How Did EDH Become So Popular?
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Dec. 31, 2021, 10:07 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
EDH/Commander is now the most popular format for MtG, and I do enjoy playing games in that format, but I wonder how that came to be the case.
I admit that, recently, I have been playing EDH more frequently than I have modern or legacy, but I still attempt to play other formats on occasion, so that I do not neglect them.
When, exactly, did EDH start to become so popular? Is there a specific date or event to which its popularity can be traced, or was it a gradual occurrence, with no clear point of origin? What does everyone else say about this subject?
Omniscience_is_life says... #3
EDH (in theory) allows for players to build silly decks that wouldn't fly in other formats, and make crazy plays with huge-effect cards that aren't legal in other formats and/or cost too much to be viable anywhere else.
It also makes it a lot easier for anyone to be a brewer--you don't need a top-tier idea for your deck to "work", because the entire definition of a deck that works is different.
Having in actuality no real idea, my guess is that commander began to become more popular in 2013 alongside the release of the first preconstructed decks for the format.
December 31, 2021 10:14 p.m.
EDH was on the upswing before they officially embraced it by creating the Commander products. A million years ago they rotated through casual formats that they made cards for. Archenemy and Planechase also floated around.
I think Commander just hit a perfect ground of limitations and theme. Building around a Legendary creature, having the color pie restriction, and the one-of rule in theory keeping things cheaper... I think it hit just the right tone of all the added rules are actually fun and not just busywork. Like, I have never wanted to play Emperor because it seems like more work for not much gain. And as much as I do love breaking out the Planechase stack for a Commander game, after it's done adding an element of chaos to the game and we're on something neutral people start spending their mana on their things again and the Planes fall by the wayside.
Although I will say that when I first heard about Commander (right near the release of the first Commander precons) it was a... different experience. Cards were rarely designed for multiplayer and finding those spells that said "each opponent" instead of "target opponent" was exciting instead of being the norm. They also didn't print nearly as many Legendary creatures. A lot of the fun was digging back and finding old Legends and realizing that now you could build the deck themed around them and make them work and shine.
January 1, 2022 12:04 a.m.
I think that maybe youtube and things really helped EDH become as popular as it is. Personally, I watch a few EDH and cEDH channels when I have the time, and there's always the, what is that? factor. It's really fun to see things that you didn't know about or expect, and that can make it great to watch a game.
Magic has always somewhat struggled from a spectator's perspective. Old tournament videos and things are almost unwatchable. Heh, I feel like I know the older cards okay enough, but I just find it so hard to follow. And even with Arena and things, watching standard is piddly fun. Once the meta shakes out you can usually guess what's coming from the first few lands and things. There are a couple modern channels and things I might watch, but it's few and far between.
But commander...commander is jazz : ) and you can find playgroups that seem interesting to you, and you can kinda get into their games.
There're probably a ton of reasons, and I think people have touched on some really good ones. No rotation is big for anyone and everyone because we all got into the game sometime, and those first sets always have a special place. I just thought it should be mentioned that EDH really does have the spectator space of magic. In my opinion at least : )
January 1, 2022 8:17 a.m.
For me? I love being able to play battlecruiser magic. That’s really only possible in commander. Even though the strongest decks are becoming increasingly expensive, you can still make a strong deck on a budget. That’s what brought me into the format originally. Commander is also a format where any strategy is viable and can be centered around whatever your favorite mechanic/strategy is pretty easily.
January 1, 2022 12:57 p.m.
The first two posts sum it up pretty well, I think. Being able to use nearly ANY card from the game's history in a non-rotating format to build a deck based around a character, theme, idea or gameplan makes the format incredibly rewarding, deckbuilding-wise. Unlike Standard, Modern, Legacy etc, the meta dominates most people's deckbuilding process to the point where if it doesn't have a place in the meta, it doesn't have a place at all. In Commander, nearly any sort of deck could theoretically work and run well. Random creature type tribal? Sure! Some weird old commander who runs some obscure synergies? Sure! An old-school border exclusive deck? Why not! The ability to build YOUR deck with the exact cards YOU want is the format's biggest boon.
