Great video! But there is something I always thought about when it came to backgrounds and since you always have a timeline section in your deck tech videos I would like ask you something: How do you feel when brewing a Commander/Background Deck? Especially when both have the same cmc? Because lets say you're playing Lae'zel + Master Chef... which one do you play first on Turn 3? It feels kinda awkward. Or with Erinis + Scion, is it going to be Background into Commander in turn 2 and 3 every single game? Would you put less or even skip out on 2 and 3 drops completely in your decklist because of this? How much does it influence the deckbuilding? I'd love to see your thoughts about this! I'd even sub to your Patreon if you talk about stuff like that on ther
These are great questions! I'll try to be concise in my answers. - The final answer will always vary by deck, gameplan, and opening hand, but *in general,* if the main commander and background are tied for CMC, I think the main commander should be played first on account of the background being useless when played first, and if you drop the background first you've signaled that your main commander is next, which is just asking for a counterspell. For the specific example of Lae'zel and Master Chef, I'd probably pack the deck with other sources of counters- especially in the form of creatures- like my Atraxa deck to make sure the main commander is doing the necessary work, while the background is a support piece *that's optional* in the gameplan. - The first few turns of any commander deck are the most predictable. With partner types, that's especially true (and even more so with backgrounds). Sometimes, like with Karlach, there's some flexibility as to whether you play a flier T3 and the background T4 or vice versa, but usually, yes, a lot of games will want the same sequence of background-commander every time (e.g. Wilson//Cultist). For both Erinis and Gale, there might be better T2 plays, but having that second commander means you can afford to take weaker openers and still have a dependable line to your strategy, so I'd *probably* play the background first and follow up with the main commander afterwards. - I actually did skip out on a lot of 2 drops for Halsin with this thought in mind. I think the answer should vary between pairings (i.e. Gale//Scion still has a lot of 2 drops), but if you know you'll always want one of them down ASAP then yes, you could omit certain mana values from your timeline. I'd love to maybe elaborate more on these and other questions in a future "Two commanders" video, but I think for now I'm happy with this specific focus on backgrounds with this one. Thanks for watching! 😊
I building a Gut + Cloakwood Hermit, the data on EDH is very small, any tips building this commander, my first time trying a Grull deck. Any help is welcome. This video convince me on making this deck, it looks very fun. Love this type of videos, very informative.
Gut is fairly aggressive (menace on a 4/1 is quite annoying), as is Gruul, so I'd suggest loading up on anthems and other board-wide buffs and beating down with a token army. Obviously token doublers would be great if they're within budget. Gruul lacks support for a traditional aristocrats deck, namely sac outlets and drain effects. But you can still include some sacrifice. Perilous Forays, Evolutionary Leap, and Goblin Bombardment are all solid sac outlets that don't require you go all-in on aristocrats. And Green has plenty of ETB utility creatures that can act as sacrifice fodder (eternal witness, reclamation sage, Farhaven Elf, etc.) to get Cloakwood Hermit rolling. Note that Gut does not need to attack for himself to get his skeleton trigger, so it's not super important to give him any kind of evasion or extra combat prowess. It also means you can get his attack trigger the turn him comes in, assuming you already have an attacker ready to go (which could then turn into a 4/1 with menace) Gut being a 3 drop means you could get him out turn 2 with mana dorks, who then provide sacrifice fodder later, but gut isn't super impactful turn 2, so you can definitely run slower land ramp and put Gut out later.
This was amazing! A question about abdel adrian and shameless charlatan - when you refer to his delayed trigger are you referring to his token creation? Transforming into another creature doesn't trigger his etb and ltb ability does it?
