Awaken is an ability that appears on Instants and Sorceries, and gives an alternative casting cost for the spell. Whichever cost you pay, you get the normal effect of the spell. If you pay the Awaken cost, you then put a number of +1/+1 counters equal to the awaken number of that spell onto a land you control, and that ... Read More...

While Commander’s grassroots origins make it different from many other Magic formats, it still has a ban list like the rest of them. However, since Commander is not a competitive format with tournament data to back up banning certain cards, some players are unsure why certain offenders end up on the list. Today, we’re going to take a look at ... Read More...

Kristen lends a few thoughts on how to navigate a game of casual Commander based on what seat you’re in. I’ve been thinking, lately, about how useful data can be when reviewing games of Commander. A lot of theory and observations on the format skew toward subjectivity and anecdote, and as we all know, that’s not the most reliable type ... Read More...

SCG Con New Jersey, the first large Modern tournament of the year, is taking place this weekend, and I’ll be in attendance. Naturally that means figuring out what deck I am going to play — a task I’ve been working on for a couple weeks.  Those who know me can tell you I have a bad habit of waffling between ... Read More...

Recently, I got tagged in a post on Twitter. Magic Data Science developed a tool over at EDHRec that allows players to see the “Hipster Quotient” of their Commander decks. Hipster Quotient is defined as “the sum of the proportion of all recorded EDH decks in which its constituent cards (excluding basic lands) appear.” In other words, how original is your ... Read More...

It’s easy to focus on the power and speed creep of Commander. While there are many great new gems, some old Commander cards age like a fine wine. Kristen has some picks worth revisiting.  Most Magic articles look forward — to new sets, new cards and new decks. Yet, Commander is an eternal format, and as such, it has a ... Read More...

While Commander’s grassroots origins make it different from many other Magic formats, it still has a ban list like the rest of them. However, since Commander is not a competitive format with tournament data to back up banning certain cards, some players are unsure why certain offenders end up on the list. Today, we’re going to take a look at ... Read More...