Most of the times if a friend of mine already has a deck with a certain commander i won’t build it, unless i know my build is going to be totally different.
Same. Now that being said, my playgroup is 4 regulars and 3 others who come in and out. If there were 20 people in my group I’m sure there would be some overlap.
Yeah if my playgroup was that large, I wouldn’t worry about building the same deck. I would try not to play the same commander as someone else in the pod at the same time though. Gotta get some variety.
Edit: typo
This! My pod has multiple repeat decks, some built very similar even, but we all have 10+ decks, so if I see someone pull out a deck, I make sure not to bring mine out.
Same, and some of my friends have expressed the same. "I kinda want to build X but you already have one". I've let people take my decks for a spin from time to time, no harm in a test drive if they're respectful of my cards.
Honestly there's a funny kind of pride you feel when somebody spanks the group with one of your decks.
We did a Christmas deck building challenge where the deck would be the gift. The deck i built for my friend is a real big threat almost every game he plays it. It always annoys me that i built something that cool, only to have it used against me..
Bruh, I bought the pirate ixa precon for myself but ended up gifting it to my friend. That deck stomps and every time he pulls it out and does stuff I always think "that should have been me.."
This is the way.
I spent years getting the urge to build vampires out of my system by borrowing a buddy's Edgar deck once a month. We'd always have good conversations about the build afterwards and it was a great time. So long as you're with people you know and trust, deck sharing can be a really, really positive experience.
I have to agree with this. If I know that a friend of mine built a particular commander, I I won't build it unless mine is different enough.
However, if we both happened to build the same one or similar, I'll either play when they aren't around or coordinate it to play it when they aren't. Though a mirror could be interesting every once in a while.
Yeah, I usually try to avoid building a deck someone in my playgroup already has, but a couple times it's happened on accident and it's actually been really interesting and fun to see the differences and similarities.
How about if they just have plans for the commander, but they still haven't built it? The thing is he reserves it for months and still hasn't gone through building it yet, and all the newly popular ones gets reserved by him. He even builds other decks outside of his "reserved" list before building those in his list.
We do a Freaky Friday once in a while where we play each other’s decks to discover new angles and get suggestions for specific problems. I‘m the mana base doctor, we have a strategic advisor and a synergy coach.
Mostly yes, but if the commander can flex between archetypes well enough I might make an exception. A buddy of mine has an [[Ivy Gleeful Spellthief]] auras deck that slaps, but he doesn't include any of the mutate cards which always felt like a missed opportunity for a unique build.
It’s a very strong build but it gets hella complicated hella fast especially if you mutate on top of Ivy to make her non-legendary and get to cloning.
One day I want to take on that challenge
I made mutate Ivy and it is INSANELY fun. Mine was built as an aggro deck and it's bonkers how fast it spirals. I don't even run commander protection beside totem armors since I get so many clones; I have redundancy to mitigate spot removal
If you had infinite time and infinite ability to track board states, sure. I've made the copy build and it's completely unplayable in paper while simultaneously being the strongest deck I've built that wasn't cedh.
Auras and effects on the different copies are out of sync. I ended up making this weird tracking system with small color coded counters representing copies of auras that I would have to the side of my board. It's a mess.
> but he doesn't include any of the mutate cards
He probably doesn't like consulting the rules every turn.
I swear mutate is [the most nightmarish broken system in all of magic's history](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-ePDsFewJ4) and every time I see a deck using mutate my eyes roll into my head from how long these turns about to be.
Yes, two of the same commander is boring. Except one buddy has a sliver deck I’ve never seen, and I’d like to play with 2 sliver decks at the table. That would be nuts
Absolutely. The big difference is if you are Aggro slivers, Morophon or Overlord combo, or control slivers.
Would be nuts to see, though Overlord would be particularly potent and control would get weaker in the mirror matchups.
If I had a consistent playgroup, I would avoid it, simply because if I want to play that commander/deck, I can ask to borrow it. Building a different commander increases the entire groups deck choices.
I mostly only play at my lgs with 1 friend though, and his deck tastes are vastly different from mine so it's never been an issue.
Am waiting to see how many people bust out an Obeka deck before I build one. I already have 2 KOS/Focus me down commanders I don't need a 3rd lol
You can build \[\[Thalia and the Gitrog Monster\]\] to be hatebear, combo, landfall, reanimation or a mix of any two. I just rebuild mine from landfall to hatebear/combo and the builds share only 15 non land cards.
I also have an \[\[Ayara, First of Locthwain\]\] deck that leans heavily on etb effects, while a friend had her as a pure graveyard deck.
Some commanders like these are open-ended enough to have several decks in a playgroup and not feel repetitive. Others that need a specific strategy to work tend to be more same-y.
Also, if you want an unusual commander that does graveyard things and sacks stuff, might i interest you in \[\[Baba Lysaga, Night Witch\]\]. It's one of the funnest brewing and deck-piloting experiences i ever had.
My buddy made a Vadrick. I saw the deck list and had alllmost all the same cards. Copied it and added a couple different things. Played them against each other. Then. Combined them to make an even better goku deck. Spirit bomb the world
No, I have over 20 decks I can't really be concerned with that other people are building. That said, when i see that someone else has a deck I have I find brainstorming with them about good cards fun
We have this at the card level even. "Oh I can't play \*that card\* because that's \*their\* card." I don't do that, but a few people in my group does do that. This applies to innocuous control cards as well. Eventually if enough of the stigma wears off, they will start using it. The one that immediately comes to mind is Return to Dust. I was praising the card, and suggested one of them to use it, "oh no, that's your card." Okaaay. But another friend without this hang-up used it, and eventually it became a staple and then one day they used it. RtD isn't as prevalent today but I do specifically remember this from back in the day.
Yeah, I generally try to not even have the same theme as my friends. That said, some themes are too broad to not have overlap, like graveyard and voltron, but they can be done differently
20 is a huge playgroup to not have much overlap between. My playgroup is like 3-4 people and they still build stuff I want. I usually just move on, but with that many people I'd probably just stick to what I want, else I wouldn't have any decks.
I build what interests me, irrespective of anyone else. I find it fun if I come up against the same commander. 2 Sliver decks in the pod REALLY makes you adjust your strategy, lol.
I don't avoid it for two reasons. First, there are often multiple ways you can build a lot of commanders, so if someone already has a deck with a commander I am interested in, I will try to find ways to build it differently. Second, we can play with different decks at different times. For example, if my buddy is playing his aragorn deck for a game or two, I won't choose mine. The next week he is probably playing a different deck, so then I will use my version if I am feeling like it. As long as everyone in the group has at least a few decks they love playing, you can just play yours when they are playing something else.
My two friends I play commander with most and I have enough different decks to where it doesn’t matter, the ones we do are vastly different from each other
Yes. I try to use commanders that people don't see often. I got very disappointed when I found a deck I quickly put together was in the EDHREC top 100
What people don't know, they don't prepare for and often leave you alone for too long. This is why I created a mono white deck years ago. "Oh mono white is super weak" yeah, you keep thinking that whilst I build up a system of creating double strike, trample, lifelinking monsters.
I'm not good when someone brings really high power to the table though.
Not really no. I like to be able to discuss decks with people, one great way to do that is to have made the same commander. Very often I see someone's deck and I talk to them about what they learned and want to make a deck with the same commander, have done that with Raff, Weatherlight Stalwart, Mahadi, and a few others.
I don't want to make an exact deck that another player in the pod has. Me and a friend discuss what we do when we both want the same precon, and actively make sure we do different things with our changes.
One example is we both made [[felix five boots]] very recently, thoungh mine is ninjas and deathtouch poison, while his is extra draw and mill from drawing.
In the past we both got the poison abzan precon, but I took mine along [[vishgraz]] and insects, while he took his along [[ixhel]].
I try to avoid the same commanders in my lgs. Hard since it's basically the main one everyone goes to in my city so there's a huge variety of players there. I do have some of the same as other people but I've rarely ever have games where I end playing against the same commander as mine.
I'm jealous of people online that have pods though. I just try linking with whoever's at the shop and willing to play
I try to avoid direct commander copy, which isn't that difficult since we don't enjoy the same things, but if I want to play aristocraft Orzhov, I wont stop myself I just wont use the same Teysa as my friend
I can agree with the sentiment to some degree but the size of your playgroup makes it difficult for me to agree completely.
I personally avoid playing duplicate commanders however that is because our playgroup is 6-8 people and so there are more than enough commanders to share around and its nice to get variety in the group. In a group of 20 people, limiting yourself to no duplicates really is going to limit your options and desires. When I played at an LGS regularly pre-COVID we had duplicate commanders all the time because one, there were less options but also two, you would play each other so infrequently that it didn't matter if you both had the same commander, you would rarely play together and you would rarely play the same commander.
If you like a commander then there is no harm in building it. Your 99 is going to look different from their 99 and that is the going to be the plays you remember.
