The Right Commander For The Job

So a couple of your card filpping buddys wants to play some commander. But you don't have one of these fabled commander decks. The solution to this problem seems pretty straightforward build one. But you don't just want any old Legendary critter. no you want a general that will Bring you that Glorious victory. Or at the very least have some fun trying. You need the right commander for the job. first things first you have to decide what your deck does.

There are three main archetype in magic. As i am sure any one reading this knows. aggro, control ,and combo aggro rarely ever works in commander. You may get one or if your lucky two players down. But you normally lose soon after. Don't get me wrong it's still a option just the weakest of the three. Combo on the other hand is quite good especially if you have the right set up and some tutors. cards like niv mizzet the fire mind who can win the game with a sample two card combo. Stuff like curiosity and similar effects can end the game quite easy if not interrupted. Last but not least you have control. and it is by far the most widespread of the trio. Commanders like sakashima the impostor that can and will become the spitting image of the biggest guy out there. And merieke ri berit who can just steal the best creature on the board make it do her laundry kill the creature then rinse and repeat. are just some of the manipulative commanders out there.

After you have decided on a archetype it's time to pick the color or colors of the deck and the overall theme of the said deck. Not all commander decks have to follow a theme but there are many generals that are stronger when the deck supports its theme. Take zur the enchanter; for example without any enchantments for him to fetch up he is no good. but put even a few halfway good ones in and he is quite dangerous. it is also important to remember that some color combinations have assess to many different commanders with different themes. blue and black has guys like grim grim corpse born who needs a steady flow of creatures to be effective while oona queen of the fae works best in a deck that has a strong mill focus.

Another important aspect to keep in mind when picking a commander is its mana cost. You want your generals out on the battlefield as much as possible. and due to the hostile nature of commander creatures die including your generals. So getting them off the bench again is key to your survival. This is why rhys the redeemed is one of the better generals out there. Not only is he extremely cheap and easy to recast but he can build his own army one that keeps growing with every passing turn. But with that being said your average generals cost anywhere between 3 to 6 mana. If you do plan on playing one of the more expensive legends, then it should have a game ending effect lona shield of emeria is a prime example of a general that will most likely only come out once. But can easily stop the game cold in it's tracks.

The last thing to consider when picking your commander is how much attention do you want to attract. After all commander is a format full of politics alliances and of course back stabbing. Some generals are just so easy to abuse to the point where the game is one sided and not fun. Even if your deck is not made to be abusive the other players will for the most part still be weary of your decks capabilities and try to target you. Generals such as zo-zu the punisher, azami lady of scrolls, jhoira of the ghitu and momir vig simic visionary are just a few of the generals that will put a target on your head. that is all i have for now it is time to retire the old keyboard.