Commander as a competitive format doesn't work for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which being a multiplayer format. Combining cash money and multiple players and invariably you will have two players that collude to run the table and split the difference. "So then why not go 1v1", you ask next. Sure, but commander 1v1 is just Vintage Lite with an arbitrary banlist and the lack of the actual draw to playing Vintage - the only place where you legally can play the Power 9.
Okay, so why don't we build it like the other eternal format, Legacy. It's true that Legacy is a more well balanced environment, but it's still suffers many of the same drawbacks as Vintage (barrier to entry being the chief issue). Further compounding this, and it applies to the first point above, is this takes away from the commander play aspect the average commander player comes into the format to experience.
At the crux of the issue with commander now, is the format is very not-balanced, especially for competitive play. Rather, it's a check to see who got the fast mana first, and that person will run away with the game via the disparate resource advantage. "Okay, so why not curate the banlist?" you might ask next. Now you've gone and splintered the playerbase, players will often reject anything non-official, and even if you do succeed here, all you've done is create a subsystem of LGS specific house rules. You haven't gained any ground.
In closing, commander doesn't work as a competitive format because mixing multiplayer and cash money is a poor recipe due to a myriad of factours. To say nothing of the wide skill mismatches that will inevitably lead to turbo players using any given LGS as a "grind spot" where they get whatever free content they can by pubstomping the non-turbo players that showed up to play a very different game. I watched my LGS almost die when they tried to roll this out, and this scenario is exactly what transpired. Once they changed to a "$5 buy-in gets you $5 store credit" system, the atmosphere changed to a positive one. And, unsurprisingly, those turbo grinders all vanished. Good riddance, I say. Better for the LGS, better for the players, all of it a positive.
You might get more interest from other posters if you put some effort into your subject body rather than just one sentence and a link. Posters don't spend all day on here, let alone all day offering guidance to internet randos, and seeing just a single sentence post suggests that you are not that serious and just here for low effort "kudos". Perhaps that's something to think about.
My gosh, what have I stepped into on this day I happened to stumble back onto MTGS......
"Is this format dependent on the internet?"
- No, of course not. I find it an invaluable tool especially for new players that may not be educated on the ridiculous old powerhouses of yore, or those that rather not sink the time it takes to properly brew such that they rather just "grab and go". But a necessity? Hardly.
- In the same vein, even if it were dependent, is that a problem? People have varying degrees of time and many would rather not spend it researching deck ideas like some nerd when they can be...idk...playing the new Pokemon Legends: Arceus, or what have you. Some would however, but that's for the individual would-be-player/deckbuilder to determine how they wish to spend their time.
- Had you asked if the internet was "ruining" commander with the rampant over-homogenization the internet brings with the shared ideas of other like-minded players, however, then I'd say this is a much more interesting discussion to wax poetically about. But alas, that is not the topic of discussion at-hand.
And I need your help. My image searching techniques don't seem to pull up anything useful, presumably with algorithms changed or whatever else one can think of, but I miss my old colorless personality type image. It was custom, and I remember the text "at your best you are unfeeling and at your worst, you are uncaring, numbers are your symbol and you have no colour". Imagery for it had a 1 on it and the background was Dread Statuary. If anyone has it or can help find it, many many thanks.
So, I have one of these sleek DeX Protection Game Chest deck boxes (seen here, but it's all red, not black like the pic shows), and I love it. it's great in function and style, though it's a bit long which can make it cumbersome when set onto a table next to your playmat. So sticking with the brand because they are quality, I'm going to get one of these DeX Protection Creation Line boxes (as seen here) as it would allow me to bring both my modern deck, and a commander deck, to our Modern FNMs, which I like better than the hard plastic reinforced Ultra Pro box I have right now for my Modern deck. While being respectful of table real estate of other players. Second one doesn't seem to have a dice compartment though which is a shame, but not a deal-breaker.
Note my posts here are in no way affiliated with the brands and/or sellers linked, nor am I getting any sort of incentive to choose these specific links. They are purely for cosmetic comparisons only.
