The EDH Deck Building Process #2 - The Inspiration

TappedOut Commander Series

Suns_Champion

5 April 2020

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The EDH Deck Building Process #2 - The Inspiration

Hello friends! It is I, Suns_Champion:

  • TappedOut’s resident Jank EDH brewer
  • New Commander pioneer
  • Part-time dead Planeswalker
  • Full-time Boros Legionnaire
  • Lover of bullet-point lists

Welcome to my series about the deckbuilding process, where I aim to take your deckbuilding to the next level! In my first article, I talked about deckbuilding philosophy and how it applies to the brewing process. I suggest reading that if you haven’t already because I believe it provides a good background on the series and many of the topics we’ll be discussing!

Before I dive into today’s topic, here’s one part of my deckbuilding philosophy I didn’t really mention in the last article. Over the last few years, I’ve really come to see the deckbuilding process as a creative process: an outlet of creativity, imagination, and self-expression. Deckbuilders are brewers, crafters, artists, and designers. They dream ideas, make creations, personalize them, and show them to other artists. We critique each other's work, we suggest improvements, and we applaud obvious masterpieces. In many ways, deckbuilding is no different than drawing, painting, wood carving, writing, building with LEGOs, cooking, brewing beer, or any sort of creative experience. Like any artist, as a deckbuilder I strive to challenge myself and expand my palate. That’s why I started this series and why it is so important to me, it is both a multi-part expression of my philosophy and process and an introduction to those wanting to become MTG deckbuilding artists. If that’s you, read on!

Today I’m going to talk about the first step in deckbuilding, or any creative process for that matter: the Inspiration. Before building a deck, you need an idea or a vision of what that deck will look like, what it will do, and why it will do that. That idea or vision starts with some sort of inspiration. Admittedly, inspiration is not what deckbuilders usually have trouble with. But in the effort to create a comprehensive brewing walk-through, and in case someone is struggling with new deck ideas, I thought this discussion would be useful.

What inspires you?

Sometimes that’s a difficult question to answer, and there are times when one is simply not inspired by anything. So before answering, let’s look at what can inspire a new deck, and then what inspires me, personally.

What Inspires Magic Decks?

What inspires a majority of Magic decks? Magic cards! “Well no duh, Suns.” But it’s true! Most decks are inspired by cards you like. Maybe it’s the function of a card, like a combo piece, a strategy enabler, or a build-around powerful card. Maybe it’s the colors of a card. Maybe it's the flavor or art of a card. Maybe it’s a legendary creature that you like for any of the previously mentioned reasons. Maybe it’s multiple cards that are similar or do similar things that make a theme, a strategy, or a tribe. That is different than being inspired by a single card. But there are more ways to find ideas in Magic.

Okay, it’s time for bullet-point list time. I’ve been holding back, trust me. Here are some places within Magic that you can find inspiration:

  • A Commander: a lot of my decks start with a commander. I see it, I think it’s cool, I build it. The first legendary creature you ever pulled? First foil legendary? A new legendary creature that fits your personality, playstyle, or mood? All great starts to an EDH deck.
  • Play style: Perhaps I play too much (Boros) aggro, so I want to build a control deck to shake things up. That’s inspiration right there.
  • Tribe: Do you like Dragons? Or Angels? Or Goblins? Or Merfolk? They can be the inspiration to a deck.
  • Mechanics: Suppose you like flashback, or delve, or protection from X. You can make an EDH deck around those.
  • A Combo or Powerful card: The allure of power and winning gets to us all sometimes.
  • Jank Magic Cards/Interactions: Sometimes you see a wacky or even downright bad Magic card or interaction and think, “yeah… I want to play with that.”
  • Magic Memes: Many memes come out of Magic. Storm Crow. Oko, Thief of Crowns. Perfect inspiration for a wacky deck.
  • Flavor Text/Art: What’s more inspiring than art? You can make decks based on a type of art, a particular artist’s work, or the subject of the artwork.
  • Lore: maybe you want to build a deck around a character, event, or think in Magic’s lore.

