Safety or Speed with Regards to Commander
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Sept. 18, 2016, 10:52 p.m. by Profet93
Hey everyone,
How do you decide between getting your Commander out a turn earlier (Ex: Turn 3 as opposed to Turn 4) but without protection (ex: Lightning Greaves) or some haste ability (for commanders with tap abilities Thousand-Year Elixir)?
The specific commander in question is Captain Sisay. Thank you so much!
Raging_Squiggle says... #3
Get her out as soon as you can. Her ability is very powerful and the sooner you can use it the better. Plus, green has a ton of ramp cards so it wouldn't be hard to recast her in the event she does get shreck'd.
September 18, 2016 11:16 p.m.
Even if the meta has A LOT of creature removal?
September 18, 2016 11:28 p.m.
It's really a situational call. If you're playing predominantly against counterspells then play her through an openning. If you're playing against removal / stax heavy then it really depends on the rest of the boardstate.
Typically though you want her down sooner rather than later. Once you've gotten the first tap off, then most people will save their removal for the tutored card, so on the whole fast is good.
September 18, 2016 11:45 p.m.
I go for Speed. I feel it is best to try to get your Commander out ASAP. IF you get it to stick, great, if not, that's okay, cast it again.
Lately I've been having great luck, or maybe a side effect of great consistency in my deck, but I can cast Zur the Enchanter on Turn 2 in at least half the games I play. Technically Turn 1 should be possible, I just haven't gotten it yet. Sometimes he gets removed, sometimes he sticks. Regardless of what happens, it's typically the best choice.
Waiting only gives your opponents more time to draw a response. Also you have to figure, not all removal sends to the Command Zone, sometimes they'll just bounce to your hand.
There aren't many times you will cast, get it removed, and not be able to cast again your next turn.
You also have to realize, Lightning Greaves may be good protection, but having it on the field doesn't make much of a difference. If people want to remove your Commander, they can always cast their removal in response to you trying to Equip the Greaves.
TL:DR - Removal can be cast in response to equipping protection, always cast as early as possible.
September 19, 2016 12:18 a.m.
How many people do you usually play with and how competitive are they? In my experience (casual playgroups), if there are 5+ players I don't want to be first out of the gate because 4+ against one is hard to manage and the eventual winner usually comes up the middle in mid-late game. That said, if you usually play 1v1 or 3 player, I'd say move fast and try to dominate early as it is more likely you can overwhelm them and less likely they are holding removal/counters. This is just one dimension to consider when choosing protection vs speed and I'd say you can build a deck that does both and make your choice during play.
September 19, 2016 10:34 a.m.
My playgroup and it's competitive nature changes depending on the deck they use. Generally, my playgroup is competitive-casual, leaning more towards competitive. Moreover, the playgroup consists of 4 members total (myself included).
For larger playgroups, I suppose I will choose protection given the reasons you have outlined.
September 19, 2016 1:09 p.m.
It is really hard to go protection in . Typically the best protection you can offer are Counterspells to counter their removal. As you can't run any, your best course of action is speed.
I'm not telling you not to run Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots, as I believe both belong in 95% of EDH decks.
What I am saying is, you can only "Equip" at Sorcery speed, so any Instant removal will still remove your Commander whether you have the protection on the field or not.
If you're playing Casual, I wouldn't worry about it so much. You can take your time and wait.
If you're playing Competitive, you should be casting ASAP.
You won't be running much if anything that will protect you from Counterspells. There are things to run to bounce your Commander if it gets targeted, but those may not be optimal.
Captain Sisay especially wants to be on the field to get things going. You should be casting on Turn 2, 3 at the latest.
Speed is important in Competitive Commander. You also have to realize, are people going to waste a Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile on your Commander that you can just recast on your next turn? I expect that they will save such cards for the Avacyn, Angel of Hope Sisay will Tutor later.
September 19, 2016 3:45 p.m.
I have greaves instead of the boots because the 0 equip cost is crucial. Moreover, I do not have enough slots to run both. Since my playgroup is leaning towards competitive, I usually do get Sisay out Turn 3, sometimes Turn 2 if I'm lucky.
If I do not get her out by turn 2 or 3, I will have set up some hate bears or protection to prepare for Sisay's arrival.
In my experience, Sisay almost immediately gets targeted because of all the legends/win cons I can produce from her.
So yes, I will value speed
September 19, 2016 5:08 p.m.
For that one, speed. Green can easily make up the mana cost if she gets removed and all you need is 1 activation to get her some much needed aid.
But you also have to consider the board state. If people are late then put her out, but if someone is already establishing a lock-down on the board then you might as well wait. If you have some protection then definitely put her out. If you lack additional lands to play past 3-4 then waiting isn't a bad idea either. No point in putting cards in your hand if you can't make use of them.
kanokarob says... #2
With Sisay, probably speed. But I've only ever been across from her, never played her personally.
September 18, 2016 11:15 p.m.