I think I'm too picky
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on April 29, 2021, 3:20 a.m. by LivingThing
Hello, all! I've recently run into a problem with Commander. I'm far too picky when choosing a general to brew around.
I'm all about aesthetic, so the card has to have compelling lore, good art, and be of a playable power level before I even think about brewing a deck around it. (I prefer a lot of text on a commander too lul). For example, I've been wanting to build a BG deck for a while now, but I haven't found a commander with the right mix of the three characteristics mentioned (Jarad almost makes the cut but the art turns him off for me). This is a large problem; I always start with the commander and try to build a deck around that. I'm rarely excited when building new decks, mostly because of commander options. As of now, I only have one deck in paper, which is my prized Vorinclex brew.
I don't enjoy most other formats from a gameplay standpoint simply because it lacks the social interaction and trickery that Commander offers, so brewing for new formats is mostly out of the question. I really need a perspective change. That being said, any input is appreciated. This has been bugging me for awhile, so it's nice to get it off my chest. Cheers! :)
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Lore is tough. IMO, in a singleton format, I tend to imagine that the player is an all-powerful & unknown god (not a mere planeswalker) & the player is crafting a story with the cards they play.. Not even so much like an arena style beatdown with all these dissident characters (as that does not make sense to me) more like you are an invisible hand that are setting events to lead to your supremacy on a given plane... All that being said, lore doesn't matter to me because any game could have its' own amazing lore
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amazing art to me is art that tells a story without needing a bunch of spikes, filigree, or garbage action poses. One of my favorite commander arts is Edgar Markov
it tells you so much about that character without overstating or action-posing. Though I don't actually play Edgar. -
power level is pretty subjective. I usually play a strategy that makes me happy & slowly refine a deck until it can kind of play up to the competition. I play (& win) with Thantis, the Warweaver
quite a bit. Forced combat is not "high power level" - but labors of love can get there over time.
April 29, 2021 9:13 a.m.
griffstick says... #4
Nicol Bolas
. Nobody has more Lore than him. There is also a different art style 
and if that still isn't your jam theres
Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Flip. As far as power is considered. You can make them a super friends decks with all the nicol bolas lore and bolas walkers. . With extra turns and proliferating. My friend did this and it was strong.
April 29, 2021 9:47 a.m. Edited.
CasualCucumber says... #5
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed , Urza, Lord High Artificer (you can build him without being all cutthroat), Yawgmoth, Thran Physician , Archangel Avacyn Flip and The Gitrog Monster (can also be build in a fun way without going into the combo route) - all of these cards should fit what you seek: some good lore, good art and a good amount of text.
April 29, 2021 5:07 p.m.
Don't let the artwork of a card stop you from playing it as your commander - just do an alter of the card. There are lots of websites/easy to use programs that let you create custom cards, so you can leverage these to create an existing card with alternate art. Then just print it out and sleeve it up (using a land or token as a backing to add rigidity to the card works great, especially combined with a double sleeve).
I have a custom art Saffi Eriksdotter which I run as my commander, but just have the real one sleeved up as well in case anybody wants to complain about proxies.
This means that rather than having the artwork be the only thing that holds you back, you can remove a limitation rather than working around it.
Mtg_Mega_Nerds says... #2
There are a lot of good commanders here. I think you should try Meren of Clan Nel Toth , Savra, Queen of the Golgari , Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest or Skullbriar, the Walking Grave
April 29, 2021 6:47 a.m.