Building a Deck for You!
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on May 25, 2015, 8:34 p.m. by dagan94
Be it you're a new player to commander or magic as a whole or have been playing for over twenty years it all boils down to one question we all ask. How do I build a fun deck?
A vague question, and most of us probably feel like obviously you should build to win when first asked. However when you explore it more deeply some of us find it more rewarding to beat face with a swarm of large creatures while others enjoy the idea of proliferating the disease in your opponents' to achieve victory. Here's a simple five step guide you can use to help you decide
Who am I? A simple question but one a lot of new players should consider. The color wheel is an excellent starting guide, but as you become more experienced it's important to consider your identity as a player. Being control doesn't limit you to just blue and black and running aggro doesn't mean your best option is red and green. You should take into consideration not only different play styles but how you personally enjoy playing those playstyles. Aggro can be through creatures, poison counters, or good old fashion burn.
What's my budget? Before you start doing anything you need to take into account what you're budget is. If you're favorite commander is a $50 card than more than likely you probably won't be using a cheap deck. With that said cheap easy commanders to build around are typically expensive. Take Zur the Enchanter for example. While a tad pricey, besides a land base the rest of the deck can be created spending the exact same amount you had spend on him, and if going cheap you can still stick to basic lands. My advice for cheap is $50 using an expensive commander (research which ones are cheap to build around first) or about $100 if not using one of those type of commanders.
Who is my commander? This is where experienced players will normally start, since many have established collections to build from and know what they find fun going in. This is simply researching out different legendaries and deciding which one exemplifies who you are the best. You want aggro, but two good options are Skullbriar, the Walking Grave and Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon. This is the first step towards personalizing your deck.
What is your deck's theme? Personally this is my favorite question, and should be asked right before charging into the deck building process. Some people build an almost artistic theme, such as creating a zombie apocalypse style deck. Others build competitively, making their commander as efficient as possible while having reasonable paced back up win conditions. Others simply build with their favorite cards with no theme beyond that, and some are collectors of art and signatures and play with those. Decide what impression you want to leave when the game is over.
Research and development. This is as long and time consuming as you want it to be. Some players quickly buy a commander set and say good enough, while others research each new set and decide what to drop from there in an ever continuing pursuit of perfection. Regardless tappedout is a great way to conduct this stage since it's easy to get input from other players on this website.
To lead the discussion for this thread I'd like to answer any questions anyone may have about any step such as difficulty choosing commander to wanting advice on a deck. Furthermore I'm curious to hear the process other players have/are using to make decks and what their thoughts are on this one.
I actually know someone who has legitimately never changed his deck. It's the original commander sets, he has an unopened and opened copy of each and he plays with the vintage copy next to him to show off, that's why I left out that stipulation. Collectors are their own breed of playstyle.
May 25, 2015 8:52 p.m.
DERPLINGSUPREME says... #4
GP.
I've always found THOSE people to be kinda strange.
May 25, 2015 8:54 p.m.
I have had six different commanders for my current Omnath, Locus of Mana deck.
(Ezuri, Renegade Leader, Polukranos, World Eater, Nylea, God of the Hunt, Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury, Jedit Ojanen of Efrava, Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger)
Then, I switched to tiny leaders.
sigh
May 25, 2015 10:36 p.m.
Incoming long post.
Player identity was something that took me years to figure out. I built dozens (if not, hundreds) of EDH decks looking for that "One" deck that I could permanently build up. It was only recently that I managed to figure it all out by focusing on what each color had to offer, then mash different colors together and see the results:
White: In some ways, it's really linear (I hate linear). Yet, it has that control side of it. That control is in the form of sweepers and spot removal. I feel like control can go deeper than that.
Blue: Ugh...I am H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E with counterspells. Auto-elimination. Fatality.
Red: There's really only two ways to play Red: All out attack or Artifacts. Anything else would not help red in the long run (There are exceptions, but other colors do the job better).
Green: If white was linear, Green is linear squared. The most linear of the colors. It bores me to tears every time I try to play it...and don't get me started with Elves.
