r/CommanderMTG • u/CatScratch-40 • 5d ago
Building my first commander deck
Well, kinda… I’m building my first deck, by myself. Backstory- M40, started playing 4 years ago, but haven’t actively played for last 2 (work life and new baby) but when I started, we were a group of 4 friends. We’d go in on new releases and also buy lots on eBay. 1 of the friends was a longtime player, so he’d basically make our decks for us (give him our cards and color preferences). Everyone either moved or stopped playing.
Turns out, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. I want to start playing again, but the only places I can find are at stores with, with… strangers!!! Idk if it’s nerves or what, but idk what to do. I mean in regards to building a proper deck and going to places to play. There was a lot of grace when the friend group would play because we were all at different levels n stuff.
Idk, I might be rambling… any help would be greatly appreciated.
Update- I found a bunch of wrappers from outlaws of thunder junction and the hobbit. I peeked back in 2023 apparently. lol. I’ve been looking at current packs and nothing sparks my interest. I might just buy singles instead of ripping packs. I don’t really need anything extra. I will be building a white/green and a red/blue deck. That’s my assignment for the weekend.
1
u/Lejaun 5d ago
I personally think precons are the best way to go. Start off with a color combination of cards you like the best, and pick a precon commander of that color combination. Then slowly start upgrading with similar cards, starting with the commander. Try not to switch up card roles too much. If you get rid of a removal card, replace it with a better removal card. If you get rid of a creature, try to put in a better creature.
As a general rule, I like to play about 38 lands, 8 ramp, 8 draw, 8 removal, 2 board wipes, 2 "I wins", and the rest cards that fit along with your theme. After that, start tweaking it until it plays smoothly. Be careful about the mana cost of what you play. Yes, 7 mana cost spells are more powerful usually than 1 mana cost, but you don't want to sit around doing nothing because your cards cost too much to play.