Post #15: Commander with No Green

After playing Commander/EDH for a couple months, I've noticed that Commander is a very expensive format to start playing in. With increased popularity, Commander staple cards are becoming very expensive because they are either out of print or not many copies of the card exist in circulation. Since formats like Legacy and Vintage spike the prices of dual lands (from Alpha-Unlimited), keeping them out of reach, and the new Modern now jumping the prices of Shock lands from Ravnica block to $20+, getting the proper fixing for your more than often multicolor deck becomes extremely taxing on your bank account. The lands for your EDH deck establish the foundation for how the deck will perform because the ability to fix your mana before your opponents will give you the edge in every match. The prices of cards like Mind's Eye and Damnation that see play in many EDH decks are also slowly rising. Sadly, cards like Solemn Simulacrum and Life from the Loam, which are very good in EDH, have a price that is dependent on more competitive formats, making them more expensive. I'll give out some of my tips for getting those expensive cards and building solid decks without dishing out your savings and staying on budget. These tips are aimed at almost every other format too. 

Trade. I can't emphasize this point enough, but trading is probably the best way to get any card you're looking for. If you've purchased cards in the past and haven't found a use for them, slip it away into a trade binder or booklet so you can try to 'move' those cards for cards you really want. If you're the type to get really attached to your cards, then this option might not be the best for you. Trading does take a while to get used to and become good at, but you'll get there eventually. I recommend getting a trading binder of some sort and putting your rare cards, uncommons/commons that are worth $0.5+, and foils and organize them in. The more presentable it is, the more enticing it is to a potential trader it becomes. It's almost as if you're trying to a sell a product to potential customers. 

 

How do avoid getting ripped off in trades? There are two different types of trading, trading in terms of value and trading in terms of utility. Personally, I do both. In value trades, both parties assign a value to their cards and in the trade you attempt to make the values of the trade equivalent with each other. You can accomplish this by looking at the local stores sell prices or you can download a pricing app for your smart phone. Either way, the prices should be kept current. Even with these resources, I try to keep someone around who is current on pricing because formats can change over night and it's good to know what cards are hot right now and which ones are not. If you're just starting to trade heavily, I strongly suggest having a (Goblin) Guide with you to help you out with pricing. The other type of trading is for utility. Some cards just have a higher 'overall' value than other cards. This is more aimed at older cards, such as expensive lands and cards that have been out of print for a long time. Older cards tend to trade at a slightly higher value than newer cards. Also, some trades can be conducted by rarity or necessity. I think these trades are fine as long as both parties understand what the cards are going to be used for.

My final tips on trading are to be observant. If you're opening new product, do it with an audience. Sometimes, you'll open cards that you really really don't care about, but someone else will. Make some trades, if they want a card badly enough, they'll make an offer you'll like. Also, try out new card shops, the more you go to, the more card pools you have access to. Hit those shops up when their big events like FNM or when their weekly casual night is. The more players, the larger the card pool. Don't be hesitant to make small trades. Sometimes a small trade can lead to a bigger trade down the road.

Another tip to making your deck unique without spending the big bucks to buy foil versions of all your cards is to look at promos and alternate art versions. Most of the time the extended art versions or foil alt art promos are within a dollar of the original art's value, sometimes less. Unless the card had a low print number, most promos are very affordable. You could also purchase version of a card that are played or slightly played which are usually several dollars cheaper than the original. In trades, you could also argue about a cards condition and usually knock off a few dollars off it's value with someone reasonable. You could also get into the artistry of the game and do your own custom paint or proxy jobs. They are a bit time consuming and require some research, but some of the work I've seen have come out very well.

To stay on budget and find great cards for your casual or commander deck, look at the most recent set. For casual, M12 has a lot of playable cards that are more than affordable, like Master Thief, Elixir of Immortality, the mage cycle, among other rares that are within 1-3 dollars. Since a lot of people are opening M12 product right now, they won't be hard to find as well. Look around after a draft and see what people are opening, you'll usually find someone who packed a playable rare they weren't planning on using. If you're a player who wants to stay current but doesn't have the funds, switching formats in trading is a good idea. You could trade away your EDH/Commander staple cards for Standard or Casual cards and vice versa. Switching formats in trade becomes a really good tool as you find different audiences looking for different things all the time. 

Personally, finding old, expensive cards is really fun, but you have to be very patient. For new cards and casual players, it's much easier to find them because the cards are still in print. There are other ways of getting the cards you want, but the methods are a bit more complicated. You could always check out the Trade Document on the right hand side of the website. =] Until next time Magic players.

-David J.

Post #14: Commander, All Around

After beginning Commander (again) after the Summer Commander product release, I've had a great time playing in many chaotic and enduring battles against friends. Some games have been fierce and friends and I have talked about them for days, while others have been extremely stale. Here are my field notes after playing Commander exclusively for the past 2 months.

