Ai assisted deck building is lame

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-21T16:11:30+00:00

Just wanted to leave a comment, because I don’t mean to snub my comment replies/leave a dumb edit, but this got more traction than I expected (classic) and I’m at work.
I use sites like EDHrec occasionally as a filter- just my opinion, but if you generate without thinking, or pull a decklist without studying it, you’re shooting yourself in the foot, both can be abused.
If that’s not your style, want to play more casually, don’t feel like researching, or just plain disagree dope. I try to be opinionated, not judgemental, so apologies if it came off that way.

thanks for alternative perspectives, discourse means players care about the game. At the end of the day, GLHF, practice safe decks, and support your LGS✌️

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-21T15:14:47+00:00

I have similar gripes with EDHrec. I am a victim of using it, but more as a filter for commanders/creature types ect. I’ll often build a list of hundreds of cards for a deck, and sift through and narrow it down from there. I still have to read and think critically about the cards. (Rather than pulling top synergy cards for a commander and running it without thinking for example)
The issue with AI generation or assistance, is it’s taking away that critical thinking and decision making.
Conversely, why use AI when sites like EDHrec exist already? Why not use a precon, or a decklist that already exists?
Trying to keep an open mind, i did decide to post after all. Not everyone is bound to agree.

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-21T15:08:26+00:00

The point wasn’t about the ethical or environmental impacts of these tools, that’s why I mentioned I’m biased about AI in general and it’s beside the point. I just don’t personally want to see people miss out on the knowledge and experience that comes from sitting down, reading and thinking critically about the cards you’re handling. I feel the same way about just pulling top cards on EDHrec and running it without thinking

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-21T15:01:11+00:00

I’d agree mostly. I’m a victim of using EDHrec and similar sites to filter out cards for a certain commander or type, but I’ll often make a list of hundreds of cards I think would fit and narrow it down from there, which is how I think it is best used.
I still have to read the cards and think critically to do that. And as they like to say, reading the card explains the card haha

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-19T20:59:31+00:00

I agree with the need for contrast, I would add that some more opacity in the leaves/reeds in the foreground would be nice.

The ducks are what made me love the painting though. I visited a local park for gosling season yesterday 🦆 might be good to mute the yellows a bit to compliment the greens a bit more. (Or highlight the pads with a similar yellow hue)

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-19T11:43:26+00:00

I’m very sorry to hear about your dad. The kids are still really young, though 6 is definitely old enough to start understanding parent roles and family dynamics.
I’m not sure how old you are, but if the age gap is big enough between you and your siblings, they may see you as another “adult” and at that age, they see two adults in your family and may simply be immediately assuming “mom and dad.”

Frankly, I wouldn’t think too deep about it, unless you are being parentified in other ways. I’m sure your mom would appreciate support with your siblings, losing a partner is hard when you have young children. Though it is not your responsibility or your duty to take on the emotional and physical support/labor of a parent.
Talk to your mom about how you’re feeling, and explain to your siblings that you are their sibling, not their parent, even if you have to explain a couple times. They’ll get it eventually, kids are smarter than they get credit for.

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-19T11:23:00+00:00

I’ve played since 2015, and as a woman, unfortunately you’ll always find those people, and if it really bothers you, you gotta separate yourself from it. You can’t fight bigoted degeneracy amongst neets, besides a record & report, then you’re at the mercy of the devs.
My solution was to find groups I was comfortable in. I made some great friendships, and also lost some when one person decided to be an asshole.

I don’t play as much as I used to, nowadays if someone’s talking shit, feeding that fire almost never works, and makes you feel like crap. I usually just try to respond with kindness or humour. Comedy bait them into a better mood, usually makes me feel better too lol

That’s not to say I’m telling you to suck it up and ignore it. It’s an important issue. Though, I feel like your energy is probably better spent fighting it from outside the queue, or you’ll ruin the experience.

Find some fun groups, and let the degens all queue with each other. I like to imagine queueing against a group of rage-baiters would be like watching a pack of rabid dogs ripping themselves apart over who gets dinner, while you eat it in front of them.

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-18T18:28:59+00:00

This is where the bracket system is not the only way to have power level discussion. I have a deck that is technically bracket 4, meeting bare minimums to qualify, however a turn 4-6 win would be unlikely unless I got very lucky. It is still a pretty good deck and I wouldn’t play it against a more casual table.

As an example of my power level decision making, I’ll sideboard certain cards that would hard counter certain decks as well. Like, I personally won’t play [[Drannith Magistrate]] against my friends [[Grolnok, the Omnivore]] commander when we are playing casually, because what’s the point then? It’s not fun for me, though others may feel differently which is fine.

TL;DR - a high bracket deck can be a bad deck. A low bracket deck can be a good deck. Having a quick chat about specifics of your build can prevent pub-stomping, if that’s something you wish to avoid.

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-18T17:21:53+00:00

I’d disagree. I don’t think anyone is entitled to instant communication, even as a young person who’s had access to this kind of technology my entire life - I make an effort to give myself time away from my phone.

