What Commander To Choose (For 1st Deck)
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Oct. 2, 2016, 10:02 a.m. by Homura_Akemi
I want to get into Commander for a play group at my LGS, although I have never played before and do not know what other decks/generals will be in the group. I bought the Commander 2015 deck Wade Into Battle, although I am debating the power of that. I might upgrade the deck to be all angels, changing my commander to Anya or (Archangel) Avacyn. Any thoughts on good commanders for a new player in the format? Thanks, I appreciate the help a lot.
ducttapedeckbox says... #3
Archangel Avacyn can make a pretty sweet RW "control" deck.
October 2, 2016 10:21 a.m.
Perhaps you should watch some videos on YouTube and other sites to get a feel of the different types of decks.
If you like casting a bunch of creatures and then attacking everyone then you'd like aggro. This would be along the lines of an angel themed deck but Kaalia of the Vast would be the best for that (since angels typically have high cmc). There's also combo, storm, control, pillowfort, token and pure jank.
That brings me to the next part, your budget. Some commanders can be built effectively on smaller budgets, others not so much. Mono and dual colored commanders are much cheaper than 3+ simply bc lands are ridiculous. However, the more colors lends itself to having better options or answers to threats.
October 2, 2016 10:24 a.m.
My first was Rakdos, Lord of Riots I have a deck on my profile if you want to take a look.
October 2, 2016 11:01 a.m.
-Zirilan of the Claw He can be a REALLY good budget alternative for Kaalia of the Vast. I run both, and I can confirm that Zirilan of the Claw, though he isn't equally effective, can be just as fun and make just as many hilarious and cool plays when sitting in a multiplayer game.
-Krenko, Mob BossIf you're looking to build a deck from scratch without having to buy each individual card online, Krenko, Mob Boss if your best bet. I can't even tell you how many goblins exist in this game, and synergises with all of them. Goblins make for great synergy and when you have a deck of 100 cards, you can do a lot of damage and force them to interact with one another really well. He's quite hilarious when You get him to survive into the late game at big tables.
Volrath the Fallen I love this guy, but sometimes, to make him efficient, you need a LOT of mana rocks, and that can be expensive. The reason for this is because you're gonna want to fill your deck with creatures who have a high cmc (you know, to buff Volrath the Fallen). You also wanna give him a lot of protection and make him have either flying, fear, or unblockable. Heres a few cards you should add to help with that.
etc. etc. You get the idea.
You also are going to want to run a LOT of recursion, becuase this way, you can bring back creatures with a high CMC to the battlefield without having to pay their mana cost. This could include:Phyrexian Reclamation
Volrath is mono black, which happens to my specialty, seeing as how over 70% of decks I build are either mono black or have black in them, so if you need help or have questions, you can always message me, EDH is also my format of choice, for a lot of reasons.
Visara the DreadfulMono black good stuff. She's just SO in flavor and if you can protect her with cards like Lightning Greaves, shes a free kill spell every turn. She just kills stuff, and I can't see how that doesn't make for one of the best mono-black Good stuff commanders of all time.
Sakashima the ImpostorMono blue goodstuff. She allows you to basically steal everybody else's creature's board effects, and shes VERY versatile because you could make a deck that uses another person's deck against themselves. Lets say you happen to play Sakashima the Impostor to copy a Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre. You could then cast a Cyclonic Rift, return that creature to their hand, and then annihilate it if they cast him next turn. I'm REALLY not a good blue player, in fact, its my worst color, but I know that if you can properly build Sakashima the Impostor correctly, she will be hilarious and INSANELY fun. I dont think she is as powerful as she could be in large games (of 4+ players), however.
Teferi, Mage of ZhalfirHe saves your ass from anybody countering creatures you play, or countering any cards like Counterspell or Pongify that you might decide to cast. He can resolve quite nicely if protected well. I love him because you can basically counter what everybody is doing using creature effects while also building a board of creatures to swing with, he isn't a huge threat on the board, but holds his own at large tables.
-Eight-and-a-Half-TailsThere aren't a lot of good generals in mono white, I find, so my highest recommendation would be Eight-and-a-Half-Tails. I really can't see a person building "mono white goodstuff" because white is a color that is so diverse that its hard to make everything synergize within itself. But, Eight-and-a-Half-Tails will protect yourself from anything that people want to do to annihilate your board or control you, and white is a color that also locks opponents from making advances aswell. I think he's a really neat general, but I'm not even sure how I'd use him. I guess he is just diverse.
Ezuri, Renegade LeaderELFBALL! Elves are LUDICROUSLY fun, and Ezuri is a great general for them, they buff eachtoher, they gain yourself some health, they populate like rabbits, they are a giant wall of protection and UNSTOPPABLE 3/3s WHO SWING WITH LIKE 85 CREATURES. I love this guy, and building an elfball is amazing, it just about never goes wrong.
