Head to keeps.com/tolarian to get 50% off your first order of hair loss treatment. Thanks to Keeps for sponsoring this video!

TL;DR: in a healthy and functional relationship, communication is key.

Great video. Many of these principles about having a conversation about goals and a debrief to have the best shared experience as possible can also be applied to other group games like DnD!

I will always remember one of the most fun pods I've played was one in which one of my friends sat down and said "alright everyone get out your weakest deck" it ended up being one of the most fun, actually competitive games I've played to this day.

Something else about the End of Game debrief: Talk about how fuckin' COOL other people's decks were. "Dude that combo is dirty, I love it." "I can't believe you managed to out-value me!" "That gimmick works better than it has any right to."

"Fun is not a zero sum game." Absolutely my favorite line from the whole script. Excellent advice Prof. Thanks for this video.

This reminds me of Dan Savage when discussing when two potentially intimate partners meet and that they should ask "Hey what kind of stuff are you into?"

Didn’t know I needed Prof telling me I’m super-sexy

You know you're getting old when the youtubers for your favorite game are selling hair loss products.

"Power levels are bullshit!" -Vageta from DBZA

I know it seems silly, but as someone who struggles with how I feel about myself due to balding, I really appreciate how you discussed the topic during your ad.

To any honest player that returns cards to it's owner, you are the real MVP. I've met many people on both sides of thievery and honesty. Thank you to all who are honest and respectful to your fellow player(s)

open and honest communication is the key to literally all relationships, be they romantic, professional, platonic, or anything else, and this is no exception hecking great video as always

"fun is not a zero-sum game" *sweats in stax*

Sweet merciful, I'd love to play this on a loop for some people. It's a card game, and I spent a couple of bucks on my Commander deck, so I'd like to play with more than 3 turns.

At my LGS, we have the phrase 'how spiky?' for what level of deck we're using. every game starts off with us talking about whether we should use very spiky, kind of spiky, or not at all spiky decks. 'Spiky' is less about how good the deck is, and more about how harsh it is. Stax, Slivers, Death and taxes, are all spiky types regardless of how viable they are for victory. Meanwhile, decks like superfriends and landfall are usually considered not spiky at all, even if they can sweep the game. Spiky is more about the experience of actually playing, and not how likely a deck is to win. The only time we don't do that is in the dedicated competitive commander games, but those are always the same 4-5 guys because nobody else wants to play that high level. I'm gonna miss the place, my first Magic games were there, I met some of my best friends there, and Now it's shut down for good because of Covid.

Something my friend and I have been loving is throwing everyone's decks in the middle of the table and rolling dice to choose which decks get played and by who. The randomized nature of deck selection creates a ton of fun even when one deck is disproportionately powerful than the others.

Really well thought out. A great discussion tool for playgroups.

While people often talk about rule 0, I always had trouble discussing things with my friends, mostly because I simply don't know where to start. This video gave me some great pointers, so I look forward to using them when we manage to sit down together again!

Honest conversation about what you want out of a game is the only catch-all solution to balanced games. For example, I want games where I end up being the monologuing villain, threateningly eliminating one or two people before dying to hubris.

JOKES ON YOU, I’M PLAYING A 110 DOLLAR DECK WITH *TAP LANDS* I’M ONLY GETTING TARGETED BECAUSE OF PAST NON-COMMANDER GAMES... :(

Here in my city in Brazil we have some competition were we limit our power level by limiting the cost of cards. We have one called EDH50 where we limit the maximum cost of each card to be R$50,00 (about 10USD) and we have a local table of administrators who make some custom bans to balance the format. Generally it works, we have all kinds of decks there. Aggro, control, stax, combo, etc. I personally entered with a aggro yidris cascade just for the fun and, although I loss the most of games it was really balanced. We also have other championships who limit the power level by value, meta, and custom bam list. We now are doing a EDH tribal war, where you can only play decks with all creatures sharing at least 1 type. No combo, limited interactions, activations,draw and the minimum of 30 creatures for the game. It's really fun because some tribes focus on building and slow growing, other are just full gun ho let's beat this one first.

