I played my first game of EDH today at my local LGS. I was excited - I had spent the last two weeks ordering cards and building my first Commander deck. I felt that I had a reasonable chance of winning - I had included hate cards in the deck, the land base was acceptable, etc, etc.
Unfortunately, things weren't what I'd hoped for - the people who play at my LGS are not interested in interaction. They are Spike combo players, to a man, and while they tolerated my presence in their games, I spent most of the time passing turns between bouts of forced shuffling/discards/etc. The whole thing just left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and the certain knowledge that if my backwater LGS was like this, it must be much the same everywhere else.
It was the most joyless experience I've ever been party to - enough to make me want to just stop playing Magic altogether. Because, well, that's EDH. You're supposed to have fun in EDH - you get to use all those cards that are jank in Standard, cards that you look at and go "If it weren't for the mana cost, I'd be playing it". Instead, it was just a reign of terror. These were $1000 decks and they were ripping each other to pieces with them.
It's the same all over, in every format of the game - fun doesn't matter anymore, winning matters. Efficiency, speed, degeneracy. Going infinite. If you're not the best, if you're not using the best, if you don't have the best, then you're nothing.
I would've been happy to lose, so long as I got to actually, y'know, PLAY my deck.
Fun is a nebulous term. Like it or not, your "spiky" opponents might be having fun playing that way.
Instead, it was just a reign of terror.
Have you thought of asking them if they feel the same way? They likely do not see it that way.
It's the same all over, in every format of the game - fun doesn't matter anymore, winning matters.
Winning is fun. It's not the only way to have fun, but saying that makes you sound like their opinion of what is fun is wrong and that yours is right.
There's no point trying to talk to them about it - they're Spikes. They only care about one thing. If I had the nerve to criticize their methods of play, they'd just go "lrn2play" or something equally odious.
I don't even know why I posted this, aside from the fact that I was angry all my effort had gone to waste. Oh well.
You're supposed to have fun in EDH - you get to use all those cards that are jank in Standard, cards that you look at and go "If it weren't for the mana cost, I'd be playing it".
It's funny how things can be relative. I tend to think of EDH as the format where I can play fun cards which aren't quite good enough for Legacy. And also fun cards that are too good for Legacy!
That's the thing about casual magic, though. It's fun if the decks are on similar power levels, but less fun if there a wider gap.
I agree though that in multilayer decks should be interactive or its not very fun. On the other hand, maybe these guys have enough fast and efficient answers that they actually can interact with each other? On the other hand, if they enjoy non-interactive gamrs, who am I to tell them they afe wrong?
I enjoy fast, high-powered games. Two-hour strategy-free grindfests at the boardstate museum is not how I like my EDH games. I only play for fun, but yes, I like tuned decks, I play to win, and I don't play to parade every overcosted card Wizards have ever printed. I find competitive games exciting. My games of EDH tend to end turns 5-8 on average and we get in many games in one evening.
That being said, what do you enjoy? Find like-minded players. I have a commander night I go to locally that ranges from competitive to built-for-flavor only, and everyone goes to their assorted tables and is happier that way.
EDH has an enormous card pool that includes Modern, Legacy, and even Vintage staples. The power level is really high compared to Standard and Draft environments. However, as a singleton format, even at a high level of play there is quite a diverse array of playstyles and deckbuilds to choose from, even some fairly budget ones. Your experience may have been due to a lack of knowledge of the more popular competitive archetypes and specific hate cards, but it's hard to say without knowing your deck and your opponents'.
I certainly welcome every player to my pod at FNM and don't look down on casual builds, but when I'm playing competitively, I am playing to win. I come to the game assuming we're all there to win, but whatever happens we're still just a bunch of folks having a good time with pieces of cardboard.
As others have said,what is fun is different from person to person. It seems you just got a dud group OP. I would suggest you look for a different group to play with, one that plays more to your style and what you think is fun
I certainly welcome every player to my pod at FNM and don't look down on casual builds, but when I'm playing competitively, I am playing to win. I come to the game assuming we're all there to win, but whatever happens we're still just a bunch of folks having a good time with pieces of cardboard.
You should really tell people these things. If they say they're just starting, or they're casual, you should just hold up a hand and say "Don't. Don't play with us. You're not on our level and you are not going to win. Just leave."
It's much better to just get it out of the way as soon as possible.
I certainly welcome every player to my pod at FNM and don't look down on casual builds, but when I'm playing competitively, I am playing to win. I come to the game assuming we're all there to win, but whatever happens we're still just a bunch of folks having a good time with pieces of cardboard.
