Wizards is a for-profit company. There's no point in criticizing what they do solely on the basis of being an attempt to make money because that characterizes every single thing they do. This game EXISTS because Hasbro and WoTC found it to be PROFITABLE. Everything that isn't an obvious attempt to sell something is a PR move, which in turn is designed to increase profitability. It has always been like this, it will always be like this, and any attempt to convince you otherwise is either a PR move or a nostalgic self-delusion. I spend my money in full knowledge that it's exactly what this company wants out of me. That's the tradeoff here. They get a portion of my money that I wish to spend on leisure, and, in exchange, I get hours of entertainment.
Yes, everybody knows that the ultimate goal of a company is to have more and more profits.
That said, you have to take the product's audience expectations into account. Magic players EXPECT of wizards to make an effort to produce more cards with interesting new designs and cool new concepts, while fostering a diversity of formats for players to participate. The fullfilment of this expectation makes for healthy business practice, because people will be happy and willing to spend their money on their product. Brawl is different. This format is being created during one of the worst standard eras of all time, and it signals to the players that WoTC is 'giving up' on making standard decent to sell their new products, instead trying to cater to a established player base of another suscessful format (Commander) to try and make money. In short, even if that's not their real intention, it breaks player's expectations when it comes to believing that WoTC is making an effort to improve standard. And they're breaking just to make a buck, which is bad practice. Good companies fullfill client's expectations while being profitable. The end result of not doing so, in this particular case, is fracturing the standard and commander playerbase and disenfranchising standard players who wanted their format to get better.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Would you like to read Commander stories? Check my latest stories, coming from Lorwyn and Innistrad: Ghoulcaller Gisa and Doran, The Siege Tower! If you like my writing, ask me to write something for your commander as well!
I honestly thought this was a joke format/fan made until I realized it was from the mothership. This sounds awful. You'll get the same 60 cards smashed together in no time for any one who would try to play this competitively. There's only so many viable cards you can use from standard legal sets.
Very hard not to look at this as a cash grab move.
Exectuive 1: "Folks, standard is failing and our profits are down. We can't just keep churning masters set to make people buy premium products, they're starting to notice our scheme".
Executive 2: "Standard has been bad for years, but you know what people like? Commander"
Executive 3: "Why don't we make Commander with only standard legal cards, so people are forced to buy into our new product even though it is bad?"
*Cheers in the room*
*End scene*
I disagree. It’s very easy to see the appeal, if you’re of an open mind and willing to adopt a less... pessimistic outlook.
The combination of a 60 card deck, planeswalker commanders, and standard restrictions really goes a long way to opening up deck building. And for many players, original deck construction is one of the major attractions to Singleton / commander oriented formats. Sites like EDHREC, as much as I love them, have really helped to solve many of the older commanders, rendering original deck ideas moot. Then you have newer legends that are outright unplayable in a 100 card format, like Beckett Brass. And, as other people have already pointed out, planeswalker commanders were more or less impossible in a format where Doubling Season exists (which doesn’t deserve a ban on its own merits). Brawl, taken as a sum of its separate elements, really fills a role that many people probably wanted without knowing how to execute it properly, and being an officially sanctioned format goes a long way towards legitimizing it. Yes, at the end of the day everything Wizards does will be an attempt to make more money, because that’s what businesses do. But to deliberately ignore all of Brawl’s positive aspects only serves to diminish the outlooks and perspectives of people other than yourself.
One of the main draws for me with Commander is that it is a non-rotating format. I continue to buy cards all the time, but I do so knowing that they will remain useful and relevant. I have always avoided rotating formats because it's just a feel-bad to have something I bought no longer be legal or useful. That alone drives me away from this format. If they made it more like Modern Commander-Lite, where it used all new cards starting in Dominaria or some other set and moving forward, without rotation, I might build a deck or two, knowing I could keep tinkering with them and playing them for years to come. but I'm not going to build decks from a limited card pool with suboptimal card options only to have to destroy them in a year or so. I'd rather just play commander with superior card options and unlimited card lifespan.
So what about every story about a standard player moving their collection to Commander and/or Modern? Do you not see that?
