Commander Theory

WE ARE BACK! It's 2022 and we're kicking things off with a wonderful interview with Chris Mooney! GDS3 competitor and full-time Magic designer since 2019, working on wonderful sets you might have heard of like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Crimson Vow! In this interview, we talk about Chris's old job as the Colorless Council Member, their new job as the White Counsel Member, and just what these slices of pie have to offer! What is white's new relationship with card draw? Reanimation? Treasure production?!?! It's all here! So listen in and let us know what you think about what white's doing too! Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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

As you've probably heard by now, the sky is falling! Oh wait, there are more digital-only cards! And a... new format? What does this have to do with Commander? And what does this mean for design in the future? Join Nick and Zak as they lament some changes to the easiest way to pick up games of magic, talk about what they do like about the changes, Historic Brawl, and in general T H E  F U T R E! It's all here! So listen in and let us know what you all think as well. Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you

Back so soon? You hardly finished your first few MID drafts. But that's alright, because on this episode Nick and Zak look at some preliminary numbers for their Innistrad Midnight Hunt predictions! The two take some guesses as to what's gonna be the top 10 most popular cards from Innistrad Crimson Vow! What's different this time around? Can we see anything about the general design philosophy between the two sets? How do the commanders from the Precons play now that we've gotten our hands on them? All this plus more individual card discussion on this episode! Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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 s

A new installment, a new series! Now officially named Seasons Past! Where we look back at old designs to see how we got to where we are today. In this episode, Nick and Zak get friend-of-the-show Charlotte Sable - CAG member and excellent writer of magic knowledge - to look back at one of her favorite sets: Alliances! What cards stuck with us? How did they end up designing the "final" set to be paired with Ice Age? And... Gorillas?!? It's all here! Along with favorite cards and just, a lot of reminiscing, so listen in and let us know what you think!  You can find Charlotte HERE, and you can read her excellent writing HERE (seriously, it's awesome!)  We apologize for the mic problems in this episode, but for sure we'll be up and running again for next week. Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you noth

In a short and sweet episode, Nick and Zak talk about, well, what it was like at MTG Las Vegas! We got to go and meet a ton of new people, some old friends, play a ton of Magic, and generally get a good look at what the future might hold for the Commander Community! (We're playing a game while recording so there's a little bit of that happening too) In the future we plan to go to as many of these events as we can, so always feel free to contact us and let us know if you'd like to meet up and jam games! We did a review of the main-deck cards from Crimson Vow with Kyle and Andy from the Legendary Creature Podcast, and you can find it HERE. We're really into a lot of the cards and it was a blast to hang out with those guys! A small warning, there is cursing so be careful if you usually listen with kids in the car. Other than that, we're excited to get back to your regular scheduled Commander Theory programming! Yay 2-ish months without previews we hope!  Our YouTube has videos for even m

Watch out! Behind you! It's the two Crimson Vow commander preconstructed decks! And they have dozens of new cards to brew with! In this episode Nick and Zak get into, you guessed it! The new cards from the Innistrad: Crimson Vow commander decks. We look at what's cool, what's new and inventive, and if reanimation needs more... reanimation spells? It's all here! So listen in, and let us know if anything has inspired you to brew! Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using

Time again so soon - Grab your finest cloak and gown, stow your weapons at the door, and help yourself to the... blood fountain? Because Crimson Vow is upon us! And with it, a bevy of Magic: The Gathering cards to build around and with! In this episode, Nick and Zak get into the nitty-gritty of the legendary creatures! What cards do they want? What do they remind us of? And even.... why does this exist?!? It's all here! So listen in and let us know what your favorite (or least favorite!) commander in the set is! Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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're

In 2017 Mark Rosewater released an article/resource for Magic: The Gathering fans and home designers called the Mechanical Color Pie. The article includes TONS of drop-down menus and various ways in which every mechanic used on a magic card at the time was sorted into color, by color, and in alphabetical order.  It was a HUGE undertaking, and incredibly helpful to passionate fans like CT hosts Nick and Zak. It had its downsides though, mainly that it was backward-looking. You could think of it as more of a snapshot of the color pie around 2017. So when Maro finished the 2021 update to the Mechanical Color Pie, with the help of the Council of Colors, AND it was forward-looking this time? Well, that means a ton to people who care about the future of the format! So listen in as we get into the changes made to the color pie, and let us know what you think too! Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPl

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! For this week Nick and Zak get back to the original set to bring horror to the MTG universe! Not Innistrad in 2011, but The Dark! Originally released in 1994 the cards have left lasting impressions on the two hosts for a long time! So for this spooky weekend take a trip down memory lane to see the set that made mana rocks the way they are and top-down sets possible. For each color-pie break there's an equally flavorful card that... well it probably doesn't do much, but it's interesting and fun! And there's a lot to look back on and learn from and pet cards galore! So join us as we delve deeper into The Dark! Last note, if you like this retrospective let us know! It's something we've talked about doing more of since there's a lot to learn from the past and it makes it easier to see what's coming down the line! (Also, it's just cool to see how far design has come and take some trips down memory lane) Edited the name to reflect it's the first in

Best friends and mindflayers and clues, oh my! SLD Stranger Things features a bunch of new commanders and a special but familiar new mechanic. So Nick and Zak dig into builds, preferences, and what this means for design in the future! Because ethics aside, the designs are pretty interesting! It is a proto Universes Beyond deal after all! We also are almost done with some research, digging deeper before we get into some new series for you all. So stay tuned! Listen in! Let us know what you think! Do you like the ethics of this? What about The List stuff? We always love to hear from you. Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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,