You should really tell people these things. If they say they're just starting, or they're casual, you should just hold up a hand and say "Don't. Don't play with us. You're not on our level and you are not going to win. Just leave."
It's much better to just get it out of the way as soon as possible.
Telling people to leave an event they've paid for is incredibly rude. The prizes are small at my FNM but everyone's paid at at minimum play four rounds. Besides which, they're totally welcome, and I have no way of guaranteeing they won't win.
It's just like when I run across some home brews on a Modern night. I know that, for the most part, they won't win, but their pilots know that as well and are probably using this (as a opposed to a real tournament] to test out their deck ideas. And sometimes, they do win: I usually pilot Merfolk and some fairly rogue builds like Norin Sisters actually have a good matchups with that deck despite being fringe decks.
The first time I entered an EDH FNM I was blown out of the water by the decks there, but that's true of every other format I've played (Standard, Modern, Legacy ), too. You learn by playing. You get better.
I certainly welcome every player to my pod at FNM and don't look down on casual builds, but when I'm playing competitively, I am playing to win. I come to the game assuming we're all there to win, but whatever happens we're still just a bunch of folks having a good time with pieces of cardboard.
You should really tell people these things. If they say they're just starting, or they're casual, you should just hold up a hand and say "Don't. Don't play with us. You're not on our level and you are not going to win. Just leave."
It's much better to just get it out of the way as soon as possible.
Well, that's not necessarily true though. Very often, when one starts a new format, it is particularly easy to get trounced. However, as you play, you tend to get a better handle on what needs to happen to stay in the game. Which, by the way, for EDH is rarely buying the most expensive cards. The metas I play in typically feature some pretty spikey combo decks, along with other things. One of the great things about EDH is that the multiplayer format encourages you to team up and stop problem player A from getting going. I feel like politics is an essential part of the format, in terms of balance, but that few people are willing to go there initially.
Also, new EDH players often make the mistake that they can just pick a commander that they like in terms of color or personality and then throw in their favorite cards in color. Actually, just like any other game of magic, you will need a consistent gameplan. EDH does tend to widen the scope of what may be playable, but not every card in your deck can be overcosted standard rejects. Moreover, if you play with a group long enough, you may start to find cards that give you "outs" versus the more powerful decks at the table.
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Have you thought of asking them if they feel the same way? They likely do not see it that way.
There's no point trying to talk to them about it - they're Spikes. They only care about one thing. If I had the nerve to criticize their methods of play, they'd just go "lrn2play" or something equally odious.
So no, you haven't tried talking to them.
If a new player sat at a table with me piloting my Thraximundar stax deck, my roommate with his Karador reanimator deck, and my buddy's lightning Skithyrix deck, that new player would probably get thoroughly stomped. If that new player then bothered to actually talk to us about it, all three of us would be willing to play something different, I'm sure. I could play my Uril Foglio deck or my Soraya bird tribal deck. My roommate could play his Muzzio artifact deck or his janky Shattergang Brothers deck. And my buddy would be willing to play his Damia peasant control deck.
Don't make assumptions about people's reactions based on seeing them pilot a cuttthroat deck.
Not particularly edh but I think this fits in the vein of your OP.
Went to a modern event last night, lost round 1, and then was paired against a guy who brought a very weak standard deck to try out the shop scene. Our group travels and plays competitively and he got blown up all night. It wasn't fun for me to watch him Get frustrated. I suggested he try Friday night standard instead. Even my kitchen table for funsies decks I bring with me that don't have sideboards would have been too aggressive.
I wouldn't give up on edh, just ask openly prior to joining a group like that where the power level is, stand by and ask if you can watch a game or two, and talk to the patrons.
I had to step up my game and decks to my shops level, but doing so was fun for me. However if I went into it blindly I wouldn't have enjoyed it at all - I knew I was in for an uphill climb. Try local Facebook groups, side events at things like the star city opens, conversations about magic with other game crowds such as a dnd group, etc until you find a group of people that fit your play style. My LGS has a huge amount of customers that play in friendly circles and not at the shop.
Don't give up on the format, find a different group.
EDH was a purely casual format in the old days, now it has become Commander and you have spikes coming in.
Fun is a subjective term so the key is to find people who have the same definition of "fun" as you.
My group really have moved away from fully tuned combo driven decks. There are a few decks that are based off flavor or big dumb old cards that appeal to the older folks in our group. The good thing with that is we have a few newer people to the game who dont have the collections to go full power so their lower power decks dont get overwhelmed by the older players who may have dual lands and fetchies and other stronger cards.
There's no point trying to talk to them about it - they're Spikes. They only care about one thing.
Thanks ven that you are completely green to this format, I would like you to consider that you may be misjudging these players.
