By Eric Robinson
Commonly when in casual conversation I ask people if they play magic the gathering, and if not they’re almost always minimum familiar with it. However, When I mention the Commander format more often than not knowledge seems kind of spotty unless they’ve been playing a while or are friends with someone in the MTG community. So I thought maybe a basic rundown would be a nice addition to our collective geek page, and this article is just that.
Commander is a format of Magic the Gathering that was made and popularized by the fans, it requires a one hundred card deck sharing the colors of a chosen legendary creature. This creature, as is the namesake of the game, will be your commander. As an example I’ll use a commander for one of my own decks, Zacama, primal calamity. Her mana colors are red, white, green, which means your deck can only run those colors. Additionally, this one hundred card deck can only contain one of each creature, spell, etc., excluding basic lands and relentless rats.
Opposed to the usual sixty card deck rules you also have a forty point life score, you have double the life total you would start with in a normal game of magic for a little under double the cards. Now, Every player has different styles as well as every card is different in its own way. Normally in EDH or Commander you would want to get the card your deck is centered around out onto the battlefield to assist your game. Your Commander rests in the Command Zone outside of the Game until summoned. If your commander would Die you have the option to send them back to the command zone or the graveyard. Depending on if your commander is a graveyard focused card or not.
There are many different ways to win in commander. One of which is exclusive to the format called Commander damage. In a normal game of magic you win by either deck out or total life points lost. However, if you deal twenty-one points of commander damage by using your commander to attack your opponent you may also win the game. Other ways of winning the game are card specifications or poison counters which you only have to deal ten points to do so.
That being said Commander is a format best played with multiple people. While most normal games of magic are quick and close to the sleeve Commander tends to be more of a longer game and in my experience promotes casual fun in a group. This is of course just a quick rundown of the format and it’s much better to build, buy a preconstructed deck, or you have a friend that is willing to help you build one, try it for yourself. This format of the game gives it a different spin of things and honestly is my personal favorite style to play.
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