Beginner Commanders
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Feb. 24, 2020, 8:59 p.m. by Scytec
My 7 year old son wants to begin playing commander with me. I am currently teaching him utilizing a couple of duel decks, but they are a little too complicated for him currently. Can y'all recommend any straight forward commanders I could build around for him on a budget? Simple, but powerful mechanics would be preferencial. Feel free to link any very simple decklists here as well, those would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
GhostChieftain says... #5
I will always suggest playing Meren of Clan Nel Toth. It is a very forgiving commander because your mistakes return from the graveyard at the end of turn. It also is one that if a player eventually wants to get competitive can keep up in that scene. Very low floor, very high ceiling, easy to grow with the player.
February 24, 2020 9:20 p.m.
Megalomania says... #6
Try Talrand, Sky Summoner. I think it fits well in the cheap, simple but powerful mechanic category.
February 24, 2020 9:35 p.m.
For a 7 year old I would probably start with planeswalker decks
February 24, 2020 9:54 p.m.
Huh...really love the idea of Nikya and Talrand...i will certainly look into those. Really like the Nikya...hmm. I personally run a pretty decent Meren deck, and the graveyard interaction plus sacrifice theme would be far to advanced for him. Thank y'all for the suggestions! Ill see what he thinks of Nikya and go from there. Thanks!
February 24, 2020 10:07 p.m.
GhostChieftain says... #9
Fun thing about meren is that she doesn't need to be built as sacrifice. She can be played as just bg goodstuff and you can recast the things you lost. Once those concepts are well understood you can easily ramp it up by adding in a bit of the sacrifice. Out of the other two though, nikya would have my vote because I have always found creatures a bit easier to understand the value of than instants and sorceries.
February 24, 2020 11:24 p.m.
PhotogenicParasympathetic says... #10
Omnath, Locus of Rage. Play lands, hit people with 5/5's. Simple.
February 25, 2020 1:25 a.m.
ZendikariWol says... #11
My wholehearted belief, as someone who teaches a lot of new players, is that Magic is an incredibly individual game.
I do not play Magic quite like any of my friends. None of them play Magic quite like my other friends. The key is finding what resonates with each player. Kyle likes playing big, beefy creatures. Tanner loves cards that he can look at and go "oh, that's weird," even if he's not quite experienced enough to know how to crack things yet. All of Joseph's decks have a very specific vibe they're going for- he loves incorporating flavor into gameplay.
All this to say, everyone has something in Magic that appeals to them. The key to making them a deck that they'll love is finding a deck that makes them smile when they play it. I would need to know what your son loves about Magic to give you an informed opinion.
February 25, 2020 2 a.m.
Krenko, Mob Boss - Play goblins, make more goblins
February 25, 2020 5:38 a.m.
multimedia says... #13
He's seven? Consider a mono colored deck to start? Ask him what color he would like to play and what kind of creature he is most interested in.
Some mono color Commander options:
- Green: Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma
- Blue: Talrand, Sky Summoner
- Black: Ayara, First of Locthwain
- White: Sephara, Sky's Blade
- Red: Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
As far as complexity level I would rank the colors as blue as most complex, then black, then white with green and red as the least complex colors to learn from. Green in my opinion is the easiest color to learn in Commander. Ramp and big creatures are not difficult concepts to start with. Red is easier then other colors to learn, but is in my opinion the worst color in muliplayer Commander.
February 25, 2020 8:33 a.m.
You could also start as a Pauper EDH decks to keep the games more simple. Still use a legend (even if rare) but this way there is a lot less complex mechanics and as he gets new cards he can modify his deck as his collection grows. To keep power levels even you do the same and maybe talk with your play group to do the same as well. Not all the games need to be at this level but it will give your son the added bonus of being at a close power level with the other players to start.
February 25, 2020 10:39 a.m.
ZendikariWol says... #15
1) I'm not at all surprised but I appreciate that commander players are so quick to gush about their favorites- and in this case, try to help other people find their guy.
2) I will throw in some suggestions myself, though I will stress once again that Magic, and especially the commander format is incredibly individual.
Ghired, Conclave Exile
is an excellent example of lenticular design- a card that new players can appreciate at face value but more experienced players can break in clever ways.
Prime Speaker Zegana, Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma, and Surrak Dragonclaw can all head up a mean beefy bois deck.
Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen can head up a cool elf deck. Tribal is cool for newer players, and they also tend to place a lot of value in gaining life.
For a stronger and sexier tribal deck, maybe take a look at Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale. I know you said it should probably be 1-2 colors but hear me out, she's got a lot going for her. New players, in general, like to feel like they're doing stuff all the time. They also like being able to attack with strong creatures and make huge plays. I think the Gwyn is an excellent mix of the two, combining low-to-the-ground knights with long game card draw and strong equipment. Beyond that, knights have a strong, established flavor and it feels cool to be at the helm of an army of knights. She'd be my pick.
Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer could also be a fun equipment general. I would normally suggest Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith, but new players tend not to think ahead to what they want to tutor up and that is not so good for gameplay.
And finally, if your kid is more into enchantments, I would personally suggest Siona, Captain of the Pyleas. Auras are fun to use and GW are the best colors with which to use them.
February 25, 2020 11:39 a.m.
Gidgetimer says... #16
Xenagos, God of Revels is an exceedingly simple commander that is still a lot of fun. Play a single big creature, make it giant, and swing until it gets removed. Rinse. Repeat.
Once he has that down pat you could expand the deck to include new concepts like multiple combats or using Dragon Throne of Tarkir to transfer the buff from your big guys to mana dorks and use the dorks as the beaters.
February 25, 2020 5:07 p.m.
So, I let him flip through my Commander Binder, he chose Ruric Thar, the Unbowed...I've created a monster. Haha. He was super excited to play him though, we will see how that goes. Filled it with mana dorks and evasiveish creatures. Once again, thank y'all for your suggestions so much. I will absolutely keep them in mind moving forward for both him and any other new players i am able to teach. Thank you!
DrukenReaps says... #2
For simplicity I recommend 1 or 2 colors and a limited or no instant speed stuff. Green is famous for being big and dumb. You might start there.
February 24, 2020 9:10 p.m.