Building a deck takes a long ass time. You want options to a lot of different strategies, since there's so many different types of decks out there. You don't want to get blown out by a turn 0 Leyline of the Void or a Day of Judgment, wiping your entire army away. Having the ability to: draw more cards, tutor for cards in your library, recur or Regrowth cards from your graveyard, and remove your opponents' creatures, artifacts, enchantments, and planeswalkers becomes paramount in surviving the onslaught of multiplayer. I've run into difficulty building EDH decks because there are just so many different cards to choose from. For my first EDH/Commander deck, I chose Teneb, the Harvester because he was my first card I ever owned, so I had to pay my Due Respect. I built mine with a heavy graveyard theme, playing a lot of cards like Sun Titan and Sheoldred, Whispering One and playing cards that help me fill my graveyard or sacrifice my creatures, such as Greater Good and Birthing Pod. I've had a lot of fun with the deck and enjoy bringing back an undead army every game. I enjoy playing cards that are versatile, like Beast Within or Diabolic Tutor, which seem to get me out of rough situations time and time again. Playing with a general is really awesome, because I have access to my 6/6 flyer at almost any point in the game, not to mention his incredible recursion trigger. Your general plays a bigger role in the deck than I first expected and not taking advantage of him/her seems foolish. I really like the decks that heavily revolve around their general, even though sometimes those decks don't perform as well as a 'good stuff' deck, I think the flavor behind the decks makes them very unique. There's also something aesthetically pleasing about seeing your general in the general zone on a throne, constantly reminding you why the deck exists.

Switching over from 60 card casual decks to EDH/Commander wasn't very difficult, but the transition changed how I played the deck. In casual games, my goals were to establish a strong board presence and kill players off in the late game. Now, the goal of my games aren't as easily defined. My strategy can range from trying to race and kill my opponent early all the way to destroying my opponent's combo pieces so they don't combo off and kill me. Each game unravels differently, since none of the decks carry an aggressive amount of consistency. The randomness and power level of the cards you're playing are probably the biggest reason the format is so enjoyable for casual players looking to have a good time.

One of the biggest changes coming to the format was drawing cards. I can't emphasize how important drawing more cards becomes. After someone knocks out your hand with a Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur, Mind Shatter, or Identity Crisis, having card draw can keep you going in the game. In Commander/EDH, having cards in your hand is just as important as having lands on the battlefield. When almost every card in your deck can have a devastating impact on the board or help you come even closer to winning the game, having more cards in your hand than your opponents will swing the game in your favor every time.

The hardest thing I've learned is the format is being a good sport. In casual, games go very quickly when everyone is at 20 life and your early and midgame are where most of the action is. If a game becomes too tedious, the game can usually end quickly or get close to finishing. In EDH, games can gruel on and if several people are committed to freezing the board, the game can last forever. Personally, I don't mind long games, but there are some games where players can be doing nothing and turns begin to blend in as land-pass is put on repeat. Although I'm very competitive and I hate losing, sometimes it's better just to call it gg and move on to another match. When your opponent casts Obliterate or Genesis Wave for 30, the game is probably over. There's no problem in going against the waves and try to grind out a win or have a fight for the death attitude, but sometimes that can go a bit too far.

When building EDH/Commander, be prepared for silly things and seeing some outrageous cards you've probably never heard of. I still like playing magic in a competitive way, but I feel EDH/Commander has made me realize how fun it is to be a casual magic player and play cards that are out of scope and underrated. My tips to beginning a Commander deck from scratch is to find a legendary creature that you can relate with well and build a deck that complements that card and your play style.

On an unrelated note, here's some housekeeping. For all the new players that joined MTG Casual Net, I'd like to welcome you to our community. Our group is a great way to network with other players, discuss strategy, spoilers, deck tech, rulings, and any other things you can think of. If you want to participate in trading cards, we have the Trade Document (on the right hand side) that's directly connected to the group. Please understand that most of the players in the group live in Florida, so if you're out of state, you'll have to make appropriate arrangements. Since the Trade Document is available, please refrain from posting trade requests on the Facebook group to avoid spam notifications for other members. Our group is run by a handful of admins who are here to help and have experience in many formats of the game. Here's a quick introduction:

David Jetha: 4 years of Casual magic from Orlando, Fl
Sean Wang: 2 years of Casual magic from Gainesville, Fl
Carlos Cabrera: 2 years of Casual magic from Gainesville, Fl
Nick LoCastro: 2 years of Standard magic from Gainesville, Fl
Michael Hood-Julien: 2.5 years of Casual magic from Miami, Fl
C.J. Hunter: 1 year of Standard magic from Orlando, Fl

If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of the admins, judges, or other members on the group. Until next time, Magic players.

-David J.