[Article] Commander Opinions: Competitive Players
(If you don't know what Commander is, please visit this site prior to reading this article: http://mtgcommander.net/rules.php)
Originally known as EDH (Elder Dragon Highlander), Commander certainly has come a long way. The format has definitely received a face-lift. A new name, plenty of new players and even special Commander products have all brought this format to many new players and increased its player base by a unfathomable amount.
There's no doubt that the format caters to all player types; Spike, Johnny, Timmy and Vorthos/Melvin all love the absolute freedom there is to deckbuilding. There's something for everybody, and there's no shortage of Commanders (formerly: Generals) to choose from and even more since the Commander products were released. Now surely only good can happen to casual formats becoming mainstream... right? Well... It's not such a simple answer.
Let's go over the issues that I have with the format currently, along with potential solutions.
Problem 1 : There's a growing number of people playing hyper-competitive decks meant solely to win as soon as possible.
Solution : Reinforce the casual nature of the format, don't let competitive players be the only ones to guide the new players. Tell people if they want to win as soon as possible, then they should go play a turn 4 format such as Modern. You can be a spike and win while still letting other players have fun
Problem 2 : The new Commander players are almost forced to use cookie-cutter decks, instead of brewing and testing their own.
Solution : Encourage originality over all else. Let players do what they want to do, and don't build their deck for them. Netdecking might be a regular occurrence at major events, but why do that when there are well over 400 Legendary Creatures to choose from?
Problem 3 : Too many players are using Commanders from the special product, and almost every deck built using those legendary creatures are the exact same thing.
Solution : Show the new players all the different possible strategies they have available to them, and let them explore a list of Legendary Creatures. Encourage people to innovate and get out of their comfort zone.
I'm not implying that my opinions are the end-all be-all, but I want people to consider that maybe this format might not the best thing for them. When entering a playgroup you need to consider how everybody plays the game and what kind of people you're playing with. If your whole playgroup enjoys one-on-one competitive Commander, then more power to you. But don't act like the way you play is any better, and don't being your competitive decks into a multiplayer game for fun, you'll ruin the game for everyone.
