Hi all,

I used to love EDH, but I'm admittedly pretty down on it these days. This is mostly due to complaints you've definitely heard before, but I'd say the biggest issue is difficulty tracking the game state. There are so many cards that I don't know these days, there are tons of visual variants of cards I do know, etc. It's just hard to track what's going on, which makes it hard to make good gameplay decisions, which makes it hard to enjoy the game (for me).

In the MTG cube community, there is a concept called a "bar cube." In a nutshell, this is a cube that doesn't need tokens or dice to play - it's designed to be compact and simple, so that you could take it to a bar and play with friends on a small sticky table and it would work.

I'm interested in trying to build a "bar EDH deck." My goals are:

• Minimize my on-board permanents. This could be things like ramping via putting lands into play instead of using mana rocks, not having "flood the board with creatures" as my primary gameplan, playing one-time card draw over incremental value engines (i.e., Harmonize > Thopter Spy Network), etc.
• Minimize my opponents' on-board permanents. This could be board wipes, removal, counterspells, etc. Bonus points for cards that give me an out when I have to care about something so I can use fewer brain cells worrying about it preemptively (e.g., Settle the Wreckage > Day of Judgement).
• Keep the mana base simple. Lands that need to be arrayed across the table to keep track of activated abilities, different colors, etc. are also added complexity. I'm imagining all basics, which I think could easily work in a one or two color deck (especially if I can minimize two-pip cards).
• Win the game quickly and efficiently. 120 life is a lot of life to get through. This usually means you need a lot of creatures and insane value engines, or a combo. I'm leaning more combo for simplicity's sake.
• Keep power level lower bracket. This is just a personal preference for my play group and to make the deck as utilitarian and fun to play against as possible. Obviously, this creates a bit of tension with the combo-y nature of my win condition goals, but I think it's possible (janky alternate win-cons, combos that can be stopped with one removal spell, etc.).

My initial thoughts about this have led me to ideas like Xenagos, God Of Revels, which would allow me to ramp via lands, hang back, and then start slamming huge creatures that come in and swing for 20+ (going tall rather than wide fits the goals), and/or trying to end the game with Chandra's Ignition/Fling type "combos".

But, I'd LOVE suggestions and thoughts from the brain trust! This could be ideas for Xenagos specifically, suggestions for other commanders or cards, comments on your own experiences with something similar, or just broad thoughts about implementing the goals (i.e., "I think board wipes will be your best friend," "You probably need to be in green to have non-rock based ramp," "What about X win-con?", etc.).

Thank you!

I have an [[atla palani]] deck that is built all around getting [[jumbo cactuar]] out and doing cactuar shenanigans. It has about 9 other creatures that support him by giving trample and what not. [[serras emissary]], [[stonehoof chieftan]], [[brash taunter]]. Fun stuff. [[platinum angel]] cuz it goes in any deck I can stuff it into. It’s won plenty, but has gotten a little stale in the pod. I threw [[dack fayden]] in and now it’s like I get to crack an egg for the whole table! It’s a gamble for sure, but the whole table loves it. Plus if someone gets cactuar or [[serra avatar]] I still have all the instants that give things trample or unblockable. It’s been the most fun gambling I’ve done in magic. Just wanted to share a different take on this card that’s getting talked about so much. Thanks for reading!

Recently, I've been running decks with absurdly low curves in an attempt to cut as much ramp as possible (goal: improve the value of top decks in the later game). I've had success in 1-2 color decks, but I've had zero success with this in my Grixis deck. I abandoned the idea because Kefka is the commander and he's 5CMC anyway, so I just kept the ramp in.

However, now, I'm considering trying out [[Vraska, Soul of Stone]] or [[Zurgo Stormrender]] (or maybe both) I'm having immense difficulty with this endeavor. For my 'low curve, zero ramp' decks, I typically run 36-38 lands (depending on draw in the CZ) and it's been difficult for me to actually get all the colors I need (and untapped) by T3 without running every single fetchland or cutting a lot of lands that tap for a single color.

