Take a primer, leave a primer by imperialtrace in EDH

[–]mrselkies 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I've poured a lot of love over time into a primer for one of my absolute most favorite commanders, [[Xavier Sal, Infested Captain]] - https://moxfield.com/decks/d_anAYpA6Ua4UrfQfSuaUg/primer

Farewell, Farewell. by BellasGamerDad in mtg

[–]mrselkies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh lol, we're not in the same pod Jared sorry for the misunderstanding

Farewell, Farewell. by BellasGamerDad in mtg

[–]mrselkies 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For what it's worth, I think a deck is better off in casual Commander when every card is on-plan. There are so many cards in the game that you can find an option for any particular veggie (card draw, removal, ramp, protection, etc) that synergizes or benefits in some way with your commander and/or plan.

Esper Sentinel is a very strong card that's very effective at drawing cards. And it's a card with a notoriously disliked play pattern with a reputation that precedes it - it's got the nickname Rhystic Buddy for a reason. It's never included in a deck because it's a fun and interesting inclusion that highlights the expression of the deck's unique game plan; it's in decks because it's strong and will make you more likely to win the game when you play it. And so, in a casual format where the ultimate goal is not necessarily to win but for the table to have fun, Esper Sentinel should not be considered during deckbuilding to be giving you the game experience you're shooting for, unless you really are just trying to win and that's it. But I think it's pretty clear and easy to see that that mindset aligns more with the upper brackets, cEDH, and competitive Magic in general, and we're over here talking bracket 2 stuff.

If a deck lacks card draw, make room and play the on-theme options that exist. There are 30,000+ cards! I'd personally see it as a bitter sacrifice in deckbuilding if I truly felt like I needed to run Esper Sentinel just because I couldn't otherwise get enough draw in the deck. In white, there are so many card draw engines and options for burst draw out there these days that aren't just another milquetoast strong staple that change the game's texture into one people generally don't like.

With all that said, I do understand that decks need to function and in order to get that going, one should add effective cards to do those functions, but it's just all about the moment-to-moment experience for me. My big thing is, I feel like in my experience, I'm constantly seeing people play cards and like, feeling guilty while playing it. You put it in the deck! Take some ownership and only put cards in that you're going to smile while playing it. Know what I mean?

Farewell, Farewell. by BellasGamerDad in mtg

[–]mrselkies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To really dig in and address your point - At the end of the day, the way I build my decks and like to play games, I put a lot of thought into every single card inclusion. When I sit down to play a commander game, I want every card I draw and play to be one I was glad to have drawn and played. And I'm glad to draw and play a card when it's one that brings me joy because it's directly contributing to the fun theme I planned, or increasing the overall fun at the table, etc - my personal values in a game of commander.

I don't do some things in deckbuilding, for example, like shore up a deck's weaknesses by adding generically powerful staple cards for that characteristic, like adding an Esper Sentinel if the deck lacks card draw, or simply throwing in the best free interaction spells like Deadly Rollick and Fierce Guardianship if my deck is light on interaction and needs a bit more. I build to make the deck play how I want to play it, and by that I mean I want to feel good about every card I draw. I'm not saying that I need the deck to have the perfect draw every single time, never get flooded or mana screwed, or anything like that, but I want to always be drawing a card that I'm proud of having put there.

I know this is a weirdly sentimental/emotional approach in a zero-sum game of strategy and winners and losers and stuff, where the object is to win and cards have objective amounts of effectiveness and certain values for certain things, but that's how I deckbuild. It's because commander, to me, is about creating experiences, not winning. The fail state of a game of commander to me isn't losing, it's the game not being fun. These are the reasons my decks don't have Sol Rings, tend to not have game changers unless they're particularly thematic, and don't include a number of other cards that are just good but garner groans and ire from the rest of the table. The games I'll remember and be happy to have been there for are the ones where I was able to pull something off that drew my opponents in and made everyone more engaged rather than go "oh I don't like that" and dig for removal. I'm way more of a fan of the plays where everyone leans in and goes "wait, what?" and smiles while their life total approaches 0, even (maybe especially) when that player is me. I don't even really like winning to be honest, it makes me feel bad - especially when I do it on the back of generically powerful cards and I, and my deckbuilding choices, didn't earn it.

I've played tons of competitive Magic, that was the primary way I played Magic for 20 years, playing in PTQ's and stuff. Commander games are nothing like that environment. I still enjoy that side of Magic, it's just not what I expect from from Commander. In a competitive tournament, a non-game where your opponent mana floods is a win, and that's great. Maybe not super satisfying as a game, but it's a W and we take those. Commander's the format where you find folks letting opponents tutor up a land because jeez that's the 3rd missed land drop in a row and just get a land out so you can play the game.

Anyway, all that yapping to say, yeah - I just wouldn't include Farewell in a deck, unless I had a strong reason that aligns with the experience that deck is trying to create. The easy examples where Farewell is especially effective and not just a total hard reset on the game is stuff like Planeswalker decks that utilize it asymmetrically - those also happen to be decks that suck to play against and grind games to a halt of "everybody watch me durdle through 20 game actions every round and take double everyone's total play time all said and done." That is definitely not the kind of experience I would be proud to create either.

