I am a high school student looking to find a relatively easy to build commander that can be described as unique, eccentric, or just plain odd. I am horrible at politics and instant speed'/control type strategies, but i love really weird interactions, such as an ink-treader nephillim deck, and i enjoy sowing chaos. sell em on your eccentric, odd, or unique commanders!
Gorm and Virtus tribal half-life. All the cards that put an opponent at half their life, and lots of cards to help get damage through. Virtus wielding a Quietus Spike and Fireshrieker to knock an opponent from 40 life to 2 life in one swing. Honestly, I've built the deck, and while it is unique, eccentric, or odd, it really isn't that good.
If you want a better one, Mairsil, the Pretender can be really interesting and fun while still decently powerful. You run cards with interesting activated abilities, get to ignore their bad passive/ETB abilities, and can assemble combos (both of the infinite and non-infinite varieties). Two weeks ago, someone attacked me with Progenitus when I was in single-digit life. I had Mairsil, a nonlegendary Mairsil, and a Sakashima Mairsil on the board. I activated an ability to give one infect and then sent five damage at the player. He responded, I responded, and we kept building up the stack with triggers, before I finally killed him with twelve poison counters with the Progenitus still attacking. It was crazy, hectic, and awesome. I lost shortly after killing him, but in one more turn, I would have wiped out my other two opponents by caging Tree of Perdition and then burning them out. That deck is always interesting because your commander can get so many different abilities.
You could also just use 'common' commanders, but with a different take.
e.g. I have a zedruu, the greathearted as a voltron general. Yep, trying to deal 21 damage. I just chucked in a mass of 1-2 cmc aura creature power boosts (like immolation), then depending on what sort of aura it is, i donate the various auras to the vaarious opponents around the table (blue scarab to whoever, since the scarab ends up seeing me as an opponent with blue, zedruu; bravado to the tokens player, and so on). and then beat face (and draw cards/gain life along the way).
You could always try weird things like 'geriatric'-tribal, with zur, the enchanter and a bunch of other old-peeps. Or maybe the lich-themed deck (this is one im trying to build right now).
It's not about what obscure general you use, it's about how you use 'em. I've a rakdos the defiler suicide BR that's seriously awesome to play with. It usually doesn't win, but it always bumps the fun level for everyone, AND cuts the game legnth in half. at least.
I will second the idea that it's not so much the Commander that matters, but how you decide to build them.
Even so, there are several Commander options from recent sets that offer more niche gameplay and deckbuilding challenges:
Eutropia the Twice-Favored - Eutropia needs both enchantments and creatures to work effectively. You could easily build her as voltron, or as an enchantress deck - but you can also look into a Bestow deck or other kind of value driven enchantment flickering deck.
Haktos the Unscarred - typically a voltron style, but not knowing what number will get chosen makes equipment and auras hard to build. Instead, some non-targeted buffs and anthems is what you want. Cards like Pyrohemia can be interesting, as if you don't roll a 4, he'll be immune and you can keep damaging the board. Possibly flicker effects (Restoration Angel) to flicker him if you land on the wrong number.
Kunoros, Hound of Athreos - GY police. Easily a voltron style, but you can probably also work some ways to use the GY lockdown to your advantage.
Questing Beast - fog tribal. With Questing Beast making your team immune to fogs, you can attack with impunity into enemy forces and then fog to make combat one sided.
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell - I saw someone mention mono-red superfriends with this guy at the helm, but there's a lot more fun to be had. Cards like Pyrohemia become far more deadly. Just remember to give him protection from red or indestructible first.
What do you mean by "easy to build"? Usually the oddball commanders or decks with unusual strategies are harder to build than straight forward decks for commanders that build themselves.
That being said, I will allways suggest Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer. He is a very unique take on token strategies and very fun to build/play as a "copy tribal" deck. Also very swingy and deceptively powerful. I really enjoy using my opponents deck as a resource for my own gameplan because it gives even more gameplay variety and that is exactly what Brudiclad thrives on. Its also the perfect colors to include a bunch of "chaos" cards, if that is something you enjoy.
R lovisa goes berserk R
G sachi big mana G
[/spoiler]
GU vannifar's eye UG
URG xyris group hug/politicsGRU
[spoiler=modern/pioneer]URG The feral dawn GRR
WG selesnya proliferate G W
If you want a better one, Mairsil, the Pretender can be really interesting and fun while still decently powerful. You run cards with interesting activated abilities, get to ignore their bad passive/ETB abilities, and can assemble combos (both of the infinite and non-infinite varieties). Two weeks ago, someone attacked me with Progenitus when I was in single-digit life. I had Mairsil, a nonlegendary Mairsil, and a Sakashima Mairsil on the board. I activated an ability to give one infect and then sent five damage at the player. He responded, I responded, and we kept building up the stack with triggers, before I finally killed him with twelve poison counters with the Progenitus still attacking. It was crazy, hectic, and awesome. I lost shortly after killing him, but in one more turn, I would have wiped out my other two opponents by caging Tree of Perdition and then burning them out. That deck is always interesting because your commander can get so many different abilities.
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
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e.g. I have a zedruu, the greathearted as a voltron general. Yep, trying to deal 21 damage. I just chucked in a mass of 1-2 cmc aura creature power boosts (like immolation), then depending on what sort of aura it is, i donate the various auras to the vaarious opponents around the table (blue scarab to whoever, since the scarab ends up seeing me as an opponent with blue, zedruu; bravado to the tokens player, and so on). and then beat face (and draw cards/gain life along the way).
You could always try weird things like 'geriatric'-tribal, with zur, the enchanter and a bunch of other old-peeps. Or maybe the lich-themed deck (this is one im trying to build right now).
It's not about what obscure general you use, it's about how you use 'em. I've a rakdos the defiler suicide BR that's seriously awesome to play with. It usually doesn't win, but it always bumps the fun level for everyone, AND cuts the game legnth in half. at least.
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
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StaffEven so, there are several Commander options from recent sets that offer more niche gameplay and deckbuilding challenges:
Retired EDH - Tibor and Lumia | [PR]Nemata |Ramirez dePietro | [C]Edric | Riku | Jenara | Lazav | Heliod | Daxos | Roon | Kozilek
Just look at the cards you own and find one with a cool ability that is fun to build around.
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own
That being said, I will allways suggest Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer. He is a very unique take on token strategies and very fun to build/play as a "copy tribal" deck. Also very swingy and deceptively powerful. I really enjoy using my opponents deck as a resource for my own gameplan because it gives even more gameplay variety and that is exactly what Brudiclad thrives on. Its also the perfect colors to include a bunch of "chaos" cards, if that is something you enjoy.
UR Mizzix of the Izmagnus ~~~ Build your own win-condition: Finite Spellslinging
UR Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer ~~~ We are the Borg. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own.
WUB Oloro, Ageless Ascetic ~~~ A Guide to dying slowly
UBR Marchesa, the Black Rose ~~~ Marchesa's undying Marionettes
RGW Mayael the Anima ~~~ All Hail the Big Chungus
GWU Chulane, Teller of Tales ~~~ Permanents Only ETB Shenanigans
BGU Sidisi, Brood Tyrant ~~~ Sidisi's Restless Servants
WUBRG The Ur-Dragon ~~~ Dragons eat your face