How would you design commander sets?

[Morganator 2.0]

Gavin Verhey has tragically passed away after choking on a single grain of couscous. You have been selected as lead designer for the Commander pre-cons. What is something that you would do differently?

For me, I would choose one cycle of rare lands every year, and every deck that can use those lands, will use them. For example, if I choose the pain lands for a year with 3-color commanders, I would ensure that every deck gets the three pain lands that they can use.

[Aetherium Slinky]

I would make the decks support a single strategy instead of a mish-mash of different strategies.

One example that comes to mind is the Obuun precon that doesn't really do landfall, land creatures or evasion on the lands (ok, the Obuun land has trample). It's just a collection of "decent cards" that "kinda" support the theme. Including a staple like Crucible of Worlds would push down the price of said card and allow the deck to dig fetches from the grave. I get it that they probably wouldn't print the fetches in a precon but there are plenty of cheap fetches like Evolving Wilds that would be cool to replay for more lands.

[ApothecaryGeist]

I like Morganator's idea with the lands.  On that note: Stop putting guildgates in Commander decks.  Or any taplands with no upside.  I get your probably still going to need to print the lifegain lands and such.


Also, fix the manabases.  Start putting Talismen in the decks, alongside the signets.  Put Rampant Growth and other such simple ramp spells in the decks. 

[Bonethousand]

Honestly, more alternate win cons. Give me hoops to jump through!

[Slyvester12]

Straightforward game plans, better mana bases, good synergy, and no more than three colors (I love rainbow decks but these are supposed to be for new players), and very few exclusive cards.

[Korlich]

I would STOP making overpowered garbage, and implementing new ideas instead.

[Aetherium Slinky]

I would STOP making overpowered garbage, and implementing new ideas instead.

Could you provide us with some examples? To me overpowered garbage sounds like a bit of an oxymoron.

[jlutzxinc]

Korlich most likely thinks "overpowered" IS "garbage", but not so much bad as lazy or poorly designed.

That said I would love to know what so-called "overpowered" cards ever came from a Commander product.

On topic: I have no formal game design experience and therefore have no idea how to do this job that I can't have anyway.

[Aetherium Slinky]

Korlich most likely thinks "overpowered" IS "garbage", but not so much bad as lazy or poorly designed.

That said I would love to know what so-called "overpowered" cards ever came from a Commander product.

On topic: I have no formal game design experience and therefore have no idea how to do this job that I can't have anyway.

Oh, right. Maybe stuff like Arcane Signet? That's a staple these days and exclusive to Commander.

[Morganator 2.0]

That said I would love to know what so-called "overpowered" cards ever came from a Commander product.

Flusterstorm, True-Name Nemesis, Derevi, Empyrial Tactician, Toxic Deluge, 2-color partner commanders, Teferi's Protection, Dockside Extortionist, Fierce Guardianship, Hullbreacher, Jeska's Will. And those are just the things released in commander products. Then there are cards like Smothering Tithe and Underworld Breach that were clearly made for commander, just in a standard-set.

[WizardSpartan]

I would do things differently in 2 main aspects, what reprints I would choose and how I would design new cards.

Wizards has already been trending towards this, but I wouldn't really reprint specific big money cards, instead focusing on multiple $2-5 cards. I much prefer this because it's harder to for scalpers to sell a bunch of $3 cards than it is to sell a single $30 card (which decreases the likelihood a certain precon's price will be inflated). Also, it helps keep the price of solid background cards like Lightning Greaves, Blasphemous Act, Rapid Hybridization, etc. cheap and available. I personally don't think the goal of precons should be to reprint very expensive cards. They should be more for creating solid, affordable decks for new players to get into the game with or established players a deck to have a bit of fun with.

In terms of new cards, I would put less of an emphasis on creating generically good new cards. I want cool, specific cards that shine only in certain strategies. The cycle of free cards in c20 (ex. Fierce Guardianship) is the perfect example of generically good cards I don't want to see in preconstructed products. All of the members of the cycle except of Obscuring Haze are good in pretty much any deck that could run them. On the flipside, I love the new cards in the Witherbloom Witchcraft precon this year. Ezzaroot Channeler, Trudge Garden, and Blossoming Bogbeast are really only playable in lifegain decks, but they're really good in lifegain decks. Additionally, I would try for new design space. C21 is really good for this (imo), but C20 was just plain uninspiring. Kathril, Aspect Warper feels very similar to earlier commanders, Jirina Kudro is just a generic token maker + buff on a stick, etc.

TL;DR I want the precons to be less about reprint value & powerful cards, more about being interesting and a fun addition to the format.

[jlutzxinc]

The cycle of free cards in c20 (ex. Fierce Guardianship) is the perfect example of generically good cards I don't want to see in preconstructed products. All of the members of the cycle except of Obscuring Haze are good in pretty much any deck that could run them.

I actually agree with most of your post in particular but here I have to ask where you'd put such cards that require a Commander to function.  With the exception of Commander Legends and Battlebond the precons are the only product that ever mentions them.  Would you just have a Commander draft set every year?

[Morganator 2.0]

The cycle of free cards in c20 (ex. Fierce Guardianship) is the perfect example of generically good cards I don't want to see in preconstructed products. All of the members of the cycle except of Obscuring Haze are good in pretty much any deck that could run them.

I actually agree with most of your post in particular but here I have to ask where you'd put such cards that require a Commander to function.

I think you're missing the point WizardSpartan is trying to make. Cards that need a commander to work aren't a bad thing (Angelic Field Marshal is fine). The problem with the 2020 free card cycle is that they were overpowered. I personally think that Deflecting Swat and Flawless Maneuver are fine, but Fierce Guardianship is too powerful. I certainly like to see unique cards like Cruel Entertainment instead of just a really powerful counterspell.

[ApothecaryGeist]

I sounds official to me.  If WE were in charge of Commander products, they would be COMPLETELY AWESOME and affordable.

[WizardSpartan]

The cycle of free cards in c20 (ex. Fierce Guardianship) is the perfect example of generically good cards I don't want to see in preconstructed products. All of the members of the cycle except of Obscuring Haze are good in pretty much any deck that could run them.

I actually agree with most of your post in particular but here I have to ask where you'd put such cards that require a Commander to function.

I think you're missing the point WizardSpartan is trying to make. Cards that need a commander to work aren't a bad thing (Angelic Field Marshal is fine). The problem with the 2020 free card cycle is that they were overpowered. I personally think that Deflecting Swat and Flawless Maneuver are fine, but Fierce Guardianship is too powerful. I certainly like to see unique cards like Cruel Entertainment instead of just a really powerful counterspell.

Yeah, basically. I'm okay with cards that interact directly with commanders (i.e. providing a static bonus of some sort when you control your commander), but the free cards were too much for me. The vast majority of decks will want to play their commander, which makes me feel like there's no reason to not include the free cards (especially the 3 members that are effective protection spells). But for more "fair" commander-reliant cards like the Lieutenants, for example, aren't as much of auto-includes. Bastion Protector is a good card, sure, but it's not like every single white deck really needs their commander specifically to have indestructible; Flawless Maneuver is one of the best protection spells WotC has ever printed in white. Bloodsworn Steward can be sweet in for certain commanders, but many decks don't really need to give their commander haste; Deflecting Swat is the best (imo) redirection spell in red.

I just think specifically, that cycle removed most of the downsides/opportunity cost of playing a card that benefits from having a commander in play.