Creating a Killer Commander Deck

Every Commander deck is a promise. The commander says what the deck will do, and the other 99 cards either keep that promise or quietly break it. A killer deck keeps it, on time, game after game, with three other people trying to stop you.

Killer does not have to mean mean. The best decks at Commander Night at Bat City Games & Comics do one clear thing, do it with style, and leave the table asking for a rematch. This guide lays out the build order we would follow. It picks up where Commander for Beginners leaves off, so if the rules are still new, start there.

What makes a Commander deck a killer?

Three things. A plan you can say in one sentence. Enough different cards serving it that no single card holds it up. And a way to finish before the table loses patience.

Step 1: Find your commander's verb

Read your commander twice. The first time, read what it does. The second time, read what it wants you to do. That second answer is your verb. Make tokens. Sacrifice creatures. Cast spells. Attack with everything. Put counters on things.

Imagine a commander that makes a Goblin token every time it attacks. Your verb is "make Goblins," and now every card gets a test. Does it make Goblins, protect Goblins or turn Goblins into something better? If not, it needs a good reason to be in the deck.

Write the plan as one sentence and tape it inside your deck box lid. Make a lot of Goblins, then spend them for damage. If the sentence takes two breaths, the game will take four hours.

Step 2: Count the engine, not just the staples

Commander for Beginners gives a starting recipe: about 36 to 38 lands, 10 mana boosters, 10 card draw, 8 removal and roughly 30 cards for your plan. Treat that as the skeleton. This step is the muscle.

Go through the 99 and mark every card that moves the plan forward. If you come up short of that 30 or so, the missing slots are probably staples that would fit any deck. Swap a few for cards that only make sense with your commander.

Look for double duty. A mana rock is fine. A mana creature that is also a Goblin ramps and advances the plan at once.

Step 3: Build in backups

Commander allows one copy of each card, so you cannot run four copies of your best one. You run four different cards that do the same job. For the Goblin deck, that means several ways to make tokens, several ways to make them bigger and several ways to cash them in.

When one piece gets removed or countered, a deck with backups shrugs. A deck that needs one specific card is a coin flip in a sleeve.

Step 4: Shape the curve

Sort the deck by mana value, which is the total mana a card costs. Most cards should sit at two, three and four, with a few at five and six that are worth the wait. If your opening hands keep showing you four-drops and nothing to do on turn two, the curve is a staircase with no bottom step. Add early plays that touch the plan and cut a top-end card to make room.

Step 5: Fix your mana

Every card in your deck has to fit your commander's color identity, which means it can only use mana symbols that appear on the commander. With one color, basic lands do most of the work. With two or more, count the colored symbols on your non-land cards, then split your basics in about that proportion.

After the basics, add lands that fix colors. Command Tower taps for any color in your commander's identity, so it fits nearly every multicolor deck. Arcane Signet is the mana rock that does the same. Sol Ring costs one mana and taps for two colorless. A few lands that enter tapped are fine. A whole mana base of them spends turns two through five watching.

When a deck feels bad, fix the mana before you touch anything else. It is usually the mana.

Step 6: Decide how it ends

Killer decks finish games. A deck that does impressive things for ninety minutes and never wins is an elaborate hobby. Pick two or three ways to close: combat damage, a huge board nobody can answer, a drain that takes life from everyone at once, or 21 combat damage from your commander, which is the number Wizards of the Coast sets for commander damage. Each one should be something the plan already builds toward.

Then ask how fast the deck wins, and say it out loud before the game. Wizards publishes five optional Commander brackets to help tables match up: Exhibition, Core, Upgraded, Optimized and cEDH. The brackets are still in beta, so check the Commander page at Wizards before you lock a list — especially for Game Changers, the cards that can warp a game.

Step 7: Protect the plan

Four players means plenty of removal pointed at somebody, and often it is you. Give your engine three or four ways to survive. A counterspell, a spell that protects a creature for a turn, or a way to get your commander back all count. Swiftfoot Boots, which gives the creature it equips hexproof and haste, is a staple for a reason.

Step 8: Play it, listen, cut

Bats find their way in the dark by listening for what bounces back. Deckbuilding works the same way. Play the deck, listen to what comes back and adjust.

Start with a goldfish game, which means playing alone for ten turns to watch what the deck does when nobody interferes. Then play three real games. After each one, jot down three lists: cards you were glad to draw, cards you never cast and cards you groaned at. Cut the groans first.

Change a few cards at a time, five at most, so you can tell what helped. Not sure what to cut? Bring the list to the counter and we will talk it through.

No deck yet? Start with a precon

The easiest way to practice all eight steps is to buy a preconstructed Commander deck and improve it. It comes with a commander, a plan and a mana base already in the box, so you can spend your time on the upgrades. A few to look at online: Star Trek, Marvel Super Heroes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Final Fantasy, Fallout and Edge of Eternities. The Star Trek decks arrive with the set on Nov 13.

For upgrades, browse our used singles or ask at the counter.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Game Changer in Commander?

It is Wizards of the Coast's name for cards that can dramatically warp a game. Under the optional Commander brackets, Brackets 1 and 2 allow none, Bracket 3 allows up to three and Brackets 4 and 5 allow any number. The list gets updated, so check Wizards before you lock a deck.

Where can I play Commander in South Austin?

Bat City Games & Comics hosts Commander Night every Wednesday, 6 to 10 PM, at 5001 Highway 290. It is free to play, and new players are welcome.

Ready to take a seat?

Bring the deck, tell the table what it does in one sentence and ask for a game. Commander Night is every Wednesday, 6 to 10 PM, at Bat City Games & Comics, 5001 Highway 290, Austin, Texas 78735. Wednesday is also new comics day. We are open every day, 10 AM to 10 PM.

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