I'm not asking this in the literal sense. I have made several EDH decks before and know hot to play it. I'm asking this from a "lore" perspective. For example, we humans are planeswalkers and our decks are librarys that we play to cast spells. What then, if we put ourselves into the multiverse and "live the game," are commanders? How are they connected to us, the planeswalkers? Are they guardian angels? Deck masters (think Yu-Gi-Oh! the Original Series Season 3)? Are they your best friend? A beast you call upon as a mount? Are they an amplifier of your powers? I guess it was never clearly explained to me what they actually do as generals as they don't actually call any shots. In essence, we are the generals, not the cards as we call the shots. Does that mean the planeswalker is the general and so our generals should be a fictitious version of us? Any thoughts and opinions appreciated. There are no wrong answers!
I feel like the game started simply back in '93. Around the time they stopped ante cards, they tried to concoct a meta-narrative that never really took root for me and many others. Its a children's card game. It doesn't need an explanation. All of the game elements are abstractions for functional rule mechanisms that serve only that purpose.
Simply put, the metaphor doesn't *need* to hold up - and that's a good thing. If this game depended on each match conveying a compelling narrative, this game probably would have folded long, long ago.
I feel that players that are concerned with any kind of story are a small minority of total player pool at best.
I was thinking about this recently too, after constructing a "Horde" deck for my friends to fight against (Horde is a 100 card pile of zombie tokens and other black spells that plays itself on auto pilot). The way I think of it: we players (as planeswalkers) have our mana tied directly to the lands/planes we have visited, same with creatures and spells, we have encountered them on our travels throughout the multiverse and have learned to summon them. Our "Commanders" are essentially lieutenants we use to focus those spells and mana-bonds for both ourselves and the lieutenant of our choice. Like old DnD style games, your wizard can only memorize a certain number of spells to use each day, our decks are our spellbooks we have memorized for that current day's battle. This explanation doesn't explain how Oloro gains you 2 life a turn without any mana in play, or certain other banned commanders like Rofellos or Griselbrand can't be played, but like @burntgerbil said the metaphor doesn't *need* to hold up.
In short, commanders are our lieutenants and act as a "living focus" for lands, creatures, and spells that we have memorized in our spellbook for the next battle. They are our sidekicks, and our servants. They glue our strategy together.
It's the leader of your army. Kinda like in medieval settings, where the king would sometimes lead his troops into battle and crack some skulls himself. Kings, noblemen, and knights usually got captured in combat and ransomed rather than being killed, which is why there's a general tax. The command zone is like a commander's tent: your general sits there when he's not fighting and organizes the troops, so he can still organize his troops and call all the shots even if he's not in the middle of battle.
Except that it's also where he is when he's waiting to be ransomed, so I guess he has some lieutenants who command the army when he's busy.
Also, the player doesn't represent a planeswalker here but rather the nation or whatever is supporting the army. Lands are actually supply lines and health represents the country's willingness to fight or something. When you hit 0, the politicians decide that the war is too costly or the peasantry rises up and you can no longer support your army.
It's the leader of your army. Kinda like in medieval settings, where the king would sometimes lead his troops into battle and crack some skulls himself. Kings, noblemen, and knights usually got captured in combat and ransomed rather than being killed, which is why there's a general tax. The command zone is like a commander's tent: your general sits there when he's not fighting and organizes the troops, so he can still organize his troops and call all the shots even if he's not in the middle of battle.
Except that it's also where he is when he's waiting to be ransomed, so I guess he has some lieutenants who command the army when he's busy.
Also, the player doesn't represent a planeswalker here but rather the nation or whatever is supporting the army. Lands are actually supply lines and health represents the country's willingness to fight or something. When you hit 0, the politicians decide that the war is too costly or the peasantry rises up and you can no longer support your army.
That's what I think, at least.
Maybe the Commander is actually in charge, and he's hired you (a planeswalker) to lead the battle for him. That's why you have to pay to summon him, and if he gets beat down in battle he gets ransomed and goes home for a while. Also, sometimes if your army is good enough you can fight battles without ever consulting him. And if the whole army comes from his realm, it explains why they all use the same kind of mana.
I've always thought that EDH was unlike other games of magic and instead of a planeswalker you were the general. When I'm piloting my Riku deck I'm a man so vain I had to clone myself to find another person(?) attractive. Then in the afterglow I was like so what magic do you wanna study? Izzet? Nah, bro(?) that's mine. You can go simic if you want though. Evolve is pretty cool. I know our deck won't use evolve, but hey, you can clone my izzet creatures and go exploring.
