How do YOU guys build commander decks?

[Notan1987]

Been getting really into Commander lately and started building decks. Just got one in and have only gotten my ass kicked since getting it. My question is, what thought process do you all go through when brewing? Do you follow one if the many templates or has experience kind of molded your brewing style?

Another question, I realize I probably should've tested more thoroughly before getting it. How do you all test decks you don't yet own?

[Landale]

My general starting point is 36 lands, 10 interaction, 10 draw, 10 ramp, 30 goal cards, 3 utility, and the commander. Then I adjust based on testing.

As for testing, aside from playing actual games which happens to provide the best feedback on your deck, I just play it against imaginary decks that are doing nothing with a time limit of 10 turns. If the deck can not win reliably within 10 turns completely unopposed, it's not likely going to stand up to most mid power casual decks.

[Fuzzy2Wasy]

Generally 99 cards in the deck and 1 commander in the command zone.  The 99 cards in the deck are limited to the color identity of said commander.

[anjinsan]

I think this is in the wrong forum but, anyway, I'll bite.

For me it varies. Often I see a commander I like and try and build around it. Obviously that sets the colours. Other times I have some concept or specific thing that I want to do, or some build-around card that isn't a commander, and then I have to figure out (a) what colours to use and (b) who the commander is - which is trickier, since then you're weighing up the two things together.

I do use a template as a start point - I actually have a script which generates a start of a decklist mostly from the colours (but I can vary some of the numbers). However that's as much so that I don't, like, forget to put in removal or something; I typically aim to tweak that as I go as appropriate for the deck.

[Loggiu]

First I search a commander that's not weirdo, something like a Planeswalker for a tribal deck or a legend of the pasts tournament, then i try to give it a smart strategy and don't use stupid cards with orrible arts and make it very enjoyable to play!

[PotatoAndThings]

For the most part, i think of an interest color combo and a straight forward strategy. After that, i build the mana base (normally 32 to 36 land, depending on what colors are being used).

With the color combo, straight forward strategy and mana out of the way, i'll fit around 8-18 draw, 6-16 targeted interaction, 1-4 board wipes, 8-12 ramp, 2-6 tutors, and everything else will be mostly synergistic with the main strategy and/or some tech options like graveyard hate, infinite combos, utility cards, etc.

[ERMTD]

Hello there

After seven years of building decks, I found a good average solution as a deck template to start building. Naturally, after doing that, I tend to playtest the deck 4-5 times and adjust it depending on the feel and the needs of it.

For me, key is that the mana base + ramp comes to 50 cards. This seems a lot, but I tend to look if I can find ramp that fits the deck, or is particulary good in the deck and might be ideally also fulfilling other purposes. For the avg. mana base, I calculate 30 lands+ mana value of the commander + 1 added land. This means, with a commander of mana value 5, the total land count would be 36. After that, I build the ramp package. If it is, for example, 36 lands, then I do 14 ramp, so that I come to the total value of 50. Ideally, it is even better if you can add + 1 ramp card, that seems to work the best (total Land and Ramp count: 51). At least that is where most sweet-spots lie in most of my decks.

After building the mana and ramp base, I look for at least 12+ card draw options, at least 1 mass removal, at least  4 recursion and 4 protection options and around 5 target removal (I tend to run a fairly low amout because my playstyle is tweaked more to let everybody do their thing;  having a fun evening and more games).The rest are cards that just specifically work with the commander.


So in the case of the hypothetical 5cmc commander it would look like this:

36x Lands
14x Ramp
12x Card Draw
5x Target Removal
1x Mass Removal
4x Recursion
4x Protection
76 Cards + Commander 77 Cards.

The rest of the 23 cards are just specific to the commander deck.



I hope it helps.

Cheers!

