I really liked this article for a number of reasons. First and foremost, we got to see a little bit of what goes on in your head when you build a deck. I liked seeing how you evaluated things and what cards you decided to go with, even if you didn't give us a final decklist. This stuck out in my head because for the last few months, I can't really remember you walking us through your thought process on building a deck from scratch (I could be wrong, but these were just my first thoughts as to why this article stood out).
Second, as a multiplayer fan who's never played Commander (and I've been playing Magic for about 8 years now), this article helped give me a little more insight into building a deck and thinking about the overall strategy. Building with singletons is something completely different, and for players new to Commander, this was a big help. It would be nice for you to talk about a mana base/curve as well, as those are things that change from the 60 to 100 deck.
Third, your excitment really came through in this article. This wasn't just a draft deck you were tinkering with to win, you really wanted to play with Basandra. I think that makes all the difference in the writing.
For the future, I would really like to see more decks like this, and even some play reports with you playing this deck. I would also enjoy if you built an Archenemy and Planechase deck to support your Basandra Commander deck. I think games of all three together would be amazing, and I feel like there's not much talk about Archenemy or Planchase anymore.
Overall, great article!
Fear Of The Dark, Fear Of The Dark, I Have A Constant Fear That Something's Always Near; Fear Of The Dark, Fear Of The Dark, I Have A Phobia That Someone's Always There- Iron Maiden
Fear of the Dark shall be feared no longer! Let him be praised instead! (Many, many thanks for all your hard work!) - darkwarlock
I'm both instinctive and emotional. I value my own instincts and desires, and either ignore or crush anything that stands in my way; planning and foresight are unnecessary. At best, I'm determined and fierce; at worst, I'm headstrong and infantile.
Check out my DnD blog! www.artificersintuition.blogspot.com
I really liked this article for a number of reasons. First and foremost, we got to see a little bit of what goes on in your head when you build a deck. I liked seeing how you evaluated things and what cards you decided to go with, even if you didn't give us a final decklist. This stuck out in my head because for the last few months, I can't really remember you walking us through your thought process on building a deck from scratch (I could be wrong, but these were just my first thoughts as to why this article stood out).
Second, as a multiplayer fan who's never played Commander (and I've been playing Magic for about 8 years now), this article helped give me a little more insight into building a deck and thinking about the overall strategy. Building with singletons is something completely different, and for players new to Commander, this was a big help. It would be nice for you to talk about a mana base/curve as well, as those are things that change from the 60 to 100 deck.
Third, your excitment really came through in this article. This wasn't just a draft deck you were tinkering with to win, you really wanted to play with Basandra. I think that makes all the difference in the writing.
For the future, I would really like to see more decks like this, and even some play reports with you playing this deck. I would also enjoy if you built an Archenemy and Planechase deck to support your Basandra Commander deck. I think games of all three together would be amazing, and I feel like there's not much talk about Archenemy or Planchase anymore.
Overall, great article!
Well thank you! I play Archenemy and Planechase still, but I also play Vanguard. Piling all four together is something I've done before and it is a total blast. If Basandra is as fun as I believe she will be, a follow up with planes and schemes can certainly happen.
Second, as a multiplayer fan who's never played Commander (and I've been playing Magic for about 8 years now), this article helped give me a little more insight into building a deck and thinking about the overall strategy. Building with singletons is something completely different, and for players new to Commander, this was a big help. It would be nice for you to talk about a mana base/curve as well, as those are things that change from the 60 to 100 deck.
I'd second this. Building for commander is very, very different from building for 60 card decks, and if you've never tried building for 100-card singleton before it's fairly awkward and difficult, even if you're a genius deckbuilder. I'm nowhere near a genius, and it took me quite a lot of practice for getting good at developing a "commander mindset", where you can look at a legend and think ah, let me start pulling up a list of what I can do with you... I don't mean post a list of staples for each color though, because any fool can do that (not to mention there's a list floating around the internets of just that) but also because that's not very helpful for someone looking to get into the format. Knowing they should always have Solemn Simulacrum, Sol Ring, and Greaves if they've got them doesn't impart much permanent and useful knowledge of the format.
A comprehensive introduction to deckbuilding for the commander format - general rules of thumb, curves, archetypes, notable abilities/spell types that are deceptively powerful to the 60-card player, and so on - would go a long way, I think.
- Sean
You'll forget you ever read this the minute you look away.
there is nothing "epic" about a turn one victory. ever.
or really any magic game, for that matter.
So this one time, I wanted to play a game of Magic with my friend, but he was in another country and neither of us had Magic Online. I hitchhiked my way to the coast, barely fending off hungry wildlife when I couldn't get a ride, nearly dying of thirst crossing deserts, and posoning myself half to death foraging for food. At one point, I was taken hostage by a group of kidnappers, only managing to escape after a week of careful planning thanks to careful application of a rusty spoon.
Once I reached the coast, I had no money to buy a ticket across the ocean, so I built a boat using my own two hands, and spent months sailing across the waves, nearly losing my deck as I swam to the shore of a desert island in a storm after being capsized by an enormous wave. Nearly delusional after so long with no human contact (the notches I cut in the single tree to tell time had long since felled the thing) I was eventually rescued by a passing ship, where I was taken aboard as a crew member.
We sailed around the world, seeing many exotic places and having great adventures, before we finally arrived at my friend's country. Once more I stumbled across a desolate landscape, riding on train or car when I could, and going on foot when I could not. Eventually, weary to the bone, seven years after I started my journey, I arrived at my friend's house, clutching my well-worn and weathered deck to my chest. We shuffled up our decks, I won the roll. Gleefully, I laid down my cards.
Black Lotus . My friend looked quizzically at me, wondering what I was about to do. After so long, he no longer knew what deck I had brought with me to this game.
Flash . A knowing smile appears on my friend's face as the knowledge slowly returns to him.
So no one else is upset with the stunt Wizards just pulled to drive sales?
Drive sales of what? Non-Jace, non-Mystic cards? I'm pretty sure people already own more than eight Magic cards. If you don't, I feel for you. Maybe you can trade those Stoneforge Mystics, which are still quite valuable, for some.
A comprehensive introduction to deckbuilding for the commander format - general rules of thumb, curves, archetypes, notable abilities/spell types that are deceptively powerful to the 60-card player, and so on - would go a long way, I think.
- Sean
While I personally find spreadsheets and data tables exciting, it's a bit tricky to bridge that into something everyone can find amusement and joy in.
I'm not saying an introduction to Commander format deck construction is off the table, I just need to think about it a little more to find the right mix of cold, hard facts and feel-good intuition to scope it with.
