New to Commander
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Oct. 30, 2015, 4:37 p.m. by FireEagle
I am very interested in playing commander, and am looking for a few ideas to build my deck around. [note: I have Nylea and Purphoros]
OK. Start by checking out Epochalyptik's profile for EDH resources. I HIGHLY recommend you check out some decks around this site and look at what other people have done. Don't base your general of choice on what cards you own. EDH is very much a work-in-progress and long-term commitment style format. Search for a general that appeals to you. Come up with a budget. We'll help. If you do anything, tag me. I'm more of a blue EDH expert, but I can speak for other colors as well.
October 30, 2015 4:44 p.m.
Im similar to TheDevicer, but I'm a black mage. I'll help as much as possible.
October 30, 2015 4:53 p.m.
+1 on TheDevicer's recommendation to check out Epochalyptik's Pandora's Box articles!
You might also check out this thread over on the generic Commander forum. It's got a bunch of links to some solid budget decks here at Tappedout and articles from other sites.
And though I mention it on that thread, I'll mention it again here: The WOTC Commander pre-constructed decks are a great option for many new Commander players. The 2015 set (enemy colors) comes out early next month
October 30, 2015 5:29 p.m.
if $50 is your budget i would recommend waiting til the 2015 commander decks arrive. either buy 1 and a few singles,or buy 2 and combined them to make a nice 3 color one and just buy a commander card within the colors. i believe they come out on the 15th so u can prep till then
October 30, 2015 5:32 p.m.
Randomdeath says... #8
With $50 budget I'd suggest purphoros with goblins I have a friend who built it on the super cheap and it was a constant threat at the table. Sadly I don't have his decklist but I'm sure if you looked at other decks you will be able to start sculpting an EDH deck. I'm an izzet mage myself but ill help as much as I can with combo pieces etc. Etc.
October 30, 2015 5:33 p.m.
How much money a deck costs is determined by what commander you choose. Find a couple of commanders that pique your interest and see if you can build a cheap deck around them. I've generally built EDH decks from a commander product or from rebuilding a deck I already have (that's what I did with my mill deck for Phenax, God of Deception). Some commanders, like Krenko, Mob Boss, are just cheap to build around, but others are expensive, like Kaalia of the Vast.
October 30, 2015 5:45 p.m.
I also want to echo TheDevicer's comments "Don't base your general of choice on what cards you own. ... Search for a general that appeals to you"
That said, if Purphoros appeals to you, he's solid.
I recommend you check out ...
- Mike Cannon's deck at GatheringMagic
- Tomer Abramovici's deck at MTGgoldfish
- BudgetMTGDecks's deck, Budget Purphoros, God of the Forge - EDH/Commander, here at TappedOut
Also, though it's not a budget build by any means, I recommend you check out fnchmtt92's deck, Purphoros, God of Being a Dick, here at TappedOut. It's a good example of what a budget deck could evolve into. Plus it's a hilarious write-up.
October 31, 2015 12:18 a.m.
edhrec.com is a decent resource for general builds that aren't blatantly themed or too specific, with the exception of tribal.
October 31, 2015 12:19 a.m.
I would just wait to see what the decklists are for Commander 2015. Then you can buy 1-2 preconstructed Commander decks - whichever you like most out of the 2013/2014/2015 releases. For a new player this is one of the better starting points.
It's $20-40 for a Commander 2013/2014 deck, depending on which deck and where you buy it.
2013 list: http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/269c
2014 list: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/arcana/commander-2014-edition-decklists-2014-10-31
October 31, 2015 12:23 a.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #13
I don't know about $50, but I threw together a Nylea deck for a friend for about $90, and a lot of that is in just a few cards in the deck which could be replaced with something less potent but more affordable (the main offenders are Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Nissa, Worldwaker, and Asceticism). Here it is: An Enchanting Hunt.
Both of these are fun commanders, and lend themselves to an aggro strategy. Do you prefer attacking with a few big creatures or a lot of little ones? Alternatively you can put some combo into Purphoros, but many good combo pieces are pricy.
Also, the same thing I tell everyone new to the format: Sol Ring belongs in your deck, no excuses!
October 31, 2015 1:23 a.m.
I think one of the easiest ways to keep your commander decks cheap (at least at first) is to try and avoid any of the "EDH Staples" that people will be very insistent on. Find cheap alternatives or look for a way to accomplish a similar effect.
No rocks in Nylea, as an example, because mono-green.
And, really, Nylea is super easy to build super cheap. To start, a bunch of HUGE dudes, 'cause your commander just gives trample, and then a bunch of green ramp. Anything that puts lands into play from your deck! Then play, adjust to meta as needed. It is your first EDH deck, it's probably not going to go as well against people who have been playing for awhile, and people might even be willing to toss you some of their "cheap junk rares" that go really well in the deck.
October 31, 2015 3:12 a.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #15
Some of the staples are cheap, though. I don't see any reason not to run ones that help the deck and are in the budget. Some also have budget substitutes. When I built Nylea I used Deadwood Treefolk over Eternal Witness, and most of what the deck wants to recur are creatures anyway.
Stuff like that helps. Find a card that does similar things to something that often goes in that deck or those colors, but doesn't cost as much. You can get the real deal later on. Or if the effect helps often enough, run both.
October 31, 2015 4:19 a.m. Edited.
i have a 35 dollar purphoros deck, it is really fun to play with, here it is if you want to take a look:http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/purphoros-god-of-budget-aggro-35-after-optimizing/
clayperce says... #2
Welcome to Commander! Are you looking for budget thoughts, or "best possible" thoughts?
October 30, 2015 4:42 p.m.