How to Get Better at MTG Commander: Beginner Tips and Tricks

A friend of mine recently dived into the Commander format of Magic: The Gathering, having grasped the basics of the traditional game. Commander, known for its social, interactive, and complex nature, presents unique challenges and opportunities for players looking to enhance their gameplay. For those aiming to transition from casual play to more strategic and skilled gameplay within the Commander sphere, here are some strategies and insights to consider.

Understand Commander Dynamics: Unlike other formats, Commander revolves around a 100-card deck with a singular legendary creature as your commander. This unique aspect significantly influences deck building, strategy, and how you interact with other players. Your commander's abilities should shape your deck's strategy, offering synergy and cohesion.

Build Around Your Commander: Ensure your deck maximizes the strengths of your commander. Whether it’s a creature-focused, control, or combo deck, every card choice should complement your commander's abilities or help you get them back into play if removed.

Embrace the Political Aspect: Commander is inherently a social game. Use diplomacy, negotiate alliances, and sometimes even bluff to navigate through the complexities of multiplayer interactions. Remember, how you communicate and interact with others can be just as crucial as your gameplay decisions.

Versatility is Key: Given the vast card pool and the singleton rule (except for basic lands, each card must be unique), include cards that offer flexibility. Cards that can serve multiple purposes or can be effective in various situations add value to your deck by ensuring you’re seldom without an answer.

Plan for the Long Game: Commander games tend to last longer than other formats. Include cards that provide incremental advantage over time, and ensure your deck can transition smoothly from the early game to the late game. Cards that scale in power over time or offer repeated benefits can be particularly valuable.

Manage Threat Perception: Being perceived as the biggest threat can lead to a quick exit. Balance making powerful moves with keeping a low profile. Sometimes, the best strategy is to let opponents deal with each other while you build up your resources quietly.

Master Your Meta: Commander groups often have a "meta," a common set of decks or strategies. Understanding the decks you're likely to face can help you prepare specific answers or counter-strategies. Tailor your deck not just to your playstyle but also to have tools against common threats in your playgroup.

Value Over Time Matters: Include cards that give you more value the longer they stay on the board. Enchantments, artifacts, and creatures that accrue benefits over time can shift the game in your favor, especially in a format where every card counts.

Incorporate Board Wipes: In a multiplayer format, the board can become crowded quickly. Having a few board wipes can reset the game, providing a lifeline when opponents’ boards become overwhelming. Choose wipes that fit your strategy—some might spare your creatures or have additional benefits.

Inclusion of Tutors and Card Draw: Consistency is challenging in a 100-card singleton format. Include tutors to fetch key pieces and sufficient card draw to ensure you're not running out of options. Balancing these elements with the rest of your deck is crucial for smooth gameplay.

Respect the Stack: Commander games can involve complex stacks of spells and abilities. Understanding how to navigate and manipulate the stack can provide significant advantages, especially in pivotal moments of interaction between multiple players.

Enjoy the Variance: Part of Commander's charm is its unpredictability and social interaction. While improving your gameplay is important, remember to enjoy the unique experiences each game brings. The focus on fun, creativity, and social interaction makes Commander a uniquely rewarding format of Magic: The Gathering.

Leverage Unique Mechanics: Commander's diverse card pool includes many mechanics that can be uniquely powerful in a multiplayer format. Investigate older sets for underutilized mechanics that could give you an edge, such as cards with the will of the council, tempting offer, or join forces mechanics that involve all players in the decision-making process, adding a layer of strategy and negotiation to your game.

Include Flexible Removal: In a format as diverse as Commander, having removal spells that can target any type of permanent is invaluable. Prioritize inclusion of versatile removal spells or creatures with removal abilities to ensure you're never caught off guard by unexpected threats.

Emphasize Synergy Over Power: While powerful cards are tempting, cards that synergize with your commander or your deck's theme can be more impactful. A deck with cohesive synergy is often more resilient and capable of powerful combinations than a deck simply filled with high-powered cards.

Experiment With Alternative Win Conditions: Commander games can sometimes become stalemates. Including one or two alternative win conditions, such as Helix Pinnacle, Maze's End, or Approach of the Second Sun, can give you a surprising route to victory that opponents may not see coming.

Consider Cards That Scale with Players: Cards that become more powerful with more opponents, such as those featuring the tempting offer mechanic or spells that affect all opponents, can offer immense value in a multiplayer setting.

Adapt to the Evolving Board State: Be prepared to change your game plan based on the evolving dynamics of the game. Commander is unpredictable; flexibility and adaptability are key to seizing opportunities or mitigating threats as they arise.

Invest in a Robust Mana Base: Given the longer nature of Commander games and the higher casting costs associated with powerful effects, ensuring your mana base can support your strategy is critical. Include a mix of lands, mana rocks, and ramp spells to ensure you can cast your spells on time and maintain pace with your opponents.

Prioritize Card Efficiency: In a 100-card deck, every card should have a purpose. Include cards that either advance your game plan, disrupt opponents, or offer flexible responses to unforeseen challenges. Efficiency also means considering the mana cost to impact ratio, ensuring your plays always move you toward a winning position.

Play to the Table: In multiplayer, it's not just about your deck and your plan; it's also about understanding the dynamics at the table. Read the room, identify the archetypes and strategies your opponents are using, and adjust your playstyle accordingly. Sometimes playing defensively and letting others take the lead can be to your advantage.

Enhance Resilience to Counterplay: Anticipate ways opponents might disrupt your strategy and include cards that protect your key pieces or offer redundancy for your critical functions. Consider spells or abilities that grant hexproof, indestructible, or other forms of protection to your commander and other important permanents.

Practice and Reflect: As with any format, practice is crucial. After each game, reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and why. Discuss game moments with your playgroup to gain insights and perspectives that can help refine your strategy and deck-building approach.

Enjoy the Journey: Commander is about the shared experience as much as it is about competition. Embrace the social interactions, celebrate the epic moments, and enjoy the journey with your playgroup. The memories and friendships forged around the Commander table are often as rewarding as the victories themselves.

Commander is a format that rewards creativity, strategy, and social interaction in equal measure. By focusing on these aspects, you can enhance not only your understanding of the game but also your enjoyment of it. Whether you’re building around an obscure commander or refining a tried-and-true strategy, the key to success in Commander lies in your ability to adapt, innovate, and engage with the community around you.