The general tax is you getting progressively more wounded in a fight until game is hard and no general. That's my take anyways.
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My Decks:
Aggro: WUBRGHorde of Notions Goodstuff, RUBCheesy Aggro, GR Xenagod Gruul Goodstuff
Control: GWBGhave, Guru of Adaptability, UBWrexial, Milling Deep UAzami, Lady of No Infinite Combos GWU Derevi, Tempo Beats
Other: URGRiku of Too Much Mana, WUBRG Sliver Queen Enchantress
So many theories, but none really seem to get the whole picture. This is why MTG needs a tv show to explain this. You never got confused or didn't understand anything like this as the tv show explained it all.
I make that joke all the time. *Hit someone with Horde of Notions* "Mark down 5 specific damage." "Isn't it general damage?" "Nah, it's more specific than that. If you get 21 you lose."
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My Decks:
Aggro: WUBRGHorde of Notions Goodstuff, RUBCheesy Aggro, GR Xenagod Gruul Goodstuff
Control: GWBGhave, Guru of Adaptability, UBWrexial, Milling Deep UAzami, Lady of No Infinite Combos GWU Derevi, Tempo Beats
Other: URGRiku of Too Much Mana, WUBRG Sliver Queen Enchantress
I make that joke all the time. *Hit someone with Horde of Notions* "Mark down 5 specific damage." "Isn't it general damage?" "Nah, it's more specific than that. If you get 21 you lose."
The joke I always make is I went to the general store but they kicked me out because I was trying to buy something specific.
I feel like the game started simply back in '93. Around the time they stopped ante cards, they tried to concoct a meta-narrative that never really took root for me and many others. Its a children's card game.
Technically, it's a teenager's card game. Every pack's got that nice Ages 13+ warning on it
Anyway, I almost picture it as the general has a set of allies that make up your creatures, and they themselves can cast the spells in your deck.
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"When does a man die? When he is hit by a bullet? No! When he suffers a disease? No! When he ate a soup made out of a poisonous mushroom? No! A man dies when he is forgotten!" Currently Piloting: EDH BGGlissa, The Traitor - Recursion (Primer) WBRKaalia of The Vast URGRiku of Two Reflections WUBSydri, Galvanic Genius UBRamirez DePietro GWKrond, The Dawn-Clad GWUDerevi, Empyrial Tactician RGOmnath, Locus of Rage
I feel like the Commander is a person or creature tht you've encountered on your journey through the multiverse and made a pact or agreement with. You would help further each others goals. For example, I have a Jeleva deck. My friends and I enjoy some role play form time to time, so I can't help but kind of come up with "characters" for my decks. When I play Jeleva, I'm representing in my mind a plansewalker who is very greedy, and love playing his enemies spells against them. He collected clones, ninja's, control spells, and stuff like that for his arsenal.
Then, one day he encountered Jeleva, a vampire who siphons spells and knowledge rather than just blood. She seemed like the perfect ally to help accumulate enemy spells to use against them, and at my side, she would encounter much more knowledge and magic to drain. When I need her help in battle, I call her from the plane of Innistrad. If she is sent back, I can resummon her more easily due to our bond.
Hopefully that helps make more sense. And yes, I am a geek when it comes to Magic.
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It must suck to be Ingot Chewer, the only Ingot in Magic is indestructible...
I'm kind of a flavor goober, and I used to be really into military history as a kid, so I'm on board with the army metaphor, and tend to prefer swarm aggro in general.
I am a planeswalker with a vast army. Opponents are my friends with equally vast armies. Legendary creatures/'walkers are my friends that I use to beat up my other friends. Nonlegendary creatures get relegated to being my unfailingly loyal minions with no sense of self-preservation (that I also use to beat up my friends).
My current general is Daretti. He's a treasonous bastard. Can hardly walk into a store these days without finding at least one other person running that precon.
WUBruna EDHWU
UPauper EDH - CloneU
Tiny Leaders
WRAnax and Cymede Budget Boros Good StuffWR
What is life?
[Primer] Kozilek, Butcher with Juice.
The new set kinda saddens me then since those PW-generals are effectively subservient to us...but Teferi's so cool...
