Yesterday afternoon I spent a pleasant afternoon playing EDH/Commander with a couple of newish club members at our wonderful hosts The Luxe.

This is the second such session that we’ve held now. The plan is to have these monthly, with the next one for October already organised.

These sessions are promoted as casual games, and not competitive.

By casual I mean decks that are a power level no more than a 6 or 7. And to be honest a 7 might be pushing it. To help those planning to come along and play I share the following Commandzone YouTube video.

Which can be summed up with the following image for those that don’t want to spend time watching the video.

The WotC pre-cons each year usually fall in the 4/5 power level range.

I also add the following advice to prospective players wanting to come along and play.

“no mass land destruction and going infinite in a deck is also a no no for casual. It’s not fun.”

I think at the next meet up we need to discuss a cap on the number of extra turns or combat phases a player can do in a row. Trying to tread that narrow path of allowing them, and keeping the game fun for everyone. I think a group consensus needs to be arrived at. My current thinking is 2. But others may have differing opinions.

Naturally there is the unwritten rules such as “don’t be a dick”, and buying refreshments from our hosts and not bringing your own stuff. In fact they are written down now I think about it on the top of the Fenland Gamers Facebook page.

This is basically our social contract for our sessions. Which hopefully means that those attending will have a fun experience.

For me EDH/Commander is my favourite MtG format. I like the social side. Which combines with the political element. The cutting deals, fluid alliances, back stabbing/turning heal! Yes sometimes there is the element of betrayal. Sometimes being good at this part of the game gets you the win, despite having the weakest deck at the table.

There is also an ebb and flow to an EDH/Commander game that I like. One moment a player will be in the ascendancy, becoming the major threat. Deals and alliances are made between the others to control that threat. Once dealt with some-one else usually fills that power vacuum left behind.

I also love that in this format you get to play with cards that formats like Standard or Modern are unplayable. I like tribal decks, or themed ones. My big green stompy, horrors from the deep, and Scarab God zombie decks show this. There are creatures and spells in those decks that just never would see the light of day in other formats.

I’m happy if I get to do something cool during a game. If I win that’s an extra bonus. I didn’t win once yesterday. But I was doing cool stuff. Or I thought it was cool. So I was having a good time. And it can be pretty cool watching others do cool stuff.

For me when competitive EDH/Commander decks are used then we start to lose the elements of the game I get enjoyment from. I appreciate that others may like that side. But the cost of decks goes through the roof, and the game becomes less about having fun, and more about the win at any cost.

There is a reason the format became popular. I believe it is because of the casual nature of the format. Which is captured so well in the official philosophy document.

“Each game is a journey the players share, relying on a social contract in which each player is considerate of the experiences of everyone involved–this promotes player interaction, inter-game variance, a variety of play styles, and a positive communal atmosphere. At the end of an ideal Commander game, someone will have won, but all participants will have had the opportunity to express themselves through their deck building and game play.”

I’m hoping that our groups social contract reflects the formats philosophy, and enables everyone to have fun.