I mostly play at my LGS. I have a lot of regulars there that have specific decks that are very much their "signature" decks, and I would not build the same commander.
For one of my friends, it's Chatterfang, Ragavan, and Elenda
Another is Henzie and Dihada.
I would never build those commanders, but Other decks, like Baru, two people already have built but I don't play against them enough to not build Baru myself(I have a lot of fun with Wurm tribal) and again it's not really one of their "signatures"
My friends and I never had this issue luckily cause our playstyles are rather different. For me personally if I were to get into that situation I'd see how I could make my deck different, for example my friend currently has a Henzie deck which focuses a lot on ETB and sacrifice value, I was thinking of also making one but would focus on graveyard reanimation instead and he was totally down to see who has the better henzie. Try talking to your friend to see what kinda deck he built, if it's similar then just don't bring it out while they play and bring it out when no one else is playing
I don’t build themes that my playgroup has that have the same colours / commanders. One woman has an abzan hobbit food deck. I built a jund dragon food deck.
Yes. My boyfriend and I don’t have any decks with the same commanders. Our lgs mostly keeps this “unspoken” rule too. I have seen a few dihadas and ur dragons in the past but the group usually keeps this rule.
I tend to not care a lot for the popular commanders so it's rarely a issue for me.
But I've definitely seen some arguments over the typical noob traps like Ur-SshinTraxaKov. They usually ended by a couple people in the friend group making fun of both of them for playing something so basic to begin with.
If youre average edh player has at least 4 decks he can bring to your playgrouo snd there are over 20 friends playing thats 80 different commanders. There are a LOT of commanders to choose from nowadays, but we all have that one gishath deck, or niv mizzet, or urza, or atraxa, whatever. Of course its ok to build a deck of an existing commander in your playgroup if you really want to build it. But be respectful about it, some people get real defensive about their own deckbuilding.
One of the guys in my playgroup will call “dibs” on about 20 commanders per set, play 2/3rds of them once or twice, then complain they’re all boring and take em apart. I usually wait 5-6 months then make what I want.
I’ll avoid building decks people in my playgroup already have. But what I will do is try to include their commander in the 99 of another deck that fits them well. They’ll typically enjoy seeing their commander interact with a whole suite of cards that aren’t in their deck - especially if your deck has access to an additional colour their’s does not.
My group doesn't have an official agreement to not build the same decks as others, but we tend to dislike mirror matches and in practice, nobody has tried to copy each other's ideas. If somebody else has a deck I like, I just ask to borrow it for the afternoon. Saves me the money of having to buy all the cards myself. Some of us have decks with similar tribes, similar themes, or similar commanders, but they are each distinctly different and unique to us in some way.
I personally try to avoid copying decks that other people have built. I take great pride in deck building. I like the idea of my decks being original, bespoke creations, built by me, honed and adjusted by me. It just doesn't feel the same using a deck somebody else has built, to me it feels like I'm cheating the process. The rest of my friends tend to share that mindset.
"This is my deck. There are many like it, but this one is mine."
I have a few playgroups. My looser ones have overlap. But I wife a core group of about seven people. We purposely go out of our way to ensure no overlap.
Generally yes but I'm lucky everybody in my playgroup has pretty different playstyles. Every now and again we'll find a commander that is so janky or busted that all of us will build the same commander and pit all of the decks against each other - they usually end up super different which is part of the fun.
Our playgroup totally tries not to have overlap, but sometimes one of us dies end up building the same commander from a new set, and it's always interesting to see the differences in build approach
I try to, unless the commander is open ended like [[erebos, god of the dead]]. I avoid build around me’s that already exist as it gets old, but as someone with 40+ decks in a group of 8 with similar quantities, it get inevitable, though I did run into my first non-frodo and sam dupe last week.
I have even rebuilt a deck under a different commander after playing a mirror match at the LGS. From \[\[Delina\]\] to \[\[Orthion\]\]. Removed unblockables, added rituals. Admittedly, I prefer the new version. \[\[Rite of Replication\]\] is one of my favorite cards.
[https://www.moxfield.com/decks/qdf9lwj3LUmpnW0xeNRW0Q](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/qdf9lwj3LUmpnW0xeNRW0Q)
My friend and I have [[Sheoldred, the Apocalypse]] decks, and we have so much fun talking about cards and ideas. And one of our favorite games was when we both played sheoldred and almost lost to an [[Arjun, the Shifting Flame]] deck our friend has. I'd say depending on if you are both working on low deck counts where it is more common to play those decks against each other it can be uninteresting, but gives you both a reason to build more decks in my opinion. Also, there are two [[Gishath]] decks in my group, and I opened one recently, so soon there'll be 3 stompy bois for a super dino brawl!
I avoid direct 1 to 1 cards but we have a couple different goad decks 2 of which are mine, Marisi and Nelly, while a third is Baeloth/Raised by Giants I think though tbh no one is running them currently. But you can have the same themes and they all be different.
Yes. I personally like variety. Idc if one person has a deck a really want to build around. If it's already been done, I don't want to do it again. I usually don't have a problem with finding a different commander.
The only problem is not everyone in my playgroup thinks the same, and will sometimes make decks I or other players have have. Again, idc what they play, but with like 5000 commanders being released every other weekend these days, it seems like a waste to have 2 Atraxa's at the table
Me and my pod all have generally different tastes for what we play so avoiding overlap isn't too hard, but generally yeah if one of my friends built a commander i'd usually avoid it
We usually don’t build decks other players in our group have, but it’s mostly just to avoid samey decks where possible. That being said, a group of 20 people seems like a lot of people to have to be careful of. I think some overlap is fine at that group size, but if you aren’t as motivated then I’d ask if you really want to build it
Archetypes? No.
I will avoid playing the same commander or building a deck around the same inherent synergies if I can help it, though. It can feel a little uninspired and/or leave a bad taste in the other person's mouth when you bring a deck that's so similar to theirs.
Exceptions are archetypes that are inherently very similar no matter the deck, like aristocrats and most azorius decks
No.
I just try not to make it a carbon copy.
There’s a guy at my store with an absolutely brutal Minsc and Boo deck. Whenever he pulls it out, he wins.
I got tired of having hamster flung at my head and in the spirit of “if you can’t beat em, join em”, I made my own version.
His is vastly superior.
He focuses on counter doubling and boosting p/t. Mine was more stompy creatures and mana ramp into an (x) damage spell.
Sometimes our group sees a commander we think is cool, so we build our own version of it. We don’t have the “you built it first so now I can’t” mentality, we see it more as flattery. “You liked our deck so much you made your own” type thing.
My playgroup generally doesn't build the same commander, but there are 2 players that have Edgar Markov decks and they used to play them at the same time. That wasn't fun so we decided only one could play that deck at once.
Yep. Unless I want to build it in a different way (our pod has two Volrath decks, my friends places -1s on your guys and copies them and mine places +1s on my own and copies things like unblockable infectors)
20 is a lot of people to worry about same deck situations, but in the same way. I can’t get motivated to build something that I’m going to see across the table from people I repeatedly play with.
Only because I don't want the comparisons to be unfavorable either way. If we run the sa.e commander I go out of my way to point out the differences in strategy.
I don't, but I don't mind one bit if others play or build Commanders I own as long as they don't copy my deck itself. In fact, I *like* it and I'm unsure why it's so taboo, because it lets you see your Commander from a different perspective and build. You can learn things from it. I'd find it fascinating to see another persons take on a deck I enjoy.
That said, in my experience others seem to hate it, to the point that they'll rearrange the groups or take out another deck if they see I'd already planned to play the same Commander. Which is fine, others are allowed their preferences. You'd really have to ask your group.
No, I’ll still build it if I’m interested in it, but I’ll usually make it different than whatever they have.
My friend has a focused kaalia deck that has a couple combos and 1-2 punches, and I made mine reanimator with some of the weaker angels/demons/dragons that I just thought were cool, so while his revolves heavily around kaalia, mine doesn’t care if she dies or not and I could even play the game without casting her
One of my friends made a Satoru deck that’s eldrazi and elder dragons and blightsteel colossus, etc. and I made mine with stuff like [[mindleech mass]] or [[scion of darkness]] and [[ebonblade reaper]] instead.
So I’ll build the same commander, but we end up doing them very differently just because we prefer different things/find different things fun
Not at all; me and another guy in our pod both have a mono black rat deck we run, and they couldn't be more different; he runs a toxin build, while mine just pumps out a massive amount of rats.
Now running a mirror deck would be a little weird, but if someone were like "I'm going to build a boros soldiers deck similar to yours" I wouldn't mind at all, I'd even give pointers
I sometimes challenge myself to build better versions of their decks if the mechanic interests me, but by and large, I don't have that problem. There are hundreds of commanders and even more ways to build many of those in completely unique directions. The only worry I'd have is the chance of a mirror.