As a Korlash player, the representation is appreciated.

Great discussion. Most of the "bad feels" I've encountered have come from the feeling that you're able to do your thing

Thanks for callin' me super sexy, prof.

i know everyone knows this, but the way Prof talks to his viewers/followers as whole people he cares about... what a good person. What a good use of a platform. Sidenote: I just got teary during a paid promo for a hairloss product.

One of the only KZfaq channels I enjoy sitting through the KZfaqr sponsor placement. You are always incredible caring and you genuinely back your sponsors. You didn’t have to take the extra mile with your bit on self-esteem and individual beauty but it was very thoughtful. Thanks for doing what you do and being a positive light in the KZfaq/magic community.

Power levels, "tiers," all nonsensical. I agree there. Play length is harder to peg though... 1. You can have a string of proactive lists at a cEDH table and the game will still last a solid 30-45 minutes. If folk have other commitments, they can check out when needed: if it's with "strangers online," I feel zero commitment to stay with the group if something comes up. 2. You've said this, but there just needs to be a dialogue beforehand as to what people are bringing to the table. I still socialize with my competitive group, but there's an understanding that everyone's "thing" will be efficient and meant to win on the spot. I know you're not intending to say competitive players don't also socialize, but someone may misconstrue that. I like your changing of "casual" to "social" here, but it's a bit confusing (8:05). 3. My own group generally asks one another what we'll be playing to have a *balanced* pod, but that's about it. I'd hate to discourage anyone from playing what they enjoy. Haha, "I'm just tired" is an interesting way to tell someone you're sore of their Jokulhaups list. 4. Pod balance! Nice breakdown. 5. "PGD"!? I've never asked how losing has felt, but most of my group have the expectation that there's ultimately meant to be a winner each time we sit down, haha. We usually alternate lists purely for diversities sake. Makes it more enjoyable for everyone. Overall, excellent discussion! Commander has such a diverse and expanding player base now. Simply "being good" to one another is the only other *golden rule* I'd try to encourage others to maintain when playing with new and old groups alike. Be well and thanks for the discussion!

"It's Time to Move on From Commander Power Levels" I agree. I used them a little, and quickly figured out they're almost useless. I know I have or had decks that I'd argue were 6's or 7's but others think they're much higher. Prof. hit the nail on the head with this statement and its explanation.

There’s a couple of people at my LGS who sadly have no idea how to have these conversations and somewhat ironically they’re veteran players who’ve been playing for years and years.

I am still a very new player of mtg. I can say, with 100% certainty, that I have grown so much as a player due to my experienced group members teaching me from my own mistakes. They never make me feel stupid or unworthy of my space at the table. THIS IS WHAT MAGIC SHOULD ALWAYS BE! Thanks, prof!!!

Mana drained a friends Narset during one game. That's what sparked our group discussion. I reduced the number of crazy counter spells, and friend plays fewer decks that cast multiple cards for almost free. The group is working on our own sort if banned list and it grouping decks into loose tiers so that the table can play on a roughly even level. Other than that, we play rotating games online where we choose commanders for another person and build decks within a certain budget. Those are usually really fun!

This changes my mindset about Power Level. Totally. Great video.

I love your take on this. It is an important discussion to have, especially when playing with new people. Just being self aware and truthful about what everyones' deck does is much needed, and a way better standard of going about it than arbitrary, subjective numbers. Thank you Prof!

Some absolutely solid advice, I was extremely lucky with my old group. W all enjoyed competitive games, we all had some pretty intense decks but game time swung WILDLY. Anywhere from a couple turns because the goblin tribal got its tokens out early to multiple hours when we combined two-headed giant and two control players ended up on the same team.

The professor seems to be assuming I have more than one deck lol. I literally just built a golos good stuff deck and that's all the enjoyment I need.

This is great and all, but when you sit at the table with someone who only has fun when no one gets in his way or stops what he wants to do, no amount of questions in this vein will be helpful.

I've never seen a more wholesome ad before

Dude. Oh my god. It's like you were in my head. 57 seconds in and I hear power level is subjective, which is exactly what I was talking about with a group I play with on discord literally yesterday. Thank you do much for this video. I'm sharing this with everyone.

