On being thankful and killing a queen

2 February 2015 by Stidjen Plays Solo 1 Comment

Today I have another two topics for you. One is about my most recent Commander deck, and the other also has something to do with that. Let’s get on with the first ere I hit one thousand words again.

Thank you for being a friend

Now that I’ve got the cheesy music-referencing title out of the way, I want to talk about a recent realization I had.

I’m really lucky with the friends I have.

This Saturday, me and my good friend Rick went to Rotterdam to sell a lot of our unused rare and mythic rare cards. While I did keep a few of my decks, it was a pretty decisive move for the both of us. It was a nonverbal declaration of the faith we have in our beloved format, Commander Lite.

We like playing it. And more importantly, so do our friends. Friends that have gotten back into the game after years of absence – absence almost forced upon them by the expensive and cutthroat sixty card decks Rick, Jeroen and me used to play a lot of.

But now, we have devised a variant that made the game more fun for all of us. Commander, but no rares. It’s fun, it’s inventive, and it’s not expensive. No two games are the same without feeling like the winner is random. Games go longer, momentum changes rapidly, and players can smile even in defeat.

Saturday, when we got back, we decided to go to Mike for a few games. There we were, five guys playing Magic on a Saturday night. Before I knew it, it was four o’clock. Sunday night, while it was just three of us instead of five, we played again. Commander is more fun than I could’ve ever imagined. While I’m thankful to Magic for its powers to bring people together (which I’ve witnessed firsthand), I’m more thankful to my awesome group of friends and the way we have fun for nights on end using just a bunch of cards.

Thanks, you guys. Seriously.

The Queen is Dead

Ah, The Smiths. I won’t pass up on an opportunity to give these guys a reference whenever I can (even though Mozz seems to have turned into a lunatic – bit probably he was all the time and just stopped giving a flying damn somewhere along the way).

Anyway, I killed the queen. Narset is no more.

Why? There’s no two ways about it: the deck was just boring, or rather, I suspect it will be in a while. So I ended it.

(Boy, does this sound like my last relationship. Except I didn’t kill her. Only metaphorically. Those are the best murders. Wow, did my article turn awkward rather quickly or what?)

Yes, thank you Will Ferrell.

Anyhoo. *scrapes throat*

I looked for other WUR-colored Commanders. *snaps fingers* There. That’s how fast that went. Besides Narset, we have Zedruu (not my style and not doable without rares), Numot (land destruction? no thanks!) and Fomori (random? yuck!). Of the two-color Commanders available in that color combination, I only saw Keranos as one with potential (and Melek, but he’s already taken). But are Gods oozes in a format without rares?

“Path to Exile targeting your Keranos.”
“I’ll sacrifice another creature in response. Keranos is no longer a creature.”
<indistinctive yet censored dialogue>

I decided I didn’t want to go down a road of potential trouble. Instead of ditching one color (in this case white), how about changing one color for another?

May I present to you…

Ladies and gentlemen, Loxodon and Golems, Licids and Gargoyles, may I have a warm applause for the one and only… Roon!

A rhino filling a human’s shoes? Now that’s pretty hilarious (and something a flavor judge wouldn’t ever approve).

Anyhoo. *scrapes throat (again)*

Roon first really caught my eye when Rick was exploring Bant-colored Commanders and I looked around for him as well. I suggested Roon, but he was more interested in the Azorius-colored Brago. I’m glad he didn’t go for Roon. (Rick, by the way, built himself a deck around Ob-Nixilis of the Black Oath.)

Brago and Roon have a lot in common, but unlike Brago, I think the restrictions on Roon make him a more versatile Commander. Brago, like Narset, could very well end up being a boring Commander forcing you to play the same game every time. What led me to pick Roon, believe it or not, was manifest. The potential is huge there, even without rares (I’m looking at you, Whisperwood Elemental, all teary eyed and all). I mean, a card like Vedalken Mastermind can ‘draw’ you a card, and Roon can get a nice discount on the bigger guys. And I’m not even talking about the bluffing potential and the joy you get when an opponent wastes a removal spell on a land disguised as a creature.

Probably I’ll wind up cutting the whole manifest-theme but hey, it’s a cute idea on paper. And I’m glad I can play Rhox War Monk in one of my Commander decks – it’s a crucial card in my favorite Duels of the Planeswalker 2015 deck.

The Oozes

Last time we talked, I discussed ‘oozes’: cards that are just asking to be abused because they ‘ooze’ with power. I feel like I should elaborate on them briefly before I sign off again.

The first card I discussed was Narset. While powerful, she got the axe pretty quickly.

The second card was Volcanic Wind. In the end, while I did order them, I did not add them to any of my decks. It probably is too powerful and best left gathering dust in a box.

The last card was Tasigur. While I was tempted last Saturday by a guy who opened a foil Tasigur right next to me, I resisted, but I gave in to Roon right the next day.

When I have more to say about Roon (or my other Commanders), I will. I’m looking forward to building the deck this weekend, while watching Pro Tour coverage. See you next time!