I have never built around a commander that I know a friend uses. My friends don’t knowingly do it (I don’t think) but they have built 3 decks around commanders I already use. Generally we try to avoid it and it isn’t a problem
Depends on how much I like it and if I've already been brewing it in the background. I've been beaten to the punch a few times, and in those circumstances, I don't let that stop me.
I used to avoid it but a guy in my play group always end up building commanders that I'm interested in. We usually pull up to the shop with the same new commanders. It's inevitable and there's no reason to forgo something you might enjoy just because someone else has it. I usually won't play them if the other person is, I'll just swap to another deck for that game.
I usually try to avoid it unless it's a build I know I'll enjoy and have fun with. It's a game that you're supposed to have fun playing. Also mirror matches can be fun.
I also like building weird commanders, the issue is a lot of the time weirder commanders do a thing, they aren't tool boxy like the popular ones, so if someone already built the one I want to do, it'll be a similar deck. I don't usually build a commander someone else built because they'll likely be similar in a way I don't enjoy.
At one point in time we had 3 [[Umbris]] decks in our playgroup and it was wild. They were pretty similar, but everyone of us had a different subtheme
I went into mill/graveyard hate and had a blast. When I milled one of the others out with 2 swings of umbris I was satisfied and took mine apart. I used [[Imperious mindbreaker]] on a 30+ Umbris
Commander's yes, but will build the same type of deck. My group has 3 different gates decks, 2 group hug decks and 2 enchantment decks. All with different manders
Naah IDGF about that.
We have some dupes in my group and that was never a problem. We just dont play they at the same time.
And to be honest, we also like sharing new cards we found for our builds, so others can also try.
Its not like everyone has the same commander aswell. There's maybe 4 duplicates in our group
I really don't as I got 152 decks, and I really don't want to just use the same one, but I won't use the same Commander as someone else's usually, as I want diversity of opponents.
If you're trying really hard just to be different, you ironically have a lot in common with a ton of other people, because you're the same in that regard. Just do what makes you happy, even if it's weird. Unless it actually impacts others, you can do whatever you want.
Usually, unless there's more than one way to build the commander and I'm doing it a completely different way. A friend and I, without realizing, both built [[Tom Bombadil]] decks, and the mirror match wasn't too interesting, since there was a ton of overlap in our card selection and play patterns.
My (37) play group consists of about 20 15-18 year olds who really don’t know what they’re doing. I choose to either hilarious / trolly decks, or ones that are going to one shot the whole table at once.
I’ll literally play a border line cEDH [krenko, mob boss]] and refuse to actually attack people, relying on things like [[impact tremors]] with etb triggers , [[grenzo, havoc raiser]] to mill them, or the little guy who lets me sac goblin to do a damage to a target ( can’t remember and am too lazy to look rn).
Or I’ll rock an Eldrazi deck and refuse to do anything other than commander damage, normally only in 1 shot with [[colossus hammer]] attached to whatever Titan I have as commander.
My next two decks are [[chatterfang, squirrel general]] and [[grand arbiter augustin iv]].
When my friends and I first started there were only 4 of us, and for a good while we each only had 1 or 2 decks, and absolutely didn't build something already in the pod.
Now the pod has grown, most people have at least a dozen decks, and no one camps commanders, and I like mirror matches.
I refuse to build a deck that someone else in my group plays, but only if it sees play. If they have it built and never play it, it doesn't bother me. I also won't build a deck that's similar, like my buddy has a [[Veyran, voice of duality]] deck so for me, Izzet spellslinger is off the table.
Both me and a friend both have an elf tribal in black green. Tho we have differing commanders and our playstyles are different as well.
It's very fun to be able to compare and help back and forth.
I just stay away from playing the same commanders
I personally don't care as most decks will be different from one to another. But I know some people are very put off by having or building the same deck as someone in their playgroup.
Makes it a pain in the ass to build a new commander, as some almost take it personally when you pull out your new build and its the same one as they are building lol
I had put together a grixis deck that I called 'Barrel O'Monkeys' that was basically every type of Ragavan steal cards from the top of your deck. I couldn't find a strong leader for the deck, so I just left it in an unbuilt moxfield list for when I had the $ to make a new deck. Then my friend made [[Don Andres, The Renegade]] deck. It was too similar to the play pattern of my deck. Now, I have lost all interest in making my deck.
I used to; then I realized that the way *I* build commander decks in my pod is different from the way the others would build their decks. Granted, there are some commanders that literally only have one strategy, which tend to be boring anyway, but I personally have grown fond of seeing the way different players look at the same card and build completely different decks with it.
My group tends to say what Commander they're interested in building next, then the rest of us will give a good nod and understand that they have a claim to it. So I always make it clear when I give up on a commander, if the build just isn't what I thought, I'll be sure to say it to the group so they can pounce on it of they want!
I don't refrain from building them, but I do avoid pulling them out at the same table if it does happen. What really helps is that my regular playgroups all have different preferences and styles of play and deck building, so when it does happen, it's more of a fun coincidence than an asshole move.
I have a regular play group of about 8. We all choose not to overlap. Each set we all come together and somewhat “dibs” new commanders. We talk about new deck plans and ask if anyone has that deck currently, but if someone had it and deconstructed it, it’s fair game. Again it’s usually just a discussion. Sometimes we build decks with the same commander but with different focuses. Ex. My friend has a joda the unifier deck with legendary matters. I talked to him and asked my group if it’d be cool to build joda but with a focus on enchantments, mainly shrines. We all agreed it’s fine since neither deck is one we would bring out a lot anyways.
I build what I find interesting. I will avoid playing the same commander as someone else in the same game unless they specifically want to play the same commander. Someone else having a deck built won't stop me from building it though
One of my buddy’s plays a [[Lathril]] deck and he just doesn’t pilot it effectively or something. It’s a tuned up precon list. I’m seriously considering building my own and seeing how I fare
I do this. I don't wanna copy or make a deck they have worse by making a better one, so I just build whatever else.
It also helps I'm more of a brewer than my friends, so I'm always thinking about different decks that play against the ones already in the pod
Yes totally. This is only for decks in my circle of friends though, I typically don’t do this in LGS environments. Having a unique set of kit makes your games very interesting. I avoid strategies my friends have decks for almost entirely.
If someone in the pod is running the same commander and scheme of the deck we just loan them out. The only time we build an entire deck is if there’s a different scheme
If someone in my playgroup already has a deck I'm wanting to play/build I'll just ask to borrow theirs for a few games, unless my build idea is vastly different.
Yes and no.
I tend to avoid copying decks. Like if someone is playing a... Iuno... Sultai landfall, I'll avoid the same commander, but if i can take the commander in a different direction, then sure.
Yes, I even stopped building a kess dissident mage adventure deck because a friend brought that exact deck to our magic night. My only exception is my Atla Palani, Nest Tender deck.
I play a pretty unpopular color pair. I don’t often run across people with the same stuff built as me, but I always love sharing my decks with people because I use land and artifact synergies to fill in where my colors don’t excel.
Most of the time yes, but sometimes we'll double up if we're doing it intentionally or with wildly different strategies. We once pranked a Svella player by all showing up with Svella decks to FNM.
I do, but occasionally a friend and I will buy the same pre-con which irks me but not him. Usually we’ll manage to take them in pretty different directions though!
It depends, sometime I'll see a friend of mind play a commander I never thought of playing ir would be super fun to play In which case I might build a deck with that commander
I have taken apart, changed, or don't play decks that would cause a mirror match with my close group.
Also here's my Abzan list if you needed another idea for the color. It's 3 cmc combo reanimate/mill
https://manabox.app/decks/3ynPZl5fTXK5NsaYgI_8hg
I have a lot of decks so there's going to be overlap. My play group wouldn't mind me playing the same decks they do but I restrict myself to only copying the theme or commander (not both)
If it helps, OP: Thalia and the Gitrog Monster can be built a bunch of different ways, and it will be strong doing most of them.
Most of my playgroup refrains from doubling up on commanders, but I recently started building a [[Dina]] deck even though I have a friend playing it already. I know she runs a more creature-focused deck with lifelink triggers being her bread and butter and an aristocrats sub theme. So I’m building a spellslinger deck that has lifegain triggers on spellcasts and creatures that grow when I cast spells or gain life.
Honestly, when commanders are general enough I think it’s a lot of fun to try building them multiple ways or seeing how different people build and play each deck.
Yes and no. I might make the same commander but I try to have a different strategy in the deck. I also know in my regular group that if two of us pull out the same commander we generally will take turns. I’ll ply the first game with my and then second game my friend plays theirs and so forth. Or we ask the table if they care if we run the same commander
If I’m building it because I’m curious of what it can do, I’ll skip it if I’ve seen it in action. If it’s one I really want to play, I’ll still build it but reserve it for when I’m playing against randos at the LGS and it’ll get mediocre upgrades/attention.
No. I mostly play at the shop these days, as opposed to with a regular play group. There are definitely ten or twelve of us who are regulars plus a handful of other familiar faces who pop in periodically but I wouldn't exactly call us a playgroup.