There is an old adage in casual magic - the definition of a competitive deck is any deck that is stronger than yours, and the definition of a casual deck is any deck which is weaker than yours.
It is possible in EDH - even common - to build expensive fine tuned decks which are not strictly speaking, competitive.
For example!e, I have a Relentless Rats deck. If sit down against a couple guys playing under-powered Standard cards, I'm going g to mop them up, lose ble by the fifth or sixth turn. They will think I'm playing a very spikey combo deck. But when Is it down again stronger decks in a field where sweepers, counter-spells, and spot removal are fairly common, it's going to be a struggle for me.
This is the norm for me where I play. My deck wins a little less than it's share of games, but that's okay because it is fun.
I also have a lands themed deck which has a pretty high price tag. That deck would also mop the floor against janky deck, and their pilots might think I'm a spike. Fact remains, if I were a spike I wouldn't have that deck at all because there are better and stronger decks a person can build. Much better.
Here's the thing, when you only play competitive EDH decks it drives away players that want to play casually in a casual format. I have to say there's something fundamentally wrong with you if you think the only point of a game is winning. That's a bad attitude. If you only play to win stick to tournaments, if you're trying to be competitive in EDH it's probably because you don't have the skill to be competitive in actual tournaments so you prey on a format you know is suppose top be casual. This is why we have different formats.
if you're trying to be competitive in EDH it's probably because you don't have the skill to be competitive in actual tournaments so you prey on a format you know is suppose top be casual.
This is a mistake I see a surprising number of people make.
Commander is designed to promote social games of magic.
EDH is not a "casual" format. It's a social format. There are casual players who enjoy EDH, and there are competitive players who also enjoy it. When someone from either of those groups of people is playing with others who share their idea of "fun" to some acceptable degree, they enjoy the game. It is when you try to play with people that do not share your vision of the format that problems arise.
As one of the top 3 spikes at my LGS I feel kinda offended by this post. Seriously man, yeah, Spikes like to win. But good spikes - of which there are many - will also be eager to help out. If you air your grievances to them, or ask them for help, chances are they'll at least listen to you. If they indeed go "l2play" or "git gud nub", then yes, they're wankers, but I really never seen those kind of guys outside of online play. Online play has no community, but a good EDH community is fostered by helping new players get better, and ease them into the game. It's why most spikes have decks of varying powerlevels; if someone entirely new joins the table with a modified precon, I'm not going to grab Zegana or Rasputin, I'll pick Melek or Tariel, both of which they'll have a much better chance against.
You immediately assume that a spike is all about "git gud at any cost". No, most spikes are there because they relish the competition and want to solve the puzzle of beating strong opponents.
@ Ironplushy: I play EDH because the crazy money investment needed in Modern, Standard and Legacy annoys the hell out of me. I don't want to either waste half my deck every 3 months, or tremble in fear for each new banlist while speculators artificially inflate prices, or spend $2000 just for the right to be able to play. I play EDH because I like to hang out with my friends and throw down some cards. I do want to win while doing so, but not at any cost - I make sure my decks are adjusted to their power levels. Good Spikes will always do so, as, again, an EDH playgroup thrives by people being happy.
Got stomped the first time? TALK TO THEM. If they don't have lower-powered decks, ask them for help. It's that simple. Perhaps, if the entire group is having fun but you're not, it's not them at fault.
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My Commander decks:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
OP, I think there are a couple of things going on here.
First, you brought what most people would call a "casual" deck to a competitive play group. The obvious solution is to either bring a more competitive deck, or find another play group. Easier said than done, I know, but consider this: You probably won't convert Spikes into Timmies or Johnnies (not arguing that people can't be more than one type btw).
Secondly, like others have said here, you can chat with some of the other players to get some pointers for what is, for you, a new format. When I got into Modern, I began playing Modern nights with what was basically a Standard mill deck. I got trounced, but started asking other players, especially the ones that I thought were nicer, to give me some tips. They helped me understand the metagame and even pointed me to this website.
Commander can be a lot of fun for non-Spikes. I don't have the money for a competitive EDH deck, so I bought all 5 Commander 2015 preconstructed decks and play them with my childhood friends. The games are mostly balanced (screw you Meren) and fun, because we get to build up decent board states and play with a lot of interaction and explosive moments. The pace of the matches with these budget decks is slower, but also comparable to a good soccer game. We all have a lot of fun. I recommend you do something similar with like-minded players. If you don't fancy the precon decks, maybe set a budget of $50 for each EDH deck players can bring to the table. You'd be surprised at how much fun you can have even with jank.