For example: I usually run about 36 lands, 12 of which only tap for a single color (9 are basics and 3 are a utility land like bojuka bog, arena of glory etc. and some other utility lands like demolition field).

Need help from the aggro players: how do you do this?

Note: I think Vraska can get away with mana rocks because the mana rocks will still trigger her ability but Zurgo seems like he really doesn't want ramp at all.

Hello everyone! My friends have all convinced me to get back into magic and get started with Commander.

I haven’t played Magic since Arcane Phoenix rotated out of standard. Back when I did play I had 2 decks, one for standard and one for modern. My standard deck was a izzet spellslinger deck focused on Niv Mizzet Parun, Arcane Phoenix and crackling drake whereas my modern deck was a goblin guide focused red deck wins type of deck.

I’m very new to commander so I’m not sure what to build around or who to even start with. I’m used to 1v1 so who would be the most logical commander to get me started with?

Hello, I’m finishing tuning up my Hulk deck and wanted to get some extra feedback. Any thoughts are appreciated.

The decks main goal is to create as many extra combats as possible, mainly through Hulk or Hellkite charger, and get rewarded for it.

It does have a light voltron theme, through a little playtesting I’ve noticed that it can handle my commander getting removed once and be ok but anything after is a big struggle. Thank you!

https://moxfield.com/decks/i26hAeuUIXiEkzarsOB1Qw

TL:DR
My wife has Elven council and it’s kind of bad any help?
I also have tramplesaraus rec and a 2004 dark steel transference blue/colorless deck.

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5667314#paper

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/7962761#paper

https://mtg.wtf/deck/dst/transference

I wanted to get into Magic recently, mostly to play with my wife.
I got myself the tramplesaurus rex and calling all angels precons
And my wife I got the elven council that was on sale (shes a massive lotr nerd)
We played for the first time yesterday with my brother as well.
They got bodied by me playing the angels deck.
Even though She’s a sore loser she did say that she think she could like it when she got the hang of it but feels like the deck was kind of mid and wouldn’t be any fun if were playing 1v1 (because of the voting system)

Can anyone help me upgrade her deck or build a new one from what I have?

I also found my old deck from when I was a kid
It’s a 2004 dark steel transference blue/colorless deck

Maybe mix the elven council with the tramplesaraus rex and the darksteel deck?

I just don’t know anything about the game really.

I’ve wanted to build [[the last ride]] for a while but I haven’t been able to find a niche for it that really feels interesting for it. I’ve thought about control combo with edicts and discard effects but I want it to be fun without just jamming a bunch of black staples in the deck. Any ideas?

I’m testing this B2 Hazezon, Shaper of Sand deck that focuses on getting as many lands played/sacrificed per turn for a go wide wincon. It’s been alright and the deserts themselves help with the play cycle like Cradle of the Accursed. The one flaw it feels like is besides removal and one creature in the deck, there’s no way to fight back against flyers other then just swinging right back and hoping that they block with the flyers. There’s probably some card specific solutions but I’m more looking for anthem effects like Akroma’s Memorial, Archetype of Imagination or Eldrazi monument.

Deck List

Just built this deck yesterday and got absolutely destroyed by two different groups. I feel like this has potential but it’s not performing as I hoped. Please give me recommendations to make it a bit better. PLEASE.

I also realized my pod might be playing at a less competitive level and I actually might not be good at all lol. Moxfield link below. Let me know what you think and how to make it better. Thank you 🫡

https://moxfield.com/decks/0d2HjqGJBUmlVWgVz0hQRw

So I’ve been a long time magic player but have taken breaks through the years and when I came back last year I’d never really played commander before. Mostly a standard player, sealed, little bit of draft.

