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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'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'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'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'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've yanked cards that are perfect for a deck based on power level or synergy but it'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