It may be a little off topic, but am I the only one who thinks that the Commander-Editions were one hell of a giant mistake? Commander (or EDH) was designed to be some kind of casual format to play all the cards that were not good enough for "real decks". I think it was an absolutely absurd idea to design cards especially for this format.
There have been a couple of problematic cards and the early ones were not well built, but they've been great for the format overall. They've introduced an enormous number of general options in colors that were lacking and they consistently bring new players into the format. I rarely see most of the commander stuff (outside of generals) in games anyways.
To OP, I agree that you should first try talking to the players there. A lot of people have decks of varying power levels for exactly that scenario. Just because you sat down to the game(s) where they had the high powered combo decks out doesn't mean that every game they play is like that. Additionally, most EDH players I've met are very willing to help new players improve their decks if they're interested. If they truly are terrible, win at all costs, consequences be damned players, you can look into finding another group. I know my LGS has EDH games going most evenings. Even if they don't have a dedicated EDH night, you can try and find other people playing at your shop. Most shops I've run into have a pretty wide range of EDH players. The EDH sub on this site has a thread dedicated to finding local groups as well, which can potentially help you find a group that's not tied to a particular shop. I've met a few people from here, and none of them has been the stereotypical internet denizen (yet).
You should also disabuse yourself of the notion that expensive = powerful. My longest running deck is somewhere in the $1k range if you go for all of the cheapest printings, and it's certainly not my most powerful deck as it folds to combo of any stripe or any early pressure. Many of the powerful cards in the format, both threats and answers, are relatively inexpensive. Some of the most complained about cards - Deadeye Navigator, the recently banned Prophet of Kruphix - can be had for under a dollar each. One of the biggest blowout cards available, Cyclonic Rift, has only climbed above $5 in the last week or so. One of the best spot removal cards in the format, Beast Within, was in the dollar range for years. You can spend a ton of money to build a hard control deck with Force of Will and Mana Drain, but most metas aren't going to require that kind of expense to be at least moderately competitive.
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[Pr]Jaya | Estrid | A rotating cast of decks built out of my box.
If when playing a multiplayer game everyone isn't having fun then you should find another game. If when playing a multiplayer game only you aren't having fun then you need to look inward at what you're missing.
EDH is what the group makes of it. Nothing more, nothing less.
A couple of years ago, I built my first Commander deck. It was all goblins. My first foray into Magic was collecting one of each goblin, and I had most of them. It seemed natural to use nothing but goblins - goblins that made other goblins, or cheated other goblins into play. The synergy was intense. I could swap commanders between any number of red legendary goblins - Kiki Jiki was my favorite at the time, for blinking Matron and Recruiter and the like. Anyhow, I did okay playing casually a few times - 50/50 against a kitchen table saproling deck, for example. Then I versed my first real Commander player - a tuned Jhoira. I lost instantly, without doing anything. Then I quit Commander.
When I reapproached Commander a year later, after a stint playing Modern, I knew how to play Magic. I knew what fun was. Fun is showing your opponents that, until they build a real deck, they're only spectators at the Commander table. It's stax and color locks - it's decks where the only win condition is the concession of your opponents. My cafe was an arms race of misery. There was my mono-black deck that shot for a turn three Contamination lock, but I wasn't the only one. We had equally oppressive decks in Esper and Grixis. Oppressive enchantments and resource denial were the name of the game. Commander truly was a pit of hell where casual players lost a little bit of themselves after playing. Fortunately, it was only a phase. My own list evolved into a more thematic and less oppressive black recursion deck of weenies that just won't stay dead. Fun, relentless, but you will get to play - forever. Others also evolved into more sociable, but nonetheless, top tier as it can go, decks. Commander is more strategic and intense than ever.
So, I, as a player, went through three phases: 1) I just want to have fun, because Commander is silly like that. 2) I want to actively crush the fun out of everyone I can, because Commander is brutal like that. 3) I want to be the very best I can, on my own terms, within self imposed constraints, because Commander allows that level of growth in an unsolved format.
If you're trying to be competitive in EDH it's probably because you don't have the skill to be competitive in actual tournaments so you prey on a format you know is suppose top be casual. This is why we have different formats.
Some competitive players simply prefer the EDH format and or the diplomatic elements which come with multiplayer games. Myself I greatly enjoy multiplayer war games like Supremacy and Diplomacy. Who are you to tell people what games they should or shouldn't enjoy?
You also seem to greatly misjudge people who enjoy a strategic challenge. Incidentally, even players who enjoy competitive strategy games typically enjoy the social elements to. That's why we play with humans and not bots. As LouCypher points out, social is not mutually exclusive design competitive.