Black: There's a reason why I saved black for last. It's THE one color that seems to fit what I want to do. It's an ironic twist of fate because I HATED black for some time. Why? The tutors. It is only right now that I've grown more accepting of them. It's the color with the most flavor, which satisfies the Vorthos side of me, and the color with the most flexibility when it comes to deck themes. Black can be linear, but it really depends how the deck is built and how it functions (The other colors seem more auto-pilot to me).
As for the other color combinations, just take each of my musings on the colors and mash them together.
As for deck themes...I have a Commander Box solely for Mono-Black. All the decks I ever built from the Box so far are on my profile (just look at my deck folders to find them), except Seizan, Perverter of Truth(on hiatus until I get a Bloodchief Ascension) and Hythonia the Cruel (coming soon!). I also have plans to build Ashling, the Extinguisher as well. So, technically, I can take a theme and work with it.
Budget used to be an issue with me until recently, but I may dip back into conservative spending as I prepare for the next chapter in my life.
That was the whole process for me. It was about 4 years in the making, and I'm pretty comfortable where I'm at right now (sans ~20 cards). I've been thinking I might be the only player who took so long to decide their player identity.
Oh, and before I finish, it should be said that there are 2 types to deckbuilders: One type builds only one deck that is the manifestation of what EDH is about for them, and the other builds, deconstructs, and rebuilds decks at will.
May 25, 2015 10:56 p.m.
I'm that guy that Phaetion was talking about near the end of his post to a large degree. I will sit here, looking at my six EDH decks, moving cards around between them looking for the best place for things (I do not like my decks to share too many similar cards besides lands because then they become too similar experiences to play.)
That all said, I know my colors. It did not take me much to figure out that I am the reddest mage at the table, and probably always will. My solution to problems isn't to stop them, but look at the player with a squint in my eye and ask "politely" if that thing they are doing is going to be a problem. If they lie to me, I hit them.
Maelstrom Wanderer is my pride and joy ... but it actually started as a Kresh the Bloodbraided deck. Kresh was fun... kinda. It had the same "look at me funny and I kill you" kind of attitude, but it was squishy glass cannon level playing Primal Surge with only permanents, and didn't have much black. I slowly stopped even playing Kresh, eventually switching over to Darigaaz, the Igniter (calling him TROGDOR! mostly in name), and only ever cast 'Trogdor' when desperate. The deck was much worse than Kresh, but more fun. Playing big stompy things and hitting people, killing one or two then dying ... unless I Primal Surged
Eventually I pulled the black, playing Ruric Thar, the Unbowed, lots of can't-counter-my-stuff, and digging for Primal Surge as my one and only win-con. I Got 99 Problems, But Counter Spells Ain't One
Recently, I took out the Surge, splashed blue for Maelstrom Wanderer and get to Primal Surge anytime I want, because it was the feeling of rage-dropping my deck that I liked. It was the surprise and force behind throwing out dudes and hitting people hard with them. Going from nothing to everything! Maelstrom-ing is a Verb Now!
So now I surge in smaller quantities, get my fill easier on that urge/drive, and actually win more games with it.
tl;dr What I get most out of magic/EDH is, first, the thrill of my deck working how I want it to work. Second, working how I want it to work, because I want to get a very specific kind of feeling.
All of my decks eventually "throw up" as many things as possible, either from deck, hand, or the yard... or burn. Burn counts if it is in huge quantities! :D
May 26, 2015 12:49 a.m.