Wizards is a for-profit company. There's no point in criticizing what they do solely on the basis of being an attempt to make money because that characterizes every single thing they do. This game EXISTS because Hasbro and WoTC found it to be PROFITABLE. Everything that isn't an obvious attempt to sell something is a PR move, which in turn is designed to increase profitability. It has always been like this, it will always be like this, and any attempt to convince you otherwise is either a PR move or a nostalgic self-delusion. I spend my money in full knowledge that it's exactly what this company wants out of me. That's the tradeoff here. They get a portion of my money that I wish to spend on leisure, and, in exchange, I get hours of entertainment.
No one you are talking about in this thread is unawares of what a business is in the world. Healthy critique of how it happens however is generally good to hopefully not let these things get away from people. A core system of profit is not a get out of jail free card.
I'm alright with Planeswalkers as the commander in this format, because of one simple reason.
Standard legal cards means no Doubling Season.
That's one of the primary reasons PW are not commanders for Commander.
Well its a good theory but after all these years they've never actually printed a green planeswalker that can ultimate the first turn and is actually that backbreaking. They've printed some Army of the damned ones and gain 100 life but short of future hypothetical, green color identity planeswalkers are pretty tame with it. I mean yeah, its a strong play with some of them but not really game winning any more than the average timmyfied spell.
The problem I have with it is that, after Dominaria, how many Legendary Creatures are going to be in Standard? We need a lot to make a diverse set of decks possible. I cannot imagine Legendary-matters will be a theme in other sets.
every set you are garanteed to have 4 new commanders. Cause planeswalkers can be commanders.
4 is not enough to make a diverse community of Brawl deck types. It will make the format incredibly cookie-cutter (especially once Dominaria rotates out).
Brawl gets my rubber stamp of "IDGAF" in big red letters
I'll buy into Standard when WoTC stops trying to (and doing horribly at) feed the Eternal formats through it. AKA when Standard actually becomes Standard, when Modern has its own dedicated product line and when Legacy & Vintage do too. Until then Standard is something I want no part of. Supporting it in its current form damages the prospect of improving this game as a whole. Standard as it currently is - is the problem with Magic.
Come get my money WoTC. Get off your asses. I'm waiting for a better Standard. A better Modern. A better LEGACY & VINTAGE. At which point will be a better game across the board.
4 is not enough to make a diverse community of Brawl deck types. It will make the format incredibly cookie-cutter (especially once Dominaria rotates out).
Unlike any format which has the cookie cutter decks and rogue decks but people still play it anyway?
4 is not enough to make a diverse community of Brawl deck types. It will make the format incredibly cookie-cutter (especially once Dominaria rotates out).
I mean, looking at how things exist now (not even including dominaria) theres...
I can think of pretty unique and potentially viable decks of ALL of those guys. I mean sure, it's not as much variety as exists in commander, but that's part of the point. New players do not know all twenty thousand mtg cards, or all seven hundred legends.
4 is not enough to make a diverse community of Brawl deck types. It will make the format incredibly cookie-cutter (especially once Dominaria rotates out).
I mean, looking at how things exist now (not even including dominaria) theres...
I can think of pretty unique and potentially viable decks of ALL of those guys. I mean sure, it's not as much variety as exists in commander, but that's part of the point. New players do not know all twenty thousand mtg cards, or all seven hundred legends.
Aren't you missing Gideon of the Trials or the new Jace from Ixalan?
Aren't you missing Gideon of the Trials or the new Jace from Ixalan?
I only included ones I could see making a deck from. gideon of the trials and shirtless jace both look like horrible commanders to me, but don't let me dissuade you if you've got some build you wanted to try with them.
One of the main draws for me with Commander is that it is a non-rotating format. I continue to buy cards all the time, but I do so knowing that they will remain useful and relevant. I have always avoided rotating formats because it's just a feel-bad to have something I bought no longer be legal or useful. That alone drives me away from this format. If they made it more like Modern Commander-Lite, where it used all new cards starting in Dominaria or some other set and moving forward, without rotation, I might build a deck or two, knowing I could keep tinkering with them and playing them for years to come. but I'm not going to build decks from a limited card pool with suboptimal card options only to have to destroy them in a year or so. I'd rather just play commander with superior card options and unlimited card lifespan.
Give this man a beer. Well said.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I don't need to have the perfect plan. My foe just has to have an imperfect one."
Yeh, that list doesn't even have the first three Legendaries I started dreambuilding around. I don't think the manabase will be kind to multicolor, so I plan to start monocolor. Rishkar ramp, or Yahenni / Lannery aggro (for 1v1 play, aggro obviously falls down in group play).
