Magic: The Gathering Commander

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Magic The Gathering Commander 2015 logo.jpg
Commander
ReleasedJune 17, 2011
SizeFive 100-card decks, including 51 new cards
DesignersKen Nagle (Lead), Mark Gottlieb, Scott Larabee, Ryan Miller, Mark Purvis
DevelopersMark Globus (Lead), Peter Knudson, Erik Lauer, Ryan Miller, Lee Sharpe
Development codeBedlam[1]

Commander is a series of supplemental Magic: the Gathering card game products. Its mechanics are derived from a fan-created format known as "Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH)".[2] The official Commander format is "the only sanctioned format maintained by an outside entity" other than Wizards of the Coast.[3][4]

History[]

The original fan-created format, Elder Dragon Highlander, was developed by Adam Staley in the late 1990s and became a staple of his local play groups in Alaska.[5] Staley's original name was "a tribute to the line 'there can be only one' spoken repeatedly in the 1986 film Highlander" evoking the idea of a battle royale[6] and that there could only be one of a given type of card in a player's deck. The first part of the name referenced the Elder Dragons in the Magic storyline.[5] Sheldon Menery, who was introduced to the format while stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, then developed the format further culminating in his 2004 article[5][7] outlining the format on the Magic fan site Star City Games which "spread the word about it beyond his circle of judges for the first time".[5] This format differed in several ways such as an expanded deck size and a larger health total.[5][6] Scott Larabee, the Wizards of the Coast’s Pro Tour manager, played the format for the first time in 2005 with one of Menery's decks at a tournament. In the following year, Menery along with other Pro Tour judges, Gavin Duggan and Duncan McGregor, created a rules committee with an official website.[5]

Larabee went on to advocate the format within Wizards of the Coast which led to the commercial launch of the format in 2011.[5] The EDH name was changed due to intellectual property concerns. Since 2011, Wizards of the Coast has released a product line containing preconstructed Commander decks.[5][8] However, the format is still maintained by the Commander Rules Committee which is run independently of Wizards of the Coast.[3][4] In 2020, Wizards of the Coast released metrics from stores in its Wizards Play Network (WPN) on the total number of participates in Magic events (referred to as Tickets). Per the industry trade ICv2, "the number of unique players attending Commander events per week at WPN stores went from 9,000 in 2018 to 28,000 in 2020. In February 2020, all stores that ran events were averaging 1846 Tickets per year. However, stores that ran Commander events averaged about 2111 Tickets per year which is a 12.6% increase over the stores not running Commander. [...] Commander is clearly a growing format and is driving [organized play] numbers upward [...]. On a final note, for stores that carry singles, Reserved List Commander cards have been on a tear lately. [...] The market price sits at around $600.00 which represents more than a 45% increase in value in only about nine months". [9] In 2021, Dot eSports highlighted that "Commander has become one of the biggest formats in Magic over the past five years, even leading to Wizards of the Coast dubbing 2020 as 'The Year of Commander.' The format is a boon for novice and experienced deckbuilders to craft thematic decks centered around Magic’s over 1,200 Legendary creatures".[10]

Gameplay[]

A game of Commander in progress

Commander is a format where players construct 100-card decks, with each card (except basic lands) appearing no more than once. The format is primarily played with four players, each with their own deck. Players also choose a legendary creature or Planeswalker to be their "Commander" or "General" (a Planeswalker must be designated as allowed to be used as a Commander), which begins the game in the "Command Zone". Each player's deck is based and built around their Commander's colors. In addition to the same losing conditions that exist in a normal game of Magic, each player starts the game with 40 life points instead of 20, and a player may lose if he or she is dealt 21 or more total points of combat damage from a single Commander throughout the game.[11][3] The format "supports two to six players, sometimes more".[3]

Commander also has its own "banned list" of cards, separate from any other format[12] which is controlled by the Commander Rules Committee. This committee also maintains the rules for the format.[3][4][13] A list of the recommended banned cards in the format can also be found on the Wizards of the Coast official website.[14]

Variants[]

