Edh Dilemma
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on May 3, 2020, 1:39 p.m. by TheDarkPlague
I’ve recently got my girl hooked on edh and a friend as well and it’s been great so far. We all got precons and I showed them the basics and they really enjoyed it.
My girl built and Atla Palani with angel/dino/pod deck and she loves it.
Our friend went out of the precons and just built a tribal Eldrazi deck and it’s awesome.
And here’s the dilemma I’m having. I don’t know what to build, I wanna keep it casual for obvious reasons (they’re new players) but I don’t want a deck that’s too weak either.
I want a general that i can keep improving as they improve, to keep it fun and interesting. It’s worth noting that they always end up teaming up against me so I’d need a deck that can handle multiple opponents at once and that can maybe find ways to force them against each other.
Not sure if there’s anything that fits those needs but I thought it was worth a shot to ask here.
So in short I need:
A general that can be tweeked as my little play groups gets more experienced.
A deck that can generate enough value and either control or swarms the field enough to keep two players in check.
Thanks in advance. Budget isn’t an issue
Almost any commander can be upgraded to any power level as you go if budget isn’t an issue.
One class of commanders that would be able to deflect a team up on you is one that doesn’t necessarily have a threatening board presence but can still react and be threatening when it wants. Spellslinger decks fall in this category sort of, but even those are rather conspicuous. Feldon of the Third Path is a personal favorite of mine because nobody is familiar with him so he gets under everyone’s radar. But he’s got a toolbox of answers in the graveyard and many ways to reanimate several powerful threats in a single turn. You can see my deck FELDON EDH PRIMER: FELDON NEEDS SOME LOVE for a more in depth strategy.
You could also go pillowfort. Zur the Enchanter does well with that. You can start off your deck with a simple pillowfort strategy. To get stronger, you can switch to voltron. Then, you can go full on control as they get even better with their decks.
In general, if you have some multicolor deck, you’ll be able to upgrade it. So good luck with your search!
May 3, 2020 1:51 p.m.
DrukenReaps says... #4
Hmmm I feel like my situation isn't too different from yours. 5 of us but 1 experienced player rarely plays, myself and 1 other are experienced players, the other 2 are very much still learning. It has been interesting trying to balance my decks to be able to deal with the other 2 experienced players and not grind the 2 new guys into dust.
I've found having decks that play slowly is key to allowing everyone to have fun. Should I Pretend This Or That? and Divine Decree are my longest lived decks and are able to play at a variety of power levels. Mairsil is just a slow to get going kind of deck which then has some very strong hard to deal with interactions. Marchesa is meant to work off of what my opponents do with cards like Manabarbs.
Queen Marchesa in particular might appeal to you more. She brings some value and creates the monarchy. The monarchy is a very fun mechanic especially for newer players. And with how she is designed you can build her in any way that Mardu allows.
May 3, 2020 1:59 p.m.
Honestly one Ive found that really works well with controlling boards and playing with beginners is Talrand, Sky Summoner.
May 3, 2020 2:57 p.m.
Most commanders should work for you. When my group started playing we had a guy who was basically playing archenemy against the table and his answer was having enough control/answers to stop us from doing the really ridiculous stuff on top of whatever his decks actual strat was.
May 3, 2020 5:38 p.m.
Last_Laugh says... #8
Marchesa, the Black Rose creature theft to begin with and from there it can evolve several different directions (mainly different sorts of etb/death trigger abuse like discard, aristocrats, etc.).
Below are both versions of Marchesa that I bounce between (I think it's like 14 cards difference) and while they aren't starter friendly they still give direction towards options that are.
Every Masochist Needs a Marchesa To Love Them - more of a toolbox etb/death trigger abuse deck coupled with some aggro elements.
Hand Hate Marchesa - Discard themed etb/death trigger abuse.
May 3, 2020 6:39 p.m.
Megalomania says... #9
Aminatou, the Fateshifter
fits your criteria. I have a list (outdated) which you might find interesting. It’s far from being OP and is fun to play with and against. Also has a lot of room for improvement if you’re looking to make it competitive.
May 3, 2020 10:26 p.m.
I would consider the following deck: Lord Windgrace Sits Behind A Chasm as a deck to build towards. It can pillow fort for days, however it can be a hard deck to pilot.
May 4, 2020 6:04 a.m.
Narset, Enlightened Master-starting out you can have a very random deck, that can sometimes win, but is usually based on what you rip off the top. As you upgrade, you can add things such as tutors and combos, so the deck's competitiveness increases with minor modifications.
Ezuri, Claw of Progress-a fairly straightforward deck with a lot of fun utility creatures to pick from but again you add things as the groups skill level progresses and suddenly the deck is tearing through games
Sultai-not a commander recommendation specifically, but the sultai color have a lot of flexibility in terms of which direction they can go and their power level, all the way from basic toolbox to cEDH if you want to go that high. For something on the more fun end using mutate, see the shameless self promotion below
Most decks can start out fairly simple, straightforward and basic and be upgraded to increase their competitiveness. Same advice I give everyone is start with a theme, then pick a commander that fits what you want to play.
May 4, 2020 8 a.m.
With newer players I like to build decks that challenge them in a different way each time, without necessarily caring too much about winning. I generally start out with something like Surrak Dragonclaw or Thromok the Insatiable just to give them big creatures that they have to deal with. Then it changes to control, something in blue, so they have to learn to react to that. Then its group hug to show them how scary that can be, Phelddagrif. Then its chaos build in some form of red. Then finally we will start to venture into something scary like Nekusar, the Mindrazer, Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, or even pillow fort with Oloro, Ageless Ascetic.
I'm more about continuing to teach at this stage, but by passively throwing something new at them every time.
Suns_Champion says... #2
Sounds like you want Elenda, the Dusk Rose
Here's my Elenda: Cortez Cowboys | Elenda EDH
May 3, 2020 1:50 p.m.