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'
I lied. There can be a wrong answer.
Interesting perspective on the avatar. Kind of like a familiar?
WUBruna EDHWU
UPauper EDH - CloneU
Tiny Leaders
WRAnax and Cymede Budget Boros Good StuffWR
...though I like the "pile of abilities" line, too, given what has come out of the Commander sets.
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'
Simply put, the metaphor doesn't *need* to hold up - and that's a good thing. If this game depended on each match conveying a compelling narrative, this game probably would have folded long, long ago.
I feel that players that are concerned with any kind of story are a small minority of total player pool at best.
Who needs Colours?
My most played EDH deck:
X Kozilek, the Great Distortion
UBR Nekusar, the Mindrazer
In short, commanders are our lieutenants and act as a "living focus" for lands, creatures, and spells that we have memorized in our spellbook for the next battle. They are our sidekicks, and our servants. They glue our strategy together.
[Semi-Competitive] GWUB "NO" GWUB 89%
Thrasios and Tymna aggro-control voltron-combo
"No machinations, no puppet strings, no plots. Just pure, sweeping death."
—Tasigur, the Golden Fang
Except that it's also where he is when he's waiting to be ransomed, so I guess he has some lieutenants who command the army when he's busy.
Also, the player doesn't represent a planeswalker here but rather the nation or whatever is supporting the army. Lands are actually supply lines and health represents the country's willingness to fight or something. When you hit 0, the politicians decide that the war is too costly or the peasantry rises up and you can no longer support your army.
That's what I think, at least.
Maybe the Commander is actually in charge, and he's hired you (a planeswalker) to lead the battle for him. That's why you have to pay to summon him, and if he gets beat down in battle he gets ransomed and goes home for a while. Also, sometimes if your army is good enough you can fight battles without ever consulting him. And if the whole army comes from his realm, it explains why they all use the same kind of mana.
The general tax is you getting progressively more wounded in a fight until game is hard and no general. That's my take anyways.
Aggro: WUBRGHorde of Notions Goodstuff, RUB Cheesy Aggro, GR Xenagod Gruul Goodstuff
Control: GWBGhave, Guru of Adaptability, UBWrexial, Milling Deep UAzami, Lady of No Infinite Combos GWU Derevi, Tempo Beats
Other: URGRiku of Too Much Mana, WUBRG Sliver Queen Enchantress
WUBruna EDHWU
UPauper EDH - CloneU
Tiny Leaders
WRAnax and Cymede Budget Boros Good StuffWR
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
I make that joke all the time. *Hit someone with Horde of Notions* "Mark down 5 specific damage." "Isn't it general damage?" "Nah, it's more specific than that. If you get 21 you lose."
Aggro: WUBRGHorde of Notions Goodstuff, RUB Cheesy Aggro, GR Xenagod Gruul Goodstuff
Control: GWBGhave, Guru of Adaptability, UBWrexial, Milling Deep UAzami, Lady of No Infinite Combos GWU Derevi, Tempo Beats
Other: URGRiku of Too Much Mana, WUBRG Sliver Queen Enchantress
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
Anyway, I almost picture it as the general has a set of allies that make up your creatures, and they themselves can cast the spells in your deck.
Currently Piloting:
EDH
BGGlissa, The Traitor - Recursion (Primer)
WBRKaalia of The Vast
URGRiku of Two Reflections
WUBSydri, Galvanic Genius
UBRamirez DePietro
GWKrond, The Dawn-Clad
GWUDerevi, Empyrial Tactician
RGOmnath, Locus of Rage
Modern
UG Infect
Then, one day he encountered Jeleva, a vampire who siphons spells and knowledge rather than just blood. She seemed like the perfect ally to help accumulate enemy spells to use against them, and at my side, she would encounter much more knowledge and magic to drain. When I need her help in battle, I call her from the plane of Innistrad. If she is sent back, I can resummon her more easily due to our bond.
Hopefully that helps make more sense. And yes, I am a geek when it comes to Magic.
I am a planeswalker with a vast army. Opponents are my friends with equally vast armies. Legendary creatures/'walkers are my friends that I use to beat up my other friends. Nonlegendary creatures get relegated to being my unfailingly loyal minions with no sense of self-preservation (that I also use to beat up my friends).
My current general is Daretti. He's a treasonous bastard. Can hardly walk into a store these days without finding at least one other person running that precon.
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