BONUS EPISODE: After every set review we check in to see what cards players are adopting from the previous sets, and Innistrad, Midnight Hunt is no exception! After a flood of content for MID we finally got it out! Nick and Zak invited their friend and collaborator Alex Whiteclay to join rounding out the set review. Together they look at what was most popular from Modern Horizons 2 and Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, make predictions about Midnight Hunt, and get into the nitty-gritty of what player are looking for when they put cards in thier decks. Together it adds up to some solid speculation on what the format looks like, so let us know what you're excited to play with too! You can read Alex's stuff here. Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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 Lincol

How much space is there left for new commander designs really? A WHOLE LOT. On this episode of Commander Theory, Nick and Zak solicited designs from you, the listeners, and you didn't let us down! There's a ton of custom commanders that open up new spaces in the format, and frankly, we're sad they're not real! So if you like theory crafting, if you would like a glimpse into a future commander that could be, or you just wanna hear us talk about a ton of cards that don't fit into decks right now, we got it all here for you! Wizards of the Coast employees beware! This episode has custom designs so you might wanna skip it to be safe. Special thanks to @JohannStrottman, Addison Sage, Micah, Alex Whiteclay, and Dionaea for the rad designs featured in this episode. You're all amazing! Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affili

Midnight hunt wasn't the only boon for commander players this fall. With each Innistrad set we get this fall, there are an additional two new Commander Preconstructed decks with new cards! So Nick and Zak get into the two decks from Midnight Hunt - Zombies and Coven - with their friend and collaborator Alex Whiteclay to see what looks strong, what looks cool, what looks novel, what looks not good, and what's inspiring! It's all here! So listen in and tell us what you think too! You can find Alex's writings here, and he's in our discord! Along with some others on the internet if you wanna let him know your thoughts. DECKS:Eloise in New Phyrexia (proof of concept) KylerOur YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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

MID is here! The newest Magic: The Gathering set -  Innistrad Midnight Hunt - is here with a deluge of new commanders and a torrent of new main deck cards. Nick and Zak invite their good friend and collaborator Alex Whiteclay on to discuss all the new goodness, what they're excited about, set mechanics, the whole thing! All of it! Wierd card interactions, cards we're excited about, promises fulfilled by WotC, it's all here in this (very long) episode!! So listen in and tell us what you thought too! You can find Alex's old writings here, and on the Commander Theory discord server, as well as many others. DECKLISTS:Jerren and his apostles Florian approaches Tovolar's The Boss NowKatilda DorksSigarda "humans" Liessa, no die goodVadrok, I mean angry Mizzix (Vadrik commander list)Ol' Stick Finger's (a proof of concept) Slogurk from the loamOur YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!If you're planning

In a startling turn of events, GOLOS HAS BEEN BANNED IN COMMANDER and Worldfire has been unbanned in commander! (Also  rule 11 is rule 10 now) This caught Nick and Zak by surprise, as well as many in the community, so friend of the show Charlotte Sable came on to help explain the thoughts and discussions the RC and CAG had to highlight the goals behind the changes. The three share thoughts, opinions, and outlooks, and just really get into what Golos was and what the format is gonna look like moving forward! So listen in and tell us what you think too! You can find Charlotte Here and her writing Here! Golos review is at 36:12 in this episode Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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

Jumpstart Historic Horizons hit MTG Arena and it brought with it dozens of new to the format cards and commanders! Even digital-only cards! What does this mean for historic brawl moving forawrd, especially now that we're in the age of 100 cards? What have we Nick and Zak liked, and what do they think could make it better? Could there be... trouble in the program? Listen in and find out! Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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 show (https://www.patreon.com/commandertheory)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 usin

We had some record-breaking years for Magic in 2019, 2020, and 2021 which is almost over (!!!) And now we get to see what's on the horizon for 2022! The Magic showcase was set to announce most of what 2022 has in store, so Nick and Zak invited a friend and friend of the show Charlotte Sable (of the CAG and writer for Commander's Herald) to come and talk about hopes, expectations, and just what they think about the new sets! We all feel pretty strongly and differently about the announcements, and we bet you do too! So listen and let us know what you think about the new Magic products coming in 2022! You can reach Charlotte here, and read her very good articles here. Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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 Sound

Today is the release of Jumpstart Historic Horisons! Which honestly doesn't mean too much to commander players, but Nick and Zak liked some of the cards and thought you would too! The thing is, even after a rule zero discussion where everyone says you can play with proxied digital cards, how can you? Is it possible to play with these cards made to be too complex for physical space? Listen in and find out! Zak's band released some new music! They're called The Havnauts, and if you give it a listen let us know! They even have a new music video to go with the song!  Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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 s

Almost every Magic: The Gathering set has a cycle of rare lands to help you cast your spells, and most have at least one utility land that does something either the set wants, or the standard environment wanted.  Over the years this has really added up! Every deck wants to cast spells, but what decks want a lot of utility lands? Are there any decks that want really funny mana bases on purpose? Maybe lands that do particular things rather than just make your colors easy to access? In this episode Nick and Zak get into the nitty-gritty about why you might want to play with certain utility lands, and what decks specifically call them out. It starts broadly and then gets more specific, so listen in and tell us what your favorite utility lands are after! Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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

Part 2 of this series has Nick and Zak looking even further into cards they look out for in each release. Weird ramp? Enchantments dying? What about things that combo with... Allies? It's all here in this episode of cards that don't quite have enough members to... just work every game. So listen in and let us know what you think! Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!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'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 Continenta