Commander Theory

The zeitgeist in the Commander sphere of the internet has been alight with cries of "power-creep" and "acceleration" and "arms-races," but is this forever? Commander is a non-rotating, eternal format for Magic: The Gathering players, but can we reverse course? In this episode Nick and Zak get into the nitty-gritty of why the format is faster, and ways to slow down that make a lot more sense than just "BuILd YoUR DeCK WoRse!!1!" Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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

Nick and Zak were hard at work on SECRET FUTURE PROJECTS and couldn't finish an episode this week. So please, enjoy this fun re-run and next week there'll be more new content!! Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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 Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

You all have been busy cooking up some really spicy custom commanders and sending them in, and Nick and Zak finally get to talk about them! We get to look at gaps in the format, what makes a commander "good" or "fun", and of course, talk about cool tech for these custom cards. We highly recommend giving these cards a try if you hear one you like. They're all incredibly interesting and open up space and cards that don't get played very much right now! Just ask your playgroup and go to town. We weren't able to talk about all the cards we liked this time around due to constraints on the recording time, but feel free to continue submissions! If you submitted one and we didn't talk about it feel free to submit them again, we got a lot and things piled up very fast. We'll probably have time for one more of these episodes before the year is over (and more next year), so don't lose hope! Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for more Commander conten

In this episode, Nick and Zak talk 'em dead with guest and friend of the show, Charlotte Sable (CAG, Magic Judge Tumblr). We go over what the Rules Committee decided to do about the Secret Lair Drop: The Walking Dead, and what that means moving forward. The discussions we have are part of a greater effort to heal and move forward, and we hope you listen and start positive discussions in your communities about what's next for magic as well. CONTENT WARNING: 22:20 - 30:50 is our discussion of Negan and sexual violence, so if that's not something you're in the mood for today feel free to skip it! If you wanna reach out and let your voice be heard here are two places to do that:Wizards comment pageMARO (this is his twitter so be nice)If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!If you'd like to contact Charlotte you can reach her on Twitter or check out her really cool blog. If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link.

We can't meet up for Commander, and that standard environment post Zendikar Rising has been controversial for standard... SO LETS BRAWL!! In this episode, Nick and Zak talk about The format as a whole, what new cards you should be playing, and what cards have gotten better and worse post rotation. Got any cool decks or secret tech? Let us know! We'd love to hear it. Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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 an

What's so cool about lifelink? Is indestructible its own reward? WHAT COLORS SHOULD A TRAMPLE COMMANDER BE!? Nick and Zak discuss all of this and more, looking at what design room is left open for future "evergreen keyword lords" like we saw in Ikoria. Much like before, this episode doesn't feature any decklists, but we would love it if listeners submitted custom commanders for another custom commander episode we could do pretty soon! Feel free to submit to any of the links below.Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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

The other half! But more like the last few cards and some extrapolation. This set has been crazy, and on this episode Nick and Zak finish their reviews, dig into the Zendikar Commander Precons, and see how right they were about what cards were most played from M21. If you've ever wondered what to do with a giant crab, or you're interested in some new tech come and listen! Decklists:AkiriAnowonFollow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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 li

Historic Brawl has turned into a great format with all the recent additions. Being that we're all stuck at home, Nick and Zak wanted to take a little bit closer look at the format as a whole. There's a lot of cards to try, and a lot of rewards for trying, so why not look at some new tribal builds? Lists are bellow so try not to look if you don't want any spoilers! KumenaGeneral KudroOmnath, Locus of The RoilUneshMarwynKrenkoFollow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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 supp

IT IS TIME. That's a lot of spoils! In this massive episode Nick and Zak get into what Zendikar Rising will mean for Commander, and what individual cards could slot into your deck. This is a long one so hit that 2 times speed and enjoy. Decklists:MoraugZagrasPhylathOrahOmnath 4.0Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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 Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage

Ever wonder what it's like to have infinite mana? Ever realize your deck was full of combos and none of them were intentional? Are you afraid of combos or think that they're too antisocial? Well this episode is for you! Nick and Zak get into some of their favorite combos with multiple, redundant pieces so you're never at the whim of a discard spell. You'll learn about how to play with them, against them, and a bunch of goofy cards that are great before you pop-off as well! All these cards are great on their own, so why not lean into the synergy every once in a while? Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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

