Have you ever faced off a Commander deck where it just kind of felt like your opponent was two steps ahead of you? While you're still ramping and Getting Ready, they're establishing value engines and applying pressure? And no matter how many times you tried to stop them, they just kept bouncing back? If they were running a deck with a cheap commander, John may have some insight this week on how they made that work...

00:00 Introduction
01:59 What Commanders Do
03:49 Warm Bodies
05:38 Igniters
07:22 Lightning Rods
09:11 Flex Plays
10:52 Inevitables
12:24 Closing Thoughts

- Trelasarra, Moon Dancer: https://moxfield.com/decks/ltopExpOgEivkY0_E6G28Q 
- Syr Vondam, Sunstar Exemplar: https://moxfield.com/decks/za8mGvnRgESpcbyK_C9ENA 
- Krile Baldesion: https://moxfield.com/decks/absaFfj5jEu7z9BiWxPxaw


https://www.FusionGamingOnline.com Want a 5% discount off all of your MTG order? Head over to Fusion Gaming Online and use exclusive promo code: CCONATION

https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast Want your deck or topic featured on Commander Cookout? Become a patron today. There are a lot of fun and unique benefits to pledging. Like the CCO Discord or getting your deck featured on the show.

- Our theme song is "Lonely Satellite" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Our background song is "Maze" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Find us on Twitter at @gemstoneminemtg
- Reach us via email at [email protected]

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John's back from hiatus and he's got the itch to start brewing again. While putting together some new low-color decks, he got to thinking about utility lands, how they can help decks eke out additional value and help them compete with higher-color shells common in cEDH. If you're still a Reliquary Tower believer or you've never heard of War Room, be sure to check this episode out!

00:00 Introduction
02:17 Why Play Utility Lands?
03:31 The Cost of Playing Utility Lands
05:43 The Fine Print
07:03 Being Picky with your Lands
10:57 Closing Thoughts

• Low-Color Utility Lands Package: https://moxfield.com/decks/UGGgJtNPukSGKRE-bJJu9g

https://www.FusionGamingOnline.com Want a 5% discount off all of your MTG order? Head over to Fusion Gaming Online and use exclusive promo code: CCONATION

https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast Want your deck or topic featured on Commander Cookout? Become a patron today. There are a lot of fun and unique benefits to pledging. Like the CCO Discord or getting your deck featured on the show.

- Our theme song is "Lonely Satellite" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Our background song is "Maze" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Find us on Twitter at @gemstoneminemtg
- Reach us via email at [email protected]

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On April 22, 2025, FIVE cards came off of the Commander Banlist! How will these unbans impact your games? What are the implications from a competitive standpoint? Are any of these cards standouts?

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:45 Sway of the Stars
02:43 Coalition Victory
03:58 Panoptic Mirror
05:58 Braids, Cabal Minion
07:28 Gifts Ungiven
09:39 Closing Thoughts

https://www.FusionGamingOnline.com Want a 5% discount off all of your MTG order? Head over to Fusion Gaming Online and use exclusive promo code: CCOHOLIDAY

https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast Want your deck or topic featured on Commander Cookout? Become a patron today. There are a lot of fun and unique benefits to pledging. Like the CCO Discord or getting your deck featured on the show.

- Our theme song is "Lonely Satellite" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Our background song is "Maze" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Find us on Twitter at @gemstoneminemtg
- Reach us via email at [email protected]

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Not every brew comes together. When you brew as many decks as John does, a lot of them come up short, and the cutting room floor is littered with deck ideas which, for one reason or another, failed to come together. This week, John talks about many of the common deckbuilding mistakes you may make while coming up with your new decks, and he explains how the secret to building your next great commander deck might be to FAIL FASTER!

ttps://www.FusionGamingOnline.com Want a 5% discount off all of your MTG order? Head over to Fusion Gaming Online and use exclusive promo code: CCOHOLIDAY

https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast Want your deck or topic featured on Commander Cookout? Become a patron today. There are a lot of fun and unique benefits to pledging. Like the CCO Discord or getting your deck featured on the show.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:26 Phases of Brewing
03:53 Inspiration
05:10 Construction
09:01 Testing
11:42 Closing Thoughts