Description of the first box: The Game Chest from Dex Protection is a unique way to conveniently and stylishly personalize how you store your games and collections. The Game Chest utilizes two conveniently located and fully removable trays in which to store tokens, dice, and other accessories or 100+double-sleeved cards. A main compartment provides player’s ample space for additional cards, accessories, and game components or 300+ double (360 single) sleeved cards. Additionally, the interior of The Game Chest is lavishly lined with a real suede interior. Each Game Chest utilizes an innovative exterior material which provides a stylish matte finish without sacrificing durability or protection. 14 extra strength magnets provide an insane closure to hold components securely in place. The Game Chest is a perfect storage solution for many CCG’s, LCG’s, and board games.
Seven (7) extra strength magnets
Real vibrant red suede interior
Durable wood constructed
Dual removable compartments for dice and accessories
Beautiful smooth matte exterior
Description of the second box: The Creation Line Deck Boxes are the signature deck boxes here at Dex Protection. Each box has our signature, real velvet interior and a luxurious Saffiano exterior for superior style and protection. The Creation Line uses reinforced magnets to provide a tight closure and security for your treasured decks.
The large model is the mother ship of the Creation Line. Two internal compartments hold 100+ and 75+ double sleeved, standard sized cards with additional space for extra accessories.
Perfectly stores 175 double sleeved, standard sized cards
Main compartment stores 100 double sleeved cards
Second compartment stores 75 double sleeved, standard sized cards with additional room for extra accessories
The simplest path between two points is a straight line, and as such to that end, the answer is simply to build a better deck, and learn to improve your own abilities. Learning comes with time, I suggest rather than obsessing over the L, to simply make the L work for you. A loss doesn't feel like a loss if you learn something, no? Because learning is the single greatest thing we can do in a given day - Magic related or otherwise.
Please enjoy our latest video. It's the inaugural episode of a podcast-styled series called, Deep Discussions: Kaalia of the Vast. I join up with The Tryhards to do a Kaalia focus discussion. This first episode is on the common pitfalls experienced by new players to the commander, with an aim for a weekly release. Enjoy!
So far, we have been playing with the commander life-wheels and used D20 to signal commander damage - while command tax was usually displayed by a d6. Now I'd like to upgrade our life/ tax / poison / storm / and so on counting to a tablet - but I realized our tablet is too old. Now, before I put the effort in researching tablets to go with the mtg life counter app - maybe someone can suggest something?
- Big Screen
- Long Battery life
- Fast enough to run the app
- Reasonable priced
- Whatever I forgot.
Onn branded (a Walmart in house brand) has a 8in tab for ~$59 and a 10.1 in for $79. There's also a 7in version of these running AndroidGO (a slimmed reskin of the Android OS for function, with slightly worse specs) for $40 if you can find it. Check your local stores for listings as not all Walmarts carry the same products on the floor. These tabs last ~5.5hrs (the 7in one lasting about 4hrs), which is more than enough for a game or two of commander. Otherwise they do come with an AC adapter you can plug into the wall.
If you have some kind of aversion to Walmart's unbranded electronics, you can also look into LG and Samsung, these are starting at $149 and are going up - Samsung's top tablet model for the current year, which to it's credit is boasting stats and hardware at least equal to, and in some cases greater than - Chromebook laptops. These top models, with all the bells and whistles, are running you just above $300 out the door.
Lastly, if you have a flagship phone (mine is an s8+ I got on launch day) those typically have good, long lasting battery life. I use MTG Tracker on mine, and it is a beautiful interface with no ads, and has paid functionality (I don't use it, but others might care for those services). This you can find on the Google Play Store, though I don't have any idea if it's on the App Store because I refuse to use any iOS products. If you have an aversion to Google products, then instead of the Play Store, you can find MTG Familiar on the F-Droid repo, which is a fully free and open source program and is a great life tracker app. Being open source and free of course, means there's never any intrusions or awful screen covering ads, or developers trying to shill their patreons or whatever at you.
starting at 100% battery, it should last several hours, especially if you have the brightness down and airplane mode on so it's not wasting battery sending and receiving wifi and roaming signals.
Oof, this is great advice. We forget just how frequently devices are phoning home and constantly searching for wifi, airplane mode is a terrific suggestion to preserve battery life. And also a great way to not get distracted with any obnoxious interruptions in random texts or discord servers during your game. Quality.
So I made a update to the main list and primer as a whole today. Not sure it belongs here, since it switches the deck to multiplayer now that no one plays 1v1 commander as it's a busted and horribly unbalanced format.
i thought this was about people like me that activate crypt rats or similar 0 cost abilities in the middle of someone's combo to maybe make them misclick..................................
