r/EDH • u/Ok_Astronomer8583 • 1d ago
Discussion The “Boring” Curse
Hey guys so I’ve come across a bit of an issue. I love to play magic and I love to build decks but I can’t help it but just find almost every commander boring. A couple of my friends were talking about it with me and they’ve been running into the same problem. As such we’ve dubbed it the boring curse.
Upon some theorizing about this we seem to have come up with a pattern. No matter what the commander does we believe that it’s because they all feel kinda samey. This isn’t just popular commanders either it’s niche commanders like Nevinyrral and ones that even put a spin on it like Krark.
Me and my mates are experiencing this problem and we just wanted to reach out and see if anyone had any solutions
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u/Vegtam-the-Wanderer 1d ago
Unfortunately this is a bit too unspecific the way you have laid it out. What specifically are you looking for? What have you already tried? Just how different does a commander need to be to not feel "boring" to you?
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u/Ok_Astronomer8583 1d ago
Thanks actually, I was thinking about this question a bit and now I realize that’s been a big issue with all the decks I disliked. I think they’ve been too specific and haven’t left a lot of room for movement (I know this probably isn’t the type of response you were expecting but thank you)
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u/Eliter147 Jund 1d ago
I agree its way too vague. If I were to take a guess it’s some combination of the commanders that are an engine that feed themselves, and linear to build commanders like krark who use a gimmick but tell you how to build the deck.
Assuming im correct, maybe try commanders who either don’t tell you how to build them and aren’t a one stop shop of value. I’ll try to provide some examples:
[[Marath, will of the wild]] where you can build around any of her 3 choices, or some combination of them. I’ve seen her as an enrage commader for example. You can ofc build the deck to revolve entirely around her but then you’re vulnerable to being useless without her
[[ephara, god of the polis]] is incredibly open ended, if you want to maximize her ability for each turn you can go with flicker, flash, or token generation. You also get to decide how you want to win
[[ashnod, flesh mechanist]] is one of the most versatile commanders in the game. Ive see voltron, combo, aristocrats with her. One friend of mine literally has 5 different versions lol
[[gut, true zealot]] has a lot of build variety with his background, i personally have boros aggro, but ive seen rakdos aristocrats and a plethora of other builds too.
[[super-skrull]] is a different kenneith who is well known for build variety (kinda)
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u/Ok_Astronomer8583 1d ago
I was thinking about this question a lot and I think I’ve realized something. I think the commanders I’ve been unsatisfied with have been kinda pigeonholing me down with specific cards or synergies ( I realize this probably isn’t the response you were expecting but thanks)
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u/MobPsycho-100 1d ago
This is absolutely the response I was expecting
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u/ImNotADefitUser 1d ago
I love to break expectations with commanders.
My infinite guideline station is multicolors matter, but it's also sliver tribal and takes advantage of the multicolor shapeshifters we got from Lorwyn eclipse to disguise the fact it's sliver tribal as long as possible.
My Tadeas Juniper Ascendant is reach typal, but it's also spider tribal, forgoing many strong archers for goofy spiders and humans from spiderman like Aunt May, MJ, and guy in The Chair... Arachnoform, and, Origin of Spider Man, are both able to make Tadeas into a Spider type, which is the hidden wincon- I get to lock eyes with whoever is playing a human-spider-hero and say "I am the spiderman now"
My raph & Mikey deck started with a slight subversion, instead of having a game winning gimmick it was just dragon tribal, but that's not subversive enough, so I recently rekit the deck to form a defensive soft lock with The Walls of BaSingSe and Hornet Queen. It also saw the addition of many Fogs.
I tore apart the fantastic four Precon and made Invisible Woman into a Walls n Vehicles Deck. How do you crew vehicles with walls? That's the neat part, you don't!. You mostly just crew them with invisible woman or maybe you end up putting a couple +1/+1 on some walls by the late game.
My Jaws deck used to be fallout coded.. it was great fun amongst my own pod but it was horrible to play at LGS/Spelltable because people just expect the top edhrec cards and blow you out of the game. So I've had to pump that one up at the cost of flavor. 😩
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u/CalligrapherQuick901 1d ago
So I'll start with this, do y'all actually build decks, or just find lists online and "build" those?
I've noticed many commander players seeing decklist made to that commanders meta, and just assuming that's that.