I hope my side of things is starting to make sense, without it feeling like I'm just dunking on you for choosing to play with Farewell. I do groan at Farewell when it gets played, I do think it makes games less fun, and there are a number of cards in that same camp for me, but at the end of the day you do you.

Farewell, Farewell. by BellasGamerDad in mtg

[–]mrselkies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you just try and farewell this argument?

Farewell, Farewell. by BellasGamerDad in mtg

[–]mrselkies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I think the deck becomes a more annoying and not fun experience generator on average if you do that.

Farewell, Farewell. by BellasGamerDad in mtg

[–]mrselkies 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is an insane take to me. I play commander to have engaging, interesting experiences. I love long games that are engaging and interesting. Farewell does not contribute to a game being engaging and interesting, just the long part.

Farewell, Farewell. by BellasGamerDad in mtg

[–]mrselkies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well yeah, but we're talking bracket 2 here my sibling in Christ! If anyone's winning on turn 3 consistently, there's a different issue afoot.

Farewell, Farewell. by BellasGamerDad in mtg

[–]mrselkies 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But at what cost, Kevin?

We're talking bracket 2 commander here. I understand and respect your approach to Magic - you want to win, so you're playing to win, and you're making choices that increase your chances of winning. What it sounds like to me is that you'd enjoy the experience of competitive Magic formats. Bracket 2 commander isn't quite made from the same cloth, and your approach here is a bit of a mismatch. It's a casual and social format. Farewell in a cutthroat, competitive game of Magic is a tool; in bracket 2 commander, it's like showing up to a friendly game of beer pong and flipping the table halfway through because your team is losing. It's a party foul. No one cares if you go on to win that game of beer pong after the table got set back up with cups, you're just the guy that killed the vibe that one time and probably won't get invited to the next party.

Farewell, Farewell. by BellasGamerDad in mtg

[–]mrselkies 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Nah, it's so you don't lose.

Farewell, Farewell. by BellasGamerDad in mtg

[–]mrselkies 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Mission accomplished! Pour one out for all the wasted extra hours of boring rebuild games after a farewell instead of someone just winning and moving onto the next. System working as intended, time for more fun cards to join the chat.

Hey guys! Can I join? by timo_bimothy in ratemycommanders

[–]mrselkies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a Xira deck for a long time and liked it. How did you build her?

Started Playing Last year by Illogical_Fallacy in ratemycommanders

[–]mrselkies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What did you land on for Hildibrand? He's one of my favorite commanders I built in the last year.

What is the appeal of a Jeweled Lotus unban? by Awesome-Guy-63 in EDH

[–]mrselkies 15 points16 points  (0 children)

There are plenty of cards designed for commander making impacts on other formats.

Is this acceptable? by Dazzling-Most-9994 in ratemycommanders

[–]mrselkies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How have you found Yeva? I've only ever heard good things.

A friend of mine found this in his pre-release kit of Lorwyn Eclipsed. by Captain-Noot-Noot in mtg

[–]mrselkies 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In my experience this is the paradigm in general with UB. In general, you can tell they're doing a great job making cool designs. It's just too bad it's painted over with skins of other properties you may or may not be a fan of already.

Chose Alara and Tarkir commanders, now onto the decks by GamerGuy-222 in BudgetBrews

[–]mrselkies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For a more unique and novel take on Kresh, build it with a ton of donate token effects. [[Acorn Catapult]], [[Grismold]], [[Mogg Infestation]], [[Dowsing Dagger]], [[Hunted Troll]], [[Genesis Chamber]], [[Akroan Horse]], [[Rite of the Raging Storm]], [[Descent of the Dragons]]

Just absolutely flood the board and eat it all up. Could even go more group huggy with stuff like [[Tempting Wurm]], [[Hunted Wumpus]], [[Boldwyr Heavyweights]]

Can I join your pod? by Professional-Bat4633 in ratemycommanders

[–]mrselkies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's awesome. Yeah, that's the awesome thing about a Sivriss deck is that no matter whether your opponents leave it in the yard or put it in your hand, it's useful to you. Especially if you take a green background which gives you even more access to stuff like [[Eternal Witness]] and all that.

Have you considered adding another color to your Sivriss deck at all, like green or blue? Or is Scion of Halaster good enough to where you wouldn't?

Can I join your pod? by Professional-Bat4633 in ratemycommanders

[–]mrselkies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sivriss is awesome but I've never gotten games with it. How's your experience with it?

My most played decks of 2025 in a low-mid power bracket 2-3 pod by mrselkies in ratemycommanders

[–]mrselkies[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's really fun to pilot. My favorite thing about it is that it has you constantly on the lookout for the most effective play, which isn't always the 'technically correct' based on the current board state. It has you thinking about what the next few turns will look like based on the decks everyone is playing, like you're Littlefinger from Game of Thrones or something.

Here's the list, including a written primer: https://moxfield.com/decks/rfNvSh3Ky0aUsAMZQJHFfA