The Control Mage Delves Into Commander For CommandFest Richmond

I love competitive Magic and have been an active participant since early 2003. I officially got into the game in 1999, as a high schooler slamming Giant Growth onto big green creatures during lunch. Most of us were there, excited to summon the biggest and baddest creatures possible. I had little interest in the blue spells early on in my hobby, but that quickly changed.

Once I learned about local tournaments, I jumped right into the action with my horrible green decks. The moment my opponent cast Wrath of God against me, I was hooked. That type of devastation, followed up by impeccable blue disruption, removed all other methods of play from my interests. Since then, I have proudly repped the control flag and have enjoyed moderate competitive success while doing so.

My first enjoyable Magic experience outside of the competitive scene was a Cube Draft. There is nothing like it in the game, and Cube has become a wildly popular format with players. I have built and played many varieties of Cube, with each one being enjoyable. This scratched the itch to play Magic in-between tournament dates, especially in recent times. There have not been many events for me to participate in, but there is always Cube Draft with the pals to fall back on.

The Commander Turn

For as great as Cube Draft is, it is difficult to organize due to the number of players needed to play. I love a good eight-person event; however, we often fired it up with six players. Even bringing six people together can be tough, and I wanted to play more Magic. This led to my investigation of Commander, a format that Bennie Smith has tried to get me to cave and play for a long time. I was not interested in trying years ago, but it was not an indictment of the format. Playing with powerful cards on a casual level was a blast with Cube Draft; however, I felt that the cards I like would not be enjoyable to play against in Commander. I had thought that powerful interactions and cards were universally frowned upon there, but it turns out that each group is different.

The first Commander deck I built, around Urza, Lord High Artificer, was too powerful for the local group I played with. This group has some of my best friends in it, people who are pretty good at Magic, and the first few games I played caused some audible irritation. I ended up building Omnath, Locus of Creation and Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger as backups if Urza was out of the question to play. Each of these decks, I continue to update. My Urza deck is still my baby, and it is the deck I often drop a few power levels to play with new guests and friends alike. This list is optimized to fit my playstyle, but there are some easy modifications to tone it down.

The List

This mono-blue masterpiece has brought me great joy over the years. Although it does not have the supporting cast of sweepers that white brings, it showcases the power that Island provides the controller. Blue spells are simply the best, historically, and that is the beauty of Commander. As formats get hit by rotations and/or bannings, Commander is relatively immune. There is a banned list; however, the quantity of cards to choose from outweighs the modest number that cannot be used.

In local play groups, disregarding the “official” banned list is common. It becomes more of a suggestion than the gospel, outside of traveling to events to play Commander. Even there, your pod can decide on what is and is not allowed, highlighting another great perk of the format. I abstained from enjoying what this format had to offer for too long and now I am an active card-carrying member.

Pursuit of Power

This Urza deck produces the Legacy power that I yearn to experience on a regular basis. Even in my Kroxa deck, I cannot help but to include Worldgorger Dragon as one of the avenues to victory. These powerful interactions bring me to the table, and Urza grants that with the blue disruption I fell in love with as a young man.

Within this list you will have the usual artifact suspects, fueling the power of a guaranteed Urza that can arrive as early as Turn 1 with a Jeweled Lotus. More often it hits the battlefield on Turn 2 or Turn 3, with the assistance of that fast artifact mana. Once it lands on the battlefield, all the cheap artifacts already there turn into Mox Sapphires, and the fun begins.

There are no bad zero- or one-mana value options to choose from here, as they all help generate absurd amounts of resources very early in the game. The blue disruption in the deck helps protect the commander. If Urza is protected, it is very difficult to lose once you untap. Even if multiple players have it out for you, this deck can quickly put the game out of their reach.

No One-Shot Combo

This deck is not like most lists on the higher power level, since it does not have a combo that kills on the spot. Urza produces a ton of mana early and hopes to continue to add permanents to the battlefield using the built-in card advantage, while resolving various forms of Time Walk.

Extra Turns, Treachery, and Countermagic

Each extra turn spell provides additional opportunities to build the battlefield, crash in with a giant Construct, and eventually find a haymaker floating around in the deck. Many games result in multiple extra turns taken, knocking someone out of the game, and then passing the with fifteen permanents out. There are multiple ways to chain these extra turns outside of drawing them individually, with tutors, Mystic Sanctuary, and Urza’s ability.