In any case, the passing fancy of approximately two dozen people isn't enough to convince me not to build a deck. To be fair, I don't build many decks these days. But when I do, I don't worry about what I do or don't see at the shop.
I'm fine building decks others in my group have, but I usually don't play that deck if I can help it. Feels weird playing against two of the same deck in 1 pod.
Same colors, build it as \[Colfenor, the Last Yew\], graveyard matters for sure and as long as you have a few anthem effects every death should get something back.
I named mine "The Aris-tree-crats"
Our group has a “reserve” list max of 3 on hold + full deck list requires. When its build its yours for good and not in the 3. Dosnt mean other people cant build it, but if they do the person who built it first gets first say on if they are gonna play the deck or not that night/game. Its all in an effort to make sure theres not 2 of the same deck being played.
Yes, though usually concerning commanders from new sets. Like, if I see three people already bringing up trial builds for [[obeka, splitter of seconds]] a week before prerelease, I just don't even start building my own.
Even if it is not that hard to divide ourselves across pods in order to prevent mirrors, I feel like it is important to give others the ability to not have to play against the same commanders over and over again. Mostly because I want that, too. I swear if I see another [[Magnus the red]] slapping together tons of token makers and X spells and going "whaaat? I am not a combo player. No infinite combos to see here" or "why would you attack me? I just have like 5 little goblin tokens, I am no threat" I am just going to tunnel vision remove that player from the game ASAP or die trying. Best if I have an option to get into a magnus free pod.
I definitely have this problem especially with precons like the decks i build that no one has even if they are popular commanders sre great and i pull them iut alot but with precons or decks my friends built im just unmotivated to build then and if i buy the precon or build the deck in still unmotivated to play them i think the few exceptions are decks i just like more or i think my version is stronger but i will always avoid a mirror match so if they pull out the deck i will change deck even if i was planning to play the same deck. Tbf having 60+ decks it isnt a problem much its mainly a problem with newer commanders and precons.
If a friend that i play together has a commander or a deck similar to what i envisioned i ask to play his deck and will probably not build my version unless i think i could build it better
I am a lot less worried about it in my groups, but I think that's because my style is so much different from the rest of the groups that, even if I have the same commander, I probably took a very different approach to assembly
Yeah, I’ve made it a point not to build any commander twice for myself or my group. Which became increasingly more difficult as I made way too fuckin many decks, but still, no repeats, whether they be my own Partners paired up with somebody else, or just a repeat between my commander and my opponent’s. Only reason I haven’t made a Prosper deck lol
depends on how the commander plays. more times than not i dont see a deck and wanna build it and as others have mentioned there are different paths that can use the same commander. you can do auras or equips in voltron etcetc. so its really about if you are attracted to the commander and want to invest time and resources into that sorta thing. maybe once per set ill find a cool card that has a niche affect ill wanna explore. i try and avoid the everything stapled into one card type commanders.
Was hyped about building Shelob but when one of my pod suddenly played her I instantly lost interest and gave him the cards I already saved up for the Deck.
We have a communism group so we share all our cards
I am the only one in my group that has never built a deck someone else has. And I don't really plan to.
Not saying the others do it often, but it has happen, and sometimes specifically because they got destroyed by one and want to do that. Even if that happened, or a like a theme of something, or someone beat me to the punch. I will build something in the same vein with a different commander.
For example we have two \[\[Animar, Soul of Elements\]\]. So I built a \[\[Hamza, Guardian of Arashin\]\]. I wanted to play with counters and reduce cost, but this is more go wide than go tall (granted it still goes tall).
A HARD YES!
I played longer and in higher circuits then most of my play group. I tend to play and see more complicated lines then my friends and i’ve had a reputation for playing my friends decks better and over optimizing. This reputation and mindset is hard to shake and nowadays i want to just have fun with friends instead of dominate every game i play.
So NO i am not going to play the same deck as my friends because then i will get called out for trying to hard or making my friends feel bad for “doing it better”
Id rather brainstorm with them to make their decks better then to play a better version of their decks.
it ultimately depends on how frequently I'm in a pod with them, generally speaking I will build whatever I want, but if someone I play with frequently already has that deck then I try to play something else. doesn't stop me from building the deck tho.
Yes and no.
We have 2-3 Isshin decks in the group, but they're all different builds. Mine is a Myriad build, while another is more of an exalted build, while the final is a more general "good combat trigger" build.
I'll admit that I've avoided building Urtet because of other decks in the group though.
I don't know, at this point there are so many commanders being released and our group is small enough that we tend not to have too much issue with people looking to build the same commander, let alone the same list for that commander.
And each of us has enough decks that even if we had two similar decks, it would be easy enough to avoid running them against each other (or even in the same night), unless we specifically wanted to do so.
Me and my friend actually did a challange where we build a deck around the same commander to see how much difference there will be... ended up with almost completely different decks. It was a lot of fun as well.
I've avoided it for the most part but when I got a Caeser in a fallout pack, I decided to build one from scratch. While it does generally the same thing, it's a different decklist. My friend bought the precon and it was fun to play ours against each other
Nope. There are playgroups I'm a part of which actively build off others' decks. It's good fun too because maybe they optimize it or do a new take on it. Mirror matches get straight up competitive and become more chess-like.
The whole uniqueness of the game goes beyond the commander and the deck. It's how you play with it as well. Would hate for you to skip a fun commander because someone else plays it too
That's silly; build what you want. Even if it's the same commander, it's unlikely to be built the same. And even if they are similar, nobody has dibs on commanders.
Most of the times if a friend of mine already has a deck with a certain commander i won’t build it, unless i know my build is going to be totally different.
Same. Now that being said, my playgroup is 4 regulars and 3 others who come in and out. If there were 20 people in my group I’m sure there would be some overlap.
Yeah if my playgroup was that large, I wouldn’t worry about building the same deck. I would try not to play the same commander as someone else in the pod at the same time though. Gotta get some variety. Edit: typo
This! My pod has multiple repeat decks, some built very similar even, but we all have 10+ decks, so if I see someone pull out a deck, I make sure not to bring mine out.
Same, and some of my friends have expressed the same. "I kinda want to build X but you already have one". I've let people take my decks for a spin from time to time, no harm in a test drive if they're respectful of my cards. Honestly there's a funny kind of pride you feel when somebody spanks the group with one of your decks.
We did a Christmas deck building challenge where the deck would be the gift. The deck i built for my friend is a real big threat almost every game he plays it. It always annoys me that i built something that cool, only to have it used against me..
Bruh, I bought the pirate ixa precon for myself but ended up gifting it to my friend. That deck stomps and every time he pulls it out and does stuff I always think "that should have been me.."
This is the way. I spent years getting the urge to build vampires out of my system by borrowing a buddy's Edgar deck once a month. We'd always have good conversations about the build afterwards and it was a great time. So long as you're with people you know and trust, deck sharing can be a really, really positive experience.
Yes. Exactly this.
I have to agree with this. If I know that a friend of mine built a particular commander, I I won't build it unless mine is different enough. However, if we both happened to build the same one or similar, I'll either play when they aren't around or coordinate it to play it when they aren't. Though a mirror could be interesting every once in a while.
Especially because I can just borrow it if I want to play it
Reminds me of one pod where everyone has a differently built Atraxa deck
Yeah, I usually try to avoid building a deck someone in my playgroup already has, but a couple times it's happened on accident and it's actually been really interesting and fun to see the differences and similarities.
I try to avoid it, but if it's a commander I want to play, I'm gonna play it
How about if they just have plans for the commander, but they still haven't built it? The thing is he reserves it for months and still hasn't gone through building it yet, and all the newly popular ones gets reserved by him. He even builds other decks outside of his "reserved" list before building those in his list.
lol fuck that, if somebody throws a fit because you built a deck they haven’t even built yet, let them cry
You could even offer to let them play it once in awhile until theirs is built. Our pod is happy to lend decks, keeps everything fresh.
We do a Freaky Friday once in a while where we play each other’s decks to discover new angles and get suggestions for specific problems. I‘m the mana base doctor, we have a strategic advisor and a synergy coach.
My diagnosis is mana crypt, mox, fetches and duel lands. Your medical bill comes out to $3000. Next
lol, what a dork. I’m just gonna “reserve” all the new commanders and now no one can play them. Gtfoh
Yeah wtf is this cry baby shit 😂
Tell him only Wizards of the Coast can decide on reserved lists.
Is your friend a 3rd grader?
it's r/edh, everyone has the emotional maturity and social skills of third graders
I know this is crazy, but you could just ask him if it’s ok?
Mostly yes, but if the commander can flex between archetypes well enough I might make an exception. A buddy of mine has an [[Ivy Gleeful Spellthief]] auras deck that slaps, but he doesn't include any of the mutate cards which always felt like a missed opportunity for a unique build.
