Brewing means very different things to different people. For some, it’s a means to an end; a necessary step between the player and the games they want to play. For others, it’s the journey from idea to final draft that forms the deck’s personality. While there’s no right or wrong way to view it, most Magic players respect those that …
Innistrad: Midnight Hunt hit Arena last Thursday, and it’ll soon be available to pick up in paper. Many people were happy to see Wizards move away from the body horror vibes of Shadows Over Innistrad, and aim for more of a folk horror feel. This set focuses on Werewolves, Zombies, and Humans, and has a number of cards that will …
Innistrad: Midnight Hunt will soon be upon us, and with it come a number of spooky legendary creatures with unusual abilities. As with all Innistrad sets, there’s a definite graveyard theme here — and if there’s one thing that inspires me to build wild decks, it’s new commanders that can use the graveyard! To keep on theme, I’m covering three …
Winning feels great. Even in more social situations, like a friendly game of Commander, it can feel good to win. It’s one of the most direct forms of confirmation that you are a good player. Focusing on the win is perfectly fine in most 1v1 formats, but with four players in the average game of Commander, the typical win rate …
When many players think of graveyard strategies, they tend to think of commanders like Meren of Clan Nel Toth and Muldrotha, the Gravetide. While these are some of the most obvious choices for a graveyard deck, they’re certainly on the more extreme end of the scale. There’s so much more to the graveyard than total dedication, and most decks can …
In case it wasn’t blatantly obvious, I love to build on a budget. There’s just something special about beating a pod whose decks cost more than your entire collection. For brewers, placing a price limit restricts access to a lot of the big players in the format, forcing you to get creative and search for alternatives (that will often end …
Commander is probably the most budget-friendly format in Magic, where a well-built $100 deck can hold its own against decks with ten times the value. At the same time, that cost can be a huge barrier to entry; some of the most famous and popular cards in the format are simply out of reach for many players, and sometimes it …
When you sit down to a game and shuffle up, what do you hope for? Personally, I hope that “this game is the best one yet.” The most foundational approach for this is to have clear and open Rule 0 conversations. These have had a healthy time in the spotlight lately, with more and more creators including these conversations in …
For a lot of us, the best part of Commander is the process. Brainstorming ideas until you have a complex web of synergies (and 20 cuts to make) is one of the most enticing aspects of the format. Brewing is how many players show off their creativity, and there’s no greater compliment than telling someone their deck is amazing. Not …
It’s near impossible to keep up with all of the cards in Commander and their various uses. Some incredible cards will inevitably slip through the cracks and fade into obscurity, appearing only as pet cards or secret technology in the decks of brewers with too much time on their hands (yes, this is a self-callout). Today, I’ve got five such …