That's correct- changing into another creature has no effect on Abdel's token creation. It will not cause Abdel to leave the battlefield. Whenever he leaves the battlefield, even if it's as a copy of another creature, you'll still get the tokens 😁 (and your exiled permanents)
not an expert, but usually the name of the card being referenced in itself is just used to mean this physical card (instead of your opponent also playing the same cards), so even if you transform you get the cards back when he dies , since he is still "this card"
@@aegisgamingofficial2178 oh i see now! Since he only has an ETB and LTB ablility, its like adding those abilities to another creature for 2U with shameless charlatan. I'm curious about your example of Loran though - when he transforms, doesn't the original Loran die because of the legend rule? And if you flicker Abdel doesn't he turn back into Abdel so he doesn't get Loran's ETB?
Loved the video, and also seeing the Lulu+Cloakwood Hermit. I've tweaked a list a tiny bit (courtesy of Paul from Quintessential Commander), which is basically just an engine deck - think repeatable reanimation to get cards like Selfless Savior, Selfless Spirit and various "Sacrifice to destroy X" creatures back that trigger our background. Devoted Crop-Mate is a standout here, because I feel like the Exert ability would normally be a downside, but just meshes exceptionally with our commander's untap trigger. When all the cards fall into your theme to an extent, it's almost like you have a tutor in the command zone. As long as you have the commander+background out, everything is a lesser "combo". Backgrounds just seem really flexible and fun to play around with (+ I love DnD and Baldur's Gate, so it's a flavor win for me).
About Abdel, maybe Master Chef could be cool? I feel like there's something interesting to be done with Selezhnya blink - Good-Fortune Unicorn, Champion of Lambholt, Conclave Mentor, Emiel the Blessed, Armorcraft Judge, Pegasus Guardian, Hornet Queen, etc. is something that's been on my mind for a while.
I'm sorry to leave a critical comment but I really love your channel and want to see you do great things! So the criticism is the "did you know" slide just felt so cluttered with information and without a verbal explanation I kind of got lost. Even pausing the video to read everything it didn't feel clear to me. I just wanted to say I really love your decks and playtesting them on Moxfield has given me such insight in deck design. You have very unique and interesting content.
Don't sweat it! I appreciate the feedback, truly. Tbh I wasn't sure about one of those slides in particular (the one about color identity). If I had to do it again (and I will soon) I'd probably cut out the bit about shards and allied colors, and I think that'd clear up a lot. Maybe reorganizing the chart would go a long way as well. I'm glad you like the decks! Thanks for watching 😊
I tried the Livaan // Sword Coast Sailor pair (I wanted an excuse to play Font of Magic and Arcane Bombardment). The fact that you don't get to decide who to attack without being blocked hasn't been an issue so far since they die mostly in one hit. Also cards like Treasure Cruise, Dig Through Time and Draconic Lore works wonderfully with Livaan. The deck is like 35€ too
Vhal // Tavern Brawler look fire tho. Font of Magic and Arcane Bombardment shouldn't be terrible there, I can also play with Eruth, Tormented Prophet and Wrenn's Resolve for a ton of card advantage. Nalfeshnee and Wild-Magic Sorcerer are great payoffs for casting from exile, although there doesn't seem to be a lot of win conditions (at least I don't see them). On EDHREC there's some cards that switch power and toughness and some equipments to boost the latter, but I think they're too clunky. I gotta experiment
Great deep dive into Backgrounds, and which one works best with which legendary creature. I have an Erinis deck myself, but its background is Street Urchin. While Scion compliments the land ability, Street Urchin compliments the Deathtouch, making it Gruul Landfall Machine Gun. 🔫🟢🔴
Hey awesome vid 🎉 Have you ever thought about doing a video on how to build Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir? Feeling like he should be played in a reanimator focused deck but not sure if that's the best way to build him!
The editing in these videos has a very distinct, old school kind of vibe.
Great video! But there is something I always thought about when it came to backgrounds and since you always have a timeline section in your deck tech videos I would like ask you something:
How do you feel when brewing a Commander/Background Deck? Especially when both have the same cmc?
