Commander Theory

Many content creators on the internet have posted episodes of shows and podcasts where they discuss a baseline way to build decks. They're usually heuristics like, "You need 10 ramp spells" or "you need 3 board clears" that are easy to follow and remember. But what do the Commander Theory hosts use...? In this episode, Nick and Zak lay out their process for deckbuilding in as simple a way as possible (which sounds worse than it is!) We get into the weeds about why decisions are made, how to use a hypergeometric calculator, and just why to do this at all in the first place! So listen in and let us know what you think about deck-building and your favorite deck compositions! Is there a list you made you were super proud worked out? Tell us all about it! 

Here's a link to a super easy to use Hypergeometric Calculator

You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us at [email protected]

If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!

If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

Support the show

You can reach me on Twitter or email me here

If you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now with ad-free episodes!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

We're back with another retrospective! In this Seasons Past we look at a set that had a huge influence on Nick and Zak: Mirage! What did Mirage do differently than the sets before it? What cards are people still playing? There's even a little controversy?!? All this and more! So listen in and tell us your favorite card from the set!

You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us @[email protected]

If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!

If you want to hear more of Zak's band, The Havnauts, you can do so Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here! 

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

Support the show

You can reach me on Twitter or email me here

If you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now with ad-free episodes!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

One of the benefits of this whole New Secret Lair Cards thing is that, oh wow! A TON of new commanders to build around!! In this episode, Nick and Zak get into the legendaries from the (now in preorder) Secret Lair - Street Fighter cards. There are some interesting build-arounds and some not-so-subtle build paths, on top of some really cool things in general! So listen in,, let us know what card is your favorite, OR if you think SLDs with new cards are an abomination unto the game! Either or! There's no wrong answer, just more harmful coping mechanisms.

If you liked the song Zak couldn't make sound super good at the end of the episode, you can find more of it Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here, where it will sound much better! The band is The Havnauts, and the song is called "Bummer Man". It was the B side to a single from last year and there's more like it and more to come. 

DECK LISTS:
E. HONDA
DHALSIM

You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us @[email protected]

If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

Support the show

You can reach me on Twitter or email me here

If you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now with ad-free episodes!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

YOU THOUGHT WE WERE DONE. Well, Nick and Zak wanted to take one more look back at the joys of Kamigawa Neon Dynasty and assess how well their predictions went from Crimson Vow. This episode is a great check-in on what people are actually playing, what new players like, what cards the two co-hosts enjoy, and generally get to talking about Magic and Commander. They go over their top 10 new cards as well as some favorites that might not make that list. Listen in, tell us your top 10, and finally! We say goodbye to seeing NEO in the feed (even though we love the set very much). 

You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us @[email protected]

If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

Support the show

You can reach me on Twitter or email me here

If you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now with ad-free episodes!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

AND WITH THAT we have finished another review season! Nick and Zak get right to it, digging into possible builds for the two new Commander decks to come out alongside Kamigawa Neon Dynasty! There are six new legends and a ton of new cards, but not all that shimmers in cyber tech is golden. What do the two hosts think about the themes, and how were they executed? What cards are their favorites, and what might have been better served on the cutting room floor? Listen in and find out! And let us know what you're excited about too! We in no way want something we're not super excited about to bring you down! (We're gonna build the decks for science to see how things go, even if they're not linked here) 

- EDIT -
FIXED THAT BREAK IN THE MIDDLE, thank you to everyone who reached out! 

DECKLISTS:
Kotori, Pilot Prodigy
Shorikai, Genesis Engine
Kosei, Penitent Warlord

You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us @[email protected]

If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

Support the show

You can reach me on Twitter or email me here

If you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now with ad-free episodes!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

A ratfolk on a hoverbike just zoomed by my house and painted graffiti all over the alley. Guess that means Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty is out! In this doozy of an episode, Nick and Zak review all the commanders and cards they think you should note in the regular set for NEO (basically anything you can get in a set booster). There is SO much and the episode is definitely fat because of it, and we hope it means there's just more you'll enjoy! What is white getting in this set that's worth looking at? How are these saga's going to play out? Are there... Too many words on cards?!? Listen in and let us know how you feel too! Because this set is jam-packed with cards that are great in commander!