I am still struggling to find my player identity. In the past I did not like Black as a colour because of the price you have to pay (life, sac etc.) to get an advantage. Instead I heavily focused on white and green + lifegain, tokens and stuff you don't care about if it dies...Now that I am only playing EDH, tables have turned and I really love black and green (basically any colour but blue) ...but I still do not like to "lose" any card in my deck (which is still a big problem for my Boros deck) so I started to get maximum use of my graveyard (with Varolz, the Scar-Striped) or at least try to keep my creatures alive with Mikaeus, the Unhallowed. But there is one thing that all my decks have in common: they constantly draw a lot of hate...Maybe it is because I love over-extending, Infect, Combo, lock down and boardwhipes... :D on the other hand my playgroup is on a really high level (many players already started in 93) and they get what they "deserve" for the crazy stuff they play and often win with... :D
As a commander I usually try to go for something I do not see in my playgroup very often and building a new deck is always a hard decision for which style I even want to goDue to the fact that I play multiplayer for several hours at least twice a week I want my decks to play a little bit different every time (therefore they include only a minimum amount of tutors)My next project will be a stax deck for 1vs1 with Braids, Cabal Minion but there is still a lot of decks left that I'd want to build.Generally speaking starting to play Magic again (last december after a few years without it --> wish I had never stopped) with EDH was the best decision I could have madeSorry for the long post and spelling/grammar mistakes :D
May 26, 2015 2:41 p.m.
You might want to try Karador, Ghost Chieftain. He's great at recycling, has great lifelink options, and can allow you to experiment with some of black sacrifices without feeling the same pressure.
May 26, 2015 6:05 p.m.
In my experience I have found that there are 4 things every commander deck needs. This is not just advice for competitve play, but casual too. The most fun part of playing with a deck is actually being able to play it:
A win condition - This should be the first thing your deck looks to run. Whether its out and out combat damage, comboing off or something in between, you need a win condition for your deck. say "umm, I guess I win through commander damage. I dunno.." is a really bad philosophy to bring into the deck. Figure out how you want to win and add cards accordingly.
Resources (Ramp) - This for me is probably the second most important thing. If I want my deck to win, I need to be able to play the stuff that makes it win. Ramp does this. I have seen time and time again players cut ramp or even worse, lands, to add more big 6+ CMC cards. This is a bad idea. Land and ramp are critical to any deck being playable.
Resources (cards) - So this is the control player in me coming out, but card advantage is "totally super serial" - Al Gore, South park. Jokes aside, card advantage is critial to a deck doing something. Sitting there and just top decking, or worse, topdecking lands all game makes a deck unfun. You didn't feel like you did anything. And thats probably becasue you didn't. Card advantage helps you play your deck. And every colour has access to it since there are a horde of really good card draw artifacts.
Removal - There's a reason that decks with removal generally do better. It s becasue they can deal with an opponent trying to win. Or deal with a threat. Or deal witha card shuttign them down. I'm not saying every deck should be armed to the teeth with every removal spell/counterspell available, but having a removal suite helps. It gives you a failsafe. And here is where some people will disagree. Some players don't like you affecting their board state. But unfortunately, it is part of the game. That might sound harsh, but if people have a problem with removal they need to voice their opinions PRE GAME.
I have found that using these four principles as a framework for deckbuilding yields good results. There is much more detail I can go into, however that is a MUCH longer post.
May 26, 2015 11:48 p.m.
dagan94 thanks for the advice. I often thought about a deck with him. Just the 3 coloured mana-base will be a problem at the moment (budget)
May 27, 2015 2:36 a.m.
AlexoBn: You can make a budget tri coloured deck work - you just need to be a bit more creative.
Blossoming Sands, Graypelt Refuge,Selesnya Guildgate , Sunpetal Grove, Scoured Barrens, Orzhov Guildgate, Isolated Chapel, Jungle Hollow, Golgari Guildgate, Woodland Cemetery, Sandsteppe Citadel, Rupture Spire, Transguild Promenade, Terramorphic Expanse, Evolving Wilds, Bant Panorama, Esper Panorama, Naya Panorama, Jund Panorama and if you have a handful of basics, then things like Kodama's Reach, Cultivate, Explosive Vegetation, Rampant Growth, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Far Wanderings - especially good with a big graveyard, Nissa's Expedition are all really good ramp cards for you. The deck will play a bit slower since a lot of the lands enter tapped, however I think your fixing should be more than fine.
