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Star Format Commander (lemmy.world)

submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by RampageDon@lemmy.world to c/mtg@mtgzone.com

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White: Heliod https://manabox.app/decks/CFRv24kLT5Sk1WVix77sOA
Blue: Azami https://manabox.app/decks/bDQeB2UiSeex6Kl5fle0Yw
Black: Endrek Sar https://manabox.app/decks/OOXYqDmRT_2P9sR62YGUcw
Red: Krenko https://manabox.app/decks/1aKHtUfTT_u9F4Lm5-2Nzg
Green: Azusa https://manabox.app/decks/kav95jqtQsiABwNQsI61Jw

So I posted this originally on an edh community but heard there is a more active user base here. I put together a Star Format Commander set. I have yet to play test so I am not sure how balanced everything is currently. I tried to make the decks on theme to their basic color identity, but that made balancing a little hard. The decks were made with only cards I already owned, so if some obvious things are missing that is why. Also I know there a few illegal cards for Commander in some decks, but wanted a fun factor and since this is a cube-ish type thing meant to only be played togehter I figured it was fine. It was a blast to put together and hopefully will be fun to play. Let me know what you guys think.
Bonus red deck in case it's just too hard for krenko to kill 2 opponents. Hidetsugu: https://manabox.app/decks/68Hkf2kJQr-X-RuyGakPZw

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[–] andrew@mtgzone.com 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

This is awesome! You did a fantastic job putting these together and it’d be really fun balancing them over time. I had never heard of the Star format before so for anyone else here’s a bit more info on it.

I don’t have a ton of EDH experience so my feedback isn’t the best but just some initial thoughts FWIW:

I’m sure you’re aware of this but EDHRec is great for card suggestions too. I noticed not a ton of utility lands but totally ok if for budget reasons, just checking.
Helios, Krenko, and Azusa all make a ton of sense as identifiable commanders for their colors but Azami and Endrek Sahr felt a little odd. Urza and Yawgmoth would be awesome and thematically cool but obviously thats a huge change.
It seems like Azami may have some issues early on or does these games tend to go long? Talrand as commander instead is a totally different game plan but could be worth considering if blue struggles, but that kind of encroaches on Endrek’s ability.

[–] RampageDon@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

These are awesome suggestions thank you!

I am aware of edh rec. Utility lands will probably get added in over time. My original intention was to keep things more of a lower to mid range power level, but you can see how that went. Also since Azusa is somewhat land focused I really wanted to make sure it showed off utility lands over the other decks.
I did struggle with black and blue commanders. If I'm being honest I've never been a big blue player and struggled a bit on the direction to take it. Azami was one of those cards that just seemed fun so I was like what the hell why not. Urza is a great suggestion though, and while it's not a card I own it won't break the bank so I'll definitely be looking into it. Yawg was another one I don't own currently but thought about picking up and can easily slide in as the commander without changing much. I ultimately went with Endrek because on paper black seemed the most synergistic and consistent and Endrek will enable the sac outlet theme while also not making black seem too strong.
Games can go pretty long. What is fun about the star format is there is a lot of built in politics since the two allies you want to keep alive are also trying to kill each other. It makes for a weird balancing act. I gave Azami a few alternative win cons for that reason but am also worried that they might be too strong in this kind of format.

I'll keep updates coming as I get some games in and ultimately get a better idea of what needs to be balanced. I'm keeping notes though so keep the suggestions coming!