Iron man EDH
Challenges and Articles forum
Posted on Feb. 12, 2020, 7:17 p.m. by RNR_Gaming
Introduction (Fluff and Intent)
So, this is the year of commander and there's a decent amount of hype. I thought it'd be cool to design a league that addresses issues most play groups face, while still creating a positive and rewarding game experience.
Common Issues
1) Unequal footing - it's very rare for people to all have the same or similar amount of money, experience, and perspectives on the format. All these variables can hinder a gaming experience. When in reality they should enhance it. Setting a limitation on everyone's resources alleviates this some...
2) Poor communication - this is becoming less of an issue with all the content creators beating this concept like a dead horse. Seriously, there's been at least a video or article a week about this; having goals and objectives laid out mitigates this some; everyone enjoys the game different and oddly enough winning isn't everyone's objective.
Getting Started
1) Pick up a current precon or a precon with no more than 45 msrp; this is what is normally suggested to players as a starting point. Most precons provide a good base and allow players to sleeve up and play right away.
2) Set up a point system; you can make your own or use mine.
3) Set the number of ranked games players can play during the week that count for points. Leagues are meant to get people in an lgs coming and playing. However, you cannot punish players with busier schedules or give players with a less cramped schedule an advantage 5-10 games is what I'd recommend.
4) Set an allowance for upgrades. Players don't need to upgrade if they don't want to but the allowance for upgrades will raise each week.
5) Set up a reward system. Playing is it's own reward but sometimes players like a little extra incentive; If that's the case collect an entry fee and come to a structure everyone can agree on.
Allowance and Upgrades
1) Set a starting allowance for upgrades; I'd recommend 25 dollars or under for the 1st week.
2) Each week the allowance will get an increase to allow for more alterations and upgrades; the amount of the increase should be determined by a majority vote
3) Players do not have to upgrade. Though it would be strongly encouraged for players to research their commander and make alterations.
4) Everyone's allowance will be same snd will increase at the same rate regardless of which precon they start with. Some precons have a higher value in individual cards but it will be up to the player to choose which precon is the best starting point for themselves.
5) For simplicity, only cards that get added to the deck will affect your allowance.
6) taking cards out of the deck will not increase your allowance. This is to prevent precons with a higher single card value from having an advantage.
7) when adding cards to the deck go by the cheapest playable version on tcgplayer. Some players like to foil their decks and it'd be a shame if the allowance put a damper on that.
Point System
pod placings
1st - 4 points 2nd - 3 points 3rd - 2 points 4th - 1 point
If someone combos, continue playing for placing as if that players turn never happened.
player elimination
1 point per player eliminated
playing with no upgrades
1 point
winning a pod without any upgrades
4 points
killing a player with commander damage
2 points per player Eliminated
casting your commander
1 point
removing/countering an opposing commander
1 point
If you have any feedback or suggestions to make this more fun or interesting or you just want to leave your thoughts please leave a comment :)
Additionally, points systems naturally lead to gaming them - based on that points list - if you win your pod with an infinite combo or commander damage, you ge t the most points. So, the best way to win is Korvold, Fae-Cursed King with the combo of Combat Celebrant and Helm of the Host, which nets you 4 points for winning, 3 points for 3 players eliminated, and 6 points for 3 players eliminated with commander damage, and at least one for casting your commander, which is 14 points minimum. Even if you manage to do that 1 in 4 games, you will still win the league easily.
Furthermore, the points for elimination via commander damage actively discourage people to play decks like Nekusar, the Mindrazer, which is a very big no-no in my book.
February 13, 2020 9:13 a.m. Edited.
I don't see an issue with a reward for taking players out via commander damage as it happens so seldom normally.
You could have penalties for infinite combos or a soft lock on them. -Penalty like -5 points for infinite combo. -soft lock like can only do 2-3 loops before it stops. -or some combo of the two like 2 loops then -1 point each added loop.
February 13, 2020 10:01 a.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #5
TypicalTimmy no. Just once per game even with budget restrictions someone may come up with a with a way to do some sort of Food Chain shenanigans and we don't want people having an easy point farm method. Also, I don't see the allowance going over 100 for the whole thing; the main reason I started off with 35 is due to the numerous amount of goldfish articles that show upgrades for around that price point. Personally, I'd want the upgrades to hover around 10-15 a week so players need to think outside the box instead of just jamming in a mythic they saw on edhrec and having no budget left over for anything else. Also, I'd want to do this through my lgs so I'd probably get the owner to get the staff on board so there would be no integrity issues and somewhat of a buffer for the league. Lastly, the start of games should always be decided randomly. Allowing someone to start the game because they're down on their luck may seem like a nice gesture but could potentially be viewed as favoritism or pity. No one likes being looked down on, not that I think that's your intent but I've felt with some mega egomaniacs and this gesture would tilt them.
Boza definitely going to check it out. The point system isn't an end all be all; it's sort of meant as a separate thing so players hang in there longer and potentially learn something. I do think mine will need some tweaking but I definitely don't want any superlative based objectives or quests. Also,these are meant to be mostly upgraded precons with an msrp of 45> it'd eat up quite a bit of the allowence to play some of the commanders you listed but I do agree all archetypes of decks should have a fair shot at farming points.
@pervavtia - I'm aware of the stigma around combo and stax but I think penalizing ways some people may enjoy playing always does more harm than good; rewarding players for stopping combos, breaking locks, and proper threat assessment is the better approach.
Boza says... #2
The problem with points systems is that it adds a mostly superfluous element to a game that, more importantly, needs to be referenced almost constantly and creates innate memory issues. Forgetting or neglecting the points system will penalize you, which means the game revolves solely around that list, which warps the games.
If you want to add something to spice up your commander game, look no further than the commander adventures guys. The rules fit on a single card, there are hundreds of possibilities and, most importantly, will not penalize you if you forget it or completely ignore it.
Commander Adventures - Free EDH Quest Variant
February 13, 2020 4:49 a.m.