How to start a commander playgroup?
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Dec. 2, 2015, 12:22 p.m. by Ledian
So i have been interested in getting into commander, but no-one at my playgroup seems to play it, most have decks but don't play. Any suggestions for getting people more involved/interested in commander?
TheDevicer Yeah we usually get together every Thursday. but most people who go don't own a commander deck to my knowledge. It is fun to hang out, play, and eat food.
December 2, 2015 12:43 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
This thread was moved to a more appropriate forum (auto-generated comment)
December 2, 2015 12:53 p.m.
libraryjoy says... #5
Have some extra decks you can lend out and share. I built a bunch of budget ones, had them for a while, then I had a day where only one guy showed up, so we set out the decks, and rolled a die to see who played what. I think we played 4 short games, and he was hooked. And then he built a commander. Then there were 2. Now my playgroup plays at least 1 commander game every time we meet.
December 2, 2015 12:56 p.m.
RussischerZar says... #6
From what you describe the trick seems to be actually offer to plan the thing through or rather tell them before "hey, we'll do commander this/next [weekday], you're invited". Maybe you'd also want to have a few spare decks to lend to people that don't have their own decks, so they can sniff out the format.
Maybe it's also a thing that the people that already have played have a high variance in power level which makes the game unfun and potentially detracts people from playing again. Assuring people with that kind of experience that you plan to make it different might also work toward your goal.
December 2, 2015 1 p.m.
Thanks for the suggestions! I'll have to start working on some commander decks. Any budget suggetions?
December 2, 2015 1:06 p.m.
libraryjoy says... #8
I think I have 5-6? or so under $40 each (Vorel & Asmira still need work). I also don't play black, so there's none in there. Best way to save is just to use cards you already have. The important thing is that they play well against each other. Anax and Cymede is a popular budget commander here locally.
Sygg, River Guide Merfolk EDH <$30 Budget
Tolsimir Wolfblood Elf EDH <$40 Budget
Anax & Cymede Human Soldier EDH <$25 Budget
Mayael the Anima Stompy EDH <$40 Budget
Vorel of the Hull Clade Counter EDH <$30 Budget
Asmira, Holy Avenger Human EDH <$25 Budget
Also have 2 for about $60 ea. including an upgrade of my Mayael deck. I'm still getting the cards for these, so haven't done playtesting yet.
Noyan Dar & Friends, Roiling Along ~ Budget
Mayael the Anima Stompy EDH <$60 Budget
Two budget decks from other people I like but haven't built:
Time to get Swol....On a Budget! ($40 budget)
Doran of the Infinite Butts (Not really budget, but all the combo pieces are, so you could use the shell with a simpler landbase to build a fun deck. And the description is lots of fun.)
December 2, 2015 1:26 p.m.
Deckologist says... #9
Everyone has great ideas so far. Its funny how contagious edh is. after my usual edh spot closed i had to find a new place to play. i went to a new shop with 2 decks and ended up letting the owner borrow one and we played during an fnm. everyone that passed by us would stop and watch for a bit before getting back to their round. juat this small event led to a massive surge in edh players. so as mentioned above all you really need are a few decks and a friend. once people see you guys play at a shop nature will take over. some key points that i have found hel get players involved areas follows:
have a day or two out of the week where you play edh and keep it consistant.
have a loaner deck or two. people who play edh normally get hooked.
be knowledgeable of various commanders and archetypes as well as the format
dont scare off new players. this is a big one for me. my original shop was a sloppy store that was really more of place to play than anything. our greatest joy was to play new people that discovered our little shop and utterly destroy them. we even had acount of the souls we crushed. looking back on it i could kick myself. 78 people. people that loved edh an decidedto quit after one game with us. that would be enough people for 3 edh nights week at my new shop. so basically dont crush new players.
be outgoing. dont over do it though. a small noise will peak an animals curiosity, a loud one will cause it to flee.
i knowthese seem like no brainer ideas buti figured i would throw my two cents in
Arvail says... #2
Yeah. Set aside one day when you all get together, have some good food, and play some games. Even people who don't like the format as much will get into it if you frame commander as a large day-long activity. My Sat usually consists of getting together with my friends at around noon. From there, we draft a cube or play commander until past midnight only to take breaks to eat and such. The social aspect is something that people don't normally consider that highly before they start playing regularly.
December 2, 2015 12:35 p.m.