10 signs you're actually a good EDH player

Commander (EDH) forum

Posted on Dec. 23, 2019, 10:14 p.m. by dingusdingo

A list of benchmark skills useful for your LGS pod debut.

1. You have a working knowledge of the cards in your deck. You are able to explain to an opponent how a card you run in your deck performs. You don't have to ask other players to stop the game to research how your card works. This includes knowing the 99 cards you run.

2. You are aware of any errata or relevant rules/rulings for cards in your deck. You are able to say upon playing a card that it has errata and how that errata performs, and you don't rely on an opponent to provide your errata for you.

3. You know tutor outs for your deck. You know which card to search for so as not to waste excess time during a game. Similarly, you don't spend excess time during your turn deciding your line of play. Similarly, you don't waste time requiring another explanation of previous player actions because you were paying attention.

4. You know the parts of phases as well as the various phases of a turn. You vocalize moving between phases to all players, knowing that an opponent may wish to perform an action during a certain phase. You allow player action at the end of turn if you did not intentionally vocalize moving through your end step (i.e. you say "go" after combat, but opponent wishes to Vampiric Tutor at EOT)

5. You understand how the stack works. You understand how priority works, and appropriately give opponents their priority, and pass your own priority if you don't wish to stack something. Similarly, you vocalize your intent to let an opponents spell resolve in a timely manner.

6. You know how to prioritize targets and threats. You don't use interaction on low value targets when an opponent is threatening a win. You don't select targets based upon liking/disliking a player, the outcome of a previous game, or your experience playing in a different format.

7. Your deck is appropriately prepared for the meta it will play in. On the macro level, it is bringing competitive decks to competitive pods, or bringing casual decks to casual pods. On the micro level, you have flex slots that you adjust for the decks you are expecting to play against.

8. You are able to think in terms of resources spent, particularly in terms of cards used. You understand that taking 1-for-1 trades in a 4 player pod is a move to be used sparingly and at the appropriate times. You understand that the more cards an opponent sees, the more likely they are to threaten a win.

9. Your deck actively tries to win. You understand that while stopping yourself from losing is a viable strategy, running cards that prolong the game is not the same as running cards that actively win the game, and that your deck requires both.

10. You are able to read a board and pick the correct decision based upon the information given. This includes counting available mana and cards in hand, for yourself and opponents. This includes saving resources for interaction and stopping wins over advancing your own game plan when appropriate.

Bonus: You vocalize all actions you take, including triggers. You treat all vocalized action as binding, and don't change actions after they have been vocalized because you thought of something different. You also understand that people make mistakes, and that a reasonable grace period should exist for honest mistakes that don't change gameplay (i.e. someone stating they make black mana with Talisman of Dominance and immediately correcting themselves to blue mana before any meaningful action has passed)

Bonus 2: You are able to learn from games and plays, and are focused on improving your piloting skills with conscious thought and deck building choices.

ZendikariWol says... #2

the longest, loudest eye roll of my entire life

December 23, 2019 10:20 p.m.

Gidgetimer says... #3

While I approve of this list as a better benchmark for something that makes someone a good player, I disapprove of the pettiness that motivated it. There will always be people who disagree with how you want to play the game and getting into a pissing match never does anyone any good.

December 23, 2019 10:32 p.m.

dingusdingo says... #4

I found his list to not contain any useful information. Rather than stay and split hairs, I'd prefer to create the content I wished to see. Call me petty all you wish, but thanks for acknowledging the list as a benchmark.

December 24, 2019 12:34 a.m.

Last_Laugh says... #5

This is definitely a better list (by far). It doesn't cover anything regarding etiquette and that side of being a good player but it covers the knowledge side of things very well.

I think I'm good on most of these points except on #4 I don't always (50/50 at best) announce when I'm entering combat and nothing besides the occasional 'untap, upkeep, draw' for other phases.

I also think I'm pretty good at reading a boardstate but I'm also only human on points 6 and 10 (which really tie in together). Granted there's also the occasional game I'm feeling lazy and I lose to cards I should have read lol.

December 24, 2019 12:48 a.m.

Gidgetimer says... #6

On the contrary, I find points 1, 2, 7, and 9 to be about etiquette. Being appropriately powered for the meta and not wasting people's time is about being fun to play with, not about being good at the game. Could there have been points on not being salty or a sore loser? Sure. That is more about being a decent human being though, not being a good player.

December 24, 2019 6:56 a.m.