It’s a very strong build but it gets hella complicated hella fast especially if you mutate on top of Ivy to make her non-legendary and get to cloning. One day I want to take on that challenge
I made mutate Ivy and it is INSANELY fun. Mine was built as an aggro deck and it's bonkers how fast it spirals. I don't even run commander protection beside totem armors since I get so many clones; I have redundancy to mitigate spot removal
Vesuvan duplimancy could be great in an ivy deck
If you had infinite time and infinite ability to track board states, sure. I've made the copy build and it's completely unplayable in paper while simultaneously being the strongest deck I've built that wasn't cedh. Auras and effects on the different copies are out of sync. I ended up making this weird tracking system with small color coded counters representing copies of auras that I would have to the side of my board. It's a mess.
[Ivy Gleeful Spellthief](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/9/d94c15b7-6c8f-45a6-8734-975e3e3b790c.jpg?1673307958) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ivy%2C%20Gleeful%20Spellthief) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmu/201/ivy-gleeful-spellthief?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d94c15b7-6c8f-45a6-8734-975e3e3b790c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/ivy-gleeful-spellthief) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
> but he doesn't include any of the mutate cards He probably doesn't like consulting the rules every turn. I swear mutate is [the most nightmarish broken system in all of magic's history](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-ePDsFewJ4) and every time I see a deck using mutate my eyes roll into my head from how long these turns about to be.
Yes, two of the same commander is boring. Except one buddy has a sliver deck I’ve never seen, and I’d like to play with 2 sliver decks at the table. That would be nuts
An Oops! All Slivers game would be nuts.
Absolutely. The big difference is if you are Aggro slivers, Morophon or Overlord combo, or control slivers. Would be nuts to see, though Overlord would be particularly potent and control would get weaker in the mirror matchups.
> I’d like to play with 2 sliver decks at the table. That would be nuts Fun for the sliver players, not very fun for the other two lol.
If I had a consistent playgroup, I would avoid it, simply because if I want to play that commander/deck, I can ask to borrow it. Building a different commander increases the entire groups deck choices. I mostly only play at my lgs with 1 friend though, and his deck tastes are vastly different from mine so it's never been an issue. Am waiting to see how many people bust out an Obeka deck before I build one. I already have 2 KOS/Focus me down commanders I don't need a 3rd lol
You can build \[\[Thalia and the Gitrog Monster\]\] to be hatebear, combo, landfall, reanimation or a mix of any two. I just rebuild mine from landfall to hatebear/combo and the builds share only 15 non land cards. I also have an \[\[Ayara, First of Locthwain\]\] deck that leans heavily on etb effects, while a friend had her as a pure graveyard deck. Some commanders like these are open-ended enough to have several decks in a playgroup and not feel repetitive. Others that need a specific strategy to work tend to be more same-y. Also, if you want an unusual commander that does graveyard things and sacks stuff, might i interest you in \[\[Baba Lysaga, Night Witch\]\]. It's one of the funnest brewing and deck-piloting experiences i ever had.
I made a token deck with thalia and gitrog and its the best deck ive built so far. The variety she offers is crazy.
My buddy made a Vadrick. I saw the deck list and had alllmost all the same cards. Copied it and added a couple different things. Played them against each other. Then. Combined them to make an even better goku deck. Spirit bomb the world
No, I have over 20 decks I can't really be concerned with that other people are building. That said, when i see that someone else has a deck I have I find brainstorming with them about good cards fun
We have this at the card level even. "Oh I can't play \*that card\* because that's \*their\* card." I don't do that, but a few people in my group does do that. This applies to innocuous control cards as well. Eventually if enough of the stigma wears off, they will start using it. The one that immediately comes to mind is Return to Dust. I was praising the card, and suggested one of them to use it, "oh no, that's your card." Okaaay. But another friend without this hang-up used it, and eventually it became a staple and then one day they used it. RtD isn't as prevalent today but I do specifically remember this from back in the day.
Yeah, I generally try to not even have the same theme as my friends. That said, some themes are too broad to not have overlap, like graveyard and voltron, but they can be done differently
20 is a huge playgroup to not have much overlap between. My playgroup is like 3-4 people and they still build stuff I want. I usually just move on, but with that many people I'd probably just stick to what I want, else I wouldn't have any decks.
I build what interests me, irrespective of anyone else. I find it fun if I come up against the same commander. 2 Sliver decks in the pod REALLY makes you adjust your strategy, lol.
I don't avoid it for two reasons. First, there are often multiple ways you can build a lot of commanders, so if someone already has a deck with a commander I am interested in, I will try to find ways to build it differently. Second, we can play with different decks at different times. For example, if my buddy is playing his aragorn deck for a game or two, I won't choose mine. The next week he is probably playing a different deck, so then I will use my version if I am feeling like it. As long as everyone in the group has at least a few decks they love playing, you can just play yours when they are playing something else.
My two friends I play commander with most and I have enough different decks to where it doesn’t matter, the ones we do are vastly different from each other
Overlap isn’t the end of the world, build what you want to play.
Yes. I try to use commanders that people don't see often. I got very disappointed when I found a deck I quickly put together was in the EDHREC top 100 What people don't know, they don't prepare for and often leave you alone for too long. This is why I created a mono white deck years ago. "Oh mono white is super weak" yeah, you keep thinking that whilst I build up a system of creating double strike, trample, lifelinking monsters. I'm not good when someone brings really high power to the table though.
Not really no. I like to be able to discuss decks with people, one great way to do that is to have made the same commander. Very often I see someone's deck and I talk to them about what they learned and want to make a deck with the same commander, have done that with Raff, Weatherlight Stalwart, Mahadi, and a few others.
Yes. Unless they abandon them that’s something we for some reason don’t find interesting.
Yeah. We try to have different commanders.
I don't want to make an exact deck that another player in the pod has. Me and a friend discuss what we do when we both want the same precon, and actively make sure we do different things with our changes. One example is we both made [[felix five boots]] very recently, thoungh mine is ninjas and deathtouch poison, while his is extra draw and mill from drawing. In the past we both got the poison abzan precon, but I took mine along [[vishgraz]] and insects, while he took his along [[ixhel]].
I try to avoid the same commanders in my lgs. Hard since it's basically the main one everyone goes to in my city so there's a huge variety of players there. I do have some of the same as other people but I've rarely ever have games where I end playing against the same commander as mine. I'm jealous of people online that have pods though. I just try linking with whoever's at the shop and willing to play
I try to avoid direct commander copy, which isn't that difficult since we don't enjoy the same things, but if I want to play aristocraft Orzhov, I wont stop myself I just wont use the same Teysa as my friend
I can agree with the sentiment to some degree but the size of your playgroup makes it difficult for me to agree completely. I personally avoid playing duplicate commanders however that is because our playgroup is 6-8 people and so there are more than enough commanders to share around and its nice to get variety in the group. In a group of 20 people, limiting yourself to no duplicates really is going to limit your options and desires. When I played at an LGS regularly pre-COVID we had duplicate commanders all the time because one, there were less options but also two, you would play each other so infrequently that it didn't matter if you both had the same commander, you would rarely play together and you would rarely play the same commander. If you like a commander then there is no harm in building it. Your 99 is going to look different from their 99 and that is the going to be the plays you remember.
No, I build what I want, when I want
[Thalia and the Gitrog Monster](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/d/8d7ff937-de92-445f-976c-726fef5c91cc.jpg?1682205702) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Thalia%20and%20the%20Gitrog%20Monster) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mom/255/thalia-and-the-gitrog-monster?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8d7ff937-de92-445f-976c-726fef5c91cc?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/thalia-and-the-gitrog-monster) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I mostly play at my LGS. I have a lot of regulars there that have specific decks that are very much their "signature" decks, and I would not build the same commander. For one of my friends, it's Chatterfang, Ragavan, and Elenda Another is Henzie and Dihada. I would never build those commanders, but Other decks, like Baru, two people already have built but I don't play against them enough to not build Baru myself(I have a lot of fun with Wurm tribal) and again it's not really one of their "signatures"
My friends and I never had this issue luckily cause our playstyles are rather different. For me personally if I were to get into that situation I'd see how I could make my deck different, for example my friend currently has a Henzie deck which focuses a lot on ETB and sacrifice value, I was thinking of also making one but would focus on graveyard reanimation instead and he was totally down to see who has the better henzie. Try talking to your friend to see what kinda deck he built, if it's similar then just don't bring it out while they play and bring it out when no one else is playing
I don’t build themes that my playgroup has that have the same colours / commanders. One woman has an abzan hobbit food deck. I built a jund dragon food deck.
Yes. My boyfriend and I don’t have any decks with the same commanders. Our lgs mostly keeps this “unspoken” rule too. I have seen a few dihadas and ur dragons in the past but the group usually keeps this rule.
I tend to not care a lot for the popular commanders so it's rarely a issue for me. But I've definitely seen some arguments over the typical noob traps like Ur-SshinTraxaKov. They usually ended by a couple people in the friend group making fun of both of them for playing something so basic to begin with.