Because lets say you're playing Lae'zel + Master Chef... which one do you play first on Turn 3? It feels kinda awkward.
Or with Erinis + Scion, is it going to be Background into Commander in turn 2 and 3 every single game?
Would you put less or even skip out on 2 and 3 drops completely in your decklist because of this? How much does it influence the deckbuilding?
I'd love to see your thoughts about this! I'd even sub to your Patreon if you talk about stuff like that on ther
These are great questions! I'll try to be concise in my answers.
- The final answer will always vary by deck, gameplan, and opening hand, but *in general,* if the main commander and background are tied for CMC, I think the main commander should be played first on account of the background being useless when played first, and if you drop the background first you've signaled that your main commander is next, which is just asking for a counterspell. For the specific example of Lae'zel and Master Chef, I'd probably pack the deck with other sources of counters- especially in the form of creatures- like my Atraxa deck to make sure the main commander is doing the necessary work, while the background is a support piece *that's optional* in the gameplan.
- The first few turns of any commander deck are the most predictable. With partner types, that's especially true (and even more so with backgrounds). Sometimes, like with Karlach, there's some flexibility as to whether you play a flier T3 and the background T4 or vice versa, but usually, yes, a lot of games will want the same sequence of background-commander every time (e.g. Wilson//Cultist). For both Erinis and Gale, there might be better T2 plays, but having that second commander means you can afford to take weaker openers and still have a dependable line to your strategy, so I'd *probably* play the background first and follow up with the main commander afterwards.
- I actually did skip out on a lot of 2 drops for Halsin with this thought in mind. I think the answer should vary between pairings (i.e. Gale//Scion still has a lot of 2 drops), but if you know you'll always want one of them down ASAP then yes, you could omit certain mana values from your timeline.
I'd love to maybe elaborate more on these and other questions in a future "Two commanders" video, but I think for now I'm happy with this specific focus on backgrounds with this one. Thanks for watching! 😊
I building a Gut + Cloakwood Hermit, the data on EDH is very small, any tips building this commander, my first time trying a Grull deck. Any help is welcome. This video convince me on making this deck, it looks very fun. Love this type of videos, very informative.
Gut is fairly aggressive (menace on a 4/1 is quite annoying), as is Gruul, so I'd suggest loading up on anthems and other board-wide buffs and beating down with a token army. Obviously token doublers would be great if they're within budget.
Gruul lacks support for a traditional aristocrats deck, namely sac outlets and drain effects. But you can still include some sacrifice. Perilous Forays, Evolutionary Leap, and Goblin Bombardment are all solid sac outlets that don't require you go all-in on aristocrats. And Green has plenty of ETB utility creatures that can act as sacrifice fodder (eternal witness, reclamation sage, Farhaven Elf, etc.) to get Cloakwood Hermit rolling.
Note that Gut does not need to attack for himself to get his skeleton trigger, so it's not super important to give him any kind of evasion or extra combat prowess. It also means you can get his attack trigger the turn him comes in, assuming you already have an attacker ready to go (which could then turn into a 4/1 with menace)
Gut being a 3 drop means you could get him out turn 2 with mana dorks, who then provide sacrifice fodder later, but gut isn't super impactful turn 2, so you can definitely run slower land ramp and put Gut out later.
"Ooo, Renari simic dragons sounds fun!" [looks up dragons in blue & green on scryfall, sees there's maybe 3 good ones]
This was amazing! A question about abdel adrian and shameless charlatan - when you refer to his delayed trigger are you referring to his token creation? Transforming into another creature doesn't trigger his etb and ltb ability does it?