- Our theme song is "Lonely Satellite" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Our background song is "Maze" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Find us on Twitter at @gemstoneminemtg
- Reach us via email at [email protected]

Social media:
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"Few tutors" isn't in your #EDH deck ain't "no tutors". This week, John is looking at what more tutors means for #mtg deckbuilding in the lower brackets, and he has some tools for Moxfield users who may want a starting point for introducing tutors into their own decks for casual play. 

https://www.FusionGamingOnline.com Want a 5% discount off all of your MTG order? Head over to Fusion Gaming Online and use exclusive promo code: CCOHOLIDAY

https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast Want your deck or topic featured on Commander Cookout? Become a patron today. There are a lot of fun and unique benefits to pledging. Like the CCO Discord or getting your deck featured on the show.


Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:30 How Metagames Shift
02:44 Why Was Thrasios Good?
04:12 What Happened to Thrasios?
08:53 Why is Thrasios Back?
15:10 Closing Thoughts


- Our theme song is "Lonely Satellite" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Our background song is "Maze" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Find us on Twitter at @gemstoneminemtg
- Reach us via email at [email protected]

Social media:
https://www.CommanderCookout.com
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@gemstoneminemtg, @CCOPodcast and @CCOBrando on Twitter https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast
https://ko-fi.com/commandercookout

"Few tutors" isn't "no tutors". This week, John is looking at what more tutors means for deckbuilding in the lower brackets, and he has some tools for Moxfield users who may want a starting point for introducing tutors into their own decks for casual play.

Introducing Commander Brackets Beta: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/introducing-commander-brackets-beta

Tutors - Brackets 1-3:
https://moxfield.com/decks/JNuEl-87xUG4ed27MawX6g
Artifact Tutors:
https://moxfield.com/decks/dlsAe6y8xUOWlVoxwnaNAg
Enchantment Tutors:
https://moxfield.com/decks/c3BUfHQxxEuc3gNzxbpVhg 
Equipment Tutors:
https://moxfield.com/decks/d4_1SMcHpEmgGwbzhw7cGw 
Kindred Tutors:
https://moxfield.com/decks/LPK2cl_nGkSr3Sy0n18IGQ
Spell Tutors:
https://moxfield.com/decks/zLhs1KOVCUeNFiLoTYCudg
"The Demon" Tutors:
https://moxfield.com/decks/qn0QNs_9906na8LlgmrFyg
To-Graveyard Tutors:
https://moxfield.com/decks/9CHp8LpVcEqd67_xX9a7fA
To-Hand Creature Tutors:
https://moxfield.com/decks/PcUcSAH_V0aB5rcOysmCoQ
To-Play Creature Tutors:
https://moxfield.com/decks/9wt4s5Tsl0ir9BPk_EI3DQ
Transmuter Tutors:
https://moxfield.com/decks/ZtV2s5qKB0Kb_Gj0N2TxpQ
Unconditional Tutors:
https://moxfield.com/decks/wNj1L_XY7UODnaeOc3HXEA 

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:25 Tutors in Brackets
03:32 Packages on Moxfield
10:00 Why Package Up Tutors?
15:49 Closing Thoughts

https://www.FusionGamingOnline.com Want a 5% discount off all of your MTG order? Head over to Fusion Gaming Online and use exclusive promo code: CCOHOLIDAY

https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast Want your deck or topic featured on Commander Cookout? Become a patron today. There are a lot of fun and unique benefits to pledging. Like the CCO Discord or getting your deck featured on the show.

- Our theme song is "Lonely Satellite" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Our background song is "Maze" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Find us on Twitter at @gemstoneminemtg
- Reach us via email at [email protected]

Social media:
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https://www.Instagram.com/CommanderCookout
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@gemstoneminemtg, @CCOPodcast and @CCOBrando on Twitter https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast
https://ko-fi.com/commandercookout

WotC has announced a new matchmaking system for Commander players and it's their Brackets system! John has some thoughts on the new proposed brackets and their list of GAME CHANGERS that he wanted to share this week.