Very hard not to look at this as a cash grab move.
Exectuive 1: "Folks, standard is failing and our profits are down. We can't just keep churning masters set to make people buy premium products, they're starting to notice our scheme".
Executive 2: "Standard has been bad for years, but you know what people like? Commander"
Executive 3: "Why don't we make Commander with only standard legal cards, so people are forced to buy into our new product even though it is bad?"
*Cheers in the room*
*End scene*
I disagree. It’s very easy to see the appeal, if you’re of an open mind and willing to adopt a less... pessimistic outlook.
The combination of a 60 card deck, planeswalker commanders, and standard restrictions really goes a long way to opening up deck building. And for many players, original deck construction is one of the major attractions to Singleton / commander oriented formats. Sites like EDHREC, as much as I love them, have really helped to solve many of the older commanders, rendering original deck ideas moot. Then you have newer legends that are outright unplayable in a 100 card format, like Beckett Brass. And, as other people have already pointed out, planeswalker commanders were more or less impossible in a format where Doubling Season exists (which doesn’t deserve a ban on its own merits). Brawl, taken as a sum of its separate elements, really fills a role that many people probably wanted without knowing how to execute it properly, and being an officially sanctioned format goes a long way towards legitimizing it. Yes, at the end of the day everything Wizards does will be an attempt to make more money, because that’s what businesses do. But to deliberately ignore all of Brawl’s positive aspects only serves to diminish the outlooks and perspectives of people other than yourself.
Okay after reading this my mind have been swayed. This could be a reasonably fun format. Thanks for an insightful post. Also, I realize its still cool to have a brawl deck post-rotation. You and friends can still play with them against other brawl decks from the past or future - its just not competitive tournament legal.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I don't need to have the perfect plan. My foe just has to have an imperfect one."
I'd feel better about this if it didn't feel quite so much like WotC trying to take control of Commander to make sure that people are playing with Standard cards. The rules being slightly different from Commander will just lead to confusion down the road unless the Rules Committee decides to adopt more Brawl-like rules (I, for one, don't look forward to the day when a new player coming from Brawl brings a Commander deck with a Planeswalker at the helm to the table).
Overall, my personal interest in Brawl is basically 0, so at this point I'm just hoping it doesn't have a negative effect on a format I do care about.
I'd feel better about this if it didn't feel quite so much like WotC trying to take control of Commander to make sure that people are playing with Standard cards. The rules being slightly different from Commander will just lead to confusion down the road unless the Rules Committee decides to adopt more Brawl-like rules (I, for one, don't look forward to the day when a new player coming from Brawl brings a Commander deck with a Planeswalker at the helm to the table).
Overall, my personal interest in Brawl is basically 0, so at this point I'm just hoping it doesn't have a negative effect on a format I do care about.
I wouldn't even think this as they are continuing to print commander pre-cons every year and innovating on it yearly; also, all cards are commander legal...if there is TRULY any eternal format, its Commander and it ain't going away.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I don't need to have the perfect plan. My foe just has to have an imperfect one."
4 is not enough to make a diverse community of Brawl deck types. It will make the format incredibly cookie-cutter (especially once Dominaria rotates out).
I mean, looking at how things exist now (not even including dominaria) theres...
I can think of pretty unique and potentially viable decks of ALL of those guys. I mean sure, it's not as much variety as exists in commander, but that's part of the point. New players do not know all twenty thousand mtg cards, or all seven hundred legends.
My point was that I would just like some assurances from WOtC that they will be pushing more legendary creatures into the sets post-Dominaria. They have done a good job so far but I do not want to invest into and play this format if the number of legendary cards dwindles.
Instead of spoilers today we got this disguting thing? Bah.
Failing wotc is throwing a tantrum because people don't like standard and planeswalkers as much as they should. So let's take something that players love (and that was created by fan and not by wotc, that's curious!) and shove standard and planeswalkers inside it.
Can't wait for it to fail.
Another small agenda push. Before, tuck was a way to permanently deal with general that the EDH RC did not exploited, while wotc wanted to exploit it very much and put at least a tuck card in every deck.
Then tuck gets adressed by RC and i bet wotc wasn't happy about it. Before they could print overloaded generals like prossh, skyrider of kher and be like "don't worry, just tuck it". Now they can't so problematic commanders are really problematic.