  • Commander is often played in conjunction with existing game formats such as Two-Headed Giant, Planechase, and Archenemy.[citation needed]
  • Duel Commander, also known as French Commander, got its origins from Magic judge Kevin Desprez, who brought the initial idea of EDH to France from the USA, before it spread across Europe and later globally. The game is played by two combatants, each starting with 20 life points, obeys the same rules as a regular Magic game, and has one commander (or commanders with Partner ability) plus 99 (or 98 with Partners) cards in the starting library. The mulligan system is the same as for sanctioned formats, and the deck construction rules follow the same color identity rule as the multiplayer version does. It also has its own ban list and is meant to be more competitive than traditional Commander.[15][16][13]
  • Magic Online 1v1 Commander is Wizards of the Coast's variant of Commander for Magic: The Gathering Online.[17] The format utilizes a ban list created by Wizards that differs from that of the Rules Committee.
  • Brawl is Wizards of the Coast's Commander variant which launched in 2018. Brawl utilizes all cards that are currently legal in Standard and has a rotation schedule similar to that of Standard. While similar to traditional Commander, deck size is limited to 60 cards and each player starts with 30 health.[18][19] The format is commonly played as a sanctioned event on Magic: The Gathering Online and on MTG Arena. It was a highly requested addition to MTG Arena[20][21][22] but the "variant never took off on paper".[23] The physical format was not well-received by the players due to a "shortage of preconstructed decks" and the resale price of individual cards.[24]
  • Pauper Commander is a variant in which each card in the deck must be Pauper legal (had to be printed or released online at one point with a Common rarity) and the Commander must be any creature (legendary or not) that was printed or released online at least one time at Uncommon rarity. On this variation, commander damage is 16 to 18 and starting life is 30 points.[25][26]

Commander sets[]

2011[]

Magic: The Gathering Commander was released on June 17, 2011. It consisted of five preconstructed decks, each containing three foil oversized legendary creature cards. This set is notable in that it was the first set printed outside of the normal booster pack expansions to have functionally new cards. The set introduced 51 new cards made specifically for multi-player games.[27]

Each deck is built around a new legendary creature and a distinct mechanical theme. In addition to the intended Commander, they include two other new legendary creatures.[28]

2012[]

Commander's Arsenal is a set with 18 premium foil cards, 10 oversized premium foil cards, card sleeves, a life counter, and tokens for keeping track of in-game effects. The set was released on November 2, 2012.[29] Each card in the set was the first edition of that card to receive premium foil treatment, the first to be printed in the modern frame, and/or received special art.[30]

2013[]

Commander 2013 was released on November 1, 2013. It introduced five new pre-constructed decks, each built around one of the three-colored "shards". 51 new cards were printed for Commander 2013, including five that introduced the mechanic Tempting offer, which allows opponents to duplicate the card's effect but at the cost of granting its controller a larger effect. Each of the Commanders interacts with the Command Zone, either offering a benefit for playing the commander repeatedly or giving the player a benefit while remaining in the Command Zone.

  • Evasive Maneuvers (green/white/blue, commanded by Derevi, Empyrial Tactician) has a tap/untap and exile-and-return theme.
  • Eternal Bargain (white/blue/black, commanded by Oloro, Ageless Ascetic) features the two themes of life gain and artifacts.
  • Mind Seize (blue/black/red, commanded by Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge) features an instant and sorcery theme alongside cards that punish opponents for drawing.
  • Power Hungry (black/red/green, commanded by Prossh, Skyraider of Kher) features a creature token theme, sacrificing them for a benefit.
  • Nature of the Beast (red/green/white, commanded by Marath, Will of the Wild) features a creature token theme.

2014[]

Commander 2014 was released on November 7, 2014. It introduced five new pre-constructed decks, each built around one of the five colors. 61 new cards were printed for Commander 2014, including five that introduced the Lieutenant mechanic, which gives a bonus for the creature if you also control your Commander, and the first ever Planeswalkers that can be your Commander.

2015[]

Commander 2015 was released on November 10, 2015. It introduced five new pre-constructed decks, built around "enemy" two-color combinations. 55 new cards were printed, including new commanders that utilized "experience counters" to grow more powerful as the game progressed. Other new cards introduced the Myriad mechanic, which allowed a single creature to attack every opponent simultaneously.

