Commander Theory

BONUS: Well Disney is jumping into the TCG market full steam ahead with Ravensburger as the developer. What do the few cards we've seen look like? Can we guess the mechanics? Nick and Zak have thoughts and figured, why not a bonus episode?! And we would love to hear your thoughts too by reaching out with the links below! You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon! Now with add-free episodes!If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)Support the showYou can reach me on Twitter or email me hereIf you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now wit

PREDICTIONS TIME. Nick and Zak check their work from Baldur's Gate and did pretty good! With some notable surprises... Then the hosts compile a list of what cards are gonna be bangers in DMU. Is there a card you think will be big we didn't mention? Let us know with the links down below! You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon! Now with add-free episodes!If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)Support the showYou can reach me on Twitter or email me hereIf you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now with ad-free episodes!If you&apos

Another spoiler season, another card-by-card analysis with your two hosts, Nick and Zak! This one is pretty short all things considered! The off-color kicker costs narrow the availability of many cards so the two hosts get through their favorites and most powerful spells fairly quickly! Listen in and let us know what you like from the set too!Once again, a huge thank you to our friend Alex Whiteclay for the help behind the scenes!  You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon! Now with add-free episodes!If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)Support the sh

HOOBOY. Studio X did not make this one easy! But in this episode, Nick and Zak get through every Legendary Creature in Dominaria United, including the boxtoppers! What do they like? what don't they like? are there any trends they see? The crew get through 65!(?!?) legends this episode, so listen in and tell us what you think too! and if we missed any tech (we definitely missed some tech) then absolutely let us know and we'll give you a shoutout in a later episode!As is tradition, this episode would not have been remotely possible without the support of our friend Alex Whiteclay who helped SO MUCH behind the scenes brewing, searching, and generally riffing with us. Thank you Alex!  DECKLISTS:Braids, Arrisen NightmareRamirez DePietro, PillagerOhabi CaleriaTorsten, Founder of BenaliaIvy, Gleeful SpellthiefBalmor, Battlemage CaptianHazezon, Shaper of SandJodah, The Unifier You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commande

It's time again! The spoils phase back into view as Nick and Zak get into the two new Commander decks that release with Dominaria United! What do they like? What don't they like? Was it necessary to have planeswalker face commanders? Listen in and tell us your favorite cards too! DECKLISTS:Shanid Sleepers' ScourgeZeriam, Golden WindBladewing, Deathless Tyrant You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon! Now with add-free episodes!If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)Support the showYou can reach me on Twitter or email me hereIf you like t

THE BIG 200! Nick and Zak cannot thank you enough for all you've done for them. In this special #200 episode, the two hosts take a note from Maro's book and look back at some of their favorite episodes from the last 100 episodes. We look at why we liked them, why you guys might have liked them, and what we're proud of. Let us know your favorites too! Thank you for everything, through all the changes, set reviews, secret lairs, and the whiplash of the zeitgeist, we couldn't do this without you all.  The Episodes We Talk About:What Leads to Bad Games (And How to Avoid Them)One-and-Done Commander DecksCards We Were Wrong AboutBuilding with Common Combo EnginesQuantifying Color Power Level in CommanderLet’s Make a Deal: Advice for Better Political PlayAscension and You: How to Tie the Game in CommanderConsulting the Counsel: White and Colorless with Chris MooneySeasons Past: The DarkCommander Theory 101You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander co

We looked at quantifying the color pie back in 2019, and one of the things we found was data to back up Mono-white (and white in general) was being underplayed in commander. Well, white's been the main topic of discussion next to treasure for a bit now! So what's white looking like now? Is white "fixed" do they need to stop with all of the juice they've been pumping into this color for the commander format? Listen in and find out what Nick and Zak found looking at the numbers!  You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon! Now with add-free episodes!If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!The opening theme is Li

A week later and Nick and Zak had some time to rest! But first, an interview on the floor with Gavin Verhey! Senior Magic: The Gathering designer at Wizards! And one of the people responsible for many of the products you see at your local game stores! We caught him just after his panel discussing the new Casual Play Design team within Studio X, and had a few more questions for him (You can hear that panel Here). On top of that, just some insights and takeaways from the weekend at large. You can reach Gavin here, and see his youtube channel, Good Morning Magic here. Thanks for coming on the show Gavin!  You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon! Now with add-free episodes!If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show

Commander Theory is working with Pastimes Events to bring you this panel of Wizards of the Coast employees who you've probably heard of before: Sara Mox who's director of personnel for the casual play design team, Mellisa DeTora Who is leading casual play design, and Gavin Verhey, senior Magic: The Gathering designer.  From CommandFest Bellevue 2022, this panel hones in on designing in an era when tournaments aren't the most significant design focus anymore. What does it mean to develop sets and mechanics with fun as the primary goal? The panelists get into this as well as answer a host of separate questions from audience members. Panel Members:Sara MoxMellisa DeToraGavin VerheySpecial Thanks to Pastimes Events for hosting this panel! Support the showYou can reach me on Twitter or email me hereIf you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now with ad-free episodes!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you noth

Commander Theory is working with Pastimes Events to bring you this panel of content creators from CommandFest Bellevue 2022. This panel focused on being a Magic: The Gathering content creator and getting started in content creation. The panelists answered a host of separate questions from audience members.  Panel Members: Cedric PhillipsAnna MargaretPowrDragnCommander CookoutSpecial Thanks to Pastimes Events for hosting this panel! Support the showYou can reach me on Twitter or email me hereIf you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now with ad-free episodes!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

