So you’re short one guy at the table. You’ve got a three pod going, but you really want that fourth to make that complete EDH experience. There’s this one guy wandering around the store aimlessly, so you’ve got a thought in your mind, we can make that person our fourth.
The art of the Commander scam is subtle but quite powerful. It is unassuming, and most people aren’t able to see behind the sweet, sweet lies and special words we use to enlist others into the evil classic experience of this format.
To begin with, we have to speak about the elephant in the room. I’m sorry to say this to Magic players, but you really need to bathe. Appearance is everything. And no, I don’t need you to dress up like you’re getting ready for your best man’s wedding. I’m saying that you should be dressed decently. Wear clothes that both look and appear friendly. Clean up that beard, put on that deodorant if need be, etc. Just saying, this doesn’t only apply to the guys as well. All you ladies and others must also look presentable too in whatever way possible.
If you don’t have a clue on what to wear, think about what you would wear to a nice family owned coffee shop down the road. You don’t want to look raggedy; you want to look presentable. Fresh clothes and a nice friendly appearance will do. You’re not getting ready for date night, but you are suiting up for a nice time with friends.
Don’t just assume that the random person wandering around the store will have their own Commander deck. You should be prepared to provide a deck for the new player. But this is where things get complicated. Ideally, every person knows how to play Commander or, at the very least, Magic at its core. Now, anyone with enough experience in this game knows that these are all rather concepts that live in the mystical imaginary world. I won’t get into how to teach a player Magic here; there are already plenty of guides online to do so or I may write one later down the road.
The most common mistake that players tend to do is just give any wily old deck to the new player joining the table. There’s no universal solution here. Some people tend to think they’re being nice by giving the new player their strongest deck to play. Others think of what they consider as fun and then throw that deck at the new player. The opposite can also be true. I personally suggest no one ever play blue in general, but that’s just a correct opinion.
There is another action you can take and that is by just asking the new player what they enjoy and/or learning about their game experience. Then, you can just directly cater to them. In the case that they aren’t too familiar, you may simply want something with lesser mechanics. Ideally, a deck that has the cards literally explain what they do rather than having keyword soup is great. Don’t go for anything that requires convoluted knowledge outside of the game. Try not to give a combo that requires the blueprint for making a house. Think about what you would want in your first experience. Give something that’s tangible but leaves you having a good time.
I will expect to see a lot of people suggest keeping a handy pre-con around. Now that is something I don’t exactly suggest. Pre-cons, by design, are not meant to be particularly strong. And that applies in more than one sense. Pre-cons have a designated game plan that can be rather easy to explain, but they are often filled with a number of nonsense or jank cards. Furthermore, they have my mortal enemy to the game experience as a whole, infinite tap lands. A pre-con in a sea of built decks feels quite awful as the outlying player will see and realize quite quickly that they’re essentially playing a stock-standard pile versus carefully crafted and designated decks with complex mechanics both fun and wide compared to their simplistic gameplay using the pre-con. So, in short, there’s just a jarring separation in power level and potential fun due to missed mechanics and the fact that pre-cons don’t exist to provide the full Commander experience, only a glimpse at best. One caveat: if you’re all playing pre-cons, that’s a bit of a different story.
Now, if you do modify the pre-con, that’s changing the narrative. Because, in that sense, you’re actually upgrading the pre-con and giving options to the player in charge of what they wish to do. Rather than sitting through a pre-registered script, you have changed the deck to give agency to the player in charge which elevates the player experience.
Personally, this is where I struggle the most. The decks, as you can see, on this site itself, aren’t made for new players. They include a variety of random mechanics and keywords that can go all the way back to Magic’s long past. I do love old cards and love finding silly synergies among them. However, this doesn’t go very well with new players due to the layered complexity.
At a recent local shop, I lent my food deck to a new player who ended up having a blast, but even then, I wouldn’t say it was the best experience by any measure. I had forgotten that Frodo uses the “The Ring Tempts You” mechanic and didn’t have the reminder card. Please do bring those cards around with you whenever possible.
Having anything like the card below will also be very useful for new players especially. Magic Arena had a promotional card that shared the basic rules that would be good to carry around as a marker. Otherwise, this wonderful sheet by user DoltSarahLee on Reddit is a wonderful short guide as well.
Do be prepared to answer questions and help the player as you aid their gameplay experience. Now do note, this is not solely a responsibility of the person providing the deck. Other players should also chime in to help the new player at the table. This may also include some take-backs to better facilitate the game and improve the experience overall.
Now, assuming you’ve gotten this far, we need to start talking about the real kicker. We need to keep this player returning to the store and playing with your group or others. This is where the trickery truly begins. Now, the best possibility from the previous step of introducing a player with a deck is that they “fall in love” with your deck or others’ decks or just that style of gameplay. Now this is where you get them.
It is time for the new player to begin assembling their deck. Now this step may take a few trials as you play more games with the new player. But eventually, and usually speaking, they will eventually want their own deck. Now this is where you and your friends should start maliciously collaborating to help “guide” the new player in this experience.
Deck-building can be a lot of fun, but in Magic especially, it is jarring and potentially overly complex for the new player due to the swathes of cards that exist within the game. Sit down with the new player and maybe get a coffee or two. Talk about what they like and what kind of play patterns they enjoy. Settle on a commander and then look towards assembling cards that fit their niche gameplay and wants.
Just like how my friend W. used his mind control skills like Wormtongue above on fellow players at my other buddy’s house, do the same thing to the new player. Twist your words and be friendly, offering advice and alternatives to cards based on what the new player wants. Better yet, do the classic chain that I suggested to my friend earlier as follows:
Genuinely, help guide the new player throughout the Commander experience. This doesn’t mean that you have to throw away money or cards at the new player. Sitting down with them, communicating, and especially providing resources to either get the cards they want (suggesting stores or helping them with ordering) or proxying are all steps that help retain a new player and transform them into a local. Consider also just including the person into your other activities whether that be dinner after the store. This isn’t solely the responsibility of a singular player either. The entire play group is equally responsible for this. Who knows; you may be even able to **caution** make friends as an adult.
You know you’ve succeeded when the next time you play them and someone drops a Rhystic Study on the table and they respond with a cross and prayer.