  • Call the Spirits (white/black, commanded by Daxos the Returned) themed around enchantments.
  • Seize Control (blue/red, commanded by Mizzix of the Izmagnus) themed around instants and sorceries.
  • Plunder the Graves (black/green, commanded by Meren of Clan Nel Toth) themed around sacrificing creatures and returning creatures from the graveyard.
  • Wade into Battle (red/white, commanded by Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas) themed around giants.
  • Swell the Host (green/blue, commanded by Ezuri, Claw of Progress) themed around creating multiple smaller creatures and increasing their power.

2016[]

Commander 2016 was released on November 11, 2016. It introduced five new pre-constructed decks, built around four-color combinations. The new "Partner" mechanic allows two legendary creatures, both with Partner, to serve as your commander. 56 new cards were printed, including the first 4-color legendary creatures.

  • Entropic Uprising (blue/black/red/green, commanded by Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder) with a "windmill" theme that gains benefits from opponents drawing or discarding cards.
  • Open Hostility (black/red/green/white, commanded by Saskia the Unyielding) with a focus on combat damage.
  • Stalwart Unity (red/green/white/blue, commanded by Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis) with a focus on "Group Hug" effects that benefit all players and encourage playing politics with the other players.
  • Breed Lethality (green/white/blue/black, commanded by Atraxa, Praetors' Voice) with a focus on +1/+1 counters and multiplying those counters.
  • Invent Superiority (white/blue/black/red, commanded by Breya, Etherium Shaper) with a focus on artifacts.

2017[]

Commander Anthology was released on June 9, 2017. It is a boxed re-release of four pre-constructed decks, one from each of the first four years of Commander sets.[8]

Commander 2017 was released on August 25, 2017. Starting with Commander 2017, Commander sets are reduced from five to four preconstructed theme decks (without reducing the number of new cards) and will be built around themes instead of focusing on color combinations. Commander 17 is a tribal set, with each deck focusing on one creature type. The new "Eminence" mechanic grants a benefit while a Commander is in play or in the command zone, with each commander having an additional effect while they are on the battlefield.

  • Draconic Domination (all five colors, commanded by The Ur-Dragon) a dragon deck.
  • Feline Ferocity (green/white, commanded by Arahbo, Roar of the World) a Cat deck, with an equipment theme that encourages improving a single creature at a time.
  • Vampiric Bloodlust (red/white/black, commanded by Edgar Markov) a vampire deck.
  • Arcane Wizardry (blue/black/red, commanded by Inalla, Archmage Ritualist) a wizard deck.

2018[]

Commander Anthology Volume 2 was released on June 8, 2018. Like the previous year's Commander Anthology, Volume 2 was a boxed re-release of four pre-constructed decks.[31] It contains the following decks:[32]

Commander 2018 was announced on February 14, 2018 for release on August 10, 2018. It sees the return of Planeswalkers as Commanders. It contains the following decks:

  • Exquisite Invention (blue/red, commanded by Saheeli, the Gifted) an artifact deck that produces artifact tokens.
  • Subjective Reality (white/blue/black, commanded by Aminatou, the Fateshifter) with a theme of controlling the top card of the deck.
  • Nature's Vengeance (black/red/green, commanded by Lord Windgrace) a land/landfall themed deck.
  • Adaptive Enchantment (white/blue/green, commanded by Estrid, the Masked) an enchantment themed deck.

2019[]

Commander 2019 was announced on February 21, 2019 for release on August 23, 2019.[33] It contains the following decks:

  • Faceless Menace (blue/green/black, commanded by Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer) with the overarching theme of playing face-down 'Morph' creatures and benefiting of playing creatures.
  • Mystic Intellect (red/blue/white, commanded by Sevinne, the Chronoclasm) a spell-heavy deck focused on casting spells multiple times, using 'Flashback' to cast spells again from the graveyard.
  • Primal Genesis (red/green/white, commanded by Ghired, Conclave Exile) a token deck aiming to create a bunch of token creatures and 'Populate' them.
  • Merciless Rage (red/black, commanded by Anje Falkenrath) Designed around discarding cards and benefiting of this by employing the 'Madness' keyword for value.