Here in Canada we like to play road hockey. We try to win! If your playing nets, you try to stop the puck. If your shooting, you try to best the goalie. But that doesn't mean we only care about winning at all costs. We are sportsmanlike, careful not to hurt esch other, and ultimately just has ng some beers with friends and enjoying as summer afternoon. But we still try to win. Surely you've heard of a thing called friendly competition?
If you're trying to beat out someone else — whether in the Olympics or a pie-baking contest — it's a competition, and the other contestants are called the competition too. If you describe something as a "friendly competition," you're saying the outcome isn't critical, or there's no money involved. If you do something impressive in order to win, people will say competition brings out the best in you. If you try to injure your opponent, they'll say it brings out the worst
For the record, my commander decks are not built for maximum competitive viability. But when I'm playing them, I endeavour to make optimal strategic plays. I enjoy when I have moments where I feel I've made a particularly clever play. I also enjoy post game analysis and learning from my mistakes.
The one sided hatred of this fictional generalization of all players under the Spike banner in this thread does nothing to warm readers to the casual players' plight. An outsider walks in on a play group's social game of commander and posts a tirade on the internet after. Everyone's so keen to point out that Commander is supposedly a casual format, but it's been pointed out that the rules actually call it a social format. If this thread is representative of the two camps: casual and competitive, where casual players make angry, generalizing rants, and competitive players offer calm, reasoned responses, I would have to do more logic twisting than a US congressperson to paint casual as social. The vitriol does casual players a disservice, if any of the readers would be as inclined to generalize as the thread is.
I played my first game of EDH today at my local LGS. I was excited - I had spent the last two weeks ordering cards and building my first Commander deck. I felt that I had a reasonable chance of winning - I had included hate cards in the deck, the land base was acceptable, etc, etc.
Unfortunately, things weren't what I'd hoped for - the people who play at my LGS are not interested in interaction. They are Spike combo players, to a man, and while they tolerated my presence in their games, I spent most of the time passing turns between bouts of forced shuffling/discards/etc. The whole thing just left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and the certain knowledge that if my backwater LGS was like this, it must be much the same everywhere else.
It was the most joyless experience I've ever been party to - enough to make me want to just stop playing Magic altogether. Because, well, that's EDH. You're supposed to have fun in EDH - you get to use all those cards that are jank in Standard, cards that you look at and go "If it weren't for the mana cost, I'd be playing it". Instead, it was just a reign of terror. These were $1000 decks and they were ripping each other to pieces with them.
It's the same all over, in every format of the game - fun doesn't matter anymore, winning matters. Efficiency, speed, degeneracy. Going infinite. If you're not the best, if you're not using the best, if you don't have the best, then you're nothing.
I would've been happy to lose, so long as I got to actually, y'know, PLAY my deck.
Every store is different. We have a casual EDH group that plays on Wednesday nights. There is more laughing than combo-ing. They have a great time and stress interesting plays rather than destroying each other quickly. Don't give up, hopefully you'll be able to find some kindred spirits to play with.
The one sided hatred of this fictional generalization of all players under the Spike banner in this thread does nothing to warm readers to the casual players' plight. An outsider walks in on a play group's social game of commander and posts a tirade on the internet after. Everyone's so keen to point out that Commander is supposedly a casual format, but it's been pointed out that the rules actually call it a social format. If this thread is representative of the two camps: casual and competitive, where casual players make angry, generalizing rants, and competitive players offer calm, reasoned responses, I would have to do more logic twisting than a US congressperson to paint casual as social. The vitriol does casual players a disservice, if any of the readers would be as inclined to generalize as the thread is.
There have been three people aside from the OP talking down to spiky players in the format, and maybe two of them could be described as vitriolic. There are an equal number of casual players making similar suggestions with the same tone that the competitive players are. In your last post, you refer to the first tuned deck you encountered in the format as being played by your "first real commander player," which reads as the kitchen table decks you were playing against before not being piloted by real commander players (whatever that means). Generalizing all of the causal players in the thread as hating competitive players is painting with a very broad brush, and isn't doing you any favors either.
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Unfortunately, things weren't what I'd hoped for - the people who play at my LGS are not interested in interaction. They are Spike combo players, to a man, and while they tolerated my presence in their games, I spent most of the time passing turns between bouts of forced shuffling/discards/etc. The whole thing just left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and the certain knowledge that if my backwater LGS was like this, it must be much the same everywhere else.
It was the most joyless experience I've ever been party to - enough to make me want to just stop playing Magic altogether. Because, well, that's EDH. You're supposed to have fun in EDH - you get to use all those cards that are jank in Standard, cards that you look at and go "If it weren't for the mana cost, I'd be playing it". Instead, it was just a reign of terror. These were $1000 decks and they were ripping each other to pieces with them.