I see this small, subtle change as a way to try to bring tuck back and i don't like it at all.
There's a reason standard format exists, you know. Having to contend with years and years of busted cards that never should have existed (cough sol ring cough) makes the power level of the format very high and eliminates a lot of fun clever ideas (in a competitive setting).
One thing I think is going massively overlooked as an upside to this format - you can build WHATEVER YOU WANT. There's (at least so far as I can see) nothing obviously busted. Sure, some commanders are pretty strong, but not so much moreso that a few people teaming up against them can't crush them into pulp. Which means you can actually build decks as powerful as you can, and it will still (probably, hopefully) lead to fair games, instead of...whatever degenerate nonsense "competitive" commander is up to.
I also think the costs are getting overinflated. Sure, you might need to shell out for a few $20 staples if you want an optimal deck, but those are singletons, and most standard cards are cheap as dirt. I bet I could make a rock-solid gishath deck for like $50 that would rarely need updates. Sure in commander, once you have all the duals (I do, hi) you're set for life, but for a new player you could build YEARS and YEARS and YEARS of brawl decks before getting even CLOSE to the cost of an optimized commander deck.
The command zone change could totally not even be a real change, just a mistake on the part of the article writer. Even if it wasn't, there's very few cards that exile from hand and they're mostly awful (see lost legacy) so I really doubt it's anything intentional to make commanders permanently removable, more likely a corner case they didn't consider in their effort to streamline the rule. Even if it was, that hardly seems like anything sinister.
Man, some people just love to assume the worst about literally everything wotc ever does =/
My point was that I would just like some assurances from WOtC that they will be pushing more legendary creatures into the sets post-Dominaria. They have done a good job so far but I do not want to invest into and play this format if the number of legendary cards dwindles.
Well I don't think they've made any particularly concerted effort to shoehorn in more legends than normal over the past 2 years, but we've still got a lot of playable commanders. So unless they suddenly stop making as many legendaries (why would they do that?) I think we'll be fine.
Also idk how much "investing" really means here. Once your commander rotates you're basically starting from scratch, especially since most commanders get printed alongside their best synergy pieces (certainly the tribal commanders do). I'd say, if you see a commander you want to build, build it. Maybe update a little as new sets come out. Then if you see another cool commander, re-up with a new deck. Otherwise, don't.
I like the thrust of this. Commander is lots of fun, but it requires a massive investment of both time and money, even for those of us who bought dual lands back when they were $10 apiece. You can't sit down and shuffle up for a quick game of Commander. You need at least an hour, and it can stretch well beyond that. Especially when people keep having to pause the game to read the card that just got played.
60-card decks, a far smaller cardpool, 30 life instead of 40, all point to a game that would be much easier on pocketbook, schedule, and brain. And planeswalkers as commanders is a very nice touch.
Rotation is a problem, though. I don't like having my decks evaporate out from under me. My interest in Magic waxes and wanes, year by year. If I have to build all-new decks to jump back into the game, that's a significant barrier. Not sure how to reconcile that with the need to limit the size of the cardpool, but... it's an issue.
Rotation is a problem, though. I don't like having my decks evaporate out from under me. My interest in Magic waxes and wanes, year by year. If I have to build all-new decks to jump back into the game, that's a significant barrier. Not sure how to reconcile that with the need to limit the size of the cardpool, but... it's an issue.
Well, at the end of the day, it's a casual format. I think most groups would probably be cool with you using a previously-legal brawl deck, even if it technically violates the rules. If this becomes any kind of tournament format, ofc that won't fly though.
Soooo... people love their infinite combos in Commander, but with this limited cardpool... are there infinite combos to be had here? Inheriting the banned list from Standard means no SaheeliCat, but are there other infinite combos that were too slow for Standard but might have potential in a Standander?
This feels like a very sad attempt to replicate the popularity of Commander.
I am not quite sure how a 59 card standard commander would be more enjoyable than 99 card commander. Having this as a multiplayer intended format seems weird too....it may end up turning into a large game of control that never ends.
If a Commander would be put into a library, hand, graveyard or exile from anywhere, its owner may choose to move it to the command zone instead.
The new rule (as described) is:
If your commander is countered or leaves the battlefield, you may put it back into the command zone instead of putting it anywhere else it would go.
Which means if someone plays, say, failure // comply on a commander, followed up with lost legacy...that commander is GONE gone. Adios. kaput. etc.