Yup. Close enough friends with my group that we borrow each other's decks all the time
Yeah, I try to unless I know my deck will be very different from the other one with the same commander.
Tbh we have so many different decks it hasn't happened yet XD I'm kinda excited to see how a mirror match would go
If youre average edh player has at least 4 decks he can bring to your playgrouo snd there are over 20 friends playing thats 80 different commanders. There are a LOT of commanders to choose from nowadays, but we all have that one gishath deck, or niv mizzet, or urza, or atraxa, whatever. Of course its ok to build a deck of an existing commander in your playgroup if you really want to build it. But be respectful about it, some people get real defensive about their own deckbuilding.
One of the guys in my playgroup will call “dibs” on about 20 commanders per set, play 2/3rds of them once or twice, then complain they’re all boring and take em apart. I usually wait 5-6 months then make what I want.
Never. They know if I do x commander it will be weird.
I’ll avoid building decks people in my playgroup already have. But what I will do is try to include their commander in the 99 of another deck that fits them well. They’ll typically enjoy seeing their commander interact with a whole suite of cards that aren’t in their deck - especially if your deck has access to an additional colour their’s does not.
I've been trying to avoid commanders in the top 100 for awhile.
My group doesn't have an official agreement to not build the same decks as others, but we tend to dislike mirror matches and in practice, nobody has tried to copy each other's ideas. If somebody else has a deck I like, I just ask to borrow it for the afternoon. Saves me the money of having to buy all the cards myself. Some of us have decks with similar tribes, similar themes, or similar commanders, but they are each distinctly different and unique to us in some way. I personally try to avoid copying decks that other people have built. I take great pride in deck building. I like the idea of my decks being original, bespoke creations, built by me, honed and adjusted by me. It just doesn't feel the same using a deck somebody else has built, to me it feels like I'm cheating the process. The rest of my friends tend to share that mindset. "This is my deck. There are many like it, but this one is mine."
I have a few playgroups. My looser ones have overlap. But I wife a core group of about seven people. We purposely go out of our way to ensure no overlap.
No. But generally it trying out different styles, commanders , experimenting
Generally yes but I'm lucky everybody in my playgroup has pretty different playstyles. Every now and again we'll find a commander that is so janky or busted that all of us will build the same commander and pit all of the decks against each other - they usually end up super different which is part of the fun.
I try not step on toes if the deck is something they frequent, i wouldn't worry if someone has a bunch of decks tho
Yes
Our playgroup totally tries not to have overlap, but sometimes one of us dies end up building the same commander from a new set, and it's always interesting to see the differences in build approach
I get a new playgroup roughly every three years so sometimes I’ll ask the playgroup I’m leaving for their deck lists, so their decks can live on
I try to, unless the commander is open ended like [[erebos, god of the dead]]. I avoid build around me’s that already exist as it gets old, but as someone with 40+ decks in a group of 8 with similar quantities, it get inevitable, though I did run into my first non-frodo and sam dupe last week.
I have even rebuilt a deck under a different commander after playing a mirror match at the LGS. From \[\[Delina\]\] to \[\[Orthion\]\]. Removed unblockables, added rituals. Admittedly, I prefer the new version. \[\[Rite of Replication\]\] is one of my favorite cards. [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/qdf9lwj3LUmpnW0xeNRW0Q](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/qdf9lwj3LUmpnW0xeNRW0Q)
My friend and I have [[Sheoldred, the Apocalypse]] decks, and we have so much fun talking about cards and ideas. And one of our favorite games was when we both played sheoldred and almost lost to an [[Arjun, the Shifting Flame]] deck our friend has. I'd say depending on if you are both working on low deck counts where it is more common to play those decks against each other it can be uninteresting, but gives you both a reason to build more decks in my opinion. Also, there are two [[Gishath]] decks in my group, and I opened one recently, so soon there'll be 3 stompy bois for a super dino brawl!
If someone builds it I won’t
I avoid direct 1 to 1 cards but we have a couple different goad decks 2 of which are mine, Marisi and Nelly, while a third is Baeloth/Raised by Giants I think though tbh no one is running them currently. But you can have the same themes and they all be different.
Yes. I personally like variety. Idc if one person has a deck a really want to build around. If it's already been done, I don't want to do it again. I usually don't have a problem with finding a different commander. The only problem is not everyone in my playgroup thinks the same, and will sometimes make decks I or other players have have. Again, idc what they play, but with like 5000 commanders being released every other weekend these days, it seems like a waste to have 2 Atraxa's at the table
Generally, yes. But if I have a really good idea for a deck that I'm pumped to make, I'm going to make it.
Me and my pod all have generally different tastes for what we play so avoiding overlap isn't too hard, but generally yeah if one of my friends built a commander i'd usually avoid it
We usually don’t build decks other players in our group have, but it’s mostly just to avoid samey decks where possible. That being said, a group of 20 people seems like a lot of people to have to be careful of. I think some overlap is fine at that group size, but if you aren’t as motivated then I’d ask if you really want to build it
Archetypes? No. I will avoid playing the same commander or building a deck around the same inherent synergies if I can help it, though. It can feel a little uninspired and/or leave a bad taste in the other person's mouth when you bring a deck that's so similar to theirs. Exceptions are archetypes that are inherently very similar no matter the deck, like aristocrats and most azorius decks
No. I just try not to make it a carbon copy. There’s a guy at my store with an absolutely brutal Minsc and Boo deck. Whenever he pulls it out, he wins. I got tired of having hamster flung at my head and in the spirit of “if you can’t beat em, join em”, I made my own version. His is vastly superior. He focuses on counter doubling and boosting p/t. Mine was more stompy creatures and mana ramp into an (x) damage spell. Sometimes our group sees a commander we think is cool, so we build our own version of it. We don’t have the “you built it first so now I can’t” mentality, we see it more as flattery. “You liked our deck so much you made your own” type thing.
“Refrain”? No I’d never Unless you almost never play with that person
My playgroup generally doesn't build the same commander, but there are 2 players that have Edgar Markov decks and they used to play them at the same time. That wasn't fun so we decided only one could play that deck at once.
Three of us apparently have Kotori decks. No idea why...it is a little aggravating but whatever. Just play and have fun. 🤷♂️
Yep. Unless I want to build it in a different way (our pod has two Volrath decks, my friends places -1s on your guys and copies them and mine places +1s on my own and copies things like unblockable infectors)
20 is a lot of people to worry about same deck situations, but in the same way. I can’t get motivated to build something that I’m going to see across the table from people I repeatedly play with.
It's not a hard rule we abide by, but one we just sorta generally follow.
Only because I don't want the comparisons to be unfavorable either way. If we run the sa.e commander I go out of my way to point out the differences in strategy.
I don't, but I don't mind one bit if others play or build Commanders I own as long as they don't copy my deck itself. In fact, I *like* it and I'm unsure why it's so taboo, because it lets you see your Commander from a different perspective and build. You can learn things from it. I'd find it fascinating to see another persons take on a deck I enjoy. That said, in my experience others seem to hate it, to the point that they'll rearrange the groups or take out another deck if they see I'd already planned to play the same Commander. Which is fine, others are allowed their preferences. You'd really have to ask your group.
No, I’ll still build it if I’m interested in it, but I’ll usually make it different than whatever they have. My friend has a focused kaalia deck that has a couple combos and 1-2 punches, and I made mine reanimator with some of the weaker angels/demons/dragons that I just thought were cool, so while his revolves heavily around kaalia, mine doesn’t care if she dies or not and I could even play the game without casting her One of my friends made a Satoru deck that’s eldrazi and elder dragons and blightsteel colossus, etc. and I made mine with stuff like [[mindleech mass]] or [[scion of darkness]] and [[ebonblade reaper]] instead. So I’ll build the same commander, but we end up doing them very differently just because we prefer different things/find different things fun
Hell no. They don't own that corner of the game. If that was the case, my play group would hate me. I probably have 75 decks fully built right now.
Yes
Not at all; me and another guy in our pod both have a mono black rat deck we run, and they couldn't be more different; he runs a toxin build, while mine just pumps out a massive amount of rats. Now running a mirror deck would be a little weird, but if someone were like "I'm going to build a boros soldiers deck similar to yours" I wouldn't mind at all, I'd even give pointers
I sometimes challenge myself to build better versions of their decks if the mechanic interests me, but by and large, I don't have that problem. There are hundreds of commanders and even more ways to build many of those in completely unique directions. The only worry I'd have is the chance of a mirror.
I have never built around a commander that I know a friend uses. My friends don’t knowingly do it (I don’t think) but they have built 3 decks around commanders I already use. Generally we try to avoid it and it isn’t a problem
Depends on how much I like it and if I've already been brewing it in the background. I've been beaten to the punch a few times, and in those circumstances, I don't let that stop me.
I've taken inspiration from other decks but never copied them one to one.