It's the same all over, in every format of the game - fun doesn't matter anymore, winning matters. Efficiency, speed, degeneracy. Going infinite. If you're not the best, if you're not using the best, if you don't have the best, then you're nothing.
I would've been happy to lose, so long as I got to actually, y'know, PLAY my deck.
Fun is a nebulous term. Like it or not, your "spiky" opponents might be having fun playing that way.
Have you thought of asking them if they feel the same way? They likely do not see it that way.
Winning is fun. It's not the only way to have fun, but saying that makes you sound like their opinion of what is fun is wrong and that yours is right.
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
There's no point trying to talk to them about it - they're Spikes. They only care about one thing. If I had the nerve to criticize their methods of play, they'd just go "lrn2play" or something equally odious.
I don't even know why I posted this, aside from the fact that I was angry all my effort had gone to waste. Oh well.
It's funny how things can be relative. I tend to think of EDH as the format where I can play fun cards which aren't quite good enough for Legacy. And also fun cards that are too good for Legacy!
That's the thing about casual magic, though. It's fun if the decks are on similar power levels, but less fun if there a wider gap.
I agree though that in multilayer decks should be interactive or its not very fun. On the other hand, maybe these guys have enough fast and efficient answers that they actually can interact with each other? On the other hand, if they enjoy non-interactive gamrs, who am I to tell them they afe wrong?
Maybe there is another group that plays locally?
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RUGLegacy Lands.dec
RUGBLegacy Lands.dec
RGLegacy Lands.dec
WUBRG EDH Lands.dec
UBR EDH Artificer Prodigy
B EDH Relentless Rats
I enjoy fast, high-powered games. Two-hour strategy-free grindfests at the boardstate museum is not how I like my EDH games. I only play for fun, but yes, I like tuned decks, I play to win, and I don't play to parade every overcosted card Wizards have ever printed. I find competitive games exciting. My games of EDH tend to end turns 5-8 on average and we get in many games in one evening.
That being said, what do you enjoy? Find like-minded players. I have a commander night I go to locally that ranges from competitive to built-for-flavor only, and everyone goes to their assorted tables and is happier that way.
EDH has an enormous card pool that includes Modern, Legacy, and even Vintage staples. The power level is really high compared to Standard and Draft environments. However, as a singleton format, even at a high level of play there is quite a diverse array of playstyles and deckbuilds to choose from, even some fairly budget ones. Your experience may have been due to a lack of knowledge of the more popular competitive archetypes and specific hate cards, but it's hard to say without knowing your deck and your opponents'.
I certainly welcome every player to my pod at FNM and don't look down on casual builds, but when I'm playing competitively, I am playing to win. I come to the game assuming we're all there to win, but whatever happens we're still just a bunch of folks having a good time with pieces of cardboard.
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.
You should really tell people these things. If they say they're just starting, or they're casual, you should just hold up a hand and say "Don't. Don't play with us. You're not on our level and you are not going to win. Just leave."
It's much better to just get it out of the way as soon as possible.
Telling people to leave an event they've paid for is incredibly rude. The prizes are small at my FNM but everyone's paid at at minimum play four rounds. Besides which, they're totally welcome, and I have no way of guaranteeing they won't win.
It's just like when I run across some home brews on a Modern night. I know that, for the most part, they won't win, but their pilots know that as well and are probably using this (as a opposed to a real tournament] to test out their deck ideas. And sometimes, they do win: I usually pilot Merfolk and some fairly rogue builds like Norin Sisters actually have a good matchups with that deck despite being fringe decks.
The first time I entered an EDH FNM I was blown out of the water by the decks there, but that's true of every other format I've played (Standard, Modern, Legacy ), too. You learn by playing. You get better.
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.
Well, that's not necessarily true though. Very often, when one starts a new format, it is particularly easy to get trounced. However, as you play, you tend to get a better handle on what needs to happen to stay in the game. Which, by the way, for EDH is rarely buying the most expensive cards. The metas I play in typically feature some pretty spikey combo decks, along with other things. One of the great things about EDH is that the multiplayer format encourages you to team up and stop problem player A from getting going. I feel like politics is an essential part of the format, in terms of balance, but that few people are willing to go there initially.
Also, new EDH players often make the mistake that they can just pick a commander that they like in terms of color or personality and then throw in their favorite cards in color. Actually, just like any other game of magic, you will need a consistent gameplan. EDH does tend to widen the scope of what may be playable, but not every card in your deck can be overcosted standard rejects. Moreover, if you play with a group long enough, you may start to find cards that give you "outs" versus the more powerful decks at the table.
