Treasure fundamentally changed Magic. Kristen muses on its current place in Limited and Commander, considering if it’s too powerful. When Treasure first arrived on the scene, it seemed innocent enough. “Sailor of Memes” was the standout, well, meme from Ixalan block, and our experience at that point showed it was new and interesting, provided fixing in a limited environment that …
Jumpstart 2022: Bottom-Up Commander Design
I don’t always have the energy to keep up with the flow of new spoilers from day to day, but I definitely made an exception for Jumpstart 2022. Not only do I look forward to the normal Jumpstart 2022 experience, but this sort of product represents a unique, creative opportunity for the team at Wizards of the Coast regarding Commander …
There’s no Such Thing as Free in Commander
There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and likewise, no such thing as “free” in Commander. Kristen is here to help us with some cost-benefit analysis. Everyone loves free, right? Free bonus cards in your Secret Lair; free door-prizes at the LGS, a free drink with your meal deal. But none of those things are ever truly free. The …
A Thanksgiving Commander Deck Tech
With Thanksgiving later this week, I thought it would be fun to take a break from my usual “This Day in Magic History” column and instead write a Thanksgiving-related article. In this post, I’m going to give you a deck tech for my Thanksgiving-inspired Commander deck! The Host A Thanksgiving Commander deck definitely has to be about Food, so who …
It’s Time to Optimize for Fun in Commander
Kristen poses a new resolution for Commander players: optimizing a deck for fun, rather than just raw power. Players get very invested in Commander — it must be said. This shows up whether it’s in crafting the ultimate Vorthos experience with a finely tuned and reasoned thematic deck, getting matching sleeves, playmat and cool basic lands or, more commonly, in …
Urza’s Iron Alliance Commander Precon Upgrade Guide
Commander is a more powerful, established format these days, and the average deck is simply much stronger than it was in the early years of Commander precons. While that may have pushed designers in the past to keep pace, The Brothers’ War features the perfect, powerful character from Magic’s 30-year history to lean on: Urza. And while Urza’s Iron Alliance …
Getting Started with Starter Commander Decks
Starter Commander Decks are coming on Dec. 2, but what exactly are they? Are they any good? Let’s dive in and take a closer look — first at the product overall, then at each deck. What Are These? The Starter Commander Decks are five, standalone Commander decks, designed to come in at a lower price point (somewhere in the neighborhood …
Fringe Format: 7-Point Highlander
Despite the online grumbling, Eternal Magic is a lot of fun! With the widest pool of cards legal to play, you can sleeve up the idealized version of your favorite strategy from the game’s entire 30-year history and take on the world. Of course, while sitting down to play doesn’t always work out quite as advertised, the 7-Point Highlander format …
Threat Assessment in Commander
Even as a social game, Commander doesn’t ask everyone playing to take up much responsibility. Knowing the basic rules of Magic and generally being a friendly person are the main baselines, but there is one more skill every Commander player should develop to keep games as enjoyable for everyone as possible: threat assessment. For those newer to the game, threat …
2022 Commander Cards You’ve Already Forgotten About
2022 has been another bumper year for Magic so far. We’ve had a bunch of solid Standard sets and some neat supplemental products, too. However, with the sheer quantity of new cards to try out in Commander, it’s easy for some to slip through the cracks. Today, I’d like to reacquaint you with some cards I think deserve a second …