EDH questions
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on July 4, 2015, 3:03 p.m. by JANKYARD_DOG
One of my Lgs has recently switched FNM to Every other friday a switch between Modern and EDH. Now, I have never played EDH but everyone says I should because its fun. So...few questions.
EDH/Dual commander? Is there a difference or just same poop different scoop?.
Can it be done with a very low budget? (By budget I mean deck total no more than $50, aiming for less)
Is there a set ratio for card types? Maybe a 'How to EDH for idiots' manual to read...
I really don't see how a deck of '1 ofs' is supposed to work, but figured I'd try my hand at it, but first need some EDH education and tips I guess. Thanks for reading.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #3
So EDH is always Multiplayer? So you want cards that say 'each player/opponent' then basicly?.
Will have to take a look at 2014 ones you mentioned. Maybe it can be a starting base atleast. Thanks.
July 4, 2015 3:21 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
Commander was designed for multiplayer, but that doesn't mean that it can only be played in a multiplayer setting.
Duel (not dual) Commander, on the other hand, is specifically tailored to 1v1, and it has rule variations that make it more balanced in that environment.
Also, you don't necessarily have to favor cards that affect each player or each opponent. Commander is a very open format; you can normally make a strategy or build work, provided you have good deck building sensibilities. You don't have to focus on hitting every opponent at once or including N cards of type T.
That said, there are some fundamental guidelines for building Commander decks. Check out my profile page; I have plenty of resources on Commander and on deck building in general.
July 4, 2015 3:39 p.m.
PepsiAddicted says... #5
As usual, epoch already said it all ;)
Precons are great to get started but you will most likely face alot of totally pimped out (& super expensive) decks, just a heads up. It will still be fun, dont worry.
I wish my store would have edh fnm... Oh gawd please make it true its my one and only wish
July 4, 2015 3:53 p.m.
Schuesseled says... #6
You don't have to use cards that hit multiple opponents, but they are useful. (can also turn a game into a 3v1 until you've lost.)
July 4, 2015 4:04 p.m.
Everything here is true. Oh, and duel commander tends to be more competitive.
July 4, 2015 5:27 p.m.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #8
Thanks everyone for the info. Will check out Epochs profile and read up on it. I think I will try out one of the precons to get started.
Reason my LGS started doing it is popular vote. So he said every other friday. Its a toy/game store in general so he has a little bit of everything going on all week. Warhammer, X-wing, rpg's etc. So couldn't make it on a different day.
July 4, 2015 5:32 p.m.
EDH decks vary a whole lot as far as card ratios. Personally, I tend to have about 20 creatures, 37 land, 10 instants, and about 30 between artifacts and enchantments. But some decks are all permanents and some are creatureless. It's a lot like modern: you just want to know your deck well.
I agree with the above statements to try a precon. They all have solid strategies so you can see both how normal decks tend to be built and and what sorts of cards tend to see more play.
While EDH is geared for variety in gameplay, there are ways to make your deck more consistent. The main trick is to find a bunch of similar things that do the same thing. So, if you want counterspells, you just find the 5 or 6 you want to play instead of just having a playset of one like normal. However, the best advice for someone starting EDH is to just play the cards you like.
July 4, 2015 6:22 p.m.
I think everything has been said...except one bit: Budget.
EDH decks can be expensive. They can be cheap. I was able to build a $30 deck using Horde of Notions, and that seemed to do quite well. I have a Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury/Dragonlord Kolaghan deck that's about $35 (The Horde was my creation; the other was a netdeck).
If you are concerned about budget, then go onto Gatheringmagic and look up either the Budget Commander series or 26 decks in a Year. Otherwise, a precon will do.
July 4, 2015 8:13 p.m.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #11
After reading the articles and looking through the list of generals I think I'd like to make a build based around Roon of the Hidden Realm. Use ETB effects over and over with other cards like Cloudshift as well as Roon.
I looked at the C14 decks but they are all solid colors. C13 offers tricolors, are these any good though? I think land base will be the toughest part to acquire if I want anything besides basics and tap lands.
Thoughts? Good idea or no?
July 5, 2015 12:14 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #12
Optimized land bases become exponentially more expensive as you add colors. Monocolor decks are obviously the cheapest because you rely almost entirely on basics. Bicolor is fairly cheap. Tricolor is where you start to open up your options, but, as a result, it's also where you start to add large numbers of expensive lands. Duals and utility lands are both significant expenses in Commander deck building.
That said, you can get by with things like pain lands and check lands instead of shocks and ABUR duals. The Ravnica karoos are also very cheap. You can upgrade over time.
The precons are reasonably balanced; you should be alright if you start with that. You can also build a bicolor deck from the ground up without breaking the bank.
July 5, 2015 12:35 p.m.
DeathChant17 says... #13
Out of the C13 precons, Oloro and Nekusar were my favorites out of those. I've now modified them to where they are nothing like they were, with none of original cards in them, but as a start I loved them. Oloro's deck I added counterspells, cantrips, tutors, boardwipes, and added Test of Endurance, Felidar Sovereign and Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond .
Nekusar's I added extra drawing of cards for everyone, me, draw pings for my opponents and some enchantment combos.
That being said, they worked well, but my playgroup is extremely causal and was jus getting into commander.
I now sometimes play at a lgs and if I was still playing those, I'd never have a hope of winning. I've seen a Prosh deck combo out on turn 3 for the win and a Sharuum deck go for infinite turns.
Though if you are use to playing modern, tricking out a precon with you're card collection and maybe ordering a few cards shouldn't be too hard.
July 5, 2015 10:10 p.m.
To be fair, EDH varies a ton from playgroup to playgroup as far as competition goes. Some people play where turn three combos are the norm and accepted. Some people just want to play Glissa, the Traitor and a pile of deathtouch creatures they got for $30.
Now, since you're going to be playing in an FNM, I can't really guess where your competition will be at. I suggest you just play cards you like and go from there. Since it's multiplayer, you should only expect to win 25% of the time (assuming pods of 4). You'll have a better time if you build for fun rather than victory.
Not that winning isn't fun. It's just that if winning is the only reason you're playing, you're going to have a rough time for 75% of your games.
fadelightningmm says... #2
Edh proper is meant for small pods (usually of 4) whereas dual commander is 1v1. Dual has a different ban list than edh as well
You could totally make a deck for less than 50 but it may fall short against other decks. A solid way to get a deck under the 50 mark is to buy a precon. The 2014 decks are solid and have a decent chance at Winning.
The one of rule is meant to make the games more variable so that every time The deck is played it doesn't do the same exact thing. It also comes from the movie Highlander where they say "there can only be one". The original edh decks that pioneered the format used elder dragons as the commanders. Hence why edh is called elder dragon highlander
July 4, 2015 3:13 p.m.