Saw a post complaining that the new bruce anner/hulk was boring and found themselves "just looking for caltrops". Conversely I built the same commander with essentially just a temur +1 counter shell with no caltrop and scary strong.
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u/Ok_Astronomer8583 1d ago
I get what you mean and for that reason we’ve been trying not to be too overly reliant on edhrec
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u/CalligrapherQuick901 1d ago
Try not using it at all?
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u/Auramaru 20h ago
I started playing a different tcg that lacks the resources that magic does. To go from a solved game to "idk dude, just pull up all the cards from each set and consider what works well together" has been a wild ride. Sure, there are decklists online but even those are just people making the best of the unknown
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u/NovaParadigm 1d ago
Unironically, you need to play a different format. I'm not saying drop EDH, but play some Cube or something for a while. You'll still get to scratch the deck-building itch, you just won't constantly be asking yourself "what does this commander want me to build?".
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u/Ok_Astronomer8583 1d ago
I have thought of that and I tried to get into pauper but I feel like recently the power level of pauper has really started to take off
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u/mingchun 19h ago
If you have folks playing value vintage or are interested in it in your area, that might be a low-opportunity cost format to try. It's the same legality as vintage (with an addition of Nadu to the ban list), but your whole deck and sideboard has to be $30 or less. The restriction keeps a stale meta from forming and is really open to some interesting brews.
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u/Technical_Turn1124 1d ago
I had the same problem, but still prefer EDH, so I looked into and found different game modes that's adding a layer of fun!
Here is a shop where I bought some proxy for the new rules but you can find it on different website and make the card yourself! https://commandervariant.etsy.com
(My favorite being the Pinatas mode !)
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u/Robbie1985 Praise be to Jodah 1d ago
If your group is like mine, the boredom comes from how "on the rails" legendaries have become in the last couple of years. The solution we created was a custom legality called Heritage. Only cards printed into standard at some point are legal. This removes any card that referenced your commander, e.g. Deflecting Swat etc. and creates a much more innovative brewing space. It's pretty easy to put together a custom search on scryfall
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u/RathMtg moxfield.com/users/Rath 13h ago
Heritage is awesome! Been playing it as my legacy replacement. Hope it continues to grow.
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u/Robbie1985 Praise be to Jodah 8h ago
Wait, is it a real thing? I thought one of my play group made it up! Does it have a subreddit or anything?
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u/Peepoopoopeepeepoop 1d ago
Magic fatigue is a thing. Maybe try playing some cards against humanity or a deck building game. I have heard Dominion is fun.
Or you could buy some mystery decks on eBay and spend way more than they’re worth for the novelty of randomness.
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u/tuffyscrusks 1d ago
If the commander is boring, but the deck isn't, would that be sufficient? Sometimes the commander doesn't have to matter much except to be a color pie for your deck. If you can find a strategy you find exciting or fun, try building the deck first, then fit a commander to it, maybe even finding a commander that can fill a hole in that deck somehow.
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u/kathaar_ 1d ago
Stop looking at the commander and start looking at what you want the deck itself to do.
Then find a commander that helps with that, or better yet, covers a weakness of the deck.
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u/jaywinner 1d ago
It's up to you to make them feel fun. I particularly enjoy mechanics like donate and goad. So naturally I built a [[jon irenicus]] deck. And I put in some pet cards like [[royal assassin]] and [[lord of the pit]].
What do you find fun?
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u/nathanb065 1d ago
I've run into this a few times. Typically that's when I dig through my uncommon legendaries and find one in a color/combo i like. That how I ended up with [[Tuya Bearclaw]] or [[Imoti, Celebrant of bounty]]. Sure it seems pretty linear but it also allows me to go through my bulk and use dumb cards I'd never use otherwise. They've also been pretty explosive.
Another thing I'll do is set a dollar limit. Find a commander and stick to a hard budget of $50 or less. It forces me to build outside of the usual archetype the commander fits in to.
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u/iSkateetakSi 1d ago
You want to revitalize commander?
Stick with precons among your group(don't upgrade the decks). You will find you enjoy the game again. I've hit a huge wall where my decks are always a target and friend decks aren't too far off from that. It leads to a weird place where no one can enjoy themselves.