[AlltheTokens]

My decks usually start with some crazy idea that I want to pull off, or just a commander with abilities that amuse me.  If I am starting from an idea, I find a commander that gives me the colors I need and either has synergy with the idea, can give card advantage to find the idea, or is a solid threat without much build around to force my opponents to answer it instead of the idea.  If I am starting from a commander that amuses me I add in a few cards that work with whatever the commander is doing.  Then, in either case, I try to find at least one other way for the deck to win that doesn't require the commander or the silly idea.

I start at 40 lands.  I know this is more than most people here use as a base, but I hate not hitting my lands and I tend to play green, which thins the lands out anyway.  Next I usually add in ramp.  If my commander wants a lot of creatures I focus on creature based ramp.  If I am in green I use the green land ramp that I love.  If I don't have green I tend to go for mana rocks.  In the late stages of deck building I will look back at how much ramp I have and adjust the number of lands down.  I am usually willing to replace a land with a spell for every two pieces of ramp I include, but I do not often drop below 34 lands even in ramp heavy decks (most of my ramp heavy decks have some reason to want more lands anyway).

Now I add in "interaction"  These are a grouping of cards that allow me to slow down my opponents in one form or another.  Counterspells and bounce in blue, burn and copy effects in red,  green doesn't have a lot but the few it does have are very good.  White has Exile effects and in recent years has color pie breaking spells that do all the same things green can do. (note: this makes white a very strong "splash" color now).  Black likes to kill creatures, but doesn't have too much other interaction.

Now I try to find a way to get some card draw in there.  I think I focus on this less that most people, and the few times I have gone all in on it I have made decks that no one enjoys playing with.  I end up taking long turns that don't do much.

At this point I am usually over 100 cards and have to cut things.  I start with adjusting the lands down as I mentioned above.  Then I look at the spells and pick things to cut, usually focusing on the highest casting cost things first.

[Mishka]

Hey! So as a general rule, I try to have 2 "things my deck is trying to do" and have 24~32 cards divided on those things.
I also tend to have my decks on the mid to low power level, I'm not interested in cEDH.

So if your Golgari deck wants to put a lot of tokens and then give them ramp and +x/+x with some big Overrun type spell/creature, I'd try to have maybe 20 cards that help me with that, and then 10 other cards for a second theme, let's say, animate lands.
With that I have my 30 cards for the "theme" and then, 36 lands, maybe if I'll be animating them or playing some manlands I could go higher.
Then ramp and stones, about 15, maybe 20 if I want to ramp for land animation.
Then card draw, utilities and removal, and some extra finishers or cards that can do a lot on their own... a few planeswalkers, maybe some proliferate cards so I can proliferate my lands and planeswalkers...

Usually taht's how I go about it, hope it helps.

[Temporalstorm]

PPL here told enough about manabase, ramp proportions, etc. I will say a thing about commander and wincon relation

You may treat your commander as a core of your synergies. Whether it comes to a special technique or just tribal thing, think of getting commander with powerful triggered or static ability, and satellite cards to trigger along with him. More powerful triggers - more synergy. Also, it's good to add some other cards able to replace your commander if it gets focused too much and you will be not able to cast it.

You may treat your commander as a finisher though. You build up a deck with inner synergies of their own, and try to weave the startegy so much effectively, to make your commander the cherry on the top. That happens when you choose a commander with powerful ETB ability. Your deck will be somehow vulnerable without a core almost always available, and further it will be slower to build up an adventage. But if you will manage to do it, then BAM. I recently made Tanazir Quandrix Simic Counters deck this way, and when he enters... It's sweeet.

Then, there come decks with commander being a wincon itself. It happens mostly with commanders with activated abilities that define the game plan. Check Brion Stoutarm decks with stealing creatures and throwing them into other players' faces. It's pretty salty, and your commander will always be "kill on sight" guy.

Alt wincon is also important, and should be able to use the same resources that create the adventage along with your commander. (For example, you want to make some pirates, and choose Admiral Beckett Brass, you also go along and insert Admiral Brass, Unsinkable version from Caves of Ixalan, Pirates are nice, but also it's worth to use their treasures to fuel up some sac engine). Still, your disadventage is when you can't protect your commander, your deck slows down.