Which is probably ok, it's a pretty narrow case, but still. Odd to change a rule that's been working well so far.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
That said, you have to take the product's audience expectations into account. Magic players EXPECT of wizards to make an effort to produce more cards with interesting new designs and cool new concepts, while fostering a diversity of formats for players to participate. The fullfilment of this expectation makes for healthy business practice, because people will be happy and willing to spend their money on their product. Brawl is different. This format is being created during one of the worst standard eras of all time, and it signals to the players that WoTC is 'giving up' on making standard decent to sell their new products, instead trying to cater to a established player base of another suscessful format (Commander) to try and make money. In short, even if that's not their real intention, it breaks player's expectations when it comes to believing that WoTC is making an effort to improve standard. And they're breaking just to make a buck, which is bad practice. Good companies fullfill client's expectations while being profitable. The end result of not doing so, in this particular case, is fracturing the standard and commander playerbase and disenfranchising standard players who wanted their format to get better.
Read my other stories as well (some ongoing):
Reaper King (a horror story), Kaalia of the Vast (an origin story), Sequels for Innistrad (Alternative sequels for Inn), Grey Areas (Odric's fanfic), Royal Succession (goblins),The Tracker's Message (eldrazi on Innistrad) and Ugin and his Eye (the end of OGW).
I disagree. It’s very easy to see the appeal, if you’re of an open mind and willing to adopt a less... pessimistic outlook.
The combination of a 60 card deck, planeswalker commanders, and standard restrictions really goes a long way to opening up deck building. And for many players, original deck construction is one of the major attractions to Singleton / commander oriented formats. Sites like EDHREC, as much as I love them, have really helped to solve many of the older commanders, rendering original deck ideas moot. Then you have newer legends that are outright unplayable in a 100 card format, like Beckett Brass. And, as other people have already pointed out, planeswalker commanders were more or less impossible in a format where Doubling Season exists (which doesn’t deserve a ban on its own merits). Brawl, taken as a sum of its separate elements, really fills a role that many people probably wanted without knowing how to execute it properly, and being an officially sanctioned format goes a long way towards legitimizing it. Yes, at the end of the day everything Wizards does will be an attempt to make more money, because that’s what businesses do. But to deliberately ignore all of Brawl’s positive aspects only serves to diminish the outlooks and perspectives of people other than yourself.
---
#BLM
#DefundThePolice
No one you are talking about in this thread is unawares of what a business is in the world. Healthy critique of how it happens however is generally good to hopefully not let these things get away from people. A core system of profit is not a get out of jail free card.
Tamiyo, Field Researcher is an Ancestral Recall + Omniscience, and Samut, the Tested is an immediate, unconditional Defense of the Heart (except it can also fetch planeswalkers).
4 is not enough to make a diverse community of Brawl deck types. It will make the format incredibly cookie-cutter (especially once Dominaria rotates out).
Brawl gets my rubber stamp of "IDGAF" in big red letters
I'll buy into Standard when WoTC stops trying to (and doing horribly at) feed the Eternal formats through it. AKA when Standard actually becomes Standard, when Modern has its own dedicated product line and when Legacy & Vintage do too. Until then Standard is something I want no part of. Supporting it in its current form damages the prospect of improving this game as a whole. Standard as it currently is - is the problem with Magic.
Come get my money WoTC. Get off your asses. I'm waiting for a better Standard. A better Modern. A better LEGACY & VINTAGE. At which point will be a better game across the board.
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/magic-general/334931-what-is-the-most-pimp-card-deck-youve-seen-or?comment=5361
Commander
RGOmnath, Locus of Rage Grenades! EDHGR
UWSygg's Defense, EDH - Voltron & ControlWU
BUGMimeoplasm EDH ft. Ifnir Cycling-discard comboBUG
WBTeysa, Connoisseur of CullingBW
BWSelenia & Recruiter of the Guard suicice combo EDHWB
UBRWGO-Kagachi - 5 Color Enchantments - EDHUBRWG
I can think of pretty unique and potentially viable decks of ALL of those guys. I mean sure, it's not as much variety as exists in commander, but that's part of the point. New players do not know all twenty thousand mtg cards, or all seven hundred legends.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
Aren't you missing Gideon of the Trials or the new Jace from Ixalan?
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
Give this man a beer. Well said.
