I really enjoyed reading through your guide, extremely well written and really informative and fun to read.
Not having played MTG in 15+ years (stopped playing with the release of Mirrodin back then) but having my collection kept sealed away in a dark and dusty place, I recently discovered a MTG playgroup near me and decided to dig up my old cards and try to give it a go again. One of the hosts informed me of the "new" (at least for me) Commander format and I thought this might be the best starting point for me with my old and by todays standards mostly underpowered cards to at least have a chance.
Your Phelddagrif perfectly fits my playstyle for multiplayer games, thus I thought I might go and give it a try with the cards I've got:
Glad to hear that the basic manabase is looking good. I will keep those lands questioned by you in for the beginning and see for myself how they play out - still have my first commander game before me.
Made some changes to the deck again,following your advice. Especially Night Soil seems like a great new addition - while sniping graveyards (at least for creatures) I can additionally create tokens for sacrificial purposes.
Looking forward to finally test the deck in the coming weeks and see which improvements can be made! =)
Guys, thanks A TON for all the time you've spent writing up those tips, tricks and ideas, I can't thank you enough!
Having already made some more changes in between, those were some very helpful tips for the format overall as well as for specific cards. With the cards I still own, I made some considerable changes again (first post is edited).
There are mainly two things I'm still unsure about though:
1) The manabase. I'm still unsure if it is good enough for such a slow multiplayer format, or if I need more ramping and stuff still.
2) Life. I have many effects sacrificing my own life, but not a lot gaining life again. Might this be an issue in this format? (This is the reason I put Subversion in it, albeit being totally out of place)
Trying to find my way back into MTG after having stopped playing with the release of Mirrodin, I'm immensely interested in the "new" (at least to me) Commander format. I already fiddled around with a Cromat-Domain deck, but I also had an alternative led by Adun Oakenshield for mere endless value and card advantage in mind:
I'm still unsure about some of the creature choices and overall amounts of specific card types, maybe someone might have one or two ideas for improvement?
I know those are all pretty old and partly not competitive cards, stopped playing when Mirrodin hit the shelves back then, but I feel that a format like Commander might go a bit easier on my older cards.
Arkhaic, you are a wonderful person - it must've taken a ton of time to write this up, thank you so, so much! <3
I found a kind of similar template, which I tried to work through while building up the deck.
The current main problem will be that I don't own any of those "new" (at least for me) card post Onslaught, and since I am not one for buying single cards online, I'll have to see if there are some people at that weekly event willing to trade. So I guess I'll have to stick with that old stuff for one (which I still have waaaay to much, I must've spent a fortune back then...).
Those were some nice card ideas you threw in, especially regarding the manabase (how could I miss all those lands?!) - updated the deck version in the main post.
EDIT:
Went for yet another revision, shuffling some things around, especially on the creature department.
I just found a regular local MTG event, and not having played in a long, long time my fingers are itching again.
I talked to one of the hosts and he introduced me to the "new" commander format. So I sat down, undusted my old card collection and tried to throw a deck together, looking like this at the moment:
I read through some of the guides, but not having ever played a single Commander game ever, I'm more than unsure about the card distribution, mana base etc.
I'D hoped some of you folks might give me a hand here.
I know those are all pretty old and partly not competitive cards, stopped playing when Mirrodin hit the shelves back then.
I just assembled all your decks on a MTG marketplace, ready to be bought.
I just ditched Wrath of God as well as Elvish Champion to keep the cost for each deck around 10-15€, which is pretty neat for beginner duel decks imo. Looking forward to get some more people into Magic!
As for Threshold, Quiet Speculation is indeed way better then I expected - I usually had Threshold by turns 2-3 when having it in my starting hand!
To spice things up, I also thought about splashing White into the Threshold mix (both the current decks feel a tad to similar, despite essentially playing way different) and to finally play that Mystic Enforcer, that I love so much. This way I would also ditch the Control parts of the deck - already have way too many controlly decks.
Here's a first draft:
I also playtested Frantic Search in the Threshold deck in meantime. What an insane card, wow, I totally underrated getting the Mana back after casting! Makes the deck Vintage, but who cares, ditched the Attunement for it!
I wonder if I also should ditch the Elephant Guide for a Quiet Speculation and Moment's Peace...
Another thing I just thought about might be replacing 2x Deep Analysis, 1x Quiet Speculation and 1x Moment's Peace with 4x Frantic Search in the Madness deck - would reduce the flashback cards to just 2x Roar of the Wurm, but boy, Frantic Search is just awesome! And the untapping resolves before the madness trigger, so I could draw with it, discard, and then play stuff with the untapped lands for their madness cost...