I now realize why I have avoided eternal formats over the years and it’s because, my god, I cannot remember the names of cards and what they do together. I remember more of what a card does, and its concept, but tying it to a name when people are just casting spells and saying names, I frequently have no clue what’s going on. And this is for cards I have played against before.

Iconic cards with a good name, those I can remember. But I literally cannot memorize which mox is which for example, I always have to ask what it does again. I don’t really feel too bad about it, but sometimes it’s just embarrassing.

I’ve been asking my playgroup to just tell me what the card lets you do rather than just saying a name, and specifically not asking to read the text because they think I mean that and I don’t. I don’t want to read the whole game. We all picked cards because we know what they do and I tend to play that way, I’ll still say the name of the card. Example: cast annul which lets me counter that enchantment spell.

Any advice would be appreciated. I’m realizing that I also spent some gap years playing Arena and you don’t need to really learn names as much as watch things resolve so I feel like that really worked for me where I could know what’s going on all the time.

The deck feels fairly consistent at the moment, I do need to replace a few of the dual battle lands shocks, but even without many it still plays well, and I don’t find I’m struggling for colours usually.

The main gameplan is to build up a lot of mana and win the game with X spells, but there’s a lot of cards in the deck just for value too.

At the moment it feels like it plays like a strong bracket 3, maybe a weak 4, but I would like to get it up to being a solid bracket 4, and I don’t really know what else I can do to get there. There’s a few cards I’ve put on the maybeboard that I’ve been considering, but I’m not sure if I should include them, or what I would switch out if I wanted to put them in.

So looking for advice to do that really, thanks very much.

https://commandertemplate.com/decks/c4d489ef-f99b-4ec5-8284-b6270a3c464e

Hi!

My name is Skura, also known as IslandsInFront.

Today, I want to share with you a deep dive into one of my commander decks - Raffine, Scheming Seer.

It's meant to be an interactive tempo strategy with a small-creature reanimation subtheme.

It's meant to be without game changes, around Bracket 3, and without any crazy expensive cards.

I hope you find it useful and entertaining! Cheers!

https://ultimateguard.com/en/blog/raffine-scheming-seer-edh-deep-dive-deck-philosophy-strategy-and-card-choices

Lately I've been trying to build decks that take it a little bit more easy, just stay behind the person thats ahead and take less heat for it. Put one or two permanents on the field that look innocuous but accrue incremental value that help me to the lategame. I'm mainly playing in brackets 2 and 3. For instance I saw someone play a [[the vision]], it drew a couple of cards, deterred some attacks and there were always creatures that were a bigger problem.

I'm definitely playing blue for this but I'm not set on the other color(s), so please let me know your favorite cards!

Every time I watch a Magic content creator, they say you should play 38 lands. What really annoys me is that they present it as a fact without backing it up or using some kind of nuance.

Personally, I play 36 lands in my bracket 3 decks. This gives you a 50% chance of having 3 or more lands in your opening hand, 75% with one mulligan and 87% with a second mulligan.

If you start the game with 3 lands in your opening hand, you have an 82.0% 20.6% chance of drawing 4 more lands by turn 7. This rises to 90.3% 41.1% if you’ve drawn 2 extra cards during the game using a [[Night’s Whisper]] or something.

I also did the numbers on 38 lands and it generally increases all the previous percentages by about 4%. To me this 4% doesn't make the world of difference all those content creators make it out te be.

Making a [[Blor, the Impervious]] deck for my partner, and that 5 CMC seems really pricey. I don't play much green, or much voltron, so it's been a tough build. In my head, I'm wanting to consistently have him on the board by turn 3, but I have no idea if this is realistic in a deck that wants a load of buffs, as well as a pretty decent draw and removal package to keep up pressure.

I was thinking to maybe go all-in on the enchantment stuff? Get a bunch of those "Enchant Land" auras alongside the dorks I already have to really boost the curve, then get more value off cards like [[Helm of the Gods]] and [[Strong Back]].