As for when it boomed in popularity... I haven't played for as long as most people on here have (only three years) so I can't really say for sure. As a side note, the number of legendary creatures since the beginning of 2020 has been insane. I think it was EDHREC.com that had a graph of "number of commanders released per year" and 2020 and 2021 were MILES above any other year.
January 1, 2022 4:31 p.m.
Hard to say when it was most marked. I think market analysis would tell you something there. Whenever the prices started to explode on "EDH-useful-only" cards would tell you something. I remember arguing market with someone that had been saying big-timmie EDH specific cards would never compete pricewise with other formats... now look
January 1, 2022 8:22 p.m.
rshistorysmuf says... #9
The Modern/Standard competitive formats usually will merge into what is the best way to end your opponent. This means the majority of MTG cards are practically redundant. Then there is rotation, cards that fall out of a format, or cards replaced by better cards.
EDH works because it is not uber competitive, and you can build silly decks. Concepts decks. Play cards that have not been played for years. For Example Sisay's Bushido Samurai Style is a deck based on Bushido.
It works because there is no you win and win a prize except bragging rights.
January 1, 2022 8:35 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #10
I greatly appreciate everyone's responses to my question, and I certainly will continue to play EDH, but I do hope that other formats shall survive, and even thrive, in the wake of EDH's popularity.
January 1, 2022 9:30 p.m.
uiroeajfkldsnf says... #11
I think it's because wizards of the coast has made it their most supported format. I mean, edh gets a deck every set, but standard only gets decks once a year. in addition, it used to be a format where you could come up to a table with any crazy deck you made from the cards in your collection. sadly, that is no longer the case. edh, like magic in general did way back, has exited the realm of janky decks that you play with for fun, and has entered the realm of $40 staples. (sorry, I just hate the power creep. means that I'll be left in the dust soon.)
January 2, 2022 7:03 p.m.
griffstick says... #12
The Command Zone youtube channel I think is really what spread the edh content to everyone so quickly. It's always been the best because it's a multi-player format.
January 2, 2022 7:38 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #13
Numerous users here have mentioned powerful and expensive staples in EDH, so what are some examples of such cards?
January 2, 2022 10:08 p.m.
griffstick says... #14
Vampiric Tutor, Mystical Tutor, Demonic Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Rhystic Study, Necropotence, Cyclonic Rift, Doubling Season, Anointed Procession, Parallel Lives, Mana Vault, Mana Crypt, Archfiend of Despair, Sword of Feast and Famine, Triumph of the Hordes, Edgar Markov, Gaea's Cradle, Cabal Coffers, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, The Scarab God, Dockside Extortionist, Deflecting Swat, and many more.
January 2, 2022 11 p.m. Edited.
Grubbernaut says... #15
For me: Product fatigue, and politicization fatigue. Sanctioned events became unfun, as the playerbase changed dramatically from when I began. Mechanically, being able to play the best cards in the game is fun, though. Given the choice, I'd probably take old 2-player magic, but for now, I love CEDH and its community.
January 3, 2022 12:07 p.m.
Last_Laugh says... #16
@DemonDragonJ - Teferi's Protection, Academy Rector, Consecrated Sphinx, Deadeye Navigator, Temur Sabertooth, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, Survival of the Fittest, Food Chain, Cloudstone Curio, Ashnod's Altar, Phyrexian Altar, Seedborn Muse, Loyal Retainers, Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, Palinchron, Force of Will, Mana Drain, Cavern of Souls, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Grave Pact, Dictate of Erebos, Sylvan Library, Fierce Guardianship, etc. etc. etc.
Last_Laugh says... #2
No rotation so your cards are useable forever barring the occasional ban coupled with it being more social and less expensive than other non-rotating formats.
December 31, 2021 10:11 p.m.