The greatest anxiety facing Commander today is expectations management. When you sit down to a game with people you don’t know, whether that’s at your friendly local game shop or at a big event like MagicFest, CommandFest, or SCG CON, there’s an unknown quantity. Are these folks here for a friendly game or for blood? This is where Rule 0 discussions come in.
Rule 0 is an unofficial rule of Commander, preceding the official rules. It simply states:
These are the official rules of Commander. Local groups are welcome to modify them as they see fit. If you’d like an exception to these rules, especially in an unfamiliar environment, please get the approval of the other players before the game begins.
There’s a great deal to unpack in those three sentences.
The first sentence lets you know what follows are the rules for playing the format. For some part of the format’s history, people believed that the rules were suggestions. Once we became a format for which our friends at Wizards of the Coast were specifically producing product, it seemed a better course to reinforce the idea that there was indeed a hard and fast rules set for official Commander.
The second sentence is everything. It reiterates the idea in the format’s DNA that if the official rules don’t work for your group, we encourage you to remake them so that they do. This, more than color identity or commander damage, is what makes the format unique. Worked into its own philosophy is a method for adaptability. It’s not just a method, though, it’s an inspiration to make things your own. While the idea doesn’t resonate with some people who prefer to not deviate from a baseline, it’s worked for us and is a significant part of the format’s success arc. There’s a whole much longer philosophical discussion to be had about the ups and downs of that sentence, but we’re here to talk about the third.
When most folks think about Rule 0, it’s the last sentence. It’s about working out in that unfamiliar environment what type of game you’re going to have or would like. It’s more than just a conversation about power level (although that’s a big part of it), but also about stylistic concerns. It’s a chat about what strategies might be off limits or discouraged, about particular cards that folks don’t like.
Event organizers have gotten clever and jump-started some of the Rule 0 discussions by sectioning off areas for players and putting up signs for game expectations. It’s to some extent helped players self-select. It worked relatively well at the recent MagicFest Reno, where I was one of the guests, as they had five different categories and a handy chart. Charts and scales aren’t a complete solution, but they’re a great beginning.
People often talk about the spirit of Commander. Lots of people have their own definitions. The spirit of the format doesn’t have anything to do with particular cards, unwritten rules, or whether mass land destruction is okay. It has everything to do with the preamble of the Philosophy Document:
Commander is for fun. It’s a socially interactive, multiplayer Magic: The Gathering format full of wild interactions and epic plays, specifically designed as an alternative to tournament Magic. As is fitting for a format in which you choose an avatar to lead your forces into battle, Commander focuses on a resonant experience. Each game is a journey the players share, relying on a social contract in which each player is considerate of the experiences of everyone involved–this promotes player interaction, inter-game variance, a variety of play styles, and a positive communal atmosphere. At the end of an ideal Commander game, someone will have won, but all participants will have had the opportunity to express themselves through their deck building and game play.
The “positive communal atmosphere” is the heart and soul of Commander. The question is how to get there. Bringing a positive attitude is one way. Rule 0 discussions are another.
Whether you think Rule 0 discussions are an inherent strength or weakness of Commander, they’re a current part of the culture. If there’s a better solution, my compatriots on the Commander Rules Committee (RC) and I, with the help of the Commander Advisory Group (CAG), will not rest until we find it. To me, they’re an immense strength. The scope of experiences you can have with Commander is broad, far moreso than any other format. The best of those experiences happens when the players share some level of expectations, that they’re looking for something similar no matter what form it takes. I’ll offer you some tips for navigating your Rule 0 chats, hopefully leading you to better and more fulfilling games for everyone. While most advice here can just boil down to “communicate well,” I’ll get more focused than that. There are nuances to situational communication, and these point to some of those nuances.
10. Agree on a Scale
Just blurting out numbers or styles can lead to some pretty aggressive feel-bads when there’s a mismatch in peoples’ perceptions of those numbers. Numbers means different things to people (your five might be my seven, for example), so you need to make sure that you define the parameters of the page before you can get everyone on it. I’m not talking about reinventing the wheel here. Using established scales is fine. You don’t need to necessarily even agree with the particular scale, but if everyone is using it, it’ll be easier to find common ground. If there’s a posted scale at your event, such as the ChannelFireball chart from MagicFest Reno, then you have a beginning point. The scale’s value isn’t in its accuracy, but its place as a point of comparison.
9. Make Power Level a Conversation, Not a Destination
This tip comes from CAG member Rachel Agnes (@baetog_) and plays into the previous one (okay, they all play into each other, but you get the point). Especially when there are guidelines, players will attempt to shoehorn their deck into one of the categories. Those categories are just the starting point. Rachel takes the piece of advice even one step further: when in doubt, just show them your deck. If you can’t decide, let the other players help. Sure, you might be revealing that cool tech you have, but there’s a good deal of data to process when you’re looking at a 100-card deck. They’re going to get a sense of it, not remember all 60-something nonland cards in it. Fellow CAG member Adam “Stybs” Styborski had a similar experience at CommandFest DC. He said he’d simply explain his deck, what the plan was, and a few of the key cards. The good news is that if the deck is under- or over-powered for what everyone else is playing, you’ll know right away. We’re at the table together, so there’s no reason to go it alone.