I'll put the decklist below. It's mostly tagged, but I'm still actively working on it so tags might be inconsistent and weird.

https://moxfield.com/decks/hnIxOi-gP0aom68HmGPwBg

Full transparency, I believe salt is an important spice for any great dish - but I realize great food is best shared with friends and family!

So, is there a way for players to helm a salty commander without people in the pod shaking their heads in disgust? Have you ever played against a salty commander and felt "hey, this is pretty cool actually"?

The new "Salt" scores are out and I want your input!

Can you play a [[Sheoldred, the apocalypse]] in a deck without any forced draw and be alright? Can you play [[Urza, Lord high artificer]] without any stax and not be shunned for eternity?

For reference i have listed the 25 most salty legendary creatures according to Top 100 Saltiest Cards of 2026 | EDHREC here:

[[Tergrid, God of Fright]]

[[Grand Arbiter Augustin IV]]

[[Vivi Ornitier]]

[[Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger]]

[[Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur]]

[[Toxrill, the Corrosive]]

[[Hokori, Dust Drinker]]

[[Sheoldred, the Apocalypse]]

[[Urza, Lord High artificer]]

[[Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant]]

[[Braids, Cabal Minion]]

[[Edgar Markov]]

[[Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow]]

[[The legend of Yangchen]]

[[Deadpool, Trading Card]]

[[Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy]]

[[The Ur-Dragon]]

[[Emrakul, the Promised End]]

[[Prismari, the Inspiration]]

[[Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines]]

[[Ulamog, the Defiler]]

[[Jodah, the Unifier]]

[[Etali, Primal Conqueror]]

[[Maha, Its Fearless Night]]

[[Y'shtola, Night's Blessed]]

Hi there! I’m trying to create a deck where the main goal is not to win but to instead play a bunch of weird wacky stuff and make sure everyone has to deal with it. Any advice you guys might have on what I should keep over what I should drop to maximize the chaos would be greatly appreciated or if you have any recommendations for weird things to swap in I would love to hear it! The commander in here is purely for the name and WUBRG and will probably never actually be played. Also this is not for regular play but for a specific pod I’m in to try to match up to some of the things people are wanting to bring. https://archidekt.com/decks/27868176/chaos_incarnate Thanks for the help!

https://moxfield.com/decks/_XFMA6oeXkiG5P46vrqfiA
Per the Decklist

I made the commander on a whim and I was curious as to what kind of theme I’d be able to cook up out of it. Initially I started with just the sea creatures themselves and added a pinch of copy spells and enchantments to make them a little more threatening. I also wanted a theme of control to be within the deck, but I didn’t want to go the traditional route of counter spells directly(the designated and forbidden overwhelming banana flavor of commander). Eventually, I started digging around my bulk for a potential enchant themed stax when I noticed that I held a decent helping of stun-based support. I instead went with the artifacts/stun/control build per my first mono blue deck and proudly gave it a try in my pod!
Needless to say, the Voltron player did not like me putting six stun counters on his Captain America and the other pod member proceeded to use every single card’s worth removal on me/my commander the whole session. I had no combos on the board, my only creatures at the time simply granted me card draw through combat triggers, and my commander at that point cost 8 to cast. I managed to get him out early game between a sapphire medallion and its self-reducing cost, so almost a turn or two over each time it hit the board, its protection would be burned through followed by removal.
I get that not everyone is a huge fan of stun counters, but what does that have to do with my commander? It doesn’t really have anything to do with the deck strat itself, I just liked the big boy, but for some reason its constant removal makes me kind of dumbfounded as to why they think its the big bad. Are the stun counters too much?

Hey everyone! I’m looking for some feedback on my Commander deck. I’d appreciate suggestions on cards to add or cut, improvements to the mana curve, and any weaknesses you notice.

I’m interested in making the deck more consistent while keeping its main strategy of draw/second draw payoffs intact. I wanna go big but also go wide. Then having alternate cool wincons of clearing my entire library. I would love to hear what changes you would make or what you think in general.