May 27, 2015 2:49 a.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #13
Big post from an EDH noob, here... but information is important:
Identity is an interesting thing for me. In 60-card, I adore white. All my current constructed decks have it (two paired with green) and I've only just started making a deck that doesn't. Since I'm often outmatched I like the defensive effects, the removal, swarming people with creatures, blowing up the board, etc. Aggro is fun, as long as other interesting things are backing it up.
Since I've started trying EDH though I've been having a lot of fun with more of a combo style of play in different (non-white) colors, switching from creature-heavy combat to interesting card interactions and crazy plays. I still like having my creatures, especially tokens. I still love removal, and enchantments that change things up and make opponents nervous. But I'm less interested in just attacking every turn...
Whether I win is less important than how much cool stuff I do during the game. I want to do strange, unexpected things, or watch the realization dawn on people that I'm up to something they really would prefer I wasn't. I think that's why when I tried other peoples' decks it frustrated me, and I quickly started modifying the pre-built deck I got.
I've been thinking about what sort of deck I'd build if I was starting with just the commander. It's a long-term goal, it'll take me a while to get the money to build a proper deck (the ones I've seen and liked are in the $200-350 range, I don't have that lying around).
I looked through legendary creatures who weren't in decks. Trostani, Selesnya's Voice is busy with my token deck right now. Athreos, God of Passage seemed interesting, but hard to build around. King Macar, the Gold-Cursed really caught my eye. A junk rare, yeah... but it's kind of stupid fun, and a black commander sounds appealing with the sort of things I like to do in EDH. And the flavor! Mmm. Probably not the optimal choice, but whatever.
Maybe there's something else, though. Something that appeals to my playstyle and identity. Or that appeals to both my preferences in 60-card and EDH. Most of the suggestions I've heard so far just don't grab me. They're either too obvious, or... just not me.
May 27, 2015 5:02 a.m.
enpc thanks for the list. :) The biggest problem will be the overall speed of a budget manabase. I usually have to speed out combo or aggro decks. Most horrible thing would be to encounter Armageddon without even having finished building up my manabase (Kalia ...)
May 27, 2015 2:49 p.m.
King Macar is for sure fun. With that said I see no reason why you can't run white while still playing a combo like play style giving you the best of both worlds. Here's my suggestion, and it's a fun one I assure you. Sigarda, Host of Herons is my recommendation for commander, most people take her voltron, but I have a different idea for you. Loxodon Hierarch, Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant, Archetype of Endurance, Blazing Archon and other group protection abilities will allow you to build up tokens both safely and works for combo. For control add Banisher Priest and Reclamation Sage and the like to keep pressure down on opponents. Expensive additions include Mirari's Wake and Avacyn, Angel of Hope. Secondary win conditions can include Trigon of Infestation, Triumph of the Hordes, and Phyrexian Swarmlord. Finally for some unpredictability and switch up in strategies try Novablast Wurm and Altar of Dementia. Ashnod's altar allows you to flip graveyard decks on their heads and provides another way to win if you add some infinite token combos that allows you to kill without waiting on summoning sickness. Novablast Wurm can sacrifice your horde for the sake of crushing all your opponents creatures, which can take out key combo pieces or other swarm style decks. Also can catch opponents off guard if you do a mass regenerate or play Avacyn.
May 27, 2015 10:11 p.m.
swing with Novablast Wurm - > ability goes on the stack -> respond by convoking a bunch of your guys for Chord of Calling, getting Avacyn, Angel of Hope -> lose all your friends :P
May 27, 2015 11:21 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #17
Now there's an interesting idea, and it's in the colors I like! Sort of a mixed archetype, with definite potential for both playstyles. Doing something unexpected with that commander also appeals. Sigarda also protects from cruel control, and in those colors I could run a few things to prevent some common anti-token strategies. I wouldn't run the infect cards (my playgroup is not cool with infect) but I can certainly come up with other win conditions.
As for Macar, just about everyone has said "don't" but the idea of turning everyone's stuff into gold and using it for crazy 
ramp has is intriguing. It's just a big challenge to really use him well in mono-black. I wouldn't know where to start.