I love this video so much! I recently joined a new pod and was feeling gustrated because I was thinking it would be more relaxed and socializing but ended up being extreamly competitive and I didn't bring or have a deck that could play on the same mode

Last time I was this early, it was 2019 and wotc didn't have 3 different boxes per set

I haven't seen it yet but after being told Mana Crypt makes my Angel Tribal high power I think I needed this today.

I went to a new locals yesterday and had never played in a commander Pod with strangers before. I got absolutely blown out and felt pretty bad about it. It's nice to see a video like this the day after, I'll definitely be implementing these tips next time I go. I wasn't being very communicative before matches cause I didnt know anyone. Thanks for the tips!

When I play with friends online through our lgs streams, our pre-game talk is introducing our commanders and then describing what we plan to with them for the game (eg. "I'm playing Nicol Bolas, the Ravager [explain the card for the stream] and this deck is him and themed around his Eternal army."). This gives everyone a good idea on how I will be playing the deck, how strong it is and what my chances of winning are like. If we ever talk power levels its usually during the game to make conversation.

PlayEDH. . . is very unique. High Power is just CEDH without thassas oracle. .

The fact that you have to have a whole town council meeting before playing EDH is such a huge problem with the format.

Very good point you make my fellow professor! I’m a magic player and adjunct at Belmont University, and I have been following you for years. This is one of the best points I’ve heard from ANY commander content: “it’s about the games, not the decks” -The Professor

Wow prof... with that post-game debrief, you made me remember how much I miss my playgroup and the talks we had about the plays, threat assessment and other things. May we soon gather together again with our dearest playgroups.

7:52 "Allowing players to, quote unquote, 'Do their thing.'" AKA let me get my shit in

4 minutes in and Prof called me sexy lol

I love this. Conversations about desires and intentions will always be more effective than arbitrary rating systems! Hopefully more players take this guidance to heart, Prof. Thank you!

My play group plays to have fun, and to improve as a magic playerd. Even when we are against bad matchups, we try to uses this opportunities to see what our deck are missing (removal, ramp, protection, card draw) that way we actually have fun, discuss and learn and even feeling great when you pull an impossible victory.

This is an incredibly interesting take on power level and game night preparation, I’d love to see other magic content creators address this new way of thinking.

This is why I like playing Cedh, there is no power level misinterpretation. In my playgroup (for non Cedh), most edh decks are considered fine as long as there is no mass land destruction or 2 card win the game combo's.

The Weis and Hickman section on your shelf puts a smile on my face everytime I see it. Not mention the Death Gate Cycle hardbacks below.

With my groups everyone generally brings a few decks and we offer them up to the table. This allows for a wide variety of types and let's people try decks they either don't have or couldn't put together. We also have deck building exchanges where one person builds for another player.

"Are we playing to win or to socialize?" I like this better than "are we playing casually?" for the same reasons asking "what power level are we playing?" is a weak question. Everyone has a different idea of "casual." But, asking this question largely comes down to a question of winning or socializing.

Playing edh is like dancing. Doing it with strangers is awkward at first, but you quickly adjust to each other and it gets more fun.

Great advice! The only caveat I would add is that this conversation is best for people who have multiple decks and have the luxury to switch decks based on the needs of the table. For people who just have 1 deck it might be more efficient to just talk about the deck they have and see if everyone is okay with it.

Great talk about this! Also love that you put thought into the Keeps ads and discuss the product in a body positive way.

"It's subjective" until someone runs into Tymna and Thrasios XD

Brave man, suggesting open communication can solve problems. Love it!

wow just wow. well thought out and well said. i really enjoyed this video. my play group has some new players coming in and these principles will go a long way to helping the meta adjust to the new play styles. as always top notch stuff brian keep up the great work!

I started getting into this when covid started so I have yet to play a 4p commander game. It partially has to do with finding time to play on discord and set it all up but I just like the feel of in person play. Hopefully my local game stores can open up for that somewhat soon.