While further filtering thromy old decks and trying to replace the ones boring to played, I thought about setting up a Domain deck - Domain was pretty much the first themed deck I owned back then with a valid strategy.
Here's what I thought to begin with:
Without having played the decks... what about replacing Ancestral Memories with Opportunity or Inspiration? Ditching 1/4th of your deck into the graveyard with 2 cards feels a bit much and maybe a bit too punishing for newer players, not understanding the versatility and advantage of such cards.
I had a friend having played YuGiOh before teached MTG - playing a Threshold deck he was totally confused and demotivated having to actively throw away his own cards.
I really enjoyed reading through your guide, extremely well written and really informative and fun to read.
Not having played MTG in 15+ years (stopped playing with the release of Mirrodin back then) but having my collection kept sealed away in a dark and dusty place, I recently discovered a MTG playgroup near me and decided to dig up my old cards and try to give it a go again. One of the hosts informed me of the "new" (at least for me) Commander format and I thought this might be the best starting point for me with my old and by todays standards mostly underpowered cards to at least have a chance.
Your Phelddagrif perfectly fits my playstyle for multiplayer games, thus I thought I might go and give it a try with the cards I've got:
1 Phelddagrif
Targeted Removal (22)
1 Desert Twister
1 Chain of Acid
1 Polymorph
1 Temporal Spring
1 Capsize
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Creeping Mold
1 Dust to Dust
1 Wing Shards
1 Oblation
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Chastise
1 Ray of Distortion
1 Rushing River
1 Treva's Charm
1 Dismantling Blow
1 Submerge
1 Excise
1 Afterlife
1 Exile
1 Radiant's Judgment
1 Mind Games
Counterspells (12)
1 Counterspell
1 Power Sink
1 Arcane Denial
1 Absorb
1 Exclude
1 Spelljack
1 Discombobulate
1 Fervent Denial
1 Ertai's Meddling
1 Interdict
1 Rewind
1 Dismiss
1 Akroma's Vengeance
1 Wash Out
1 Kirtar's Wrath
1 Wrath of God
1 Rout
1 Catastrophe
1 Hurricane
1 Winds of Rath
1 Purify
1 Evacuation
Value (10)
1 Telepathy
1 Deep Analysis
1 Concentrate
1 Gaea's Blessing
1 Long-Term Plans
1 Words of Wisdom
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Opportunity
1 Whispers of the Muse
Other (2)
1 Moment's Peace
1 Tangle
Lands (42)
1 Strip Mine
1 Aysen Abbey
1 Flood Plain
5 Forest
1 Grasslands
11 Island
9 Plains
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Adarkar Wastes
1 Brushland
1 City of Brass
1 Kor Haven
1 Coastal Tower
1 Terminal Moraine
1 Treva's Ruins
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Skycloud Expanse
1 Sungrass Prairie
1 Krosan Verge
1 Temple of the False God
Does this look like a good starting point for this deck to try and delve into the Commander format?
I know you are not a fan of the Buyback-cards, but I have yet to find proper alternatives for them...
Cheers!
Glad to hear that the basic manabase is looking good. I will keep those lands questioned by you in for the beginning and see for myself how they play out - still have my first commander game before me.
Made some changes to the deck again,following your advice. Especially Night Soil seems like a great new addition - while sniping graveyards (at least for creatures) I can additionally create tokens for sacrificial purposes.
Looking forward to finally test the deck in the coming weeks and see which improvements can be made! =)
haven't played in a long (long, long) time, just getting into actively playing MTG again slowly, but I loved to play my Madness deck back then.
It's missing all of the newer cards, but maybe there's one or two ideas to pick up:
4 Aquamoeba
4 Basking Rootwalla
4 Wild Mongrel
2 Wonder
4 Arrogant Wurm
7 Forest
7 Island
4 Yavimaya Coast
2 Centaur Garden
2 Cephalid Coliseum
2 Mana Leak
4 Repulse
4 Circular Logic
Sorcery
4 Careful Study
3 Roar of the Wurm
3 Deep Analysis
Arrogant Wurm indeed is an awesome card, I can highly suggest to include it!
Another way to play this deck is using Upheaval as a finisher - got the card lieing around, but never really tried that variant.
Having already made some more changes in between, those were some very helpful tips for the format overall as well as for specific cards. With the cards I still own, I made some considerable changes again (first post is edited).
There are mainly two things I'm still unsure about though:
1) The manabase. I'm still unsure if it is good enough for such a slow multiplayer format, or if I need more ramping and stuff still.
