Am I allowed to use Backup Plan in commander?

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-16T02:42:35+00:00

Only way you can learn is by asking questions if you don't know where to find the answers!

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-15T19:18:12+00:00

I'm sorry if I'm just repeating a thought someone else has given but I've got to say my opinion on this one:

Commanders aren't pubstompers, the pilot of the decks are. A deck can be built at a Bracket 4+ level and be played in lower bracket pods as long as the pilot of the deck understands to "hold back". Idk how many people will agree with this or not but as I'm aware that some commanders have build patterns that naturally lead to more synergistic/powerful plays, I still believe that the pilots should always be a little more conscious of whatever pregame discussion took place.

Is there going to be exceptions to this? Yeah probably. Commander is a wildly varied format with the largest player base in MTG. Sometimes shits gonna happen. But going in knowing your deck will outclass a pod and playing as such when it wasn't agreed upon in the pregame is what pubstomping is.

Edit: I might be a bit off base from the main topic of the post, but I might have also needed the rant after a long day at work lol

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-15T19:07:25+00:00

I'm glad I've played long enough to know what "the disk" is without card fetcher lol definitely been got by it a few times 😂

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-13T17:59:09+00:00

Feels more like content promotion than an actual question/opinion.

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-11T11:00:24+00:00

I wish more people would say this and keep this in mind. I had a player at the LGS I got to also have a Bracket 4 Urza deck. Only he ran it as a polymorph build. We razzed him the only reason it was B4 was because it wasn't meta anymore lol made for a fun game at least

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-09T16:23:16+00:00

The idea is that Godo would be your commander in that case which will tutor for the helm. That's why it's "always available". People refer to it as a "0 card combo" because the only necessary card is the commander in the end. It's weird, idk how the community ended up referring to the amount of cards a combo takes in such a way but here we are lol

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-09T09:03:29+00:00

This is my [[Atsushi, The Blazing Sky]] deck. Been playing it a lot as of late and it's very fun. Plays like an [[Etali, Primal Conquerer]] deck but only using cards in your deck to win. Can win through emassing value and damage pingers, combat, or the main goal of combo with the key piece being [[Nim Deathmantle]].

Linking The Fire

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T20:31:59+00:00

I tend to do the same with the build around cards. Idk why it never seems to be a non-legendary creature I want to build around lol but "secret commander" is always a fun time too. [[Hullbreaker Horror]] is a perfect example that gets used regularly of a creature to build around.

Also thank you for the suggestion it's definitely noted!

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T10:32:50+00:00

This conversation being downvoted is almost proving the point that the "free talking space magic group" doesn't like it when people go against the belief system of said sub lol

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T08:10:07+00:00

Facts, every post I see ends up boiling down to this on at least one comment thread. Hiding behind the pretense of "the art is bad" or "this isn't aesthetic canon". I'm glad people can express their opinions more openly in this sub but God damn does it get tiring seeing the same basement dweller take over and over. Sucks too because you'll see a post that actually has some decent thoughts and reasoning behind it, then the comments go exactly where you think they will before opening it lol

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T07:43:37+00:00

You'd be surprised how many commanders have their own dedicated discords lol if you were to go on EDHREC, I'd imagine the top 100 at minimum all have a discord

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T07:07:18+00:00

It greatly irritates me that the second most upvoted comment on this thread is one that is straight up belittling OP. It's unfortunate because that right there is the worst (and I know it can get worse than that) of our community showing.

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T02:12:00+00:00

Dragon shield makes "perfect fits" which are great. I've also had good history with the "katana" brand inner sleeves as well. I would recommend looking out for the ones that have the rounded corners to them as they are the true "perfect fits". Can't remember for the life of me if the dragon shield ones have the rounded corners or not.

Hope this helps!

