I have a very different issue when it comes to taking decks apart. I enjoy thinking up combos, and synergies. The decks usually work as expected, but I often just end up not enjoying the play style. I realize this the first time I play the decks, but I play them for a few weeks to be sure before disassembling them.

@CommanderMechanic

8 ай бұрын

I've very much been in this mindset before. Play a deck 2-3 times, does 'the thing' consistently, take it apart. In those cases I found what I really enjoyed (clones, copies, tokens etc) and built a few "forever" decks around those concepts while also having a roster of decks to rotate through.

What a fantastic video, I think everyone is guilty of this to an extent, we want our deck to work a certain way but sometimes that certain way isn’t even fixable, but I love what you said about transforming the deck into something else that you just might love as well, I’ve experienced that exact sentiment multiple times and I find that’s when I make the best and most fun decks, after much playing, testing, and transforming

Being relatively new to commander and magic in general, I find it better to learn how to generally build decks rather than what to specifically build them with. This topic specifically was also very useful to me, so thank you. I hope to use this info on an eldrazi deck, eldrazi smash!

I had the precon for Mystic Intellect, aka the Jeskai Flashback precon, aka the deck Dockside Extortionist was printed in. I loved flashback back in the origional Innistrad block when I started playing Magic, and I really wanted a flashback commander deck to work, however the deck had problems. The commander had zero impact on cast, only worked after I had filled my GY, and cards that could be cast from the GY weren't great and often had little to no benefit from copying; extra card draw was usually the best I got out of most games, and overall at a terrible rate. I took out all of the "when you cast from a GY" cards and put them into a new deck: Niv-Mizzet Supreme. Any two-colored instant/sorcery was a much wider pool than ones that could naturally be cast from the GY, thus the quality of cards was better. I could still include any good flashback cards I wished, and 5 colors meant I had the most options available: board wipes, card draw, ramp, removal, counterspells, etc. So far I've mostly just done goldfishing with a game or two mixed in, but already it simply runs smoother. I still have Sevinne but in the 99, as copying an Urban Evolution the second time you are casting it is tremendous value.

I played with my own Imodane deck once, and it did work for a time until I ran out of gas in hand to fuel the fires. I'm apprehensive about looting/rummaging as a form of card draw, but I know my options are limited for red apart from anything in the form of colorless fixtures. I do run Underworld Breach, so it isn't totally bad so long as I have mana available.

Love this… my Jeskai spellslinger deck has gone through 3 different commanders at this point. Finally settling on Kykar as I wanted a spellslinger deck with a stormy feel that didn’t go infinite. It’s one of my strongest decks so I don’t get to play it as often as I’d like, but it’s now one of my favourites! Another example I have is the evolution of my Syr Konrad deck. Starting as a Mono-Black creature based goodstuff deck, finally evolving into what’s now an Aristocrat deck, because I thought my commander wasn’t being impactful enough with the 99, just with like 10 of the most synergistic cards.

I don't get to play my decks enough for them speak to me. 😥

@CommanderMechanic

8 ай бұрын

Sometimes it’s a matter of just goldfishing and testing on your own too! But definitely find a good LGS!

This video is what I needed. I've got a Ghyrson Starn deck that has just never performed. Seeing it flounder several times in a row really took the wind out of my sails. What I need to do is pull my deck up by its bootstraps and fix it.

Duuuude, this is the video we have needed from you bro! I built an Urza deck. It never lost and my playgroup hated it, so I ripped it up and came up with something more clever. One of my friends asked me to help him tech his Esper deck that just wasn’t clicking and I gave him my Yennett to run as his commander instead, and it fixed his whole vibe. Couple years later, I was building an orzhov deck with Elas il-kor as the commander, and it just wasn’t coming together. He gave me a Teysa and just asked me to try it, and the deck never fails me. This happens so often. We just need people in our circle to help contribute to improve sometimes, whether that means change the commander, or change out some cards to get the machine running better. Thank you man for this video. I feel like we can’t see the forest for the trees sometimes, and just need others to help us out. Great vid!

@CommanderMechanic

8 ай бұрын

Glad it helped - too many people view the game in their own little bubble but collaboration is a big part of growth too

@thedaileyspecial

8 ай бұрын

Absolutely And I’ve said this before, But how often do we talk about “the story our decks tell”? To me, the real story isn’t what the build did, as much as the interaction during the game, and your deck “did the thing” It did the thing you and your homies talk about months later THAT’s the story ya know?

@thedaileyspecial

8 ай бұрын

Also, one time you did a Rat Gang commander deck during Neon Dynasty. I tooled with it, and homie let me tell you!! I’ve built like five “my girl hates me for spending that much money on decks” decks. The rat deck you inspired me to build… it’s my favorite deck to play. Obvi made some adjustments, but man, you put me on the right track and I appreciate it! Keep up the good work man!