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/6XafBOIKMEu8Tj7blxTS8w

Thanks for the help!

Been trying to decide which I want to use for my 32 deck color combination in Orzhov, and I just can’t seem to decide between the two. Was wondering if anyone’s had experience with both and can share some insights?

Goldfishing them both, Niv-Mizzet feels like the stronger option overall, the option (well ok, the main game plan) of turning lifegain into card draw is really strong, it always feels like you can brute force your way through your deck to get what you need or just sit on a giant pile of life if needed. Extort is also great, and there’s a bevy of ways to just end the game from Exquisite Blood/Sanguine Bond combos to just drawing your deck and tossing in Dr Doom. My main concerns are that it can be slow to get the big guy out, and then protecting him once he’s out since I imagine it’s boogeyman time once he hits the field. Plus he almost feels a bit too strong for what I usually play in, which is more upper bracket 2 into bracket 3.

Elenda on the other hand is quicker to get out since she’s not 6 mana. Aristocrats with a touch of vampire tribal is fun, and you get dual options for beating someone with a giant vampire for commander damage or making a horde of vampire tokens if she gets taken out and simply rebuilding from there, so it has good endurance and a solid gameplan. More combat-focused than Niv obviously, and unlike having to source or buy a bunch of Niv stuff, I imagine a good chunk of stuff for Elenda is sitting in my LCC precon. My main concern with building Elenda is that for me personally, it devolves pretty quickly into another token deck, which I already have a couple of, so it’s not really a unique spin on a deck for me. It also feels like it needs more moving parts than Niv (who just needs you to gain life to do the thing), Elenda herself is just the payoff of her own deck; you have to provide your own sac outlet and (ideally recurrable on the cheap) things to sac, etc. So if you don’t see them timely, you’ll just be kinda twiddling your thumbs until then.

But yeah looking to see if anyone has some insights about both of them. Thanks!

I came upon a reel where someone was reviewing a decklist they were sent and was questioning why they didn’t have [[dark ritual]] in the deck, the player “misread” it apparently. Anyhow in the comments there were people arguing that you shouldn’t always run Dark Ritual in black, that it puts you down a card so it’s bad, that the rate isn’t good enough. How did we get to this?

I'm trying to build Gisela, Blade of Goldnight and I am having trouble bringing up the speed of the deck. I'm currently getting around a turn 7-8 win condition/board state and I am wondering how I could improve this. I am looking to bring it down to around turn 5 or 6 if possible. My main win-con in this deck is heartless hidetsugu but it is so obvious that I am worried that I will just get counter-spelled and be outta luck.

Here is the decklist as well: https://moxfield.com/decks/T9MbDO_uqk-f2feoY88jCQ

Hey everybody!

I have recently started building a Liliana-deck, with a Discard and Zombie theme, with [[Liliana, Heretical Healer]] as the commander for the deck.

But I dont know if this is a good deck or if I have forgot some "must have" cards for this type of a deck.

It would be awesome if you could take a look and see if there is something you want me to change :)

I want the deck to be a Bracket 3 deck :)

Here is the decklist:

Liliana’s Discard of the Dead • (Mono-Black Commander deck) • Archidekt

I know this sounds crazy, but after playing for years I've noticed a correlation between the quality of someone's mana base and the general strength of their deck. This trend continued even when playing online, where absurd pricing wasn't an issue.

Based on my experience, a potential (non-exhaustive) list would be something like this. We can probably shift the exact rankings around, but I feel like this gets my idea across. Weaker decks fight with modest mana bases, while cEDH remains utterly untouched.

1 & 2: any basics, command tower, utilities, evolving and similar tapped fetches, tri lands, or tapped dual lands

3: shocks, battle bonds, and fetches, MDFCs, ancient tomb, triomes, urza's saga

4 & 5: OG duals, channel lands, cavern of souls,