I May Have a Deck-Building Problem.

At some point, building Commander decks stopped being something I occasionally did and became something I am apparently always doing.

I currently have more than 50 decks sitting on Archidekt, and that number is less a collection total and more a snapshot of whatever nonsense is happening in my brain at that particular moment.

I’m always building something. Rebuilding something. Taking apart something I just built. Swapping three cards because I convinced myself they completely change the deck. Or staring at a deck like my Breya, Etherium Shaper blink deck and wondering why I can’t quite get the damn thing to feel right.

That’s probably why you’re here.

My Preferred Flavor of Commander: Bracket 3

Most of the decks I build land in Bracket 3.

That’s the level of Commander I’m most comfortable playing, and more importantly, it’s the level that fits my regular pod. I like decks that are powerful. I like synergy. I like interaction. I like doing ridiculous things.

I also want everyone to actually play a game of Magic.

I’m not generally trying to build the most optimized version of a commander possible. I’m trying to build my version of it—the one that does the thing I find interesting, stays on theme when possible, and is strong enough that I’m never just sitting there watching everyone else play.

Sometimes that means making choices that aren’t technically optimal because they’re too damn flavorful not to play.

I’m looking at you, Doctor Doom.

About My “Bracket 2” Decks…

I do build Bracket 2 decks.

Technically.

They won’t have infinite combos. They won’t be loaded with tutors. I’m not jamming extra turns or Game Changers into them.

But if you sit down with a pile of upgraded-precon-level Bracket 2 decks and I tell you mine is also a two…

I should probably provide some additional context.

My decks tend to be synergistic even when I’m intentionally limiting their ceiling. I have a difficult time building something that doesn’t try to work. So while the deck may satisfy the technical restrictions of Bracket 2, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to feel like the average Bracket 2 deck sitting across from it.

Consider yourself warned.

There Is No Such Thing as “Finished”

This may be the most important thing to know about my deck techs:

I tinker. Constantly.

A deck list I loved three months ago may have five different cards in it today. Sometimes a new set gives me something better. Sometimes I find something more flavorful. Sometimes a card underperforms.

And sometimes I’ve played the deck six times and finally have to admit:

Okay. This isn’t working.

That’s where my Breya blink deck currently lives.

I know what I want the deck to be. I’m just not convinced I’ve figured out exactly how to make it do that yet.

And frankly, that’s one of my favorite parts of Commander.

A deck isn’t a finished product. It’s an ongoing argument with yourself over approximately five card slots.

So What Are My Deck Techs?

They’re not commandments.

I’m not going to tell you that this is the definitive way to build this commander or that you’re doing it wrong if you don’t run the cards I run.

These are the decks I’m actually building and playing.

I’ll talk about what I’m trying to accomplish, why certain cards made the 99, what didn’t work, what got cut, what surprised me, and what I’d change after actually getting games in.

Sometimes it’ll be a full deck tech. Sometimes it’ll be a precon upgrade. Sometimes it’ll be me desperately trying to figure out why a deck that looks great on Archidekt refuses to cooperate in real life.

That’s Commander.

And apparently, I enjoy making the problem worse.

Want to See All the Decks?

You can browse the current state of my deck-building addiction on my Archidekt profile.

Just remember:

“Current” is doing a lot of work in that sentence.