Each powerful extra turn spell is in this list, accompanied by my favorite blue spells from sets across Magic’s timeline. I built this deck to showoff what blue can do in a perfect world, with Treachery / Control Magic / Vedalken Shackles as the removal, the best countermagic the game has to offer, busted planeswalkers, and only a handful of the greatest creatures. Being able to play Mana Drain, Counterspell, Cryptic Command, and Force of Will in the same deck has been surreal. Although the countermagic is used primarily for defense in Commander, the efficiency makes it fun every time. Cryptic Command may not be playable in Modern currently, but it is a great Commander card. The power extends being the countermagic and into the planeswalkers, which include the best of the best.

The Best Planeswalkers

It is tough to get away from Jace, the Mind Sculptor in any format it is legal in. It may not be the bee’s knees in Commander, but I do not care. This is where the casual aspect rings true and earns Jace a permanent spot in all my decks that can cast it.

Teferi, Master of Time represents the other side of that coin, being a card that should be in every blue deck. The filtering it provides, while threatening two extra turns after a rotation or two, is special. I was shocked to see the lack of play it receives in Commander, and it’s one card I would never leave on the bench. The last planeswalker is in-between, Narset, Parter of Veils, a planeswalker that has a strong synergy with your Time Spiral, produces card advantage and has a lock on additional cards drawn by the opponent. These three powerful beings are great additions to Urza and are a lot of fun to play.

Featured Creatures

In addition to planeswalkers, I am playing a few creatures, and not just because I have to.

The Eldrazi creatures need no introduction, but Sai, Master Thopterist and Emry, Lurker of the Loch have a special place in my heart. Many of you know the nonsense combo decks I championed in Modern, specifically Ironworks Combo and Four-Color Grinding Breach. These two creatures were involved in those masterpieces and get to return to the action in my favorite Commander deck.

The other creatures are fun ones like Shimmer Dragon, a card that I always wanted to break in Standard, and the versatile Phyrexian Metamorph. All these creatures are overshadowed by the mighty Emrakul, the Promised End and Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, but those giant Eldrazi are in there just to add to the inevitability. There are other outlets to take advantage of the big mana advantage, and I have changed it up to drop the power level for my friends who do not enjoy this iteration of Urza.

Lockdown Orbs

This Urza deck can be dropped a few notches in power level by replacing the extra-turn spells with big old permanents. These permanents can be creatures, artifacts, or planeswalkers, and there are plenty to choose from. I have swapped in some of the sillier Eldrazi, combos that are difficult to assemble, expensive card draw, and every expensive planeswalker out there.

The core of the deck is what creates the enjoyment, allowing the user to produce a great deal of mana very early in the game. There are auto-includes in every Urza deck, such as Winter Orb and Static Orb. These two being tapped at a moment’s notice, creates a fun political atmosphere. Outside of that, what the big mana is used for can determine the enjoyment level for those playing with you.

Big Blue

When I play with one of my best friends, Jay, he does not mind that I play a 9.5/10 Urza deck and loves the challenge. If my best buddy Patrik is in the game, he does not share that same enthusiasm. Commander is about creating a fun environment for those around you. I personally enjoy my opponents doing powerful things. My level of fun does not decrease if my opponent combo-kills me versus attacking me with a bunch of Insect tokens after resolving Craterhoof Behemoth. It could be my novice experience in Commander, but the method of death does not impact my overall enjoyment level.

All I know is that this format is fun, and I wish I’d tried it earlier. I owe Bennie an apology and look forward to some matches the next time we see each other if it does not conflict with an SCG CON date.

Even though I am a newcomer to Commander and enjoy the format, my tournament heart beats loudly. The thrill of competition and the relaxation of casual gaming make me the Magic player I am today.

CommandFest Richmond

On the weekend of June 3-5, thousands of Magic: The Gathering fans will converge upon the Greater Richmond Convention Center to celebrate their favorite 100-card format at CommandFest Richmond!  Experience Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate for the first time and meet dozens of fan-favorite Commander personalities and special guests.  Register now for the can’t-miss Magic: The Gathering event of the year!