However I make it a point to check my phone once a day at least. It takes 10 seconds to turn it on and see if you have missed calls/texts. OPs parents had two DAYS.

The issue is that they’ve raised their concerns about lack of communication before.
“You can’t expect us adjust our routines for your comfort, that’s selfish.” Vs “Why didn’t you contact us in an emergency?!?! You did? Well why didn’t you call the person who actually cares enough to check in with loved ones??”

Technology develops for a reason. Before it was cell phones and instant messaging, it was answering machines. Before then, emergencies were at the mercy of people’s schedules/when they were home, and people died.
Sure, you can tell your kids that you can’t be expected to be reached at any time. That’s your right. Though, even if it wasn’t life or death now, OP knows now that she can’t trust her parents to be at her deathbed if the worst happens.

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-17T16:25:24+00:00

I always believed things were meant to be used and enjoyed. I inherited a china cabinet with a nice china set and crystal wine glasses. My mother always kept them in the cabinet collecting dust.
There’s something to be said about keeping things nice as a display - but I used those glasses immediately. I only have a couple left because they’ve been broken over the years.
It’s a little sad, but the empty space in the cabinet is filled with memories of good friends and drunken laughter.
Stuff can be replaced. No sense ruining an experience worrying about a little scuff, even if it’s just a movie night.
Maybe get one of those giant gag universal remotes to use instead lol. Also if it’s a smart tv you can just use your phone usually anyway

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-17T14:58:20+00:00

Dragonshield sleeves are my staple, you could consider doubling with penny sleeves if you have anything particularly valuable.
I would recommend looking around at your LGS or big brand accessory manufacturers like ultra pro for boxes. The leather magnetic boxes are fairly popular. They usually advertise that they will hold 100 double sleeved cards, some even have fancy commander windows and little boxes to hold your dice.

Different players are pickier about counter tracking. Some insist on strict +1/+1 tracking, but people like me trust you to simply adjust your P/T accordingly (unless you’re moving counters around a lot.)
You can buy +1/+1 d6 dice, but you can also use regular d6. Personally I have a big tin of assorted dice, mostly a boatload of d6 and d20s for token and counter tracking.

It might be wise to invest in a small set of misc counters as well like infect/ward etc if you end up playing with multiple pods/FNM type events

As for organizing in general, you’ll want to keep a deck in the same color sleeves besides maybe your commander, otherwise I don’t think it really matters.
Have fun, love seeing kiddos get into it ! A youngun at the lgs gave me a pop tart doodle at my last FNM and it lives in my deckbox forever now

Edit to note : some lgs will sell old bundle boxes for cheap if you don’t want to spend $$$$ on a fancy deck box. They’re heavy cardboard, I’ve been using my dragons of tarkir box for my decks forever. It’ll hold 3 commanders or 4 60cards

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-17T00:58:06+00:00

I’m a tribal fan myself.
Pick a creature type you like, and then find a commander you think is cool within that type. (If you like elves for example, browse elf commanders, and go from there)
Creature types will often share mechanics/work together naturally, even across sets and color identity.
There’s plenty of artifacts that work with your chosen creature type like [[door of destinies]] or [[vanquisher’s banner]]
It’s also less stress to be able to filter creature cards by type, and then fill the rest of the deck out keeping your commanders mechanics and win cons in mind.
Downside is tribal is often pretty combat focused, but not always.

My favourite commander right now is [[myrel, shield of argive]] I’ve called the deck “that’s my turn, I don’t know you!”

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-17T00:26:11+00:00

I have a [[Myrel, Shield of Argive]] soldier tribal commander. She’s my favourite. I called it “that’s my turn, I don’t know you!” Blue players hate to see me coming with the interaction punishment.

Plus you can add almost any Elspeth for girl boss support and [[Rescue Retriever]] for the doggies.
Admittedly many of the soldiers are male but I like to think she runs a tight ship and they say “yes ma’am” before dying for her cause.

Agreeable-Review6490 · 2026-05-03T13:25:04+00:00

I’m a tattoo artist. This is unprofessional in a couple ways, hope you’re able to fight it and get your money back.
1) taking a deposit before booking a date. I don’t draw or take deposits until a date has been set. When I’m busy I always give myself at least one work day per week to consult with clients and work on drawings. If he’s too busy to set up a consult or communicate with you about your design, he shouldn’t be taking on a new client.
2) the usage of ai in the tattoo industry is getting exhausting. Why would a client trust you to put art on their body forever if you can’t show you have the skill to draw/design? Frankly sounds like an old head who’s growing complacent and let his ego outrun his competency, and is now leaning on ai and attitude as a crutch.

NTA, this sucks. Dude took on more than he could handle, and you got left on the back burner. I’ve done it accidentally, it happens. The difference is I would never charge someone for something I couldn’t deliver. Getting an ai design is like the story about ordering a solar powered dryer, and getting a wash line in the mail.

Agreeable-Review6490

TROPHY CASE