CommanderCast Ep 189 – Dorks in the Pool
March 2, 2015
Hello everyone and welcome to Commandercast Episode 189! We’re your weekly source for Community, Strategy, and Technology, hosted on MTGcast.com and our homesite: Commandercast.com! We’re recording this on February 26th, 2015. This week the gang is joined by two members of the long running Magic based podcast, The Mana Pool! We have Brian and Mike on to discuss… well things and stuff. Stuff Like Deck building methods, favorite cards that seem to always make it into our decks, and we even go over ideas for a listener’s deck based around a five color God theme.
All this and more await you with just the Click of and Ib!
Commandercast Episode 189
Feb 26, 2015
Guests:
Brian and Mike! ~ManaPool Co-hosts
Favorite Commanders This Week:
Brian – Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
Mike – Fumiko the Lowblood
Calvin – Brimaz, King of Oreskos
Clay – Brago, King Eternal
Mark – Daghatar the Adamant
William – Wydwen, the Biting Gale
News:
GP Cleveland March 14-15
SPOILERS
Community: Listener deck help
Cory sent us a deck that he wants some feedback on! Since this is an episode about deck building, we figured we should use it as a segment!
Suggestions:
Mike: LANDS! Forty of ‘em – at least – in order to make your land drops. Also, drop those Borderposts.
Calvin: Replace the Borderposts with Signets, add some life gain to offset some of the costs. +1 Figure of Destiny.
Brian: LANDS! (round two): Add more, as well as more of the “any color” lands, such as City of Brass, Mirrodin’s Core, Transguild Promenade, etc. Maybe swap out the commander for Child of Alara? Quicksilver Amulet, Elvish Piper, Yisan, the Wandering Bard.
William: Maze’s End as an alternate win-con and some mana fixin’. Cut some of the Wrath, drill down on the Enchantress theme.
Mark: Opalescence, colorless mana ramp (Robo Elk, etc.).
Clay: Maybe ditch Karona, the False God?
Strategy: General Deck Building Discussion
We’re going to have a conversation with Mike and Brian about deck building philosophies!
Brian: Inspiration comes from the Commander first. Commander’s theme is important, not just the colors it gives you access to. Commanders set the tone for the deck. “I’m always trying to find a good use for Possibility Storm that won’t make every at the table hate me.” “Big thing for me: every game is different.”
Tutors vs. Redundancy vs. Variance
Mana rocks vs. Mana dorks vs. Mana ramp spells
Uniformity in game play or Uniformity in deck building
Mike: The Commander itself always has something to do with the deck, but some moreso (Scion, Mimeoplasm, Kaalia) than others (Fumiko, Dakkon, Volrath). I’m trying to either do powerful things every turn or find a “web” of synergies among different cards that make huge numbers start flying around. Prefer to ramp with lands first, then rocks, then dudes.
Calvin: Find a deck from a different format and convert it into a Commander deck. Or find a particular theme or a particular mechanic or keyword that I like to build around. Or ThunderCats.
Clay: Start with a mechanical theme (for example: Kurkesh: artifact synergies, Brago: manifest). Power level? Competitive vs. Durdle-y. “I like things that are just as much fun to watch go off as they are to play.”
Technology: Pet Cards
We’ll each pick 2-3 of our favorite pet cards
William – Sun Forger, Thada Adel, Acquisitor
Calvin – Basilisk Collar, Siege Gang Commander and friends
Mark – Steel Overseer, Champion of Lambholt
Clay – Mastery of the Unseen, Torpor Orb
Brian – Unexpected Results, Jace, Architect of Thought
Mike – Worn Powerstone, Urborg Uprising
HOME VERSION
Outtro/Contacts:
Brian / Mike – Website: themanapool(dot)com // Email: dorks(at)themanapool(dot)com // twitter: (at)themanapool (99.9% of the time this is just Chewie) // Forums: cardshark(dot)freeforums(dot)org
William – Email: Commandercast(at)gmail(dot)com // twitter: (at)Commandercast
Calvin – Email: captainredzone(at)gmail(dot)com // twitter: (at)CaptainRedZone
Clay – Twitter: (at)edhpanda // Reddit: /u/EDHPanda // Cockatrice: Remillo
Mark – Email: mahlerma(at)gmail(dot)com
If you want to message Commandercast be sure to check out our Facebook page, manned by Calvin and Jud. You can also tweet us (at)Commandercast or email us at Commandercast(at)gmail(dot)com. You can leave us a review on iTunes, and we’ll read off any 5-Star reviews on air!
Thanks to everyone who contributes to our site, you’re all wonderful people. Music for our show is the “X meets Heavy Metal” series by 331Erock. We’ll see you next week with more community, strategy, and technology. Until then, LET’S GET IT!
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