Inspiration can also come from factors outside the game itself but still connected to it. For example, you might be inspired by losing to a certain deck, a certain friend, or losing in general. You’re inspired by your desire to not lose, or to win, or to not lose/win to a certain deck, or friend. And from that inspiration will come an idea, and from that idea, a deck.

Or perhaps you are inspired by factors completely divorced from the game. You build a deck in honor of a friend or family member. You can build a theme deck based around literally anything: people, groups, places, art, objects, songs, books, movies, memes, feelings, ideas.

How to get Inspired

So you’re probably getting the sense that inspiration is everywhere and can come out of anywhere or nowhere, and that is true! But the issue might be: how to find all this inspiration? How to get inspired?

Let me ask my friend, Anakin Skywalker. Anakin?

Anakin

I agree, Anakin! This answer might disappoint some. Patience. You can look for inspiration, and sometimes you will find it, but often you will not. Patience. Sometimes inspiration hits you out of nowhere, from a place you didn’t expect at a time you didn’t expect it. Patience.

Occasionally I see forum posts asking questions such as, “what commander should I build next?” Or saying things such as, “I’m out of ideas.” Now, when you’re just starting out and don’t have a commander deck at all, this is a reasonable question and issue. It’s also reasonable to ask, “which commander should I run” and give a few options. But when you already have a bunch of decks and just want another, my advice is to just simply wait. Wait for something to hit you that you really want to go for. I’m not a fan of just taking some suggestions of what some other person likes, even if they have fun with it. I think it’s better to wait for something that you know you will like. So if someone suggests something that really catches your eye, that’s great too!

By “wait,” I don’t necessarily mean “stop thinking about Magic and EDH forever,” because then you might never be inspired. You can “wait” but still search for inspiration. I call this actively waiting. It’s really more searching for inspiration and waiting for it to hit you.

Check out the new Ikoria spoilers. Search up underrated or underplayed commanders or cards. If you have a collection of cards, maybe sort through them-perhaps you’ll find something unexpected that will spark a new deck. Check out some MTG podcasts, videos, sites, or articles. Play Magic, but use a different deck. Ask to borrow a friend’s deck, which has helped me figure out what I do or don’t like. Or play a different format, mix things up. Call an EDH-playing friend and talk to them. Brainstorm ideas.

Since inspiration can come from anywhere, do some non-MTG activities. Read a book. Watch a movie or TV show. Go for a walk, go for a run. Look at some art. Listen to music. Play some music. Work out. Listen to podcasts while you’re working out. Do some writing, and while you’re at it, doodle a little. Draw. Inspiration can come from anything, from anywhere, as you’ll see in just a minute. I personally think this issue is akin to “Writer’s Block.” Ask your writer friends how they push past their writing blocks. You might get some helpful answers!

All this is to avoid building out of obligation when your heart isn’t really behind it. That leads to a bad deckbuilding experience and disappointing decks. It’s way better to be creatively motivated and excited about your decks!

What inspires me?

The answer, of course, is Boros Legendary Creatures.

Okay but seriously now. What inspires me? To give some real examples of where inspiration can come from, here’s what has inspired me in the past (another bullet point list coming in hot!):

So, I’ll ask again, what inspires you?

Again, sometimes it’s a personal journey sometimes it's a random happenstance. You can go out and look for it, or let it find you. Later, once you get a critical mass of decks, you can look back and ask what inspired them, If you can pick out any trends or things that inspire you a lot, you can add that into your deckbuilding philosophy to better understand yourself as a deckbuilder. If you’ve ever been inspired to build a deck, drop your inspiration in the comments.

To Recap:

  • Most decks are inspired by Magic cards. But…
  • Inspiration can come from anywhere, from anything: people, groups, places, art, objects, songs, books, movies, memes, feelings, ideas.
  • If you’re out of ideas, don’t get frustrated. Actively wait and search for inspiration.

So once you’ve found an idea for a deck, come back and continue the series! I already have an idea for my deck, but I think that can wait for next time! Join me then for The EDH Deck Building Process #3 - Getting Started! There I will talk about what to do with our initial ideas, plus deck templates, deckbuilding sites, and more!

Until then, may the Sun always shine in the eyes of your enemies!

For the Legion!