2) Life. I have many effects sacrificing my own life, but not a lot gaining life again. Might this be an issue in this format? (This is the reason I put Subversion in it, albeit being totally out of place)
Thanks a ton again! <3
Trying to find my way back into MTG after having stopped playing with the release of Mirrodin, I'm immensely interested in the "new" (at least to me) Commander format. I already fiddled around with a Cromat-Domain deck, but I also had an alternative led by Adun Oakenshield for mere endless value and card advantage in mind:
1 Adun Oakenshield
Creature
1 Mortivore
1 Will-o'-the-Wisp
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Forgotten Ancient
1 Hell's Caretaker
1 Xira Arien
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Spore Frog
1 Thunderscape Familiar
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
1 Nekrataal
1 Uktabi Orangutan
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Thunderscape Master
1 Thunderscape Battlemage
1 Anger
1 Seedborn Muse
1 Brawn
1 Genesis
1 Ravenous Baloth
1 Avatar of Fury
1 Avatar of Woe
1 Darigaaz, the Igniter
1 Spiritmonger
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Verdant Force
1 Symbiotic Wurm
1 Avatar of Might
1 Night Soil
1 Grave Pact
1 Defense of the Heart
1 Attrition
1 Fertile Ground
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Oversold Cemetery
Land
11 Forest
6 Mountain
1 Mountain Valley
1 Rocky Tar Pit
8 Swamp
1 Karplusan Forest
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Shivan Oasis
1 Urborg Volcano
1 Terminal Moraine
1 City of Brass
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Mossfire Valley
1 Shadowblood Ridge
1 Tarnished Citadel
1 Temple of the False God
Artifact
1 Sol Ring
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Crawlspace
1 Phyrexian Vault
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Bloodstone Cameo
1 Planar Portal
1 Troll-Horn Cameo
1 Bottle Gnomes
1 Constant Mists
1 Shattering Pulse
1 Slaughter
1 Harrow
Sorcery
1 Ritual of the Machine
1 Savage Twister
1 Desert Twister
1 Dregs of Sorrow
1 Rampant Growth
1 Plague Wind
1 Lay of the Land
1 Decimate
1 Deep Reconnaissance
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Explosive Vegetation
I'm still unsure about some of the creature choices and overall amounts of specific card types, maybe someone might have one or two ideas for improvement?
I know those are all pretty old and partly not competitive cards, stopped playing when Mirrodin hit the shelves back then, but I feel that a format like Commander might go a bit easier on my older cards.
Thanks in advance folks!
I found a kind of similar template, which I tried to work through while building up the deck.
The current main problem will be that I don't own any of those "new" (at least for me) card post Onslaught, and since I am not one for buying single cards online, I'll have to see if there are some people at that weekly event willing to trade. So I guess I'll have to stick with that old stuff for one (which I still have waaaay to much, I must've spent a fortune back then...).
Those were some nice card ideas you threw in, especially regarding the manabase (how could I miss all those lands?!) - updated the deck version in the main post.
EDIT:
Went for yet another revision, shuffling some things around, especially on the creature department.
I just found a regular local MTG event, and not having played in a long, long time my fingers are itching again.
I talked to one of the hosts and he introduced me to the "new" commander format. So I sat down, undusted my old card collection and tried to throw a deck together, looking like this at the moment:
1 Cromat
Creature
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Utopia Tree
1 Hanna, Ship's Navigator
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Radiant Kavu
1 Genesis
1 Dromar, the Banisher
1 Rith, the Awakener
1 Treva, the Renewer
1 Tsabo Tavoc
Enchantment
1 Mystic Remora
1 Propaganda
1 Compost
1 Rhystic Study
1 Collective Restraint
1 Spirit of Resistance
1 Yawgmoth's Agenda
1 Cloud Cover
1 Overgrown Estate
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Powerstone Minefield
1 Mirari's Wake
Land
1 An-Havva Township
13 Forest
3 Island
3 Mountain
3 Plains
3 Swamp
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Brushland
1 Karplusan Forest
1 Terminal Moraine
1 City of Brass
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Crystal Quarry
1 Mossfire Valley
1 Sungrass Prairie
1 Tarnished Citadel
1 Sol Ring
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Mana Prism
1 Planar Portal
1 Legacy Weapon
1 Draco
Instant
1 Capsize
1 Whispers of the Muse
1 Mind Games
1 Allay
1 Shattering Pulse
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Absorb
1 Harrow
1 Spite // Malice
1 Undermine
1 Worldly Counsel
1 Crosis's Charm
1 Dromar's Charm
1 Terminate
1 Treva's Charm
1 Evasive Action
1 Suffocating Blast
Sorcery
1 Regrowth
1 Rampant Growth
1 Global Ruin
1 Allied Strategies
1 Wrath of God
1 Lay of the Land
1 Planar Despair
1 Vindicate
1 Decimate
1 Deep Reconnaissance
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Recoup
1 Explosive Vegetation
1 Insurrection
1 Decree of Pain
I read through some of the guides, but not having ever played a single Commander game ever, I'm more than unsure about the card distribution, mana base etc.