There's a ton of tribal in magic, and always room for more, but are there any creature types that actively make the game worse? Nick and Zak have some hot takes and in this episode, they talk about the creature types that they think have been bad for the game overall. Some creature types got screwed over by old Wizards policies, and some got the Star Trek alien treatment. Some creature types are just two things mashed together in a worse way! So dive in and let us know what you agree with, disagree with, and if there are any creatures that you love even though they might not help the game too much (spoilers, Zak likes certain legendary hippos). You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon! Now with add-free episodes! If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!If you're planning on s

A blast from the past! Nick and Zak get into Tempest and its HUGE contributions to Commander, and Magic as a whole. The designs were amazing and the staples have stuck with us for over two decades! So what can we learn? What cards were most impactful, and what cards do the two hosts like the most? More importantly, what cards do YOU like the most from Tempest? Listen in, and let us know with the links below! We are still trying out and learning how these ads work, so we apologize for any inconvenient add breaks in the episode at this time!You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!The opening th

Mark Rosewater always says, "restrictions breed creativity," so in this episode Nick and Zak look at some themed ideas that restrict your card choices but still let you get some good games in with your friends. These decks are definitely not budget though! So be warned if you're looking to buy! (and if you are please use the affiliate link down below!) And as always, let us know about any theme decks you've made too! We love to hear about them. Decklists: Old Border Tribal (With Ol' Tim)Full Art Tribal (With Kyodai)Etched Foil Tribal (With Garth One-Eyed)White Border Tribal (With Rubina Soulsinger) Kev Walker Tribal (With Ertai, The Corrupted)Svetlin Velinov Tribal (With Morophon) We are still trying out and learning how these ads work, so we apologize for any inconvenient add breaks in the episode at this time! You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, p

We made a lot of deck lists for the CLB set reviews, and Nick noticed something about them: Baldur's gate leads you to playing with cheap cards!! So in this episode, without trying too hard, Nick and Zak show off some of the cooler builds that ended up working out throughout the episode. Some of the builds are basically $100!! Decklists: Lae'zel FlickerJon Irenicus (meme) Jon Irenicus (not meme)Thrakkus The ButcherLae'zel, Master ChefVhal, Master ChefAllaunduntappin' You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage

To mimic a famous, modern philosopher, "What's the deal with Commander Theory?!" Well in this episode Nick and Zak tell you! It's been a long time since the two of them ever talked about the actual "theory" Commander Theory stands for. Why do the two of them like or dislike certain cards, etc? So this time the two go over some broad categories that really make up the general platform of what the podcast is all about. If you're a long-time listener you might have known this already, or if you've been listening to our set reviews this might be more obvious, but for all the new people listening, this is really what we're about! Find a deck or play pattern, and MAKE THOSE CARDS WORK. You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, He

Every set Nick and Zak like to take the temperature of the format and how the last set has affected Commander on the whole by looking at predictions and seeing what is and isn't true. So this episode includes that, but done a little differently than normal! Nick and Zak brought ten cards each, the matching cards go on the predictions board, the others they talk about and dig into so that we can figure out what might or might not be good enough! This is a new thing we're trying so let us know what you think, and let us know what cards you think will be popular too! You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and ear

BONUS EPISODE:It's release weekend! And a lot of people have never gotten to participate in a commander draft before. So Nick and Zak decided to release a small primer on how one might go about crafting a great deck in commander legends! Just some tips, tricks, and an archetype overview for those who want a quick entry into the format. Cheers! And happy drafting! You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)Support the showYou can reach me on Twitter or email me hereIf you like the podcast, please support it on P

HOOBOY The Last bit of CLB content, the Commander decks are here! In this episode, Nick and Zak discuss the new cards you can find in the decks right off the shelves.  What's the deal with horror tribal? Is the Izzet dragon a dragon deck? And why did they do that to the party deck?!? Listen in and let us know your sweet brews too, because there's a lot to dig into in this batch of commander cards! DECKLISTS:Captain N'GhathrodWyll, The HauntedJahiera, The HauntedNalia de'ArniseBurakos, Guild ArtisanImoen, Folk HeroFirkraag, GOADYou can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!The op

You've seen the legends, you've seen the backgrounds, but what about... Backgrounds in the 99? Yes! And also everything else in the 99! Nick and Zak dig into the main-deck cards from Commander Legends, Battle For Baldur's Gate, and there's A LOT. What color got the coolest ancient dragon? Which cards are coolest for what decks? How do we feel about the set overall? And backgrounds in general: do we like them? It's all here! So listen in, and let us know your favorites too!You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now

Is that creature tapped? Because we're taking back the initiative in this episode, all about the new multicolor legends you can find in Commander Legends: Baldur's Gate! Nick and Zak get right to it, discussing important cards, play patterns, and what they like and don't like. And oh yeah, does anybody want some more decklists?!?! It's all here, so listen in, and let us know what legend got your brain brewing! Another huge thanks to our friend and accomplice Alex Whiteclay, whose efforts made this episode possible. DECKLISTS: Jon IrenicusRaphael, Fiendish Savior Raggadragga!!!Thrakkus, The ButcherAlaunduntappin'Korlessa Sees Your Top CardCommander Liara Portyr Duke Ulder RavenguardZevlor, Elturel ExileMiirym, Too Many! Myrkul, Lord of BonesDynaheir, Invoker AdeptYou can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at commandertheory@gmail.comIf you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!If you want to hear mor