Deck Lists:
Ao
Light-Paws
Jin-Gitaxias 2.0
Kairi
The Reality Chip
Heiko Yamizaki (the red one)
West-side Kodama
Shigeki
Tameshi
Isshin (NOT from Okami =c )
Hinata Value AND Hinata Blink
Tatsunari
Go-Shintai

You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us @[email protected]

If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our

Support the show

You can reach me on Twitter or email me here

If you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now with ad-free episodes!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

Commander Theory focuses a lot on what the format looks like if we observe the whole. Nick and Zak often use language about what you "should do" or "ought to do" or "ought to play" when describing the format, but what do they actually play? Not these decks anymore! That's for sure! In this episode Nick and Zak talk about decks that just... weren't fun for themselves or the table. They discuss what to look for to avoid the pitfalls of spending time and especially money on a deck, only to hate the experience once you're sitting at the table.  And once you're done let us know what decks you've played and hated as well!

DECKLISTS:
Just DM us, there are a lot of them

You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us @[email protected]

If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

Support the show

You can reach me on Twitter or email me here

If you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now with ad-free episodes!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

In this episode, Nick and Zak look at some builds that won't break the bank! Commander can be an expensive hobby, and it can often feel like you need to keep up in an arms race to compete, but that's not necessarily the case! Nick and Zak layout 7 decks that can really punish a table, some for under $100! And they work so effectively because the commanders are doing things most decks don't really care too much about. Who needs a Jeweled Lotus when a Strike It Rich does the same thing! Wait? Realy?!? It's all here! So listen in and let us know what your favorite budget builds are down below! (They include some of the upgrades we'd highly recommend to expand your collection! And they're still cheap!!) 

DECKLISTS:
Teshar's Robos
Orvar, The All-Appropriate Budget List
Grazi-Relaxin Over This Cheap Deck
Shirei, Shizo's Budget List
Rionya Fire Budget List
Dargo and Jeska at Tanagra
Yedora, Great Investment

You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us @[email protected]

If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

Support the show

You can reach me on Twitter or email me here

If you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now with ad-free episodes!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

Nick and Zak do a little different take on a retrospective this year. The twist?  As they look back at their favorite cards from 2021 they have to pick cards that are WAY too good for how cheap they are! There's a few from every set last year, so come on the ride and use the affiliate link below to buy some cards on the cheap!

Did you have some favorite cards from 2021? We'd love to hear about them and why! Always feel free to use the links at the bottom of our episode descriptions to give us a shout and bug us about cards! It's our favorite!

You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr, and our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content! You can even email us @[email protected] 

If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

Support the show

You can reach me on Twitter or email me here

If you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now with ad-free episodes!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

On this very special episode of Commander Theory Nick interviews Corey Bowen! Magic: the Gathering designer and the representative for Black on the Council of Colors in Wizard's of the Coast's Studio X. What is the history of black's color pie in Magic? What has it gained? what has it lost? There's talk of treasure, life payments, sacrifice, so much more! So listen in and let us know what your favorite part of Black's color pie is too!

Nick was also recently on an episode of The Legendary Creature Podcast! Kyle, Andy, and Nick get into the nitty-gritty of White, and the vibe is kind of a more laid-back version of what this series has been. If you've enjoyed this look into Magic design with us, then you can catch that episode HERE. It's really fun and we can't recommend them enough! 

This is also a very special episode for us because (with some caveats...) with this episode releasing we've interviewed a member of each color on the Council of Colors! We hope you've enjoyed this look into Magic design! We had a blast doing it and can't thank Wizards and all the council members who were a part of it enough. Thank you all! We have more design-focused material and interviews planned for the year, and we're really excited to share it all with you later! Thanks for listening! 

Our YouTube has videos for even more Commander content!

If you like our podcast, please support us on Patreon!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)

Support the show

You can reach me on Twitter or email me here

If you like the podcast, please support it on Patreon! Now with ad-free episodes!

If you're planning on shopping with TCGPlayer, you can support the show by using our affiliate link. It costs you nothing and earns money for the show!

The opening theme is Lincoln Continental by Entrophy (now Nic Cage on Soundcloud)