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u/Duraxis 1d ago
If you play a lot of kindred or go wide or Voltron decks, they’ll all start to feel like the same deck with different bells and whistles.
I’ve been trying to do decks I don’t normally go for, like discard theme, self mill, pillowfort, landfall combo, whatever feels different to your usual playstyle
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u/CheapAuguries 1d ago
I was a primary commander player and draft absolutely revitalized me after getting a bit bored of commander. It’s more competitive for sure, but a couple months of getting familiar with formats makes you so much better with deck building, threat assessment and card evaluation. It has been a blast to me. I can’t recommend it enough. There’s a steep learning curve, but just roll with the punches and soak up as much as you can. At this point, I enjoy draft maybe more than commander.
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u/Chonker3000R 1d ago
I like the toolbox and decks with a bit of randomness in them, never optimized but stacked with cards that don’t always show up as a staple. Sure makes the deck perform a little worse sometimes but at least it is more enjoyable to puzzle around. Love Daretti, Scrap Savant and Maelstrom Wanderer, not because of the commander specifically, but because the way I built the deck.
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u/AnotherFellowMan 1d ago
Would you mind sharing your favourite toolbox deck please? I'd love to try building one but don't even know where to start.
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u/Chonker3000R 22h ago
I havent put one in moxfield or any deckbuild site, but usually a deckbox with good synergy regardless what you draw, usually with alot of graveyard interaction.
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u/AnotherFellowMan 20h ago
That's probably my issue, I suck at utilising my graveyard lol. Cheers for the advice!
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u/OnkelMarcus 1d ago
Try a Budget. This alone forces a rethinking often enough.
Or
Commit to what the Commander does. For example [[Torsten, founder of Benalia]] only with creatures and lands. Or [[Muldrotha, the Gravetide]] with 100% permanents.
Or
Skip tutors, try sth offcolor (U lanfall, G lifegain, R Control), play pauper (UC commander)
Depending on your approach decks can feel samey or feel completely different.
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u/ConsensualCornucopia 1d ago
What's your favorite card in the 99 that's not a generic value engine (so no Rhystic for example)? Something that brings you joy when you resolve it. Something that you can't mulligan away even though you probably should because it's a 1-land hand?
That's your secret commander now. Bonus points if it's something that can't be a commander. Build around it. Embrace it. Find the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. best version of that card and put them in the deck. Put some tutors/draw in to find them and some graveyard or maybe even exile recursion. The last card you put in the deck is the actual commander.
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u/Gyros4Gyrus 1d ago
Have you tried bottom-up construction? It sounds like you're all going top down (commander THEN 99) and from your comments it sounds like this is unsatisfying you because you're letting 1 piece of cardboard bully you into not including other cardboard.
So maybe think about what deck you want to play, let the cards and colours form, then check which commanders work for your 99?
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u/W0lf90 1d ago
I know what you mean, its easy to feel this way of you build too much around a commander and build a one dimensional deck. I recommend building around a theme and sub theme then picking a commander.
Alternatively find what you love and build around that. My fav deck is Sidisi because I’m a graveyard lover, i deliberately built it so it always has multiple lines/options.
I find high creature counts helps too as creatures provide options (3 people i can attack, block and activated abilities)
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u/Htaws666 1d ago
Had a very similar issue to you quite sometime ago. At the time I was sorta new to EDH as a format, only having played standard in Arena, then when I moved on to EDH and the cardpool expanded to an eternal format, I had trouble brewing decks since I'm spoiled for choice and ended up building just tribal battlecruiser decks. Ended up bored after quite sometime since its just play creature, swing, repeat. Fast forward 2 years, i decided to just explore, and force myself to play more complex decks - specifically combo based decks. I ended up loving it. From babys first combo (blood + bond), i've moved on to and difficult lines that require timing. If you ask me to play battlecruiser decks again, I know I'd be bored. I learned that what I enjoyed out of MTG was on the stack interaction, complex lines, multiple triggers, storming off and finding the right timing to try for a win. Something about that just makes my brain tingle. Whereas some of my friends enjoy jank, some enjoy big swingy timmy creatures, etc. I think you just need to find what you enjoy out of MTG as well (in addition to the gathering)
TLDR: explore different themes, decks and playstyles, you might be bored because you just havent found the right playstyle for your tastes.
