Counting X CMC
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on March 26, 2021, 11:01 p.m. by DarkMagician
Was just wondering how yal count cards with x in their casting cost when determining the average cmc of your decks. For example, Torment of Hailfire . Do you count it as a 2 drop even though it doesn't do anything for just 2 mana?
Easy, I count them as X=0 because Ad Nauseam and Dark Confidant are both cards.
March 26, 2021 11:13 p.m.
griffstick says... #4
DarkMagician I always think the same thing when looking at the mana curve of my decks. Having x spells makes it look good on the mana curve chart but you know that you are not casting Torment of Hailfire for 1 or 2 or 3 or whatever crap number. Tou want to cast it for an absurd amount. I just try to remove them from my mana curve chart in my own mind and place them in a spot I usually cast them at. Like Omniscience_is_life said
enpc is referring to cards when they are not being cast. Theres also cards that care about it after they are cast like Sunbird's Invocation and Kaervek the Merciless
March 26, 2021 11:40 p.m. Edited.
I typically count X cards with X=3. Examples of Torment of Hailfire and Sphinx's Revelation where in a real dire spot I’d cast them for maybe 3 minimum. Ideally, X cards take up one of your few 7+ cmc slots occupied by other game winning bombs.
March 26, 2021 11:47 p.m.
TriusMalarky says... #6
You'd want to run the numbers at a few different points. Use x = 0 when calculating for Ad Naus/Bob effects, use the average cost you plan on casting it at for general mana cost, and use x = 1 for calculating the absolute minimum lands you need to be able to play.
Omniscience_is_life says... #2
Depends how much you cast it for on average. For instance, I usually count Starstorm and its ilk as 6 CMC--as many creatures sit at 4=> toughness in commander, and that's ergo what I usually play it for.
March 26, 2021 11:06 p.m.