[Commander] Rafiq of the Many (Tier 1)
[Commander] Marchesa, the Black Rose (Tier 1)
[Commander] Five Color Artifacts (Tier 2)
Okay after reading this my mind have been swayed. This could be a reasonably fun format. Thanks for an insightful post. Also, I realize its still cool to have a brawl deck post-rotation. You and friends can still play with them against other brawl decks from the past or future - its just not competitive tournament legal.
[Commander] Rafiq of the Many (Tier 1)
[Commander] Marchesa, the Black Rose (Tier 1)
[Commander] Five Color Artifacts (Tier 2)
Overall, my personal interest in Brawl is basically 0, so at this point I'm just hoping it doesn't have a negative effect on a format I do care about.
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs
I wouldn't even think this as they are continuing to print commander pre-cons every year and innovating on it yearly; also, all cards are commander legal...if there is TRULY any eternal format, its Commander and it ain't going away.
[Commander] Rafiq of the Many (Tier 1)
[Commander] Marchesa, the Black Rose (Tier 1)
[Commander] Five Color Artifacts (Tier 2)
My point was that I would just like some assurances from WOtC that they will be pushing more legendary creatures into the sets post-Dominaria. They have done a good job so far but I do not want to invest into and play this format if the number of legendary cards dwindles.
One thing I think is going massively overlooked as an upside to this format - you can build WHATEVER YOU WANT. There's (at least so far as I can see) nothing obviously busted. Sure, some commanders are pretty strong, but not so much moreso that a few people teaming up against them can't crush them into pulp. Which means you can actually build decks as powerful as you can, and it will still (probably, hopefully) lead to fair games, instead of...whatever degenerate nonsense "competitive" commander is up to.
I also think the costs are getting overinflated. Sure, you might need to shell out for a few $20 staples if you want an optimal deck, but those are singletons, and most standard cards are cheap as dirt. I bet I could make a rock-solid gishath deck for like $50 that would rarely need updates. Sure in commander, once you have all the duals (I do, hi) you're set for life, but for a new player you could build YEARS and YEARS and YEARS of brawl decks before getting even CLOSE to the cost of an optimized commander deck.
The command zone change could totally not even be a real change, just a mistake on the part of the article writer. Even if it wasn't, there's very few cards that exile from hand and they're mostly awful (see lost legacy) so I really doubt it's anything intentional to make commanders permanently removable, more likely a corner case they didn't consider in their effort to streamline the rule. Even if it was, that hardly seems like anything sinister.
Man, some people just love to assume the worst about literally everything wotc ever does =/ Well I don't think they've made any particularly concerted effort to shoehorn in more legends than normal over the past 2 years, but we've still got a lot of playable commanders. So unless they suddenly stop making as many legendaries (why would they do that?) I think we'll be fine.
Also idk how much "investing" really means here. Once your commander rotates you're basically starting from scratch, especially since most commanders get printed alongside their best synergy pieces (certainly the tribal commanders do). I'd say, if you see a commander you want to build, build it. Maybe update a little as new sets come out. Then if you see another cool commander, re-up with a new deck. Otherwise, don't.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
60-card decks, a far smaller cardpool, 30 life instead of 40, all point to a game that would be much easier on pocketbook, schedule, and brain. And planeswalkers as commanders is a very nice touch.
Rotation is a problem, though. I don't like having my decks evaporate out from under me. My interest in Magic waxes and wanes, year by year. If I have to build all-new decks to jump back into the game, that's a significant barrier. Not sure how to reconcile that with the need to limit the size of the cardpool, but... it's an issue.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
Helm of the Host + Combat Celebrant
Polyraptor + Forerunner of the Empire + Heroic Intervention
(I know this doesn't actually make an infinite number of Polyraptors that all survive, but it does make infinite etb and death triggers and ?dozens? of Raptors that survive.)
Wispweaver Angel + anything that can clone it (creates infinite ETB triggers, if you have anything that can make use of that, like Aetherstorm Roc).
Was there anything that worked with Crackdown Construct anymore?
I am not quite sure how a 59 card standard commander would be more enjoyable than 99 card commander. Having this as a multiplayer intended format seems weird too....it may end up turning into a large game of control that never ends.
WBG Karador GBW
R Daretti R
RG Omnath GR
WRG Modern Burn GRW
WB Modern Tokens BW
DCI Rules Advisor as of 5/18/2015