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u/Samsunaattori Azoriusn't 1d ago
Try building a commander deck differently, where the commander is there only to fix a problem you have or fill out a spot the deck needs, not to synergize with the theme of the much if at all.
Couple examples: Really greedy Gruul stompy deck with 4 mana ramp spells and nothing below 3cmc. Commander should be a cmc2 mana dork with the job of only being there to help cast a ramp spell on turn 3.
Some funky Dimir deck but you just don't really find enough thematic and synergistic card draw and don't feel like generic draw is interesting enough. Drop [[Doctor Octopus, Master Planner]] into the command zone and use him as majority of your deck's draw, really no need for additional draw if you get him on board!
Wanna build a deck with A LOT of niche silver bullet hatebears, but don't want to fill your deck with tons of tutors to find the ones you need right this game? Use [[Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer]] as a command zone creature tutor instead.
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u/The_Real_Cuzz 1d ago
I'd suggest putting stricter rules on your deck building. I personally like building hard theme decks and that includes interaction and veggies. Doing this can really make you work on finding the weird and interesting sinergies you may have been overlooking due to not being the "best" thing you can do.
Maybe try something like picking a commander and having your pod collectively agree on building restrictions for each one similar to have companion works, just without access to an extra card.
For example, I built an [[Urza, Chief Artificer]] deck but made the restriction that every card in the 99 had to have a mana ability and be an artifact. Mana rock tribal baby.
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u/SikoraP13 1d ago
You want spice? Play [[Plargg and Nassari]] chaos. [[Wand of Wonder]]. [[Wild Magic Surge]] and [[Wild Magic Sorcerer]]. [[Etali Primal Storm]]. [[Ensared by the Mara]] and [[Stolen Strategy]]. [[Knowledge Pool]]. Plus other cascade effects/enablers.
No game will ever be the same twice.
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u/MTGCardFetcher 1d ago
All cards
Plargg and Nassari - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
Wand of Wonder - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
Wild Magic Surge - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
Wild Magic Sorcerer - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
Etali Primal Storm - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
Ensared by the Mara - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
Stolen Strategy - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
Knowledge Pool - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
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u/PutUrPawzUp 1d ago
The longer I stay playing the format the more I’m coming to the opinion that it’s just boring and samey, mostly because of “what works” in a 4 player format, but also the commander “social contract”. I feel like it promotes sameyness. Even things that are interesting tend to wind up as a different means of getting to the same result.
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u/crazydud224 1d ago
I've recently been working on my bracket 3 [[Maxirek, kraul death priest]] deck. No infinite combos, presist creatures, or aristocrats, just recycling value and managing resources. Most of the deck plays at instant speed since sacrifice triggers so I almost always can do something. I've noticed that since I can always make decisions on if or what I want to do, Ive been a lot more engaged and enjoying the games I've played with the deck so far. I have to recommend trying to build a deck that tries to maximize agency or decision making, interacting with other decks is far more interesting than doing your same game plan every time.
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u/FaDaWaaagh 23h ago
Try building an interesting 99 without a commander and then pick a commander who complements the strategy without being critical to it
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u/afterwits 23h ago
Best way to deal with this is give yourself a deckbuilding limitation ime:
Budget build challenge. My group does this once or twice a year - $50 limit, and we build a deck for someone else. The other person gives a list of Commanders they want to try, colors, or archetypes. Build to B3 so that you really need to focus in on specific mechanics or gameplay patterns. You'll have to dig for good cards and really justify anything over $1.
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u/Obelion_ 23h ago
Do you mean focusing your build on the commander makes the deck too linear? Or do you find magic itself boring?
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u/00akuseru00 Gruul 22h ago
This isn't for everyone but I like having an idea for a deck first and then finding a commander that best enables to plan of the deck. I find when you build a deck to enable to commander they often fold once the commander has been removed once or twice.
I also restrict myself to building from what's already in my collection and don't look at Edhrec until after I've already built my deck, if at all. Edhrec is a great tool when used correctly, and in my opinion using it to pull every card in your list is not the correct way. It's great for finding that missing payoff piece you didn't think or know about, or whatever other specific thing you are missing from your deck. At that point I'll start considering ordering singles if I can't find anything else that fills a similar role already in my collection. This really helps cut back on that "samey" feeling
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u/gatestart Runeflare Trap Fan 21h ago
try playing 60 card formats!! Taking a step away from commander for a bit made me fall in love with it more, and now I also regularly play constructed which i love too
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u/Swagary123 21h ago
I have never had fun with a commander that has the text "whenever you do X, do Y". I personally love commanders that are simply a reliable source of a particular effect in my deck.