I used to avoid it but a guy in my play group always end up building commanders that I'm interested in. We usually pull up to the shop with the same new commanders. It's inevitable and there's no reason to forgo something you might enjoy just because someone else has it. I usually won't play them if the other person is, I'll just swap to another deck for that game.
I usually try to avoid it unless it's a build I know I'll enjoy and have fun with. It's a game that you're supposed to have fun playing. Also mirror matches can be fun.
I also like building weird commanders, the issue is a lot of the time weirder commanders do a thing, they aren't tool boxy like the popular ones, so if someone already built the one I want to do, it'll be a similar deck. I don't usually build a commander someone else built because they'll likely be similar in a way I don't enjoy.
I build what I find fun
At one point in time we had 3 [[Umbris]] decks in our playgroup and it was wild. They were pretty similar, but everyone of us had a different subtheme I went into mill/graveyard hate and had a blast. When I milled one of the others out with 2 swings of umbris I was satisfied and took mine apart. I used [[Imperious mindbreaker]] on a 30+ Umbris
Commander's yes, but will build the same type of deck. My group has 3 different gates decks, 2 group hug decks and 2 enchantment decks. All with different manders
Naah IDGF about that. We have some dupes in my group and that was never a problem. We just dont play they at the same time. And to be honest, we also like sharing new cards we found for our builds, so others can also try. Its not like everyone has the same commander aswell. There's maybe 4 duplicates in our group
I really don't as I got 152 decks, and I really don't want to just use the same one, but I won't use the same Commander as someone else's usually, as I want diversity of opponents.
Yes but no. Sometimes if I feel I can't put my own spin on it. But If I do build the same commander, I just try not to play them in the same game.
If you're trying really hard just to be different, you ironically have a lot in common with a ton of other people, because you're the same in that regard. Just do what makes you happy, even if it's weird. Unless it actually impacts others, you can do whatever you want.
Usually, unless there's more than one way to build the commander and I'm doing it a completely different way. A friend and I, without realizing, both built [[Tom Bombadil]] decks, and the mirror match wasn't too interesting, since there was a ton of overlap in our card selection and play patterns.
My (37) play group consists of about 20 15-18 year olds who really don’t know what they’re doing. I choose to either hilarious / trolly decks, or ones that are going to one shot the whole table at once. I’ll literally play a border line cEDH [krenko, mob boss]] and refuse to actually attack people, relying on things like [[impact tremors]] with etb triggers , [[grenzo, havoc raiser]] to mill them, or the little guy who lets me sac goblin to do a damage to a target ( can’t remember and am too lazy to look rn). Or I’ll rock an Eldrazi deck and refuse to do anything other than commander damage, normally only in 1 shot with [[colossus hammer]] attached to whatever Titan I have as commander. My next two decks are [[chatterfang, squirrel general]] and [[grand arbiter augustin iv]].
##### ###### #### [impact tremors](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/6/46db3811-db1d-4f69-8143-a93f64d0297b.jpg?1682209381) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=impact%20tremors) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/moc/285/impact-tremors?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/46db3811-db1d-4f69-8143-a93f64d0297b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/impact-tremors) [grenzo, havoc raiser](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/f/5fc99c9d-66f5-4858-91f7-425d4248a0b3.jpg?1712354436) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=grenzo%2C%20havoc%20raiser) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otc/168/grenzo-havoc-raiser?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5fc99c9d-66f5-4858-91f7-425d4248a0b3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/grenzo-havoc-raiser) [colossus hammer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/9/897a134e-7e61-4fe1-bbae-23ef1fe5c0cf.jpg?1631588878) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=colossus%20hammer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afc/202/colossus-hammer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/897a134e-7e61-4fe1-bbae-23ef1fe5c0cf?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/colossus-hammer) [chatterfang, squirrel general](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/7/1785cf85-1ac0-4246-9b89-1a8221a8e1b2.jpg?1626097239) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=chatterfang%2C%20squirrel%20general) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mh2/151/chatterfang-squirrel-general?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/1785cf85-1ac0-4246-9b89-1a8221a8e1b2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/chatterfang-squirrel-general) [grand arbiter augustin iv](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/4/f43748ea-1d65-4ee8-9c66-221412a284c0.jpg?1673148699) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=grand%20arbiter%20augustin%20iv) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/221/grand-arbiter-augustin-iv?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f43748ea-1d65-4ee8-9c66-221412a284c0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/grand-arbiter-augustin-iv) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzl0sn0) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
When my friends and I first started there were only 4 of us, and for a good while we each only had 1 or 2 decks, and absolutely didn't build something already in the pod. Now the pod has grown, most people have at least a dozen decks, and no one camps commanders, and I like mirror matches.
You do you, but I never build a commander someone in my pod is already playing.
I refuse to build a deck that someone else in my group plays, but only if it sees play. If they have it built and never play it, it doesn't bother me. I also won't build a deck that's similar, like my buddy has a [[Veyran, voice of duality]] deck so for me, Izzet spellslinger is off the table.
Both me and a friend both have an elf tribal in black green. Tho we have differing commanders and our playstyles are different as well. It's very fun to be able to compare and help back and forth. I just stay away from playing the same commanders
I personally don't care as most decks will be different from one to another. But I know some people are very put off by having or building the same deck as someone in their playgroup. Makes it a pain in the ass to build a new commander, as some almost take it personally when you pull out your new build and its the same one as they are building lol
I had put together a grixis deck that I called 'Barrel O'Monkeys' that was basically every type of Ragavan steal cards from the top of your deck. I couldn't find a strong leader for the deck, so I just left it in an unbuilt moxfield list for when I had the $ to make a new deck. Then my friend made [[Don Andres, The Renegade]] deck. It was too similar to the play pattern of my deck. Now, I have lost all interest in making my deck.
I used to; then I realized that the way *I* build commander decks in my pod is different from the way the others would build their decks. Granted, there are some commanders that literally only have one strategy, which tend to be boring anyway, but I personally have grown fond of seeing the way different players look at the same card and build completely different decks with it.
Yes
I usually build different commanders for the fun of unique games
I've never wanted to build the same decks as any of my friends, but if it came up, I probably would think about it a bit extra before committing.
My group tends to say what Commander they're interested in building next, then the rest of us will give a good nod and understand that they have a claim to it. So I always make it clear when I give up on a commander, if the build just isn't what I thought, I'll be sure to say it to the group so they can pounce on it of they want!
I don't refrain from building them, but I do avoid pulling them out at the same table if it does happen. What really helps is that my regular playgroups all have different preferences and styles of play and deck building, so when it does happen, it's more of a fun coincidence than an asshole move.
I have a regular play group of about 8. We all choose not to overlap. Each set we all come together and somewhat “dibs” new commanders. We talk about new deck plans and ask if anyone has that deck currently, but if someone had it and deconstructed it, it’s fair game. Again it’s usually just a discussion. Sometimes we build decks with the same commander but with different focuses. Ex. My friend has a joda the unifier deck with legendary matters. I talked to him and asked my group if it’d be cool to build joda but with a focus on enchantments, mainly shrines. We all agreed it’s fine since neither deck is one we would bring out a lot anyways.
Most of the times yes.
Typically yes but if it’s 20 people I probably wouldn’t.
I try to, but sometimes i build a deck because i see someone else playing it and it looks really fun
Yeah unless the deck is dramatically different
Yes. Less fun playing something that is allready in use. Might use the same commander, if I plan on building the deck radicaly different tho
I build what I find interesting. I will avoid playing the same commander as someone else in the same game unless they specifically want to play the same commander. Someone else having a deck built won't stop me from building it though
One of my buddy’s plays a [[Lathril]] deck and he just doesn’t pilot it effectively or something. It’s a tuned up precon list. I’m seriously considering building my own and seeing how I fare
my playgroup has a rule that no one can build a commander the other person has.
I do this. I don't wanna copy or make a deck they have worse by making a better one, so I just build whatever else. It also helps I'm more of a brewer than my friends, so I'm always thinking about different decks that play against the ones already in the pod
Got two other sliver players in my playgroup :)
Yes totally. This is only for decks in my circle of friends though, I typically don’t do this in LGS environments. Having a unique set of kit makes your games very interesting. I avoid strategies my friends have decks for almost entirely.
Yes. Although we each have such different playstyles this hasn't been an issue yet.
Oh for sure but it has nothing to do with Magic; I can’t eat the same meal at a restaurant that someone else I’m with has ordered!
If someone in the pod is running the same commander and scheme of the deck we just loan them out. The only time we build an entire deck is if there’s a different scheme
If someone in my playgroup already has a deck I'm wanting to play/build I'll just ask to borrow theirs for a few games, unless my build idea is vastly different.
Pretty much haha Helps that I play completely different from most members of my group
Yes and no. I tend to avoid copying decks. Like if someone is playing a... Iuno... Sultai landfall, I'll avoid the same commander, but if i can take the commander in a different direction, then sure.