If a new player sat at a table with me piloting my Thraximundar stax deck, my roommate with his Karador reanimator deck, and my buddy's lightning Skithyrix deck, that new player would probably get thoroughly stomped. If that new player then bothered to actually talk to us about it, all three of us would be willing to play something different, I'm sure. I could play my Uril Foglio deck or my Soraya bird tribal deck. My roommate could play his Muzzio artifact deck or his janky Shattergang Brothers deck. And my buddy would be willing to play his Damia peasant control deck.
Don't make assumptions about people's reactions based on seeing them pilot a cuttthroat deck.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)
Went to a modern event last night, lost round 1, and then was paired against a guy who brought a very weak standard deck to try out the shop scene. Our group travels and plays competitively and he got blown up all night. It wasn't fun for me to watch him Get frustrated. I suggested he try Friday night standard instead. Even my kitchen table for funsies decks I bring with me that don't have sideboards would have been too aggressive.
I wouldn't give up on edh, just ask openly prior to joining a group like that where the power level is, stand by and ask if you can watch a game or two, and talk to the patrons.
I had to step up my game and decks to my shops level, but doing so was fun for me. However if I went into it blindly I wouldn't have enjoyed it at all - I knew I was in for an uphill climb. Try local Facebook groups, side events at things like the star city opens, conversations about magic with other game crowds such as a dnd group, etc until you find a group of people that fit your play style. My LGS has a huge amount of customers that play in friendly circles and not at the shop.
EDH was a purely casual format in the old days, now it has become Commander and you have spikes coming in.
Fun is a subjective term so the key is to find people who have the same definition of "fun" as you.
My group really have moved away from fully tuned combo driven decks. There are a few decks that are based off flavor or big dumb old cards that appeal to the older folks in our group. The good thing with that is we have a few newer people to the game who dont have the collections to go full power so their lower power decks dont get overwhelmed by the older players who may have dual lands and fetchies and other stronger cards.
In Progress
GBIshkanah, Grafwidow ~ BWGRTymna the Weaver & Tana, the Bloodsower ~ UGRashmi, Eternities Crafter ~ RGAtarka, World Render
There is an old adage in casual magic - the definition of a competitive deck is any deck that is stronger than yours, and the definition of a casual deck is any deck which is weaker than yours.
It is possible in EDH - even common - to build expensive fine tuned decks which are not strictly speaking, competitive.
For example!e, I have a Relentless Rats deck. If sit down against a couple guys playing under-powered Standard cards, I'm going g to mop them up, lose ble by the fifth or sixth turn. They will think I'm playing a very spikey combo deck. But when Is it down again stronger decks in a field where sweepers, counter-spells, and spot removal are fairly common, it's going to be a struggle for me.
This is the norm for me where I play. My deck wins a little less than it's share of games, but that's okay because it is fun.
I also have a lands themed deck which has a pretty high price tag. That deck would also mop the floor against janky deck, and their pilots might think I'm a spike. Fact remains, if I were a spike I wouldn't have that deck at all because there are better and stronger decks a person can build. Much better.
https://fieldmarshalshandbook.wordpress.com/
RUGLegacy Lands.dec
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UBR EDH Artificer Prodigy
B EDH Relentless Rats
EDH is not a "casual" format. It's a social format. There are casual players who enjoy EDH, and there are competitive players who also enjoy it. When someone from either of those groups of people is playing with others who share their idea of "fun" to some acceptable degree, they enjoy the game. It is when you try to play with people that do not share your vision of the format that problems arise.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)
You immediately assume that a spike is all about "git gud at any cost". No, most spikes are there because they relish the competition and want to solve the puzzle of beating strong opponents.
@ Ironplushy: I play EDH because the crazy money investment needed in Modern, Standard and Legacy annoys the hell out of me. I don't want to either waste half my deck every 3 months, or tremble in fear for each new banlist while speculators artificially inflate prices, or spend $2000 just for the right to be able to play. I play EDH because I like to hang out with my friends and throw down some cards. I do want to win while doing so, but not at any cost - I make sure my decks are adjusted to their power levels. Good Spikes will always do so, as, again, an EDH playgroup thrives by people being happy.
Got stomped the first time? TALK TO THEM. If they don't have lower-powered decks, ask them for help. It's that simple. Perhaps, if the entire group is having fun but you're not, it's not them at fault.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
First, you brought what most people would call a "casual" deck to a competitive play group. The obvious solution is to either bring a more competitive deck, or find another play group. Easier said than done, I know, but consider this: You probably won't convert Spikes into Timmies or Johnnies (not arguing that people can't be more than one type btw).