Introducing Commander Brackets Beta: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/introducing-commander-brackets-beta

https://www.FusionGamingOnline.com Want a 5% discount off all of your MTG order? Head over to Fusion Gaming Online and use exclusive promo code: CCOHOLIDAY

https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast Want your deck or topic featured on Commander Cookout? Become a patron today. There are a lot of fun and unique benefits to pledging. Like the CCO Discord or getting your deck featured on the show.

- Our theme song is "Lonely Satellite" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Our background song is "Maze" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Find us on Twitter at @gemstoneminemtg
- Reach us via email at [email protected]

Social media:
https://www.CommanderCookout.com
https://www.Instagram.com/CommanderCookout
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@gemstoneminemtg, @CCOPodcast and @CCOBrando on Twitter https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast
https://ko-fi.com/commandercookout

We've been exploring how many lands and how many mana sources to include over the past month, and today we're going to put that theory to practice as we focus on Reid Duke's article which argues that the simple answer is that adding more lands rarely hurts and will almost always help. John's got a casual brew this week that focuses on utilizing mana sinks to squeeze the most value out of every mana, turn over turn!

00:00 Introduction
02:20 Why Play Mana-Sinks?
05:40 The Commander
07:40 The Gameplan
11:42 So... How Many Lands?
17:24 Closing Thoughts

Duke, R. (2021). Managing Your Mana Base - Deep Dive. Channel Fireball. Retrieved December 24, 2024, from https://www.channelfireball.com/article/Managing-Your-Mana-Base-Deep-Dive/817630e3-756a-481c-8042-b2bf1e8bbd10/

Karsten, F., PhD. (2022). How Many Sources Do You Need to Consistently Cast Your Spells? A 2022 Update. Channel Fireball. Retrieved December 24, 2024, from https://www.channelfireball.com/article/Managing-Your-Mana-Base-Deep-Dive/817630e3-756a-481c-8042-b2bf1e8bbd10/

Karsten, F., PhD. (2023). What’s an Optimal Mana Curve and Land/Ramp Count for Commander? Channel Fireball. Retrieved December 24, 2024, from https://www.channelfireball.com/article/What-s-an-Optimal-Mana-Curve-and-Land-Ramp-Count-for-Commander/e22caad1-b04b-4f8a-951b-a41e9f08da14/

Karsten, F., PhD. (2024). How Many Lands Do You Need in Your Deck? An Updated Analysis. Channel Fireball. Retrieved December 24, 2024, from https://www.channelfireball.com/article/How-Many-Lands-Do-You-Need-in-Your-Deck-An-Updated-Analysis/cd1c1a24-d439-4a8e-b369-b936edb0b38a/ The Ancient One: https://moxfield.com/decks/1yTXVgMix06QFBpDelPrqg

https://www.FusionGamingOnline.com Want a 5% discount off all of your MTG order? Head over to Fusion Gaming Online and use exclusive promo code: CCOHOLIDAY

https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast Want your deck or topic featured on Commander Cookout? Become a patron today. There are a lot of fun and unique benefits to pledging. Like the CCO Discord or getting your deck featured on the show.

- Our theme song is "Lonely Satellite" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Our background song is "Maze" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Find us on Twitter at @gemstoneminemtg
- Reach us via email at [email protected]

Social media:
https://www.CommanderCookout.com
https://www.Instagram.com/CommanderCookout
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@gemstoneminemtg, @CCOPodcast and @CCOBrando on Twitter https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast
https://ko-fi.com/commandercookout

John has always hated building manabases for his #mtg and #edh decks. So, he went on a mission to learn from the pros and turn a weakness into a strength. After a deep dive on counting how many lands a deck needs, he decided to go even deeper and learn how pros like Frank Karsten balance all of the colors of mana that a deck needs to cast its spells reliably! If you can't stand building manabases and want to learn how it's done, don't skip this episode!
00:00 Introduction
02:13 Fixing Your Mana
05:58 Consistently Casting on Curve
06:58 What is a Mana Source?
10:46 Perfect Fixing
14:16 Karsten's Findings
18:38 The Art of Fixing Your Mana
21:56 Closing Thoughts

Karsten, F., PhD. (2022). How Many Sources Do You Need to Consistently Cast Your Spells? A 2022 Update. Channel Fireball. Retrieved December 24, 2024, from https://www.channelfireball.com/article/How-Many-Sources-Do-You-Need-to-Consistently-Cast-Your-Spells-A-2022-Update/dc23a7d2-0a16-4c0b-ad36-586fcca03ad8/

Tevesh Szat / Trelasarra: https://moxfield.com/decks/_rDPQC8bCEeVNdwRJXM0EA

https://www.FusionGamingOnline.com Want a 5% discount off all of your MTG order? Head over to Fusion Gaming Online and use exclusive promo code: CCOHOLIDAY

https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast Want your deck or topic featured on Commander Cookout? Become a patron today. There are a lot of fun and unique benefits to pledging. Like the CCO Discord or getting your deck featured on the show.