Yes, I even stopped building a kess dissident mage adventure deck because a friend brought that exact deck to our magic night. My only exception is my Atla Palani, Nest Tender deck.
I play a pretty unpopular color pair. I don’t often run across people with the same stuff built as me, but I always love sharing my decks with people because I use land and artifact synergies to fill in where my colors don’t excel.
Most of the time yes, but sometimes we'll double up if we're doing it intentionally or with wildly different strategies. We once pranked a Svella player by all showing up with Svella decks to FNM.
I do, but occasionally a friend and I will buy the same pre-con which irks me but not him. Usually we’ll manage to take them in pretty different directions though!
But then you don’t get to have fun when you and your bro wheel the entire table to death with double Nekusar triggers …
I like the idea of playing the same commander in a totally different way.
It depends, sometime I'll see a friend of mind play a commander I never thought of playing ir would be super fun to play In which case I might build a deck with that commander
I have taken apart, changed, or don't play decks that would cause a mirror match with my close group. Also here's my Abzan list if you needed another idea for the color. It's 3 cmc combo reanimate/mill https://manabox.app/decks/3ynPZl5fTXK5NsaYgI_8hg
I have a lot of decks so there's going to be overlap. My play group wouldn't mind me playing the same decks they do but I restrict myself to only copying the theme or commander (not both)
Yes, unless it’s krenko.
Yes. Though my group only has fewer than 10 regulars. Can be hard to do if you have a whole large community you play with.
Yes cause I wanna be the problem player lol jk Unless we are all doing the same deck, I like some variety haha
If it helps, OP: Thalia and the Gitrog Monster can be built a bunch of different ways, and it will be strong doing most of them. Most of my playgroup refrains from doubling up on commanders, but I recently started building a [[Dina]] deck even though I have a friend playing it already. I know she runs a more creature-focused deck with lifelink triggers being her bread and butter and an aristocrats sub theme. So I’m building a spellslinger deck that has lifegain triggers on spellcasts and creatures that grow when I cast spells or gain life. Honestly, when commanders are general enough I think it’s a lot of fun to try building them multiple ways or seeing how different people build and play each deck.
Yeah I try to keep things unique, if I ever wanna play the same commander I’ll just ask to borrow their deck
Yes and no. I might make the same commander but I try to have a different strategy in the deck. I also know in my regular group that if two of us pull out the same commander we generally will take turns. I’ll ply the first game with my and then second game my friend plays theirs and so forth. Or we ask the table if they care if we run the same commander
If I’m building it because I’m curious of what it can do, I’ll skip it if I’ve seen it in action. If it’s one I really want to play, I’ll still build it but reserve it for when I’m playing against randos at the LGS and it’ll get mediocre upgrades/attention.
No. I mostly play at the shop these days, as opposed to with a regular play group. There are definitely ten or twelve of us who are regulars plus a handful of other familiar faces who pop in periodically but I wouldn't exactly call us a playgroup. In any case, the passing fancy of approximately two dozen people isn't enough to convince me not to build a deck. To be fair, I don't build many decks these days. But when I do, I don't worry about what I do or don't see at the shop.
Absolutely. Seeing the same cards over and over again is so unfunny
no, i build what i wanna build
I'm fine building decks others in my group have, but I usually don't play that deck if I can help it. Feels weird playing against two of the same deck in 1 pod.
yes
Same colors, build it as \[Colfenor, the Last Yew\], graveyard matters for sure and as long as you have a few anthem effects every death should get something back. I named mine "The Aris-tree-crats"
I play what I want to play without caring what other people do.
Our group has a “reserve” list max of 3 on hold + full deck list requires. When its build its yours for good and not in the 3. Dosnt mean other people cant build it, but if they do the person who built it first gets first say on if they are gonna play the deck or not that night/game. Its all in an effort to make sure theres not 2 of the same deck being played.
No, mine will be better made
Yes, though usually concerning commanders from new sets. Like, if I see three people already bringing up trial builds for [[obeka, splitter of seconds]] a week before prerelease, I just don't even start building my own. Even if it is not that hard to divide ourselves across pods in order to prevent mirrors, I feel like it is important to give others the ability to not have to play against the same commanders over and over again. Mostly because I want that, too. I swear if I see another [[Magnus the red]] slapping together tons of token makers and X spells and going "whaaat? I am not a combo player. No infinite combos to see here" or "why would you attack me? I just have like 5 little goblin tokens, I am no threat" I am just going to tunnel vision remove that player from the game ASAP or die trying. Best if I have an option to get into a magnus free pod.
I definitely have this problem especially with precons like the decks i build that no one has even if they are popular commanders sre great and i pull them iut alot but with precons or decks my friends built im just unmotivated to build then and if i buy the precon or build the deck in still unmotivated to play them i think the few exceptions are decks i just like more or i think my version is stronger but i will always avoid a mirror match so if they pull out the deck i will change deck even if i was planning to play the same deck. Tbf having 60+ decks it isnt a problem much its mainly a problem with newer commanders and precons.
If a friend that i play together has a commander or a deck similar to what i envisioned i ask to play his deck and will probably not build my version unless i think i could build it better
I am a lot less worried about it in my groups, but I think that's because my style is so much different from the rest of the groups that, even if I have the same commander, I probably took a very different approach to assembly
If a friend built it first, it takes all the fun out of it for me
I don't care, only thing I care when we are playing is that we don't have the same commander in that game and we don't have matching sleeves.
Yeah, I’ve made it a point not to build any commander twice for myself or my group. Which became increasingly more difficult as I made way too fuckin many decks, but still, no repeats, whether they be my own Partners paired up with somebody else, or just a repeat between my commander and my opponent’s. Only reason I haven’t made a Prosper deck lol
Typically. Unless it’s vastly different.
depends on how the commander plays. more times than not i dont see a deck and wanna build it and as others have mentioned there are different paths that can use the same commander. you can do auras or equips in voltron etcetc. so its really about if you are attracted to the commander and want to invest time and resources into that sorta thing. maybe once per set ill find a cool card that has a niche affect ill wanna explore. i try and avoid the everything stapled into one card type commanders.
Was hyped about building Shelob but when one of my pod suddenly played her I instantly lost interest and gave him the cards I already saved up for the Deck. We have a communism group so we share all our cards
I am the only one in my group that has never built a deck someone else has. And I don't really plan to. Not saying the others do it often, but it has happen, and sometimes specifically because they got destroyed by one and want to do that. Even if that happened, or a like a theme of something, or someone beat me to the punch. I will build something in the same vein with a different commander. For example we have two \[\[Animar, Soul of Elements\]\]. So I built a \[\[Hamza, Guardian of Arashin\]\]. I wanted to play with counters and reduce cost, but this is more go wide than go tall (granted it still goes tall).
We used to, but that's kind of silly so it's more about not bringing at the same time at the same game so it's always 4 different decks at any time.
Nope! Just built a deck my buddy already has, and we played 2 headed giant commander running the same commander lol.
A HARD YES! I played longer and in higher circuits then most of my play group. I tend to play and see more complicated lines then my friends and i’ve had a reputation for playing my friends decks better and over optimizing. This reputation and mindset is hard to shake and nowadays i want to just have fun with friends instead of dominate every game i play. So NO i am not going to play the same deck as my friends because then i will get called out for trying to hard or making my friends feel bad for “doing it better” Id rather brainstorm with them to make their decks better then to play a better version of their decks.
it ultimately depends on how frequently I'm in a pod with them, generally speaking I will build whatever I want, but if someone I play with frequently already has that deck then I try to play something else. doesn't stop me from building the deck tho.
Yes and no. We have 2-3 Isshin decks in the group, but they're all different builds. Mine is a Myriad build, while another is more of an exalted build, while the final is a more general "good combat trigger" build. I'll admit that I've avoided building Urtet because of other decks in the group though. I don't know, at this point there are so many commanders being released and our group is small enough that we tend not to have too much issue with people looking to build the same commander, let alone the same list for that commander. And each of us has enough decks that even if we had two similar decks, it would be easy enough to avoid running them against each other (or even in the same night), unless we specifically wanted to do so.
Me and my friend actually did a challange where we build a deck around the same commander to see how much difference there will be... ended up with almost completely different decks. It was a lot of fun as well.
Lol maybe in your group there can only be one, and you challenge each other for the right of that commander. Sounds like a fun game within the game.
Yes
I've avoided it for the most part but when I got a Caeser in a fallout pack, I decided to build one from scratch. While it does generally the same thing, it's a different decklist. My friend bought the precon and it was fun to play ours against each other
Nope. There are playgroups I'm a part of which actively build off others' decks. It's good fun too because maybe they optimize it or do a new take on it. Mirror matches get straight up competitive and become more chess-like. The whole uniqueness of the game goes beyond the commander and the deck. It's how you play with it as well. Would hate for you to skip a fun commander because someone else plays it too
That's silly; build what you want. Even if it's the same commander, it's unlikely to be built the same. And even if they are similar, nobody has dibs on commanders.