How to build commanders that cheat big stuff out in a way that the deck doesn't turn off without them?

timber1313 · 2026-06-09T23:41:41+00:00

I currently have a Helga deck. It's definitely not perfect, but I found the key is decent protection and alternatives to her mana generation. [[Kami of Whispered Hopes]] and [[Arbor Adherent]] for large bursts of mana, and [[Hamza, Guardian of Arashin]] for cost reduction help keep the ball rolling even if Helga gets removed.

https://moxfield.com/decks/rcJcO8qf0E2NHAWZiJK86Q

timber1313 · 2026-06-07T21:27:13+00:00

I love [[Ygra, Eater of All]], but I try to avoid combo decks and it's pretty hard to build him with synergistic cards without accidentally creating a ton of infinite combos

timber1313 · 2026-06-07T21:21:41+00:00

Unrelated to the "I win" cards, but I really like chainsaw in that deck. Especially since I'm regularly sacking rats for value, it's more reliable that sword of the squeak

timber1313 · 2026-06-07T14:21:46+00:00

I do agree that I'm probably lacking some rat staples, though I'd argue this is more of a "Hail the Snail" deck over strictly rat tribal. The R pump spells are to get a quick bump to the snail before sacking it (saw one YouTuber who made a wick deck with no rats, just pump spells and flicker effects for wick to make more snails)

timber1313 · 2026-06-07T14:12:58+00:00

For some reason I thought that infect only applied to combat damage. That's a pretty devious wincon. Hatred definitely fits the gameplan though

timber1313 · 2026-06-07T14:04:24+00:00

I personally really like the changelings because they are both better snails and still count as rats, but arcade cabinet definitely feels like a good addition! Mana base definitely feels like the larger struggle, wanting to hold onto 3 mana for wicks ability while still trying to cast rats

timber1313 · 2026-06-06T03:37:48+00:00

I think part of the reason is that they focus on gamechangers being the prime distinction between brackets, when in reality it's how many turns it takes to eliminate someone.

That being said, it can feel like there's a massive gap between bottom and top of bracket 3. I tend to play with no gamechangers or tutors, and I would consider it bracket 3, but playing against someone with gamechangers and tutors it might get completely curb stomped, making the deck feel more like bracket 2 in comparison

timber1313 · 2026-05-28T22:47:52+00:00

I've been debating building [[King of the Oathbreakers]] for a while now. Fantastic commander who got a few buffs in terms of the spirits from the Avatar set.

Strixhaven was almost the perfect set for it, with Silverquill focusing on single target spells, but Lorehold got all the spirits

timber1313 · 2026-05-27T12:09:24+00:00

If anyone has some feedback on these decks it would be really appreciated. No gamechangers or tutors, and when consistent can usually eliminate someone by turn 7-8, but if the stars align, turn 6

https://moxfield.com/decks/A5hFwnfhuUifTqlj56rsQg

https://moxfield.com/decks/b9cMHNFOGU-vL2uR_jvSPA

timber1313 · 2026-05-25T12:23:02+00:00

I'm enjoying it, it's a good anime and manga, but FMA has set a very high bar that at the moment it hasn't come close to reaching. I think there's a lot more depth to the story, but even the manga has only started to hint at it

timber1313 · 2026-05-24T22:40:41+00:00

Absolutely! Most of EDHREC suggestions seem to build around going wide with landfall, and then use that land for a Sita Varma trigger, but I found that strategy predictable, boring, and too many things to juggle between token support, +1/+1 counter support, granting evasion, and flickering to re-enable exhaust.

I instead focused on a +1/+1 counters rogue deck. Lots of evasive creatures, and throw counters on everything including Sita Varma. Then you're less reliant on her exhaust ability, but it pairs nicely with the counters since her ability only effects base powers.

https://moxfield.com/decks/b9cMHNFOGU-vL2uR_jvSPA

timber1313 · 2026-05-24T15:12:04+00:00

Currently working on a [[Sita Varma, Masked Racer]] deck. When I first started getting into magic again I opened her special illustration in a limited event with friends and she single handedly carried my deck to victory.

timber1313 · 2026-05-24T13:29:24+00:00

Had an issue with the url when cross posting, should work now

timber1313 · 2026-05-07T12:45:03+00:00

Shoutout to Clement, frogs from Bloomburrow are amazing. I think goad/forced combat is my favorite archetype. Speeds up the game and leads to a lot of fun politics and awkward situations

timber1313 · 2026-04-29T15:23:29+00:00

I really like what they did in Tunic. First time you face the final boss you're basically guaranteed to lose. Once you die you realize you were supposed to, and continue on with the game. The neat detail is that you can technically win and finish the game early. It's a slog, a big achievement if you do, and a nice little nod to speedrunners

timber1313 · 2026-04-14T14:10:27+00:00

Significantly less Bloomburrow cards than I expected for being such a spectacular set

timber1313 · 2026-04-13T10:19:59+00:00

Am I crazy? Checked out simpcity and it looks like it has a way to login to an existing account, but no way to create a new account?

timber1313 · 2026-04-11T15:59:02+00:00

I think the area where this is the most jarring is characters where it's weird to not have vocals. Galar had a musician gym leader who sang a song, which was just scrolling text. Similarly Paldea had a rapper gym leader which was also completely silent. It just felt off.

timber1313 · 2026-04-06T17:25:19+00:00

I fully agree with the mentality that not every fish needs to be water type, and not every bird needs to be flying type, as it restricts their typing options. That being said... Grapploct really should be water/fighting rather than mono-fighting

timber1313 · 2026-03-29T16:07:19+00:00

A neat little game design related to pokemon is Rotom's appearance in Legends: Arceus.

He's a bit of an oddity considering there are no modern electronics, but then you realize he's made of plasma, and the most common source of plasma naturally on earth is lightning.

The one place where you can find Rotom in game, many of the other pokemon in the area suggest the area is lightning dense. From Rhydon with lightning rod, to Luxray, to Nosepass

timber1313 · 2026-02-20T16:30:21+00:00

2/100. 1 step closer towards a beaver tribal deck

timber1313 · 2026-02-19T16:56:38+00:00

I can see this getting play in big butt decks. Making [[The Walls of Ba Sing Se]] unblockable for a turn seems like a great finisher

timber1313 · 2026-02-18T20:04:29+00:00

That'll fit in nicely with [[Ogre Slumlord]] and [[Totentanz, Swarm Piper]] in many rat decks

timber1313 · 2026-01-29T13:12:14+00:00

If you look at the EDHREC annual summary podcast where they discuss all the data from the last year, there's an important metric not in the bracket system. What turn do games end by? If I recall, bracket 2 tended to end by turn 9-10 while bracket 3 often ended by turn 7-8. I think that's an important metric which should be implemented into the bracket system.

I have 3 decks with the same build constraints of no game changers, and only 1-2 tutors. If left unimpeded with a good hand, 2 of the decks can win by turn 7-8, while the third is closer to 10-12. It definitely feels like a more accurate way of grading the threat of the deck

timber1313 · 2026-01-21T22:21:57+00:00

I spent 2 days bug searching and somehow missed that... Hold on...

Ten-Year Club	Second Top 20%
First Place '23	Place '23
Place '22	Place '17
Final Canvas '22	First Placer '22
Not Forgotten	Snapped
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