I second this concept so much

I have a single lands matter deck that has went through all three Titania commanders, from Voltron meld with Voice of Gaea, to token shitfest that was Nature's Force, and finally a tiny amount of time with Protector of Argoth before switching back to Nature's Force. It's been such a fun time having all these different renditions of the same deck, I even have an off-shoot deck with Shigeki.

I had issues with my Zur cycling deck. I put so many stax or niche cute interacting cards. Pulled over ten cards out and added more etb creatures and other cycling cards so I wanted to Astral Slide out quickly. The Deck is so much better and so much more fun now.

@CommanderMechanic

8 ай бұрын

The deck wanted to be an Astral Slide deck and you HEARD that - it's exactly what I'm talking about!

@newtpondskipper

8 ай бұрын

@CommanderMechanic oh yes! I started playing it as a silly jank tap people and use creatures that can kill or hurt when they come into play. It was a slow casual deck but it was Zur so I was always targeted first. Krenko about to go off? Kill Zur. Aminatou just about to kill the table? Kill Zur. So I slowly added the stax they told me I should have. It made it so I never wanted to put Slide into play. So I listened to the deck and removed a few crappy creatures and half the stax, added in good creatures and a few better cards like necropotence as I had them and suddenly the deck worked.

I just rebuilt my Lord Windgrace from scary go-nowhere landfall into a Superfriends deck.

@GrinningFeline

8 ай бұрын

The other players are included in my superfriends, so I’ll leave them alone and play my own game, and if they don’t leave me alone they become dead friends.

I definitely agree with some of the concepts expressed in this video. I do think people are very quick to dismantle a deck if it didn't do the thing right away, or cut too many lands for cool cards. I do think however, there are times where you just can't get it to work, no matter what you do. Like, if I run 35 land and 15 mana ramp, 10 card draw and still can't end up drawing a creature heavy deck, then it might just be time to scrap it. And yes, sometimes changing the commander can aid, but if I really want to play X commander, then I will absolutely try and make it work, even if the strategy is bad. Half the fun of commander is freedom of expression so playing the deck you like with the synergies you enjoy playing should be first, and then making sure you eat your veggies and find stuff to do the thing

Had an issue with a gruul deck id been working on where i kept not hitting my ramp spells. Figured id drop a few lands and add more of them only to discover that i just needed to add mana dorks for the early and it fixed my issues.

@CommanderMechanic

8 ай бұрын

hope those lands were put back in!

@qwertyness3565

8 ай бұрын

@@CommanderMechanic ended up actually reworking the deck later that week and tried literally swapping out the dorks and just basic lands and the deck became smooth as butter.

I have a Polukranos Reborn deck that is by far my worst deck (in practice) - it rarely wins and is slow to grow. The core concept was "Flip Polukranos quickly, then start casting Hydras for 0, reanimating them for 0, and making a ton of Hydra Tokens." ; and the only time it's ever won... I played a trample Hydra for X = 14 when my commander cost 15 mana to cast. I refuse to disassemble it because I want to see the deck strive... and I'm wondering what it tried to tell me...

Funny, my decks have a tendency to tell me to go on EDHRec, filter for the highest salt deck then run that.

brilliant video! I respect the hell out of you. thanks for these, they're so so helpful!

@CommanderMechanic

8 ай бұрын

Glad to help!

I get what you're saying but if I'm building a deck the way I want to build it and the way I want to build it isn't working then it's no longer a deck I want to build because it's no longer what I wanted to get out of the deck to begin with. When I build a deck, I do so with a certain goal in mind and that goal is what gave me the passion to start building it, if I have to change the goal, most likely to another goal less interesting to me, that passion dissipates or altogether disappears.

@CommanderMechanic

8 ай бұрын

and that's totally reasonable - but if there's anything worth hanging on to that wasn't your original intention you should give the deck a chance to pivot and grow into something you didn't know you were looking for

Off topic, could you do a short about omen machine. I don't understand the wording

@CommanderMechanic

8 ай бұрын

HMU after Novembrew I’ll do one in Dec.

I built a deck with "marchesa, the black rose" where I keep my creatures alive, and grow them with counters when possible, sometimes I steal my opponent's creatures, but I wonder if she is capable of more, what would you say about her? or you other marchesa players??

My deck keeps saying "the flesh is weak, burn them all" Should I be concerned?

@CommanderMechanic

8 ай бұрын

I think your deck just really wants to be red

Hmmm… strange… my deck is telling me I’m dogshit at magic….

@CommanderMechanic

2 ай бұрын

You’ve found the right channel then

Clone zone

Get creative!

99% of the problems with Commander decks is simply people not playing enough/any interaction and then getting really salty when I stop them from doing their thing with a simple counterspell/removal spell.

Omg this guys voice and tone is annoying. He speaks like his audience is 5 years old.