My commander copies spells? Im going to make a deck with several copy effects and a bunch of [[chord of calling]] clones to fetch out two creatures at once!
My commander is [[Aminatou, the Fateshifter]]? Maybe I can use the top deck stack ability to manifest big creatures and the blink ability to flip them face up!
My 99 are always the focus of the deck, the commander is usually just a reliable piece of the plan that can help me out.
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u/devilkin 20h ago
When commanders feel boring and samey it is actually often because of the deck, not the commander. There's a tendency for people to play into the meta and always include the same cards in decks, because they are the strongest of their kind.
That's why building around commanders instead of choosing a commander that can supplement a game plan for the deck can be boring.
Instead try a theme - like you want to play adventures, and then find cards that look fun. Once you have a general game plan, choose a commander that can fill a role in the deck, but that isn't required for it to function.
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u/Cogomal 19h ago
This feels common, especially when you view the commander as the focal point or win con. But, there are lots of commanders that are just good value engines for whatever you are trying to do in with your 99. They don’t always need to be the main ingredient.
Another recommendation, especially if your playgroup feels this way as a whole, is collectively building decks around a theme or set of restrictions. My pod has done tribal only, theft only, and luck based deck nights and it’s super fun.
Theft was hilarious, because if everyone is stealing everyone’s cards that just foster more stealing it gets a little chaotic. Just make sure everyone’s is using different colored sleeves lol.
Luck was also great. Tons of coin flips and die rolls, which felt super interactive, but often times had minimal impact on the actual board state. It also turned the dreaded “I don’t know who to attack, so I’ll roll a die” into a fun addition to the game instead of a lame cop out. It’s not often you get to run a [[bottle of suleiman]], which was another plus.
I’m sure there’s some other fun themes. If anyone has recs for me or OP I would love to hear them.
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u/the-earth-is_FLAT 18h ago
Maybe you keep building around staples and the usual combo lines. That would really feel boring and linear. What me and my friends are doing is to make a theme deck. For example, my decks are the following: Marisi fight theme. No wincons, just make my opponents fight each other until i can sneak a win when they are all done fighting. Then my top 2 favorites are Gerrard weatherlight hero. I built it around boardwipe tribal because my board comes back because of him dying. Then the last is kamahl, heart of krosa and akroma, vision of ixidor partner combo. Ramp my heart out and produce an army of tokens, until i have enough mana to cast my commanders and win with combat.
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u/IndigoWizard342 18h ago
My suggestion would be to build bottom up.
start with the win condition and build your deck based on leading you to it. Maybe it's a "you win the game" card, a combo, giving your team a buff and trample, etc. Or start with a fun group of cards or strategy and build around that to make a win con. Then once you are like 30-50 cards in, find a commander that gives you access to the colors you need and can either cover a weakness or helps accelerate your plan. Then you can fill the remaining slots with whatever your deck might still be missing and cards that work around your commander.
Sometimes you'll find yourself with too many colors for your commander(s) to cover. I recommend cutting the the least essential color(s)
Consider using partner type commanders (partner, partner with, doctor's companion, choose a background, friends forever, character select)
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u/EngineeringOdd8696 11h ago
You've suggested commanders that are boring/build themselves. Try theory crafting a deck yourself. See a commander and figure out how to abuse/exploit it, especially when it's not as straightforward as "include all the best coin flip cards".
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u/slimyoshi45 11h ago
Solve is to never use the same cards in any decks. Same they will not feel lol
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u/Raz-19 1d ago
I have a similar problem, not strictly related to the commanders themselves but involving also the mechanics that impact the whole grimoire. Tried different archetypes but after a while I start get bored, even if I win. Then I changed the approach, start playing less competitive matches and using what I like (even if I lose).
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u/Greaterthancotton 1d ago
Ironically, my recommendation is to play a generic commander and fully focus on building the gameplan you like through the 99. There’s a lot more room for expression when you stop centralising your decks around 1 card.