I think they have created a new reserve list on these cards. Have you seen the prices of these cards after they were banned? Some of them are reserve list before, but Crusade has shot up.
Which really makes no sense now that the cards are not legal anywhere. You can't even purchase them on retailers such as TCGPlayer. You can't play them in any format. Even if you wanted crusade, you'd obviously play Honor of the Pure nowadays as it's strictly better. Glorious Anthem for the second copy of the effect...
Like, if people want to scoop these up to "spec" on them, it's their money...seems like a shaky investment, for overall low RoR - just go to Vanguard and dive into some low-cost index funds ffs, if that's really your end game. Or buy into other RL cards that will have demand.
1) companion cards come from the command zone, which is a defined zone inside the game. This goes to whomever is trying to argue this mechanic is like a wish or somehow out of the game. You're simply not correct. Stop.
They don't come from the command zone, unless they are your commander. You cast them from your sideboard or from your collection.
None of these rulings mention the Command Zone for companions. Where did you get this idea?
That's only in constructed formats. Commander doesn't follow all these rules, and if it were to not grand companion to commander decks, Sheldon and the RC would have said otherwise by now, rather than banning one card. Pretty basic stuff.
1) companion cards come from the command zone, which is a defined zone inside the game. This goes to whomever is trying to argue this mechanic is like a wish or somehow out of the game. You're simply not correct. Stop.
2) I sure would love to be able to cast Burning Wish in commander with a wishboard. That'd be fantastic. But I also understand it's not going to change officially. Wishing otherwise is pointless.
So I did a little thing in a similar vein to that of the white border Kaalia. I theorized the deck in a pre-modern time and built from there. There's some more info about the thought process in the link that follows. Hope everyone finds it as interesting as I did putting it together.
Commander as a competitive format doesn't work for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which being a multiplayer format. Combining cash money and multiple players and invariably you will have two players that collude to run the table and split the difference. "So then why not go 1v1", you ask next. Sure, but commander 1v1 is just Vintage Lite with an arbitrary banlist and the lack of the actual draw to playing Vintage - the only place where you legally can play the Power 9.
Okay, so why don't we build it like the other eternal format, Legacy. It's true that Legacy is a more well balanced environment, but it's still suffers many of the same drawbacks as Vintage (barrier to entry being the chief issue). Further compounding this, and it applies to the first point above, is this takes away from the commander play aspect the average commander player comes into the format to experience.
At the crux of the issue with commander now, is the format is very not-balanced, especially for competitive play. Rather, it's a check to see who got the fast mana first, and that person will run away with the game via the disparate resource advantage. "Okay, so why not curate the banlist?" you might ask next. Now you've gone and splintered the playerbase, players will often reject anything non-official, and even if you do succeed here, all you've done is create a subsystem of LGS specific house rules. You haven't gained any ground.
In closing, commander doesn't work as a competitive format because mixing multiplayer and cash money is a poor recipe due to a myriad of factours. To say nothing of the wide skill mismatches that will inevitably lead to turbo players using any given LGS as a "grind spot" where they get whatever free content they can by pubstomping the non-turbo players that showed up to play a very different game. I watched my LGS almost die when they tried to roll this out, and this scenario is exactly what transpired. Once they changed to a "$5 buy-in gets you $5 store credit" system, the atmosphere changed to a positive one. And, unsurprisingly, those turbo grinders all vanished. Good riddance, I say. Better for the LGS, better for the players, all of it a positive.
You might get more interest from other posters if you put some effort into your subject body rather than just one sentence and a link. Posters don't spend all day on here, let alone all day offering guidance to internet randos, and seeing just a single sentence post suggests that you are not that serious and just here for low effort "kudos". Perhaps that's something to think about.
All the best,
~3drinks™
"Is this format dependent on the internet?"
- No, of course not. I find it an invaluable tool especially for new players that may not be educated on the ridiculous old powerhouses of yore, or those that rather not sink the time it takes to properly brew such that they rather just "grab and go". But a necessity? Hardly.
- In the same vein, even if it were dependent, is that a problem? People have varying degrees of time and many would rather not spend it researching deck ideas like some nerd when they can be...idk...playing the new Pokemon Legends: Arceus, or what have you. Some would however, but that's for the individual would-be-player/deckbuilder to determine how they wish to spend their time.
