out, you search every artifact that could be useful in manipulating the boardstate -- from Lux Cannon to Contagion Engine to Decimator Web -- along with Darksteel Reactor, and literally just sit there and stop them from doing anything, draw-go-ing each of your turns slowly ticking up the Reactor. For added fun, sacrifice the Reactor on turn 19 so the game has no end.
June 5, 2017 7:42 a.m.
Sorry, that link didn't work right. Let's try again.
And I'll Pay a Red | Only 5 Red Spells! *PRIMER*
Commander / EDH
SCORE: 46 | 25 COMMENTS | 6997 VIEWS | IN 18 FOLDERS
June 5, 2017 7:44 a.m.
Geralf_Cecani says... #14
Well, if winning isn't a thing, one of my favourite nopes is Child of Alara. Recursion, especially spells like Gift of Immortality, make you able to wrath when every you like, with the simple addition of a few lands/indestructible like High Market or Bontu the Glorified. Then, using the amazing plethora of wipe available to you cos chromatic, you can Soulscour or Jokulhaups, or even Sunder the shit out of lands.
June 5, 2017 7:56 a.m.
Winterblast says... #15
Panas I think the proxy discussion isn't so easy to close when the involved people have completely different views. The question is why do we use a proxy in the first place? The easiest way to solve the problem in this group would be to organize a tournament with prize support or even hold regular tournaments like once a month or so and then it's clear that the extensive proxing in the casual games doesn't get this guy anyw, as he will have to stick to his own cards in the playgroup's tournaments. For example these people could buy a dual land together each month and then play for it with their real no-proxy decks. It would both help acquiring the cards everyone lacks AND it would make testing with too many proxies unreasonable for that one guy.
I'm not against proxies, also of high value cards, but there has to be the motivation of sometimes acquiring the missing cards. For example I have one Imperial Recruiter proxy in a deck and it's been there for over a year. I assume that no one has a problem with that when the deck contains several foreign bb duals and other stuff that surpasses the recruiter's value...it's just that I haven't had a chance to make a good enough deal for that missing card yet. Also, proxing cards that are in other decks is surely less annoying than having to exchange several cards all the time when everyone else is already shuffling and drawing their hands. Frequently using proxies that are out of the price range of the player's other decks is not cool though, because we could all just play homeprinted cards instead if we didn't care about collecting real magic cards
June 5, 2017 7:59 a.m.
Geralf_Cecani says... #16
Another not fun combo I forgot to mention is Helm of the Ghastlord and Nekusar, the Mindrazer. Or Windfall effects and Notion Thief. Or just Notion Thief at all. Let's just say my bro has a nekusar deck that is not fun to play against. Just add tutors for Helm of the Ghastlord with a nekusar commander (hey, you're just play-testing Imperial Seal, Grim Tutor, etc. , amiright?) and make him completely unable to draw cards. Sorry about the double post.
June 5, 2017 8:04 a.m.
What you are saying Winterblast, is something I can agree with. The problem is asking someone who is out of work to pitch in for prizes that can be very costly. Granted I do not know the size of the playgroup, but assuming a casual 3-times-a-week gathering of 4 friends will ask each of them an entry fee of 70 bucks to get that Nether Void, or, anything from 20 to "way too much" for ABUR duals.
I love the ideas of EDH tournaments and maybe it can work (like having a pot, where the player with most points at the end of the year can use for whatever he wants). What it requires is discipline from the players and snapping at the whole group for the error of 1 player shows anything but.
I do not think this is an issue of formulating a different way of play; I see this as a problem of etiquette from the original author and more so from the member of his playgroup that abuses the leniency of the group. I strongly believe, and hope we can all agree to this, that a game can be exactly that when everyone involved is having fun. This is the point I wish passed on.
June 5, 2017 10:59 a.m.
Winterblast says... #18
Panas I guess the main problem is that someone uses proxies for "testing" while being out of work - and he might even think of buying these cards later when he has more money again - but at the moment the poorest guy of the group plays the fanciest decks of the whole group. It seems that Epidilius wants to outrace this guy with proxies himself to make the power level equal again and after a short time the other guys will surely take the same path...eventually they will all play almost fully proxed decks. My idea was that if that group proceeds in building more and more powerful decks, they will probably start enjoying the higher (yet then again equal) power level and don't want to play with their available low budget piles anymore. Then they all need to find a way to go back to original cards while not creating a "pay to win" atmosphere among friends who can't invest an equal amount of money.
Therefore I thought they could probably solve this by agreeing on paying an equal low amount for a monthly prize pot and play it out. They could start with KTK fetchlands, which are necessary but not expensive if you find playsets on ebay for example...always play for enough that 1st and 2nd place can win something useful. I always think of it like "how many pints have to be spared to pay for X" and then I realize how much money I save by not frequently going out drinking or by not smoking and whatever other people might do that costs a lot and has no long-lasting value.
berryjon says... #2
Mishra, Artificer Prodigy is one of the worst commanders in the game as his ability requires having copies of an artifact in your deck - which you can't do in EDH. And his colors are held by more potent Commanders.
In Grixis colors, I would suggest Nicol Bolas or Crosis, the Purger having useful abilities to draw out the game with control options.
June 4, 2017 9:58 p.m.