Azusa, Lost but Seeking OR Omnath, Locus of Mana
Just mana ramp as much as you can to play ALL of the green goodstuff. Both make excellent generals for almost anything you want to do in flavor of green.
I highly recommend that you pick a general that is a SINGLE COLOR. EDH is very often a person's first eternal format. When you're playing an eternal format, you have access to almost every single card in the game of that color scheme. It really teaches you what the most famous cards in the game, such as Force of Will are capable of, why they are famous, and it helps you psychologically associate certain objectives with certain colors. EDH is a GREAT mind builder's toolkit for learning what your favorite color(s) is/are, and I recommend that you don't make it too confusing by assorting multiple colors together all at one time, because that's going to be a lot for you to delve into in terms of what is in and out of flavor for the colors you are playing. EDH is just about the only format where you can choose specifically what colors you want to play with, and then build a deck around those colors. I think its best for a person to associate certain abilities and flavors with a color before delving into choosing a 3 (or soon to be 4) color general.
I also think that the pre-build EDH decks that Wizards sell are a FANTASTIC value, and that you should also consider just buying one of those and building off of and altering that. They come with 3 different legendarys in the color scheme to use as generals, and the decks all work well with every commander running them. I think you should consider buying one of them and just building based off of those aswell. Goodluck!
October 2, 2016 11:36 a.m.
For a first deck; I wouldn't limit yourself (ie only angels). Definitely check out edhrec.com for ideas in each color combo. There are more suggestions than room in the deck, so pick through and see what you like
It has been argued that white, and more-so that red are the weakest colors in commander. That they're better off supporting another color to fill in the gaps. can be very powerful, but the challenge I've found with my Aurelia, the Warleader build is drawing enough cards to keep up with the blue players. Mind's Eye, Mentor of the Meek, Sword of Fire and Ice, etc. There's enough artifact ramp to do ok there
TL;DR I would start with something that includes or to get the draw and ramp power that they provide, but it's totally necessary. Above all have fun, and play as many games as you can to learn as much as you can!
October 2, 2016 11:48 a.m.
Actually, Wade into Battle is pretty good. Giants are a fun tribe once you explore beyond the deck. However, shameless plug, if you ever decide that you want to build Kalemne.
Also, to give my defense of Giant tribal, this is my take. Note that it's outdated, but it's a fun build.
October 2, 2016 12:14 p.m.
Souljacker says... #9
I think if you want a good answer for you (instead of just suggestions of everyone's personal favorites), it would be helpful if you tell us how and what you like to play in general. Do you have any decks from other formats?
Timmy/Johnny/Spike?
October 2, 2016 12:20 p.m.
golgarigirl says... #11
I would definitely go with what Souljacker above has to say. Base it on what you like to do. Since you're going to be doing an awful lot of it. Any cards that you'd really like to be able to use that you haven't gotten to yet (commander is the BEST place for all those over-costed, flashy, haymaker-style cards that just don't work in 60-card formats)?
When I build it tends to be around a commander than interests me and go from there, since I don't lean towards particular stratagems over others. From there, builds also depend a little on your local meta. For example, I don't run many tutors in my decks, because my meta frowns upon fixing consistency in a format that's touted for some level of randomness (and thus we don't play the decks dedicated to assembling a combo and 'comboing out').
October 2, 2016 12:26 p.m.
Homura_Akemi says... #12
canterlotguardian I'll look into some Xira decks to check out that playstyle.
ducttapedeckbox Do pillowforts run Avacyn?
Flagellum I've checked out a lot of articles by Star City Games and Channel Fireball and watched some Tolarian Community College videos on commander decks. Kaalia seems like a cool commander, although pricey one.
Zakass Cool deck!
Sicohippy Thank you so much for your response!!! It's very helpful. I never even thought of how basically every card in Magic is available. It definitely seems like a good idea to start off with one or two colors to get a feel for what the colors are truely like with all spells available.
greyninja Lol The clerk at my LGS who rung up Wade Into Battle for me was like, "You know that's like the worst of the five? Get Meren!" and I was like "No." I normally am more of a Sultai person, but have started to enjoy some Naya smash in the face type decks. I'll keep in mind RW weakness of card draw, and maybe use Narset as a general when I get more experienced at Commander.
Phaetion Hi! Good deck! I feel more interested in the angel aspect, but giants seem strong.