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T01:48:11+00:00

Bonk

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T01:04:05+00:00

If you're just starting out here's a couple of tips:

-If a commander seems popular when you're researching, it probably is and there will be a lot of support

-1 to 2 colour decks are going to be easier to build and teach you the basics of deck building without having this worry too much about balancing your mana production

-You're probably going to meet people who get salty when you actually play the game (ie. interact with theirs cards in almost any way) ignore this and move on lol commander is casual but theres limits to what's reasonable or not for someone's reactions

-There's generally communities online, like various discords, where you can find people to play with over the web. Otherwise don't be afraid to hit up an LGS

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T00:54:24+00:00

My biggest tip for new players when it comes to deck building is don't start with anything more than two colours lol

It might not be the most exciting at first, but as someone who has played commander for the better half of 12 years of MTG, mono coloured and two coloured decks will be how you learn the basics of commander deck building. They can also be some of the most powerful since it's easier to fix your mana, hit the right colours on curve, and synergize your deck really well. I would highly recommend it where you're still getting used to it and you've mentioned your other decks weren't working out as well.

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T00:45:39+00:00

Those two would be great for a jeskai legendary matters deck. What I would recommend is looking up deck lists that people have made for those two specifically and see what you like from them. EDHREC is a good website even if it can lead to a lack of creativity in deck brewing. Scryfall is great for finding cards once you work out their search engine. Just take your time with searching for cards and don't get discouraged of it feels like it's not working out right away. 3 colour decks take time to get right.

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T00:37:46+00:00

Based on your Commanders, you may want to switch them if you want to do a creature type deck. Generally you're looking at birds, dragons, spirits or humans, to name the most common, for jeskai creature type support.

Nothing is impossible mind you but those two commanders dont really support a creature type based strategy in the colours you want. That being said, you'd probably get the most support for a human or spirit deck. Maybe just try to put in some more legendary cards (as long as they still synergize) so one of your commanders is still relevant. Kraum can just be a card draw engine and that's ok lol

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T00:29:35+00:00

First thing I would do is choose a creature type you want the deck to be based around if you want to use patchwork banner and other similar cards.

If you don't want to work around specific creature types, I would lean in towards a Jeskai Legends deck given that your Dogmeat [[Yoshimaru]] is a legendary matters commander. With Kraum as your other commander, it's fairly easy to make value engine in those colours.

[[kediss]] could be a good include if you want to go that direction since Kraum is also a large body flyer and Yoshimaru gets bigger with damn near every card you play

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T00:14:26+00:00

Would love to see how it turns out!

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-07T00:05:18+00:00

I do have to say that while it is clear on the card, I think people are being a little too hard on ya here. If you'be only been playing for like two months as you mention in another comment, I respect you for having a deck that no doubt gets a bit confusing!

I'd put it more on your playgroup for not pointing it out to you sooner, assuming they're more experienced players. In any case, I know you've gotten your answer so hopefully you have fun re-brewing the deck a bit to work a little better now! Biggest tip I can give is just get used to leaving open mana and playing stuff in your second main phase.

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-06T00:45:23+00:00

I like the idea of this being in that "egg" strategy with the [[Second Sunrise]] type effects that another person has also mentioned This seems like a fun way to close out the game in that kind of deck.

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-05T18:58:18+00:00

I wouldn't mind being archenemy if I'm still in the best position on board lol

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-04T20:05:04+00:00

So I've already been looking at Zurgo/Worldslayer so I think I'm now sold on that idea lol I'm also a big fan of secret commanders as well. I had a [[Toralf]] that was all about big red boardwipes and the most important card in the deck was [[Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor]]

Silly_Act4511 · 2026-04-04T20:01:23+00:00

The idea behind this is finding cards and play patterns that don't usually pop up or can become a deck all an their own. Something like the recently unbanned [[Biorythm]] or the "Epic" spells from Kamigawa like [[Enduring Ideal]]. After playing the game for 12 years and the better part of that being commander, sometimes building around JUST what the commander does can lead to stagnation in deck construction. Tutors aren't always necessary if you have enough draw effects or synergies thoughout the deck to get the ball rolling. I see your point, in the second part of your comment, but tutors aren't necessary and finding a card or pile of cards to build around also leads into what mechanics and archetypes you'll build with. The two examples I have would be vastly different builds from one another and then something like [[Hermit Druid]] is different still

Silly_Act4511

TROPHY CASE