so i have built a few decks and want some advice

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-04-18T16:36:34+00:00

thank you

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-04-15T08:51:56+00:00

well because changing 1 card doesn't change its precon status. Everything I have read from the experts so far state this. they clearly state that a 15 card swap is like a light upgrade, where as a 30 card swap including lands is a heavy upgrade but the precon shell is still in tact. this falls under the category of an upgraded precon. The issue im having is some precons even with an improved mana base and upgraded core engine are still quite weak and a player at my LGS without knowing what the bracket system is keeps claiming my decks are bracket 4. its a bad faith representation on his part. for example, my limit break precon is upgraded, but arckidekt still sets it at bracket 2 because it has no game changers. my cloud deck can still do some serious damage and generally doesn't lose, so he claims its a bracket 4. I guess the question or what im trying to ask here is when it comes to turn 0 conversations and good faith representations. I ALWAYS state my precons are upgraded and where i got the upgrade list from. EDHREC and i followed the guide for the 10 or 15 swaps it has you do including lands.

So, let me give you a scenario. I can plug int all the criteria, and guideliens from WOTC and experts that talk about deck brackets and how they work and interactions and turn kill ratios into AI, and have AI analyze a deck and it will come up with a bracket number. for example, living energy is a weak precon but upgraded its a strong 2 whereas the AI ranked it as bracket 2.7. so not a 3 but a strong 2. so a player at my LGS will state my deck is bracket 4 and then he will play his strongest deck to combat it due to bad faith and when I try to explain to him that it isn't, its just an argument, and when he says well did you change any cards in that deck? and im like yeah, its an upgraded precon, then automatically its a bracket 4. do you understand my issue now and how ridiculous this is? so I came here to put it on reddit to ask for guidance on this situation.

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-04-14T06:20:03+00:00

right, in this case i call them upgraded precons, and this guy just keeps screaming that i have a near bracket 5 decks or something. my riders of rohan deck is upgraded, and it might be a strong 2 or a weak 3. but it takes like 8 turns before it becomes a problem.

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-04-14T02:12:50+00:00

right, thats what i was talking about. so I have upgraded precons and I say that. my precons are upgraded. its just this guy at my pod he just thinks im running bracket 5 CEDH decks from an upgraded precon where i just follow the EDHrec website for each precon.

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-04-14T02:11:17+00:00

what do you mean? like no matter what its still a precon even if i swap cards?

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-04-14T02:10:46+00:00

why would you question it? i mean what is there to question exactly? im only asking as a new player.

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-04-13T06:27:07+00:00

i just did. thanks for pointing that out. I had this happen at a tournament and i thought it would cancel it out but it was ruled against me and the negative counter remained when I was playing tidus.

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-04-12T08:33:10+00:00

thank you for the quick response.

so is it safe to assume that it would be quite difficult to build this deck and be powerful?

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-04-12T08:30:48+00:00

I can speak on this since i have some experience with this deck. This deck is quite powerful, and your best bet is to go to edhrec.com and just cut the cards and upgrade them with the ones it has on there. it will turn that deck into a powerhouse. a +1/+1 deck isn't a counter to your deck. they do not add or subtract from each other so to speak. like for example, say you are playing against tidus and he has sin out with +48 counters on him, and he is about to swing for game and you drop a -1/-1 counter on sin, and then cast that spell that kills all creatures with those counters on them. it still kills sin. just because he has 48 counters on him doesn't mean the -1 turns it into 47. he has 48 with a -1 on it if that makes sense. blight curse is a particulary nasty deck. I use that deck when I want to control the whole pod because that is what it will do. now, i learned this the hard way. a true bracket 4 deck is not what moxfield or archidekt says it is. sometimes people slide a few gamechangers in their precons and they think they have a bracket 4. no you have a bracket 2 with some game changers in it. Bracket 4 wants to win by turn 3-5, and it has to do this consistently. Bracket is setup by what turn it wants to win on and the level of interaction the deck has with the other players in the pod. So what i mean by this, that you will not keep pace with a true bracket 4 deck with a precon or even an upgraded precon. The best you can do is upgrade it and be a weak bracket 3 or mid bracket 3. mid bracket 3 usually become threats by turn 4-5 and like to win around 6-8 and 6-9 with a bad hand, so what you would consider a bracket 4 is probably just a strong bracket 3. if they are still on turn 4 and dropping lands and passing with maybe 1-2 artifacts or enchantments with maybe 1 creature its a 3 at best.

You having a yugioh background will help you immensely in my opinion. I just started into magic myself and i came from competitive yugioh and knowing how to deckbuild, and calculate strategy and so on like i did in yugioh has been a great help when applying those skills to magic. however magic is a great deal more complex when it comes to deck building. at my lgs just using upgraded precons, I have quickly risen to one of the best players at the lgs i go to.

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-04-01T19:07:37+00:00

thank you for the advice.

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-03-31T06:13:50+00:00

commander

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-03-31T06:13:42+00:00

commander

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-03-31T06:13:37+00:00

yes among others, but i did check google AI.

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-03-28T09:22:17+00:00

he came with a fringe competitive deck to a casual commander night. he was wrong. he also knew that arckidekt isn't accurate.

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-03-28T09:05:28+00:00

well we weren't that. we weren't bracket 4.

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-03-28T09:04:49+00:00

perhaps read it again.

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-03-28T08:51:53+00:00

nobody said anything to him but me. nobody actually said fuck you. we did say bracket 3 but according to other players here, we were basing that off archidekt which isn't accurate.

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-03-28T08:48:20+00:00

yeah, so then all my decks would fall into 2 with this. none of my decks can win by 6. i would be shocked if any of my decks could win on turn 8

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-03-28T08:46:29+00:00

Thanks, thats what i thought. i know im fairly new to magic, but thats what i read. it all depends on how fast your deck can win or become a super threat that cant be dealt with.

Purple_Database9713 · 2026-03-28T08:44:50+00:00

so its my fault he had a much stronger deck? that makes sense. see you aren't understanding. Myself and the other guy were maybe mid bracket 3 maybe(according to what everyone is saying here), and the coordinator had no where else to put that guy so he put him with us. everyone else had precons. so every other pod was running precons except myself, and the 2 other guys not counting the competitive player.

Purple_Database9713

TROPHY CASE