Secondly, like others have said here, you can chat with some of the other players to get some pointers for what is, for you, a new format. When I got into Modern, I began playing Modern nights with what was basically a Standard mill deck. I got trounced, but started asking other players, especially the ones that I thought were nicer, to give me some tips. They helped me understand the metagame and even pointed me to this website.
Commander can be a lot of fun for non-Spikes. I don't have the money for a competitive EDH deck, so I bought all 5 Commander 2015 preconstructed decks and play them with my childhood friends. The games are mostly balanced (screw you Meren) and fun, because we get to build up decent board states and play with a lot of interaction and explosive moments. The pace of the matches with these budget decks is slower, but also comparable to a good soccer game. We all have a lot of fun. I recommend you do something similar with like-minded players. If you don't fancy the precon decks, maybe set a budget of $50 for each EDH deck players can bring to the table. You'd be surprised at how much fun you can have even with jank.
To OP, I agree that you should first try talking to the players there. A lot of people have decks of varying power levels for exactly that scenario. Just because you sat down to the game(s) where they had the high powered combo decks out doesn't mean that every game they play is like that. Additionally, most EDH players I've met are very willing to help new players improve their decks if they're interested. If they truly are terrible, win at all costs, consequences be damned players, you can look into finding another group. I know my LGS has EDH games going most evenings. Even if they don't have a dedicated EDH night, you can try and find other people playing at your shop. Most shops I've run into have a pretty wide range of EDH players. The EDH sub on this site has a thread dedicated to finding local groups as well, which can potentially help you find a group that's not tied to a particular shop. I've met a few people from here, and none of them has been the stereotypical internet denizen (yet).
You should also disabuse yourself of the notion that expensive = powerful. My longest running deck is somewhere in the $1k range if you go for all of the cheapest printings, and it's certainly not my most powerful deck as it folds to combo of any stripe or any early pressure. Many of the powerful cards in the format, both threats and answers, are relatively inexpensive. Some of the most complained about cards - Deadeye Navigator, the recently banned Prophet of Kruphix - can be had for under a dollar each. One of the biggest blowout cards available, Cyclonic Rift, has only climbed above $5 in the last week or so. One of the best spot removal cards in the format, Beast Within, was in the dollar range for years. You can spend a ton of money to build a hard control deck with Force of Will and Mana Drain, but most metas aren't going to require that kind of expense to be at least moderately competitive.
EDH is what the group makes of it. Nothing more, nothing less.
When I reapproached Commander a year later, after a stint playing Modern, I knew how to play Magic. I knew what fun was. Fun is showing your opponents that, until they build a real deck, they're only spectators at the Commander table. It's stax and color locks - it's decks where the only win condition is the concession of your opponents. My cafe was an arms race of misery. There was my mono-black deck that shot for a turn three Contamination lock, but I wasn't the only one. We had equally oppressive decks in Esper and Grixis. Oppressive enchantments and resource denial were the name of the game. Commander truly was a pit of hell where casual players lost a little bit of themselves after playing. Fortunately, it was only a phase. My own list evolved into a more thematic and less oppressive black recursion deck of weenies that just won't stay dead. Fun, relentless, but you will get to play - forever. Others also evolved into more sociable, but nonetheless, top tier as it can go, decks. Commander is more strategic and intense than ever.
So, I, as a player, went through three phases: 1) I just want to have fun, because Commander is silly like that. 2) I want to actively crush the fun out of everyone I can, because Commander is brutal like that. 3) I want to be the very best I can, on my own terms, within self imposed constraints, because Commander allows that level of growth in an unsolved format.
You also seem to greatly misjudge people who enjoy a strategic challenge. Incidentally, even players who enjoy competitive strategy games typically enjoy the social elements to. That's why we play with humans and not bots. As LouCypher points out, social is not mutually exclusive design competitive.
Here in Canada we like to play road hockey. We try to win! If your playing nets, you try to stop the puck. If your shooting, you try to best the goalie. But that doesn't mean we only care about winning at all costs. We are sportsmanlike, careful not to hurt esch other, and ultimately just has ng some beers with friends and enjoying as summer afternoon. But we still try to win. Surely you've heard of a thing called friendly competition?
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/competition
For the record, my commander decks are not built for maximum competitive viability. But when I'm playing them, I endeavour to make optimal strategic plays. I enjoy when I have moments where I feel I've made a particularly clever play. I also enjoy post game analysis and learning from my mistakes.
https://fieldmarshalshandbook.wordpress.com/
RUGLegacy Lands.dec
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UBR EDH Artificer Prodigy
B EDH Relentless Rats