Casual building edh
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Jan. 4, 2022, 10:38 a.m. by AggroWithAShield
Hey peeps,
I need help build 3-4 casual decks for playing with new players.
I got my wife and 2 friends (4 player pod) into the game and after learning the basics and tested all the available precon on tabletop sim they decided to brew about 2 deck each and now I need help to build new decks because mine are way to busted for that level of play.
I need about 4 casual commander (no group hug/politic) options (I don't and need full list just the commander). I have no idea what's more casual and what's not other than no infinite loops.
If it helps they here's what they built.
Elesh norn (anthem) Phyrexian tribal
Animar (Eldrazi) Progenitus (hydra)
K'rrik (demon) Kaalia (angel)
Thanks.
I agree with CasualCucumber low powered tribal decks are fun, easy to understand and play. Thelon is a blast. Another I'd add that's not tribal would be jarad Golgari Lich Lord. Cast big creatures sac big creatures. Good times
January 4, 2022 12:25 p.m.
RiotRunner789 says... #4
Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin would be a fun voltron that isn't busted like other krenko. Also, mono red tends to be easy to pilot.
Liesa, Shroud of Dusk can be made to not be overpowered. Mostly just fill with lifegain and a few ways to protect your commander.
Gargos, Vicious Watcher: Big dumb hydras. Big dumb hydras attack everything. Nikya of the Old Ways could be another beat down option that tends to be easy to pilot.
Jhoira of the Ghitu can be oppressive if built will eldrazi titans or fun if made with large krakens and other spells.
Shalai, Voice of Plenty: GW +1/+1 counter and ramp deck. A lot of easy synergies to play with. She is hard to interact with but countered with how she tends to be slow (and doesn't grant herself hexproof).
January 4, 2022 12:39 p.m.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #5
Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma is very easy to build on each and every power level. You can start at "fatty facebreaks" and end around mono-G creature storm.
It seems to fit what your friends are doing. The creatures are big enough to not easily die to Elesh Norn, they can fight back against any of the big creatures, and as I said, you can easily adjust the power level by simply down- or upgrading the fatties. Here's my list for her: Her Royal Fluffness
Moraug, Fury of Akoum is an attacky voltron with a clear restricton, and you can easily avoid infinite loops. You simply want to play additional lands and drop fetchlands. Here's my Moraug list: Momo: Twice the horns, twice the fun
January 4, 2022 2:27 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #6
With what you have there will be a clear disparity in power levels. My guess is that animar will stomp the table unless your friends gang up in the piolet K'rrik and Kaalia will also be problematic as they cheat on mana. Progenitus and Elesh norn will likely always be the underdog - not that they couldn't win some of the time but the chances aren't going to be 25% with this current lineup - deck lists of each would help us gauge this better.
My suggestion is just using precons if you have them. They're relatively even in power and lean towards the more casual side of the format and with some tweaks could be decent battlecruisers/high power decks.
January 4, 2022 7:09 p.m.
bushido_man96 says... #7
If you're looking for something casual and easy, I'd start with a precon you really like, cut the fat and focus on whichever Commander in the box you want to play, and then just do some slight upgrades from there. A precon has a good portion of the work done for you, and you can upgrade a little at a time as the newer players in the pod get better and upgrade their own decks.
January 4, 2022 9:52 p.m.
FormOverFunction says... #8
I use my theme decks with new players (against them, I don’t make them lose...ER...I mean, play with them) and it generally goes really well. My Briny Deep and haunted house decks pressure with some attackers, my torture deck adds some stacks effects (without blocking their ability to do things) while giving them that extra card each turn. Playing against decks like this is like exercising with those giant rubber bands; they provide resistance but rarely beat you up. It’s a nice balance to get them experience with all the different weird technicalities mtg can provide. Ultimately folks continue to rotate around to other pods for different experiences (mainly for higher competitiveness) but they always come back for another friendly game here and there. That sort of slow-roll semi-autopilot might be a good approach, depending on your pod. They can still technically lose, but with some basic skills they’ll be able to pull off a win, which is always more fun than just learning more and more lessons while they lose. Having said that, your mileage may vary ;p
January 4, 2022 10:16 p.m.
Ayula, Queen Among Bears along with Muraganda Petroglyphs can be fun and is an entertaining deck building challenge. There’s lots of ramp strategies that could be fun in this context as long as you avoid the usual “I win” buttons like Tooth and Nail.
January 6, 2022 10:02 a.m.
I agree with what RNR_Gaming and bushido_man96 said. The commanders you said they have built are a bit uneven, power level wise. Using precons as a base would be the best way to go about making some nice casual/beginner level decks once you trim them up a bit.
I'd suggest the C19 Primal Genesis deck as a good base. Focus on one of it's three commanders, cut out all the cards that don't work as well with it and then add in a bit to balance it out. I'd also recommend doing the same for Midnight Hunt's Undead Unleashed, Commander Legends Arm for Battle and the C18 Adaptive Enchantment. Between these four, you have a good coverage of different colors and playstyles. You could grab any precon that interests you, of course. These were just ones I thought were cool. Use your favorites!
As for how to stay "casual", high-powered commanders are usually the ones that could feed a value engine all by themselves or ones that seem like they could run on "autopilot". See cards like Yarok, the Desecrated, Chulane, Teller of Tales, Edgar Markov, Korvold, Fae-Cursed King, Muldrotha, the Gravetide, Kenrith, the Returned King etc.
CasualCucumber says... #2
An obvious route could be to make a cloning deck with Riku of Two Reflections that normally makes you play somewhat equally in powerlevel.
Otherwise I would go for a niche strategy or a tribal deck - maybe Ayula, Queen Among Bears, Brion Stoutarm or Thelon of Havenwood.
It is some powerful commanders they are playing but it is still hard knowing how powerful their actual deck is without seeing a decklist, so maybe I am undershooting. But you might also be better at deckbuilding which is an factor to remember.
January 4, 2022 12:06 p.m.