Commander Theory

Every set Nick and Zak like to take the temperature of the format and how the last set has affected Commander on the whole by looking at predictions and seeing what is and isn't true. So this episode includes that, but done a little differently than normal! Nick and Zak brought ten cards each, the matching cards go on the predictions board, the others they talk about and dig into so that we c...

BONUS EPISODE: It's release weekend! And a lot of people have never gotten to participate in a commander draft before. So Nick and Zak decided to release a small primer on how one might go about crafting a great deck in commander legends! Just some tips, tricks, and an archetype overview for those who want a quick entry into the format. Cheers! And happy drafting! You can reach us on Twitter...

HOOBOY The Last bit of CLB content, the Commander decks are here! In this episode, Nick and Zak discuss the new cards you can find in the decks right off the shelves.  What's the deal with horror tribal? Is the Izzet dragon a dragon deck? And why did they do that to the party deck?!? Listen in and let us know your sweet brews too, because there's a lot to dig into in this batch of comman...

You've seen the legends, you've seen the backgrounds, but what about... Backgrounds in the 99? Yes! And also everything else in the 99! Nick and Zak dig into the main-deck cards from Commander Legends, Battle For Baldur's Gate, and there's A LOT. What color got the coolest ancient dragon? Which cards are coolest for what decks? How do we feel about the set overall? And backgrou...

Is that creature tapped? Because we're taking back the initiative in this episode, all about the new multicolor legends you can find in Commander Legends: Baldur's Gate! Nick and Zak get right to it, discussing important cards, play patterns, and what they like and don't like. And oh yeah, does anybody want some more decklists?!?! It's all here, so listen in, and let us know wh...

CLB IS HERE. The sequel to both Commander Legends AND Adventures in the Forgotten Realms is here! Commander Legends: Baldur's Gate is a draftable commander format with 85(!!!) New legends and... backgrounds? To mix, match, and slam down as you duke it out with your friends and brew some more cool decks! This will be the first episode of spoilers for Nick and Zak, where they look at specifical...

The last of the episodes about #MTGSNC to keep us honest! It's prediction time!! How right were Nick and Zak about Kamigawa Neon Dynasty? What do they think about SNC? Any cards they're impressed by or not impressed by? And what's the deal with spells with four color-pip costs in... 5 color decks?!?! It's all here! So listen in, laugh and cry with our mistakes and successes, an...

In this very special episode, Nick and Zak are delighted to talk to Megan Smith! Magic: The Gathering Designer and current Green Council Member on the Council of Colors in Studio X.  For those who might not have listened before, The Council of Colors is a team put together so Studio X can help to stop breaks in the color pie between all the products they release in a year. The council members are...

HOOBOY! Welcome to a long episode! All about the new commanders and cards in the NCC set (That's New Capenna Commander). Nick and Zak get right deep into the decks starting off with the commanders and getting into main deck cards in WUBRG order, so if you want to hear about only a particular color feel free to skip around! What family got the best new commanders? Which decks are more casual-f...

AND NOW: Ladies and cephalids, boys and germs! We give to you, this doozy of an episode! And a bit early! The Maindeck cards from Capenna are many and there's a lot going on,  So Nick enlisted the help of supporter and friend of the show Jason to get into the nitty-gritty of what's good in New Capenna! What can you do with the new white protection spell? Is Elspeth a new staple? Did they...

Here again! A new set is upon us in all its art deco wonder! Streets of New Capenna bring us a whole lot of new stuff to play with! So in this episode, Nick and supporter and friend of the show, Jason (Zak was on vacation, sorry!)  get into the nitty-gritty of the new commanders available! What legends look really fun? Anything busted? Did Edric really need white added to the color identity?!? It&...

You read that right: this week on Commander Theory Nick and Zak discuss a project Nick has been working on for a while.  Phyrexian Rebirth is a fan-made module to be run using the 5th edition DnD rules that allows players to explore the world of New Phyrexia just after the event of the Mirrodin storyline.  The GM and players will be able to use the rules to create phyrexians of every type, or just...

