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When thinking about brewing Commander decks, I sometimes go back to the time when the "damage on the stack" rule went away and Patrick Chapin& #39;s reaction to it. 1/8
To illustrate the rules change, it used to be a card like Mogg Fanatic could block, put its combat damage on the stack, and then sacrifice to its ability to deal a point of damage to something, effectively splitting up two points of damage. 2/8
Taking away "damage on the stack" made these sorts of cards technically "worse," and many competitive players howled about how Magic was being dumbed down. 3/8
Chapin had a much more insightful take on it-- he said the rules change made these cards BETTER -- from a game play perspective. Before, it was always correct and optimal to block, put damage on the stack, and then sacrifice for effect. You knew it, and your opponent knew it. 4/8
But now, there& #39;s more calculations to be made by you and your opponent which way a card like Mogg Fanatic would go, and that enriches game play. Does it deal combat damage, or does it sacrifice? Both players have to weigh in the line they think/hope it& #39;s going to go. 5/8
So how does this apply to brewing Commander decks? Too often people talk about staples, optimization, and cards that are "strictly better" than other cards and that& #39;s their final thoughts when choosing cards for their decks. 6/8
But for Commander I think the very final consideration for each card choice should be: how does this add to the enjoyment of game play? I& #39;ve yanked cards that are perfect for a deck based on power level or synergy but it& #39;s just dumb and boring. It evokes eye rolls and sighs. 7/8
Always take into account maximizing *gameplay* enjoyment for everyone at the table when finalizing each card in your decklist. That consideration should be the ultimate optimization when it comes to #CMDR. 8/8