Anyway, thanks very much for the suggestion, I'll definitely look into it!
May 27, 2015 11:26 p.m.
For King Macar, stuff like Sword of the Paruns is amazing.
You also have stuff like Paradise Mantle and Umbral Mantle. Lets you be really aggressive without having to attack with him.
May 27, 2015 11:43 p.m. Edited.
ComradeJim270 says... #19
That's what I was thinking. If there's an artifact that taps or untaps things, I'd probably want it in there. Staff of Domination is pricey, but a must in that deck. If I could make something like zombie tokens and target them, I could add in cruel control elements and ramp into big, costly, and fun things.
May 27, 2015 11:52 p.m.
King Macar LOVES his artifact tech, too! Don't forget the guy creatures little token gold artifacts so anything that, say, lets you tap or untap, or sac, artifacts for profit, lets you win.
I saw someone start the nonsense once, but quickly panicked and blew up everything just in case, so do not know what -exactly- he was planning.
BUT!
Darksteel Juggernaut looks fun! As does, Extruder, Irradiate, Lodestone Myr, Mephitic Ooze, and Mycosynth Golem!
Along with as many tap/untap engines you can manage.
May 28, 2015 12:48 a.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #21
Ahhh, good idea. Throw in a Krark-Clan Ironworks and it's even more ramp. A great big arsenal of fun toys seems to fit. I wouldn't want to use the artifacts as a win con in and of themselves since my current EDH deck is so heavily biased that way already, but it's clear they'd be an essential part of how the Macar deck functions.
Hm... Liquimetal Coating and Clock of Omens could do a lot, I could tap the gold tokens.
May 28, 2015 1:15 a.m.
You could run Karn, Silver Golem in the deck to provide more artifact hate. Make artifact a creature -> eat said creature.
May 28, 2015 1:40 a.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #23
Yep, I'm probably going to either do one of those, or Trostani with lifegain as a secondary win con.
May 29, 2015 1:02 a.m.
For me it was tough deciding what i was as a player. I played on and off for many years, and never felt like i was a good player in any color. After a few friends told me about EDH a few years ago, i started doing research and i finally found something i enjoyed. What Would Karn do??? was the end result. I played every color combo and every mono color and nothing felt all that great playing. I still build decks of different styles but colorless just hooked me.
My What Would Karn do??? became my money sink. I am not made of money so i plan out a purchase probably 2-3 months in advance to make sure it doesn't effect my other responsibilities. But the fun i have with this deck is what makes it worth every penny. Plus it is always evolving, each set i combo through and see if anything is being released that will help or hinder my deck. I am always expanding and trying new things which has made EDH so much fun. The different play styles and decks even with the same commander.
May 30, 2015 12:07 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #25
I decided that for now it's most cost-effective for me to go with the Trostani idea. Later on I could probably use it for a Sigarda deck if I want. I did incorporate a few ideas from this thread.
The very early prototype is now visible on my profile!
May 30, 2015 1:53 p.m.
@Jeggard Colorless is a rare but fun color identity for a player. I don't run into many like you, but I have always found playing against them probably one of the most unique and rewarding games even when I lose because of the different type of game play.
@ComradeJim270 be sure to link the deck here if you want. I'll be looking at it for sure.
May 30, 2015 8 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #27
Sure thing. It's definitely a work in progress; I need to keep moving or eliminating stuff from the crazy large maybeboard until it becomes an actual deck, but that process will take time.
Also, haven't come up with a cool name for it. That process will probably take... less time.
Trostani's Tokens Playtest
Commander / EDH*
SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 14 VIEWS
DERPLINGSUPREME says... #2
I'd like to add something, if thats allowed.
Your deck will change over time. whether its starts out amazing or crappy, it will change and morph to suit your playstyle. this is one of the most important part, to me. don't assume its already perfect. don't assume it can't be helped. it will change whether you want to or not.
May 25, 2015 8:37 p.m.