Suns_Champion

This article is a follow-up to The EDH Deck Building Process #1 - Deck Building Philosophy The next article in this series is The EDH Deck Building Process #3 - Getting Started

ScionsStillLive says... #1

Tim deck lol

(Prodigal Sorcerer)

April 5, 2020 8:01 p.m.

JANKYARD_DOG says... #2

I think my most prominent inspiration is 'The Underdog' commanders. The not so popular, never considered tier 2 or above types. Take for instance Isperia the Inscrutable and Selenia, Dark Angel both I had never seen at a table and at the time, under 100 decks by EDHREC stats.

Second would probably be 'outside the norm' things. Example; Redless Dragons, or taking a popular commander like Riku of Two Reflections and making it an energy deck. Maybe this would fall under the 'Jank' classification? If that's the case you can add Golos.Wincon.dec which is just as it sounds... Mazes End, Gates, Approach, etc 'I win' cards.

And then there's tribes. I like some popular ones like dragons, and humans but I strive for the lesser known/supported like Wurms and Golems. Or try at least. If any of this sounds remotely interesting feel free to snoop. Love the articles btw #Moar_TO_Content_FTW. Keep em coming.

April 5, 2020 10:46 p.m.

Boza says... #3

I have had 5 commander decks, currently down to three:

  • Jor Kadeen boros aggro - god that deck was awful, my first deck; I made it because I thought being super aggressive would do it. Sadly, a couple of haymakers killed my desire to play the format.

  • Nekusar, the mindrazer - do not have the list online, but this will always be my favorite commander. I have filled the deck with every card punishes for drawing, every "everybody draws" I could reasonably get (sigh, Timetwister). I made it because I wanted to end commander games fast without infinite combos or land destruction, the two things that should not be a part of all but the most competitive commanders.

  • Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder - your typical storm list that required two hits with Yidris to kill the table. I made it because I wanted to make a storm list. I dismantled it after the second game with the full list, because everybody at the table, including myself felt awful about the game.

  • Saskia, the Unyielding - my deckbuilding is done on a stipulation. I want to make deck X and I make it. With Saskia, I made it because I wanted a four-color deck that ended commander games fast, but was more interactive than Storm Yidris. The solution - include only legendary creatures in the deck and as many other legendary cards as possible. It is to date, my favorite deck to play.

  • Muldrotha, the Gravetide - I had this card called Villainous Wealth that I tried to build a modern deck around. Did not work, so I thought to try it in commander instead. I made it because I want a deck that won almost exclusively via Villainous Wealth. Honestly, it does its job of being annoying at the table and grinding games more than winning via VW, but it is extremely good policing deck that can deal with any threat on the table.

So, I have a deckbuilding style that is goal focused. I make decks that are the best at achieving their stipulation.

So, Jor Kadeen was miserable at achieving its goal of low-to-the-ground aggro, while Saskia refined that in a midrange deck, leaning towards aggressive with a cool stipulation.

While Yidris Storm was a miserable experience, it was refined in Nekusar - still a deck that needs a few cards to combo out and deal 40 damage to opponents, but it is a deck that gradually grows into it.

Muldrotha was born because I had two decks - "combo" Nekusar and "aggro" Saskia. There was no control to finish out the trifecta of archetypes. the stipulation of villanous wealth meant that the rest of the deck is value-generating non-sense.

April 6, 2020 11:23 a.m.

Suns_Champion says... #4

ScionsStillLive I think that could count as a Magic meme, perhaps? haha

Mj3913 I'm also a big fan of the underdogs, thus Elenda, Varchild, and all the Boros decks!

Boza thanks for the comment! In many ways, your inspiration or reasoning for building a deck is tied into your philosophy of goal-driven decks! Reiterating why one's philosophy is so important to how you build decks.

April 6, 2020 12:48 p.m.

JANKYARD_DOG says... #5

And now I somewhat patiently await the 'How to make cuts' article XD

April 6, 2020 3:46 p.m.

Suns_Champion says... #6

Mj3913 It's coming haha... article #5. Going to try to fast track some of these because it's spoiler season and people are building new decks.

April 6, 2020 3:50 p.m.

Darkshadow327 says... #7

Usually my inspiration is a fun commander I see or a fun tribe. Gods may suck as a deck, but it's hilarious!