8. Don’t Yuck Anyone’s Yum
This one comes from CAG member Ron Foster, title and all. Even if you’re not into a particular play style, be respectful if that’s someone else’s jam. Again, you’re always welcome to say no, but demeaning them as a random casual or filthy cEDHer isn’t going to help anything or anyone. It’s sure not going to put your game on the right footing. I’ve seen people throw plenty of passive-aggressive shade, and there’s no call for it. This one is more about just being a decent human being than anything else. Funny how good life lessons apply to many situations.
7. Individual Cards Don’t Imply Power Levels
A deck isn’t just 100 cards; it’s a collection of those cards and their synergies. The presence of any single card is meaningless when it comes to assessing what a deck is going to do. You can have a low-power deck that happens to have OG dual lands in it. You can have a high-power deck built on a budget. Whether you’re assessing your own deck or those of others, focus on the collective package, not any of the elements. Don’t get caught up in minutiae; see the bigger picture.
6. Manage Your Expectations
Engaging in a Rule 0 discussion means you’re swimming in untested waters. Don’t worry about getting it perfect on the first go. Bring your positive energy and commitment to a good time and go from there. If the first game isn’t quite right, even after a discussion, re-engage before the next one. You’re coming in with the right attitude, so you can adjust fire to try to better hit the target for Game 2. Communication can be a tricky thing, so go in with the reminder that you might have to continue the conversation, and the idea that that’s okay.
5. Enter with the Spirit of Cooperation
It feels like this one doesn’t need to be said, but it does. Even among experienced Commander players, there can be a mindset that creeps in. It’s a game, after all, and the goal of the game is to win. We’ve simply created a higher (meta?) goal for Commander games. Winning takes on a different meaning. Sure, it’s great to be the last person standing. It’s even better for the people you’d shared the experience with to have had a good time. You’re not responsible for other peoples’ fun. In this context, however, you’re responsible for helping them find the opportunity for it.
This one doesn’t necessarily mean “don’t play mean decks.” If everyone is on Team Resource Denial, run with it. Taking this one truly above and beyond, you might consider playing in a style you’re not used to, even if you have to borrow a deck.
That’s not the major point here, though. The idea is to actually care that the other three folks have the chance to have good times, just like you want them to do the same for you.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Say No
Cooperation doesn’t mean capitulation. Like with many other things in life, if you’re not comfortable with something, be it a style, power level, or whatever, politely decline. Be civil about it, but don’t get bullied into doing something you don’t want to do. Cooperation goes in all directions. There’s no reason for you to be a sacrificial lamb. Not having a game at all is better than suffering through one you know is going to make you miserable. Friend of the show Jim from TheSpikeFeeders calls this “right cards / wrong people.” You’re not objectively right or wrong for playing the cards you play. Whether you’re looking for a group at the LGS or sitting down with strangers at a MagicFest, finding the people whose styles resonate with yours is key.
3. Remember That Time Is Also an Axis
When trying to line up power levels, players often forget about the temporal axis. It’s not just what your deck does; it’s when it does it. Tutors will radically speed up a deck, challenging or even erasing the 100-card singleton nature of the format. If you’re waiting until you draw the cards that win you the game, or there are no specific cards that simply outright win for you, then your deck will be slower.
I like games that go into double-digit turns, but anything that happens after Turn 10 is fair game. Some folks think that’s too many; others think it’s not enough. Pay attention to the when.
2. Express Your Preferences Clearly
The specific desires you have for the game aren’t as important as the other players knowing what they are. I like a social game, one that lets me talk with the people that I’m playing with. Even given the oppositional nature of a game that will eventually have a winner, I consider that I’m playing a Commander game with people instead of against them. In my home game, I want to catch up with friends that I haven’t seen in a bit. At an event, I want to make new friends.
I don’t want to play in a game that requires I pay 100% attention to the game state (although I don’t want it to be a secondary focus, either), because that means I can’t do the social part. Anyway, be upfront, from whatever angle you prefer, even if it’s a deviation from the way games normally go. I’m a fan of letting people do (immediate) take-backs or retapping their mana correctly. I’m okay with mentioning that up front. If you don’t want a particularly loose game, I’d consider mentioning that as well. Saying too much here is better than saying too little.
1. Be Honest
The ability to engage in true self-assessment aside, be honest about your deck and your intentions. Don’t undersell or oversell it—or worse, fail to sell it at all. I’m a fan of the “what’s your power level, no 7s” question. It’s fine to not brag about your deck, but if it consistently combos out by Turn 5, don’t lead anyone astray. I had a player tell me once that their deck only combos out by Turn 3 5% of the time; I looked at it afterward, and the truth was that it only failed to get there 5% of the time. You know what your deck does and when it does it, even if you’re not sure where it might fit on someone’s scale. Be honest. When games are about creating a mutually acceptable environment, there’s no need to obfuscate at the beginning. Save that for after the game starts. Then obfuscate the hell out of things.
Commander is a format unlike any other in that when you sit down at the table, the parameters of the game are not nearly as well-defined as others. It takes a little more effort to get positioned for a game that hits all the angles that everyone at the table would like. That effort is well worth the time you spend at the beginning.
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