commander
On EDH
In most senses, I’ve known how to play Magic the Gathering since I was in middle school. I never had any cards of my own (I had Pokemon cards when those were new) but I knew the rules somewhat and I could play at a very basic level. Most of my Magic experience remained theoretical until I got Duels of the Planeswalkers (the first one, in 2009) on a whim and really enjoyed it. At the same time, I never really got into “competitive” Magic. I was (and still am) uninterested in putting in the time and money it would take to get “good” at any of the constructed formats. Draft is also a skill I just never picked up.
Fast forward several years, and I find out about the Commander format. For those unfamiliar, this is a format usually played with more than two people, using decks containing 100 cards where you can have no more than one of anything other than basic lands, and using a legendary creature as your “Commander”. This is a card you have access to at all times that also determines what colors of cards you can include in your deck. (The original Commanders were the Elder Dragons from way back in Legends, so that’s where the original name “Elder Dragon Highlander” comes from.) Commander games tend to be quite a bit longer and crazy things can happen that are unlikely to ever see any use in a normal game. The multiplayer aspect is also relevant, because it encourages playing politics if someone is getting ahead.
I started with the pre-constructed deck featuring Atraxa, the rather ridiculous card pictured above. I’ve since tried building my own decks, some of which have been more successful than others. It’s definitely re-kindled my interest in the game, and this more casual approach has helped other podcast members get into it as well.
AggroChat #203 – Warmind Whisperer
Featuring: Â Ashgar, Belghast, Grace, Kodra, and Tamrielo
Tonight we are down a Thalen because storms cause power outages.  Among the topics discussed is the new Destiny 2 expansion called Warmind.  Belghast has spent a significant amount of time with it and has things to say.  From there Tam goes into his experiences with Battletech and why maybe being absolutely completely true to pen and paper sometimes has issues.  Ash talks about Pillars of Eternity 2… and how he has yet to actually play it but has spent a lot of time digging around in the JSON code. Finally we wrap things up with a discussion of Magic the Gathering Commander…  and how to build a deck designed not to win but instead to do interesting things and subvert the flow of the game.
Topics Discussed:
- Destiny 2: Warmind
- Battletech
- Pillars of Eternity 2
- Magic the Gathering – Commander
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AggroChat #171 – A Pig Hat
Featuring: Â Ashgar, Belghast, Grace, Kodra, Tamrielo, and Thalen
This weekend we talk about a whole slew of topics that have gathered over the past week.  We talk about Pax West and Gamescom and how the hype and announcements surrounding them seem to not be keeping up with past years.  We talk about Thalen’s descent into Guild Wars 2 and a whole slew of topics related to it.  We talk about arriving on Argus in the 7.3 World of Warcraft patch.  We talk about the recent Destiny 2 PC Beta experience and how it cemented the decision to play on the PC for most of us.  We talk about the Kung Fu MMO of a sort Absolver.  We talk about the Ashes Rise of the Phoenixborn card game, which leads to some discussion about Magic the Gathering Commander and Star Wars Destiny.  Finally we wrap up with a discussion on mobile gaming and some more talk about Legendary Game of Heroes… and a little bit of pining for Glitch.
Topics Discussed
- Games Cons: Lack of Hype
- Guild Wars 2 Things
- WoW patch 7.3
- Destiny 2 PC
- Absolver
- Ashes Rise of the Phoenixborn
- Magic the Gathering Commander
- Star Wars Destiny
- Mobile Games
- Legendary: Game of Heroes
- Glitch
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