- Our theme song is "Lonely Satellite" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Our background song is "Maze" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
- Find us on Twitter at @gemstoneminemtg
- Reach us via email at [email protected]

Social media:
https://www.CommanderCookout.com
https://www.Instagram.com/CommanderCookout
https://www.Facebook.com/CCOPodcast
@gemstoneminemtg, @CCOPodcast and @CCOBrando on Twitter https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast
https://ko-fi.com/commandercookout

Lands are an intrinsic part of how the resource system of Magic works, and there are some very bright people who have poured thousands of hours into trying to solve for the optimal land base. This week, John reviews the work of pro players like Reid Duke and mathematicians like Frank Karsten to understand how players are optimizing for 60-and-4 Magic and what we can learn as Commander players.

00:00 Introduction
02:23 Building a Better Manabase
06:27 Karsten Land Deficit
07:52 Critiquing Karsten
11:54 Is Trelasarra Playing Enough Lands?
13:57 Is Ghalta Playing Enough Lands?
17:05 Is Nyssa Playing Enough Lands?
20:43 Solving for Commander

Duke, R. (2021). Managing Your Mana Base - Deep Dive. Channel Fireball. Retrieved December 24, 2024, from https://www.channelfireball.com/article/Managing-Your-Mana-Base-Deep-Dive/817630e3-756a-481c-8042-b2bf1e8bbd10/

Karsten, F., PhD. (2022). How Many Sources Do You Need to Consistently Cast Your Spells? A 2022 Update. Channel Fireball. Retrieved December 24, 2024, from https://www.channelfireball.com/article/How-Many-Sources-Do-You-Need-to-Consistently-Cast-Your-Spells-A-2022-Update/dc23a7d2-0a16-4c0b-ad36-586fcca03ad8/

Karsten, F., PhD. (2023). What’s an Optimal Mana Curve and Land/Ramp Count for Commander? Channel Fireball. Retrieved December 24, 2024, from https://www.channelfireball.com/article/What-s-an-Optimal-Mana-Curve-and-Land-Ramp-Count-for-Commander/e22caad1-b04b-4f8a-951b-a41e9f08da14/

Karsten, F., PhD. (2024). How Many Lands Do You Need in Your Deck? An Updated Analysis. Channel Fireball. Retrieved December 24, 2024, from https://www.channelfireball.com/article/How-Many-Lands-Do-You-Need-in-Your-Deck-An-Updated-Analysis/cd1c1a24-d439-4a8e-b369-b936edb0b38a/ Trelasarra: https://moxfield.com/decks/ltopExpOgEivkY0_E6G28Q

Ghalta: https://moxfield.com/decks/rP3dDALPOUSi9TTY-qbaRw

Nyssa: https://moxfield.com/decks/kJ4O-cz-_k-gx3pChjVXlA

https://www.FusionGamingOnline.com Want a 5% discount off all of your MTG order? Head over to Fusion Gaming Online and use exclusive promo code: CCOHOLIDAY

https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast Want your deck or topic featured on Commander Cookout? Become a patron today. There are a lot of fun and unique benefits to pledging. Like the CCO Discord or getting your deck featured on the show. -

Our theme song is "Lonely Satellite" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
Our background song is "Maze" by Bio Unit licensed via Creative Commons
Find us on Twitter at @gemstoneminemtg
Reach us via email at [email protected]

Social media:
https://www.CommanderCookout.com
https://www.Instagram.com/CommanderCookout
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@gemstoneminemtg, @CCOPodcast and @CCOBrando on Twitter https://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast
https://ko-fi.com/commandercookout