- Had you asked if the internet was "ruining" commander with the rampant over-homogenization the internet brings with the shared ideas of other like-minded players, however, then I'd say this is a much more interesting discussion to wax poetically about. But alas, that is not the topic of discussion at-hand.
Note my posts here are in no way affiliated with the brands and/or sellers linked, nor am I getting any sort of incentive to choose these specific links. They are purely for cosmetic comparisons only.
Description of the first box: The Game Chest from Dex Protection is a unique way to conveniently and stylishly personalize how you store your games and collections. The Game Chest utilizes two conveniently located and fully removable trays in which to store tokens, dice, and other accessories or 100+double-sleeved cards. A main compartment provides player’s ample space for additional cards, accessories, and game components or 300+ double (360 single) sleeved cards. Additionally, the interior of The Game Chest is lavishly lined with a real suede interior. Each Game Chest utilizes an innovative exterior material which provides a stylish matte finish without sacrificing durability or protection. 14 extra strength magnets provide an insane closure to hold components securely in place. The Game Chest is a perfect storage solution for many CCG’s, LCG’s, and board games.
Description of the second box: The Creation Line Deck Boxes are the signature deck boxes here at Dex Protection. Each box has our signature, real velvet interior and a luxurious Saffiano exterior for superior style and protection. The Creation Line uses reinforced magnets to provide a tight closure and security for your treasured decks.
The large model is the mother ship of the Creation Line. Two internal compartments hold 100+ and 75+ double sleeved, standard sized cards with additional space for extra accessories.
https://youtu.be/CJMLeE3loW0
Onn branded (a Walmart in house brand) has a 8in tab for ~$59 and a 10.1 in for $79. There's also a 7in version of these running AndroidGO (a slimmed reskin of the Android OS for function, with slightly worse specs) for $40 if you can find it. Check your local stores for listings as not all Walmarts carry the same products on the floor. These tabs last ~5.5hrs (the 7in one lasting about 4hrs), which is more than enough for a game or two of commander. Otherwise they do come with an AC adapter you can plug into the wall.
If you have some kind of aversion to Walmart's unbranded electronics, you can also look into LG and Samsung, these are starting at $149 and are going up - Samsung's top tablet model for the current year, which to it's credit is boasting stats and hardware at least equal to, and in some cases greater than - Chromebook laptops. These top models, with all the bells and whistles, are running you just above $300 out the door.
Lastly, if you have a flagship phone (mine is an s8+ I got on launch day) those typically have good, long lasting battery life. I use MTG Tracker on mine, and it is a beautiful interface with no ads, and has paid functionality (I don't use it, but others might care for those services). This you can find on the Google Play Store, though I don't have any idea if it's on the App Store because I refuse to use any iOS products. If you have an aversion to Google products, then instead of the Play Store, you can find MTG Familiar on the F-Droid repo, which is a fully free and open source program and is a great life tracker app. Being open source and free of course, means there's never any intrusions or awful screen covering ads, or developers trying to shill their patreons or whatever at you.
Oof, this is great advice. We forget just how frequently devices are phoning home and constantly searching for wifi, airplane mode is a terrific suggestion to preserve battery life. And also a great way to not get distracted with any obnoxious interruptions in random texts or discord servers during your game. Quality.
Which really makes no sense now that the cards are not legal anywhere. You can't even purchase them on retailers such as TCGPlayer. You can't play them in any format. Even if you wanted crusade, you'd obviously play Honor of the Pure nowadays as it's strictly better. Glorious Anthem for the second copy of the effect...
Like, if people want to scoop these up to "spec" on them, it's their money...seems like a shaky investment, for overall low RoR - just go to Vanguard and dive into some low-cost index funds ffs, if that's really your end game. Or buy into other RL cards that will have demand.
That's only in constructed formats. Commander doesn't follow all these rules, and if it were to not grand companion to commander decks, Sheldon and the RC would have said otherwise by now, rather than banning one card. Pretty basic stuff.
1) companion cards come from the command zone, which is a defined zone inside the game. This goes to whomever is trying to argue this mechanic is like a wish or somehow out of the game. You're simply not correct. Stop.
2) I sure would love to be able to cast Burning Wish in commander with a wishboard. That'd be fantastic. But I also understand it's not going to change officially. Wishing otherwise is pointless.
https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/kaalia-of-the-vast-pre-modern/
I liked it, honestly. And it also doesn't sting to get countered like cathartic does.