Souljacker Thanks for asking about me! In standard, before rotation, I loved playing a blue black Demonic Pact control deck. I usually draft or play limited and use green a lot for creatures, then black or blue for support. As a player, I can see myself as a Johnny/Spike, with the need to play my own, unique deck, but also win at the same time. For multiplayer casual (not commander) with friends, I enjoy playing Simic +1/+1 counters with evolve, Master Biomancer, Hardened Scales, and Prophet of Kruphix. Maybe some sort of Green/Blue commander would be good.
golgarigirl Thanks! I don't know my meta yet because the group will be all new at my LGS, which has never hosted EDH before. I think some Blue Green Prophet of Kruphixy deck would be good for me, because like you said, I need to play something I like. (Secret: I've always wanted to use one of my playset of Killing Wave in a deck, although that's be hard in Simic).
October 2, 2016 12:36 p.m.
BlueMageBrandon says... #13
If you like Simic +1/+1 counters, why not get the Swell the host 2015 Precon with Ezuri, Claw of Progress? It is really fun out of the box but gets so much better just by upgrading it a little. Sage of Hours, Avenger of Zendikar, and Hornet Queen are all great cards that you should add.
October 2, 2016 1:06 p.m.
Souljacker says... #15
Ezuri is a good option indeed.
If you don't know your meta, or just enjoy reactive play, Momir Vig, Simic Visionary is a great commander for a toolbox kind of deck. I don't know if you like it or wether it's frowned upon in your eta like in golgarigirl's meta.
If you like a deck with a big role for the commander, Experiment Kraj can be really fun and you get to play cards most people don't use.
Another commander that is fun with counters is Marchesa, the Black Rose. You can create many synergies with her, and she's hard to deal with (so you don't get frustrated that you can't play your commander as often).
October 2, 2016 3:36 p.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #16
Homura_Akemi, I've noticed you mention her a couple times,so I thought I should point out to you that Prophet of Kruphix is banned in EDH. For a full ban list, check Mtg Commander.
October 2, 2016 4:52 p.m.
You mentioned Ezuri, he looks like a lot of fun. Just a FYI, Prophet of Kruphix is banned in commander so you'll just have to suffer with Seedborn Muse lol
October 2, 2016 5:37 p.m.
I currently play Ezuri, Claw of Progress and Brago, King Eternal irl. They are insanely fun. if you like amazing synergy, then those are for you. Also, another deck with fun synergy if you have a bit more money is The Gitrog Monster. or Alesha, Who Smiles at Death or Marchesa, the Black Rose could be fun too.
Thats for fun synergy.
if you are into more control, then i recommend Damia, Sage of Stone, Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, Talrand, Sky Summoner, or god forbid, Oloro, Ageless Ascetic. (Note Oloro will certainly make you a target. Or any of these really)
If you like ramp, Omnath, Locus of Rage or Karametra, God of Harvests or Animar, Soul of Elements are fun. (Note: Animar will make you a target)
If you like spellslinging, then play Mizzix of the Izmagus or Melek, Izzet Paragon. (Note: Mizzix will make you target)
If you like dying the moment you reveal your commander, play Narset, Enlightened Master and lose all of your friends.
Hope this helps!
October 2, 2016 7:24 p.m.
Homura_Akemi says... #20
Thanks CheeseBro! I was considering playing Narset at some point, is she really that much of a target?
October 2, 2016 8:18 p.m.
Oh yeah, Narset is a pretty big target.
I've found my Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord deck to be quite fun! Shameless plug like everyone above!
October 2, 2016 11:11 p.m.
Souljacker says... #22
Yeah, as long as Narset is not on the field the player is usually an easy target, but when she hits the field things get out of hand very quickly, so everyone at the table will want to prevent that.
Omnath and Alesha are my personal 2 main decks for EDH and I can vouch for them too. Alesha can be pretty competitive too, but can easily be tuned towards casual in which you get to play uncommon cards too. She's pretty aggro which can lead to you getting focus if you go off too fast, so you need to be a bit political or be sure you also have some late game.
Omnath is just fun if you like big dudes and some synergy.
October 3, 2016 8:03 a.m.
golgarigirl says... #23
Narset, Enlightened Master has a reputation as a competitive commander. And from experience, even played against an extremely casual Narset build...she gets about 2-3 triggers off and there's too much card advantage to come back against. Most people that know the extent of what she does target her unless someone else becomes a pressing threat. I start attacking her as soon as I have creatures that can put up an offense, and try to keep removal for her and any haste enablers to buy precious extra turns against her...that's how dangerous she is.
canterlotguardian says... #2
Biased answer: Xira Arien. Jund colors, great goodstuff commander, not a threat as soon as you hit the board.
Unbiased answer: Anya, Merciless Angel burn is hilarious. My build. If you decide to go the way of R/W Angels, Gisela, Blade of Goldnight isn't a bad way to go. Neither is Archangel Avacyn Flip.
October 2, 2016 10:17 a.m.