I'm lucky in that my local commander FNM is a very friendly and fun scene where most of us get along. My biggest issue lately has been that there is something of a power-level imbalance in the scene, and I find myself not exactly sure where to slot myself. I'll explain.
At my LGS, there is a big variety in power level, from totally casual flavor-based decks to very fierce decks that win in a few turns, and I'm not exactly sure what power level to play at.
I'll admit it: I like winning. I like a Johnny build now and then, but not so much that I'd be happy with a deck that wins 1% of the time because the play style of the deck was cool ( otherwise I'd just be playing mono white control decks, because I love their flavor ). My main deck, Titania, has a good win rate at the moment, but only because maybe a couple players play fully optimized, competitive decks. Even though, well, one can't speak of tiers in EDH, if there were, I'd say my Titania deck feels much like how I felt playing Merfolk in Modern: it will lose more often than not against the most powerful, fully-optimized decks in the format, but still strong enough to get some wins in, and generally speaking, can blow casual builds and eccentric homebrews out of the water.
Even though I love the deck I'm playing, I feel that it only plays well against slower or non-combo decks. In decks that are more or less 100-card vintage combo decks, that tend to be tutor, tutor, lol-I-win on turn 4, it feels frustratingly inadequate. Not, "Oh, I didn't win this one," more "I never had a chance".
And that's not to say I resent those decks. If anything, they inspire me to build something more competitive, and I'm having fun ( despite my wallet disagreeing ) building a Derevi prison deck as a countermeasure to some of these fast combo decks.
On the other hand, I'll just as often end up in a casual pod where someone's five-color dragon tribal or someone's mono white angels deck just gets clobbered by mine, and usually before they've actually had time to do anything. Those wins don't really feel good, because they're essentially challenge-free beatdowns, like kickboxing with a kindergarten class. The feel-bad is real.
I guess my question is: how, in a non-cutthroat meta where everyone is playing for fun, do you balance your power level enough so that you have a decent win rate without excluding people? How does your local LGS/playgroup/etc. deal with deck power variance?
Make more than 1 deck at different power level tiers 3-4 decks should suffice bring all 3-4 decks with you select a deck based on the tables power level problem solved.
The thing your doing, and this goes to a lot of the hardcore guys here, is that you restrict yourselves. Hardcore-meta is essentially play UBx for 0-mana counters and tutors. It's the same ***** everywhere you go and superboring. Let go of the infinite stuff and draw instead of tutors and you suddenly see a world full of possibilities in front of you. But again, salvation is a place for circle-jerking (sorry, but it's true) combo-players and they simply don't get it.
I don't really see how playing Mono Green is playing Dimir combo, but there you go, learn something new every day.
I think you may find this article about the so called 75% commander decks interesting. If you're interested in the subject, a quick google search should find you a bunch of good articles.
Interesting perspective! There's something to that... It's true I don't feel free great if I win easily all the time, but I also don't feel great losing, either.
I'm lucky in that my local commander FNM is a very friendly and fun scene where most of us get along. My biggest issue lately has been that there is something of a power-level imbalance in the scene, and I find myself not exactly sure where to slot myself. I'll explain.
At my LGS, there is a big variety in power level, from totally casual flavor-based decks to very fierce decks that win in a few turns, and I'm not exactly sure what power level to play at.
I'll admit it: I like winning. I like a Johnny build now and then, but not so much that I'd be happy with a deck that wins 1% of the time because the play style of the deck was cool ( otherwise I'd just be playing mono white control decks, because I love their flavor ). My main deck, Titania, has a good win rate at the moment, but only because maybe a couple players play fully optimized, competitive decks. Even though, well, one can't speak of tiers in EDH, if there were, I'd say my Titania deck feels much like how I felt playing Merfolk in Modern: it will lose more often than not against the most powerful, fully-optimized decks in the format, but still strong enough to get some wins in, and generally speaking, can blow casual builds and eccentric homebrews out of the water.
Even though I love the deck I'm playing, I feel that it only plays well against slower or non-combo decks. In decks that are more or less 100-card vintage combo decks, that tend to be tutor, tutor, lol-I-win on turn 4, it feels frustratingly inadequate. Not, "Oh, I didn't win this one," more "I never had a chance".
And that's not to say I resent those decks. If anything, they inspire me to build something more competitive, and I'm having fun ( despite my wallet disagreeing ) building a Derevi prison deck as a countermeasure to some of these fast combo decks.
On the other hand, I'll just as often end up in a casual pod where someone's five-color dragon tribal or someone's mono white angels deck just gets clobbered by mine, and usually before they've actually had time to do anything. Those wins don't really feel good, because they're essentially challenge-free beatdowns, like kickboxing with a kindergarten class. The feel-bad is real.
I guess my question is: how, in a non-cutthroat meta where everyone is playing for fun, do you balance your power level enough so that you have a decent win rate without excluding people? How does your local LGS/playgroup/etc. deal with deck power variance?
UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU's prison: blue is the new orange is the new black.
Mizzix Of The Izmagnus : wheels on fire... rolling down the road...
BSidisi, Undead VizierB: Bis zum Erbrechen
GTitiania, Protector Of ArgothG: Protecting Argoth, by blowing it up!
GYisan, The Wanderer BardG: Gradus Ad Elfball.
Duel EDH: Yisan & Titania.
In Progress: Grand Arbiter Augustin IV duel; Grenzo, Dungeon Warden Doomsday.
Damia http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=410191
DDFT Legacyhttp://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=505247
Domain Zoo http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=10212429#post10212429
I don't really see how playing Mono Green is playing Dimir combo, but there you go, learn something new every day.
UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU's prison: blue is the new orange is the new black.
Mizzix Of The Izmagnus : wheels on fire... rolling down the road...
BSidisi, Undead VizierB: Bis zum Erbrechen
GTitiania, Protector Of ArgothG: Protecting Argoth, by blowing it up!
GYisan, The Wanderer BardG: Gradus Ad Elfball.
Duel EDH: Yisan & Titania.
In Progress: Grand Arbiter Augustin IV duel; Grenzo, Dungeon Warden Doomsday.
Interesting perspective! There's something to that... It's true I don't feel free great if I win easily all the time, but I also don't feel great losing, either.
UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU's prison: blue is the new orange is the new black.
Mizzix Of The Izmagnus : wheels on fire... rolling down the road...
BSidisi, Undead VizierB: Bis zum Erbrechen
GTitiania, Protector Of ArgothG: Protecting Argoth, by blowing it up!
GYisan, The Wanderer BardG: Gradus Ad Elfball.
Duel EDH: Yisan & Titania.
In Progress: Grand Arbiter Augustin IV duel; Grenzo, Dungeon Warden Doomsday.