That's correct- changing into another creature has no effect on Abdel's token creation. It will not cause Abdel to leave the battlefield. Whenever he leaves the battlefield, even if it's as a copy of another creature, you'll still get the tokens 😁 (and your exiled permanents)
not an expert, but usually the name of the card being referenced in itself is just used to mean this physical card (instead of your opponent also playing the same cards), so even if you transform you get the cards back when he dies , since he is still "this card"
@@aegisgamingofficial2178 oh i see now! Since he only has an ETB and LTB ablility, its like adding those abilities to another creature for 2U with shameless charlatan. I'm curious about your example of Loran though - when he transforms, doesn't the original Loran die because of the legend rule? And if you flicker Abdel doesn't he turn back into Abdel so he doesn't get Loran's ETB?
@@EmmyDiesAlone All of that is correct. Loran isn't in the deck to be copied, but instead flicked.
Loved the video, and also seeing the Lulu+Cloakwood Hermit. I've tweaked a list a tiny bit (courtesy of Paul from Quintessential Commander), which is basically just an engine deck - think repeatable reanimation to get cards like Selfless Savior, Selfless Spirit and various "Sacrifice to destroy X" creatures back that trigger our background. Devoted Crop-Mate is a standout here, because I feel like the Exert ability would normally be a downside, but just meshes exceptionally with our commander's untap trigger.
When all the cards fall into your theme to an extent, it's almost like you have a tutor in the command zone. As long as you have the commander+background out, everything is a lesser "combo". Backgrounds just seem really flexible and fun to play around with (+ I love DnD and Baldur's Gate, so it's a flavor win for me).
About Abdel, maybe Master Chef could be cool? I feel like there's something interesting to be done with Selezhnya blink - Good-Fortune Unicorn, Champion of Lambholt, Conclave Mentor, Emiel the Blessed, Armorcraft Judge, Pegasus Guardian, Hornet Queen, etc. is something that's been on my mind for a while.
Also Baeloth seems quite oppressive with Noble Heritage in place of Raised by Giants.
loved this, I feel like partner-style commanders don't get enough love, especially the Baldur's Gate ones!
I'm sorry to leave a critical comment but I really love your channel and want to see you do great things!
So the criticism is the "did you know" slide just felt so cluttered with information and without a verbal explanation I kind of got lost. Even pausing the video to read everything it didn't feel clear to me.
I just wanted to say I really love your decks and playtesting them on Moxfield has given me such insight in deck design. You have very unique and interesting content.
Don't sweat it! I appreciate the feedback, truly. Tbh I wasn't sure about one of those slides in particular (the one about color identity). If I had to do it again (and I will soon) I'd probably cut out the bit about shards and allied colors, and I think that'd clear up a lot. Maybe reorganizing the chart would go a long way as well.
I'm glad you like the decks! Thanks for watching 😊
I tried the Livaan // Sword Coast Sailor pair (I wanted an excuse to play Font of Magic and Arcane Bombardment). The fact that you don't get to decide who to attack without being blocked hasn't been an issue so far since they die mostly in one hit. Also cards like Treasure Cruise, Dig Through Time and Draconic Lore works wonderfully with Livaan. The deck is like 35€ too
Vhal // Tavern Brawler look fire tho. Font of Magic and Arcane Bombardment shouldn't be terrible there, I can also play with Eruth, Tormented Prophet and Wrenn's Resolve for a ton of card advantage. Nalfeshnee and Wild-Magic Sorcerer are great payoffs for casting from exile, although there doesn't seem to be a lot of win conditions (at least I don't see them). On EDHREC there's some cards that switch power and toughness and some equipments to boost the latter, but I think they're too clunky. I gotta experiment
Great deep dive into Backgrounds, and which one works best with which legendary creature.
I have an Erinis deck myself, but its background is Street Urchin. While Scion compliments the land ability, Street Urchin compliments the Deathtouch, making it Gruul Landfall Machine Gun. 🔫🟢🔴
Lord of the Nazgul deck, pls?
Hey awesome vid 🎉
Have you ever thought about doing a video on how to build Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir? Feeling like he should be played in a reanimator focused deck but not sure if that's the best way to build him!
burakos / folk hero deck tech please 😁
Algo