April 7, 2020 2:40 a.m.

plakjekaas says... #8

I usually flip through my cards, see what legendaries I have, and how I would build around them, until the inspiration hits.

Sometimes I start with a color combination, sometimes a creature speaks to me, but it always starts with the commander, and then I'll build the rest of the deck around it.

My first deck was built out of necessity, I used to play 60 card casual kitchen table magic with my friends, until they started playing commander, and I had to build a deck to tag along. The first unique legendary creature I started building around was Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper (I opened one in BFZ prerelease), and the deck was flashy and fun, but really easy to foil, if the table managed to keep my commander off the board. I took it apart not long after, and built a Mina and Denn, Wildborn lands matter deck, which was a lot more beginner-friendly to pilot. I took out the red later, the new commander was Rhonas the Indomitable, and now that's my oldest, most trustworthy deck that I still really like playing.

There's a charm in beating an opponent senseless with a 18/18 darksteel citadel though, I might revive the Noyan Dar idea someday, now that I actually know how to build a commander deck ^^

My current favourite decks apart from Rhonas are:

  • Omnath, Locus of the Roil: M20 Omnath with a lot of lands, a lot of drawing cards, a lot of spellslinger payoffs, and a few elemental synergies. I liked the idea of spellslinger instead of the obvious elemental tribal, and it's pretty much a collage of temur cards I found in my collection, almost no focused purchases to improve this deck.

  • Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion: my mono red voltron/wheel/extra combat deck. This is my actual favourite and probably best deck, it's the most blinged out with the most expensive cards in it. The commander is a Hour of Devastation prerelease promo, and red is my favourite color, and Etali, Primal Storm scared people too much to make it fun for me to play. The deck pretty much builds itself, not a lot of inspiration was required to make it work, but I'm still very content with the result :D

  • Heliod, God of the Sun: with mono green and mono red succesfully constructed, I wanted to focus and complete the mono colored cycle. I'm still struggling with ideas for black and blue, but flipping through my mono white legendary creatures, Heliod was the one I accidentally stumbled upon and it spoke to me. The new Heliod had just released, but that one screams "I WILL COMBO YOU TO DEATH", and that's not the message I want to radiate to the table (that combo is still in there though, it's just not the focus). The old Heliod had the most fun hidden (and obvious) synergies out of every mono white legendary I had, and I've had a lot of fun building this. The deck is an amalgam of everything white does well, with enchantments (duh, the commander makes enchantment tokens '^^), lifegain, "if an opponent controls more lands, search your library for Plains", boardwipes, hate creatures like Aven Mindcensor and Grand Abolisher, and the staxy combo of Blind Obedience and Meekstone which keeps positively surprising me with its effectiveness, especially if you consider that Heliod grants your team Vigilance.

  • Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire: a 100% permanents deck, built to grind out value and drastically transform the board with each attack. Turning opponents' Sol Rings into Kozileks never ceases to amuse me. This was another legendary creature in my collection that begged me to build around, and the restriction of only permanent cards was self imposed, to keep it interesting instead of going for optimal. It's a battlecruiser deck at its finest, with almost no instant speed interaction, and many opponents complimented me with how fun the deck is to play against. (I once was targeted with Bribery and my opponent had such a fun time browsing targets that he took my Greenwarden of Murasa just so he could do it again)

I am still waiting for inspiration for the mono blue and mono black decks that I really want to make. In my LGS, there's a lot of commander games right before or after the FNM, but not many people have their own decks yet (they started only playing post-Ixalan and don't own a big cardpool yet, FNM in my LGS is Standard only). Many will borrow decks of the ones that do have multiple, so for those people I'd like to be able to ask: "what color do you want to play?" and then be able to give them what they like, or give them a 5 color deck in case they don't care '^^

April 7, 2020 8:36 p.m.

bushido_man96 says... #9

Great article, Suns. Lots I can relate to there. I'm usually inspired by a commander that I like. So when I look for inspiration, it's usually at new Legendary cards. The main reason for this is because I know I'll always have access to the commander, and therefore I know I can count on some consistency within the deck.

April 11, 2020 10:03 p.m.

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