Last week's episode got us thinking: What are our favorite mechanics and why? So in this episode, Nick and Zak have a little chat about just that! What makes a good mechanic, and why? There's so much space in magic design, but what can be mined further and to good ends? Listen in and tell us what you think too! You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr , and our YouTube has videos for even m...

We asked for some custom commanders and you all delivered! In this episode of Commander Theory, Nick and Zak asked for custom legendary creatures that focused on underutilized mechanics from the past. There's everything from combat-focused commanders to Mono-black spells, and even energy and charms thrown in there too! Was that an arcane/cipher legend as well...? Listen in and tell us your fa...

Sometimes life hands you lemons, and sometimes you gotta put out a rerun podcast to deal with all those lemons, so here we are! Nick and Zak are fine, just had a lot on their respective plates this week, so here's one of the podcasts we think about a lot (and should really revisit soon tbh...) If you've never heard before please enjoy! It's a trip down memory lane for sure. What thi...

Many content creators on the internet have posted episodes of shows and podcasts where they discuss a baseline way to build decks. They're usually heuristics like, "You need 10 ramp spells" or "you need 3 board clears" that are easy to follow and remember. But what do the Commander Theory hosts use...? In this episode, Nick and Zak lay out their process for deckbuilding in...

We're back with another retrospective! In this Seasons Past we look at a set that had a huge influence on Nick and Zak: Mirage! What did Mirage do differently than the sets before it? What cards are people still playing? There's even a little controversy?!? All this and more! So listen in and tell us your favorite card from the set! You can reach us on Twitter or Tumblr , and our YouTube...

One of the benefits of this whole New Secret Lair Cards thing is that, oh wow! A TON of new commanders to build around!! In this episode, Nick and Zak get into the legendaries from the ( now in preorder ) Secret Lair - Street Fighter cards. There are some interesting build-arounds and some not-so-subtle build paths, on top of some really cool things in general! So listen in,, let us know what card...

YOU THOUGHT WE WERE DONE. Well, Nick and Zak wanted to take one more look back at the joys of Kamigawa Neon Dynasty and assess how well their predictions went from Crimson Vow. This episode is a great check-in on what people are actually playing, what new players like, what cards the two co-hosts enjoy, and generally get to talking about Magic and Commander. They go over their top 10 new cards as...

AND WITH THAT we have finished another review season! Nick and Zak get right to it, digging into possible builds for the two new Commander decks to come out alongside Kamigawa Neon Dynasty! There are six new legends and a ton of new cards, but not all that shimmers in cyber tech is golden. What do the two hosts think about the themes, and how were they executed? What cards are their favorites, and...

A ratfolk on a hoverbike just zoomed by my house and painted graffiti all over the alley. Guess that means Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty is out! In this doozy of an episode, Nick and Zak review all the commanders and cards they think you should note in the regular set for NEO (basically anything you can get in a set booster). There is SO much and the episode is definitely fat because of it, and we hope i...

Commander Theory focuses a lot on what the format looks like if we observe the whole. Nick and Zak often use language about what you "should do" or "ought to do" or "ought to play" when describing the format, but what do they actually play? Not these decks anymore! That's for sure! In this episode Nick and Zak talk about decks that just... weren't fun for th...

In this episode, Nick and Zak look at some builds that won't break the bank! Commander can be an expensive hobby, and it can often feel like you need to keep up in an arms race to compete, but that's not necessarily the case! Nick and Zak layout 7 decks that can really punish a table, some for under $100! And they work so effectively because the commanders are doing things most decks don...

Nick and Zak do a little different take on a retrospective this year. The twist?  As they look back at their favorite cards from 2021 they have to pick cards that are WAY too good for how cheap they are! There's a few from every set last year, so come on the ride and use the affiliate link below to buy some cards on the cheap! Did you have some favorite cards from 2021? We'd love to hear...

On this very special episode of Commander Theory Nick interviews Corey Bowen! Magic: the Gathering designer and the representative for Black on the Council of Colors in Wizard's of the Coast's Studio X. What is the history of black's color pie in Magic? What has it gained? what has it lost? There's talk of treasure, life payments, sacrifice, so much more! So listen in and let u...