I'D hoped some of you folks might give me a hand here.
I know those are all pretty old and partly not competitive cards, stopped playing when Mirrodin hit the shelves back then.
I just ditched Wrath of God as well as Elvish Champion to keep the cost for each deck around 10-15€, which is pretty neat for beginner duel decks imo. Looking forward to get some more people into Magic!
I did some dry testings of both decks with the changes yesterday... Since Madness is a super fast deck, Quiet Speculation and Moment's Peace felt unnecessary and I went back to another Roar of the Wurm and Deep Analysis for them.
As for Threshold, Quiet Speculation is indeed way better then I expected - I usually had Threshold by turns 2-3 when having it in my starting hand!
To spice things up, I also thought about splashing White into the Threshold mix (both the current decks feel a tad to similar, despite essentially playing way different) and to finally play that Mystic Enforcer, that I love so much. This way I would also ditch the Control parts of the deck - already have way too many controlly decks.
Here's a first draft:
4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Werebear
4 Wild Mongrel
3 Mystic Enforcer
1 Glory
1 Genesis
4 Frantic Search
2 Treva's Charm
2 Moment's Peace
Sorcery
4 Careful Study
3 Roar of the Wurm
2 Deep Analysis
2 Quiet Speculation
5 Island
4 Plains
5 Forest
2 Brushland
4 Yavimaya Coast
2 Centaur Garden
2 Cephalid Coliseum
Just went ahead with some slight changes to the Madness deck and gonna give 'em some testing this saturday:
-1 Roar of the Wurm
-1 Deep Analysis
+1 Quiet Speculation
+1 Moment's Peace
I also playtested Frantic Search in the Threshold deck in meantime. What an insane card, wow, I totally underrated getting the Mana back after casting! Makes the deck Vintage, but who cares, ditched the Attunement for it!
I wonder if I also should ditch the Elephant Guide for a Quiet Speculation and Moment's Peace...
Another thing I just thought about might be replacing 2x Deep Analysis, 1x Quiet Speculation and 1x Moment's Peace with 4x Frantic Search in the Madness deck - would reduce the flashback cards to just 2x Roar of the Wurm, but boy, Frantic Search is just awesome! And the untapping resolves before the madness trigger, so I could draw with it, discard, and then play stuff with the untapped lands for their madness cost...
While further filtering thromy old decks and trying to replace the ones boring to played, I thought about setting up a Domain deck - Domain was pretty much the first themed deck I owned back then with a valid strategy.
Here's what I thought to begin with:
2 Cromat
Enchantment
4 Collective Restraint
1 Yawgmoth's Agenda
1 Goblin Trenches
1 Overgrown Estate
2 Pernicious Deed
Artifact
4 Chromatic Sphere
1 Legacy Weapon
4 Harrow
3 Worldly Counsel
4 Evasive Action
Sorcery
2 Global Ruin
1 Ordered Migration
4 Allied Strategies
4 Lay of the Land
8 Forest
1 Plains
1 Mountain
3 Swamp
5 Island
4 Yavimaya Coast
Since I haven't played Domain in ages and have no idea what exactly my deck was back then... Might this be a valid starting point?
These are some truly neat ideas! Since i own all of those cards, I'm gonna give 'em a try!
2 Krosan Beast
4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Werebear
4 Wild Mongrel
1 Wonder
1 Genesis
4 Memory Lapse
4 Frantic Search
1 Moment's Peace
Sorcery
4 Temporal Spring
4 Careful Study
2 Roar of the Wurm
2 Deep Analysis
1 Quiet Speculation
7 Island
7 Forest
4 Yavimaya Coast
2 Centaur Garden
2 Cephalid Coliseum
I know that Temporal Spring and Memory Lapse ain't the best cards of their kind, but boy are they annoying to play against! :-D
I had a friend having played YuGiOh before teached MTG - playing a Threshold deck he was totally confused and demotivated having to actively throw away his own cards.