2020[]

Commander 2020 was released on May 15, 2020.[34][35] It contains the following Decks:[35]

Commander Zendikar Rising were released on September 25, 2020. This was the first Commander Deck set to change from the annual 4-5 deck sets to 2 deck sets for each major expansion release. It contains the following Decks:[36]

Commander Legends Commander Decks were released on November 20, 2020. It contains the following Decks:[37][38][39]

2021[]

Commander Kaldheim were released on February 5, 2021. It corresponded with the Kaldheim set. It contains the following Decks:[40][41]

Commander 2021 was released on April 23, 2021. It corresponded with the Strixhaven: School of Mages set. It contains the following Decks:[42][43]

Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Commander was released on July 23, 2021. It corresponded with the Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set. It contains the following Decks:[44][45]

  • Aura of Courage
  • Draconic Rage
  • Dungeons of Death
  • Planar Portal

Reception[]

Charlie Hall, for Polygon, commented in 2020 that "many Magic players see creating a Commander deck as the ultimate expression of a player’s skill, and of their ability to use their personal collection of cards to its fullest. The Commander format embodies the game’s reputation for competition, but also for storytelling".[5] Jason Coles, for Dicebreaker, wrote that Commander is "possibly the most popular format in all of Magic: The Gathering [...]. It’s a fun format that generally features groups of up to four players duking it out and trying to keep each other in check".[46]

Jan Švelch, in the academic journal Analog Game Studies, wrote that "the popular Commander format has been receiving yearly expansions since 2011 when the first official Commander pre-constructed decks were released. Many of these emergent formats address the more controversial aspects of the official and sanctioned Magic formats [...]. The interactions between players and developers often follow the logic of cultural convergence with popular community formats receiving official expansions. Creation of such community formats and their consequent commercialization by publishers can also be seen as a manifestation of fan labor in which fans create value which is later capitalized on by the official producers".[4]

In 2013, Steve Heisler, for The A.V. Club, wrote that "EDH is dorky and fun. [...] But ironically, EDH is in danger of transforming into the same kind of serious, streamlined structure that its original creators wanted to avoid". Heisler was concerned that Wizards of the Coast's expansion into the casual Magic scene would recreate issues of the competitive format such as players only using the most optimal deck; additionally, he commented that the preconstructed decks add a new metagame to the format. Heisler highlighted "now there are cards created just for Commander that are inarguably better than their counterparts, and their inclusion in the pre-made decks implies you really should think about picking them up. [...] But if you’re not going to use these optimal cards, you’d better get ready to play against them. [...] The metagame of Commander has largely been dictated by the collector marketplace, which itself is largely dictated by a card’s demand in non-Commander settings". Heisler stated that Wizards of the Coast began to add cards to Commander decks that are more useful in the Legacy format leading to collectors buying the preconstructed decks for a single card which then led to the price of the Commander decks increasing. Heisler wrote, "by feeding Commander product into the collector-driven sludge pot, and by emphasizing the inclusion of cards that are absolutely better than others, Wizards and the Magic collector community threaten to make this format just like all the others".[47]

In 2021, Xavier Johnson, for Dot eSports, highlighted that deck building thrives in Commander's more casual format. Johnson wrote, "Commander is a casual Constructed format that emphasizes the importance of individual playgroups setting expectations rather than adherence to a strict set of rules and a win-at-all-costs mentality. This underlying philosophy influences how players craft their Commander decks, since many players view deckbuilding as a form of self expression or a way to make use of their collections. [...] A quirk of Commander deckbuilding is the social contract and the format’s focus on a fun, communal experience rather than wins and losses. This leads to certain cards being generally shunned by many playgroups". Since there is so much variety between playgroups and the focus is on the social experience, there isn't the same adherence to the metagame as there is in other formats such as Standard and Modern; optimized cards might not be used in a local playgroup because these cards are "frustrating to play against".[10]

References[]