On this episode, Nick and Zak talk about the flood of information about Commander Legends. Commander Legends will be a draftable commander-like experience with a whole 71 new legends, 41 of which have partner(!!!) What does that mean?!? What will the format be like after this set, and what are we hoping the set can deliver? Listen and find out! Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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 op

You might have noticed it's kind of hard to play magic in person in the US right now. Nick and Zak did too! So what is there to do? How about some Historic Brawl on Arena! Aggro was easy, control had all the right tools, but combo was harder to piece together... So in this episode, they get pretty deep on some combo lists! We got mill, mana, cheating permanents into play, the works! Featured lists:BruvacUgin’s EggsDeck 5Deck 4Deck 3Deck 2Deck 1Shoutout to the people in the Brawl Hall Discord Server for the fun games and wonderful community. Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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 suppor

On this episode Nick and Zak dive into table politics! There's more to a game of commander than just technical skill and knowing the cards. You have a few other players who can be resources all on their own too! So how do you make a deal that sticks? If I blow up this Gilded Lotus will you attack someone else next turn? This episode gets right into it!  Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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 t

This week was the SDCC 2020 at Home panel for Magic presented by Mark Rosewater, head designer of Magic. There weren't any cards spoiled, but there was a lot of content that has a very large impact on how we will consume magic in the future spoiled! Also some first looks at the return of Zendikar Rising releasing this fall. There's a lot going on, and Nick and Zak make some predictions while diving into the nitty-gritty of it all. Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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 supp

We made it to triple digits! Thank you everyone for your support and for listening! In this episode, we're joined by friend of the show, Alex Whiteclay of Commander Manifesto to dig into trends we've seen in the format. What has the RC and CAG done right, and where could they grow? What are players feeling about the state of commander, and what could the community and leadership do to make things better. We're normally a future-focussed podcast, and we really flex those brains here! Thank you to Charlotte Sable of the CAG and Magic Judge Tumblr for your help and being a friend of the show! Thank you to Andy and Kyle of Legendary Creature for the kind wordsAnd thank you to you! the listeners! Here's to another 100! Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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

WOW! These are a lot of spoilers! This week Nick and Zak get into builds for the jumpstart commanders, and where the maindeck cards should go. There are also some points about how the format has changed, how much MTG really needed something like this, and how products like this can inject wonderful little things like the custom basic lands (can you tell we like this product?). Decks discussed in the episode:BruvacTinybonesMuxusZurzothInniazSethron NeyithEmielNext Episode is the big 100! So thank you for listening and going on this journey with us! Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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 supp

On this episode Nick and Zak are joined by friend of the show Charlotte Sable! A level 3 magic judge, CAG member and owner of the Magic Judge blog on Tumblr, and we finish the last of the new cards, as well as make predictions on what we think will see play! Ever wonder where to play your hondens? Want a cool new wizard to build around? Wanna see how right we were about Ikoria? It's all here! Next week will be the full spoiler for Jumpstart, and it will actually be pretty fun, so stay tuned! Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for more Commander content!Charlotte Sable on twitter @JqlGirlIf 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 SoundcloudSupport the showYou can reach me on Twitter or email me hereIf you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon!

On this episode, Nick and Zak are joined by friend of the show, Charlotte Sable: level 3 magic judge, CAG member and owner of the Magic Judge blog on Tumblr to get through most of the M21 spoils! They discuss builds for even more new commanders, and where new cards might find a home. Next week's episode will also be a bit late. We apologize for all the delay's but we promise it'll be a fun one, with the last few M21 cards, our predictions on what cards will make an impact in the future, and our review of Jumpstart! Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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 Patreo

On this episode, Nick and Zak are joined by friend of the show, Charlotte Sable: level 3 magic judge, CAG member and owner of the Magic Judge blog on Tumblr! They discuss builds for the new commanders we've seen so far, and where certain new cards might find a home. There's only been a few cards, but there's a lot to talk about! Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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 op

There's been a commander rules update! And friend of the show Charlotte Sable, of the CAG and Magic Judge Tumblr comes on to help Nick and Zak with the what and why of the change. We discuss the thought process behind the change, as well as decks that gain a lot. There's also a few corner cases where things get worse (spoiler alert, really not that many!) You can read the full update here. Follow Commander Theory on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube for 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.