Love your vids Prof. Insightful as always.

I love how prof is just like the premiere youtuber teaching men social skills lmao

Thank you. I am newer and never knew what the power levels were supposed to be. This makes it alot easier to have fun. And my dumb tribe deck is unicorns! It's a fun deck.

Commander is a social format first, and is best enjoyed when everyone at the table are on the same page. This video pretty much breaks this concept down into some very helpful steps. Thank You Professor!

Yes, it is never that straightforward as picking a number.

The Prof is such a treasure to the Magic community

yes! all of this. I've been thinking about this and have started doing similar for other tabletop games I play that have a competitive element, and it has made such a massive difference. Sportsmanship has improved, everyone has had a better time, and overall the whole experience is better.

Great video. You make some excellent points. The only thing missing would be to also consider how your deck is built. Is it fast? slow? has tons of boardwipes or reanimation? You should totally collab with commander replay and talk about this some more.

I'm so glad that creators are addressing this!!!

When Commander tips are about being a good person and being considerate of others. I love videos about this, a nice reminder about the core of the game. It's the thing we do to have fun

I like the idea of power tiers (low-, medium- and high power), I've been using it more and more. High power being probably my friend's Najeela deck and my Neheb, the Eternal deck. they can go off earlier than most other decks in my group

Thank you for this video Prof. Question 1 on how long we want to play is extremely helpful for me. I like longer games than most people i meet.

Hey professor how’s you’re day going?

It usually comes to "are we memeing or big boi?"

I love this idea Prof! When my playgroup finally reforms, I will strive to open up discussion amongst us. I know for fact from my years with the group that we all have different tastes in EDH.

"How long are we playing" is super relevant imo. I've noticed that a good indicator of deck strength is the number of turns usually required for them to attempt to win/lock the board. Great questions, Prof!

When I sit down I ask: "Uninhibited, what turn would you kill the table by?"

Love your Vids Prof!

I like the deep-dive into how to manage expectations to keep games fun for everyone. I've never tried putting it into words as I typically self-monitored my casual decks for ones that countered too much or were a little too "solitaire." I am interested in incorporating some before and after talk to get a sense for what people are feeling that day.

Opening lines of communication for the expiations of an experience is always healthy. Not just in commander games. Bravo Prof!

This makes EDH sound very very much not for me.

thank you, prof, i have had trouble with this.

Great video Prof, it was very informative. Speaking of Toshiro Umezawa, would you be willing to make one of your patented, lore heavy, deck tech video on them? He's my favorite Legendery Creature and I love to see everyone's take on how to build him.

I was very nervous about the title of this video, but you nailed how to approach these discussions.

Vegeta, what's the scouter say about his power level? It's over 9,000!

tfw the ad makes you feel seen an validated. 😭

Always had great success by communicating wincons and speed. The first one can prevent feel bads when playing with someone who may dislike combo, mill, whatever. Second one ensures I'm not popping out my Oracle on turn 2 when the average deck at my table won't be able to interact until T3. Communicating these two things directly is always more efficient than referring to an obscure scale -at least in my book.

I see an original snow covered mountain.

Me : What are you playing Them: Stacks * Door slams behind me.*

No matter what, there's always a deck that's *OVER 9000!!*

oh yeah i remember the card "annex" was always reffered to as "steal target land" in my lgs because it happened so many times that someone forgot to give the land back after the game....

This is a great video. Thank you for talking about this as a mindset. I feel like this is such a healthy way to talk amongst your playgroup.

Let’s go back to the old days where we all just isolated Esper players.

Jokes on you, Im playing a commander from Legends

Two years ago I went to my LGS with a friend to find a game or two of EDH. First guy we talk to says he'd love to play a casual game with us, then proceeds to take out his Niv-Mizzet Reborn deck that slaps both our decks about with one hand tied behind its back. Never been that bent out of shape over MTG, never even considered playing with that guy again, and my friend and I still regularly reference the experience. Two. Years. Ago.

Good video! And fun sketch last week! Can you make a new version of the video "MTG - The 5 BEST Preconstructed Commander Decks for Magic: The Gathering"?