  1. ^ Shawn Main (May 20, 2014). "Conspiring a Conspiracy". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  2. ^ "EDH is now Commander". TCGplayer.com. December 2, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e McWhertor, Michael (2021-09-13). "Magic: The Gathering's most popular Commander has been banned". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Švelch, Jan (2016). "Platform Studies, Computational Essentialism, and Magic: The Gathering". Analog Game Studies. 3 (3). ISSN 2643-7112.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Hall, Charlie (2020-05-28). "Commander: The definitive history of Magic's most popular format". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "A fan-made format has changed the way 'Magic: the Gathering' sets are developed". NME. 2021-09-12. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  7. ^ "A Dual History | Article by Devon Rule". www.coolstuffinc.com. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Magic's Commander Anthology Asks a Steep Price". pastemagazine.com. 2017-07-19. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  9. ^ "Wizards of the Coast Reveals That 'Magic: The Gathering's' Commander Audience Has Tripled Between 2018 and 2020". ICv2. September 15, 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Johnson, Xavier (2021-07-30). "Deckbuilding thrives in Magic: The Gathering's casual format Commander". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
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  12. ^ "Deck Construction Rules". MTGCommander.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Fifth Element (of Commander)". MAGIC: THE GATHERING. December 25, 2014. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
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  15. ^ "A Commander Genius in France | Article by Steve Horton". www.coolstuffinc.com. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
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  17. ^ "Exploring 1v1 Commander". Star City Games. May 29, 2017. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  18. ^ "Wizards Announces Brawl, a New Commander Format with 60 Standard Cards". Hipsters of the Coast. 2018-03-22. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  19. ^ "Join the Brawl". MAGIC: THE GATHERING. March 22, 2018. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  20. ^ "Brawl is Magic: The Gathering — Arena's best mode. Make it permanent". VentureBeat. 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  21. ^ Forster, Danny (2020-06-23). "Brawl becomes permanent mode in MTG Arena, Brawlers' Guildhall removed". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
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  24. ^ Forster, Danny (2019-10-29). "Magic: The Gathering Brawl failures may kill the format". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  25. ^ "Let's Talk Pauper Commander". Star City Games. August 23, 2016. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  26. ^ "Five Fun Formats You've (Probably) Never Heard Of". MAGIC: THE GATHERING. December 9, 2014. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  27. ^ Ashley, Monty (December 2, 2010). "Announcing Magic: The Gathering Commander". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved June 5, 2011.
  28. ^ Ashley, Monty (June 14, 2011). "Magic: The Gathering Commander Decklists". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
  29. ^ Ashley, Monty (August 10, 2012). "Commander's Arsenal". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  30. ^ http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/218c
  31. ^ "Valentine's Day Mini–Announcement Day". MAGIC: THE GATHERING. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
  32. ^ https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/commander-anthology-vol-ii-legends-and-decklists-2018-05-08
  33. ^ "Announcing Core Set 2020 and Commander (2019 Edition)". MAGIC: THE GATHERING. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  34. ^ "Magic: The Gathering - The Top 10 New Commanders From Commander 2020". TheGamer. 2020-05-10. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  35. ^ Jump up to: a b "Commander 2020 in Review: Part One". Hipsters of the Coast. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  36. ^ Forster, Danny (2020-09-03). "Here's every MTG Zendikar Rising booster, box, bundle, and preconstructed deck". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  37. ^ "'Commander Legends': What Decks Are You Building?". The Mary Sue. 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  38. ^ "Here's an exclusive look at the upcoming Magic: The Gathering Commander Legends decklists". Destructoid. 2020-11-05. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  39. ^ "Here's An Exclusive Preview Of The MTG Commander Legends Set". Kotaku Australia. 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  40. ^ "Magic: The Gathering - Kaldheim's Elf Commander Deck Is RUTHLESS". CBR. 2021-01-23. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  41. ^ "Magic: The Gathering - Kaldheim's Spirit Commander Deck Is Absolutely Haunting". CBR. 2021-01-24. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  42. ^ Forster, Danny (2021-02-19). "MTG Commander 2021 deck names and colors revealed for Strixhaven". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  43. ^ "Commander (2021 Edition) Decklists". MAGIC: THE GATHERING. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  44. ^ "Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Commander Decklists". MAGIC: THE GATHERING. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  45. ^ "Magic: The Gathering — Which D&D Commander Deck Should You Buy?". CBR. 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  46. ^ "Magic: The Gathering's most popular formats explained". Dicebreaker. 2020-01-14. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  47. ^ "Why Magic: The Gathering struggles to stay relevant to casual players". The A.V. Club. December 5, 2013. Retrieved 2021-09-14.

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