How to Have a Good Average CMC
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on April 1, 2015, 9:43 p.m. by Kryzis
I find myself building EDH decks with average CMC's just under 2. I tend to design more competitive combo decks, so I try to maximize efficiency with my cards, but I was wondering if other people think that this is too low, or if it is just because I have a tendency towards more efficient cards? I know some people like the more casual approach, and if they have higher average CMC's, do they think it is worth it?
Not sure what I'm really trying to do with this, guess it's really about seeing what other people think the average CMC's in EDH should be.
lemmingllama says... #3
If you are playing competitive, you have a good average CMC. Competitive shouldn't be running CMC 4 or more cards that don't provide significant advantage, can be cast for cheaper, or are a win-con.
I personally try to have a good curve, with the highest part of the curve being centered on 3 or 4 CMC. Really it just changes depending on the deck and what I'm trying to do with it.
Epochalyptik says... #2
If you're playing competitive EDH, then that sounds about right. High-efficiency combo decks typically end up with very low average CMCs (my deck, Dominus - Dreamcrusher Edition, edges in with 1.61 average).
If you're talking generally and not just about competitive, then average CMC becomes a much less valuable indicator of your deck's quality. You can get away with quite a bit in EDH between ramp and longer games, and it's not as necessary to optimize. You aren't punished quite as hard as you are in 60-card for not making a play each turn. Average CMC also varies wildly by archetype.
April 1, 2015 9:50 p.m.