Random Deck of the Week Thread
Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2019 4:21 pm
It returns. Revived from @mtgsally, I present to you; Random Deck of the Week. This thread will function in much the same way as before, but do read below for a few changes I'm making to the format. Functionality changes to ensure a better spread out spotlight to all the players interested in submitting a list.
• Have you played with a deck like this before? If so, tell us about it! Would you recommend building a deck like this? What about your deck was similar to this? Did you use the same colors and general, or were you playing something strategically similar? Did you play mostly the same cards? What cards are a uniquely good fit for this deck? What's would be your favorite card to draw from this deck? Is there an opponent this deck is really good against or really bad? Is there a number of players you find this deck ideal for? What seemingly obvious inclusions would you say are traps to avoid? Do you have any particularly memorable moments from playing something like this?
• Have you played against a deck like this before? If so, tell us about that! How would you feel playing against this deck? Has this style of decks given you good games or bad ones? How do you feel sitting across the table from this commander, and does this deck meet your expectations? What card is in the back of your mind that you hope your opponent doesn't draw? Are any cards you play especially bad against this deck or especially good against it? If you wanted to set up a good matchup, either for competitive or entertainment purposes, what deck would you play against this? Do you have any particularly memorable moments from playing against a deck like this?
• Regardless of your past experience, were you inspired reading this decklist? What in this deck would you want to imitate? What would you least want to imitate? What in this deck have you never thought about before? Are there any strategies you feel would overlap nicely with what this deck is doing? Are there any ideas from this deck you would consider adding to your own other decks? Would you rather play with this deck or against it? If you were to recommend this deck to someone you know, what type of player would that be, and how would you sell them on it?
And of course, try to limit discussion to whatever the current deck is. Some overlap is inevitable, but please don't distract from the current deck by responding to otherwise concluded conversations.
Absolutely, 100%, isn’t that the whole point of discussions like these? I hope that people see when their decks been picked and involve themselves here over the course of their moment, but there's no guarantee of that. There's no better place to discuss a deck with its builder than in their thread itself.
As an aside, it would be for the best to gauge the at least rough power level a deck is sitting at. i.e. if a deck appears to be a fresh out of the box set with a couple of edits, then suggesting Mana Drain will look as silly as a fish out of water. Similarly, if a deck’s stated goal is as an entry into cEDH play, then offering suggestions based on a “theme” or creative outlet is surely to be misplaced as cEDH games are about ruthless efficiency than a theme or other non-quantifiable statistical measure. While it’s true the only bad suggestion is the one left unmade, I’d implore you to think about the authour’s goals, before making a suggestion. Remember, oftentimes these decks have been played by them for much longer than the time you spent reading over it, so if a seemingly obvious card has been left out, there may be a reason for it! And that reason for omission, in and of itself, may be a better conversation point to the authour than the “why aren’t you playing card name” question that oh-so-often gets glossed over.
First, you need to meet just a few requirements:
1. You need a link to your list. I can't take stray decklists as submissions, so you need a url to link to. Whether that’s on @mtgnexus or @tappedout is sufficient for me.
2. Your deck list must be a 100 card Commander deck, including the commander(s). I’d refrain from submitting lists full of variant rules and banlists as it only serves to create confusion to the reader which will put someone off from commenting on your brew. YMMV, however!
3. You genuinely want feedback. Not all feedback is complimentary, but this is the internet and if you don’t have the ability to distinguish constructive feedback from a personal attack then this thread may not be the right place for you. If you want to have people talking about your deck, go in with the mindset that all comments are welcome; this proves to be the best way to both learn, and grow as a deckbuilder.
4. A word to the wise, if a poster should make suggestions, and you quickly dismiss them all, others will read that as being close-minded to opportunities for change. Even tenured decks have opportunities for advancement. For example I’ve played and maintained my own Kaalia of the Vast primer for the past eight years now, and I’d consider myself an expert with the deck, but I’m also not so naive and bull-headed that I refuse to listen to suggestions that could improve my match-ups, in spite of the sheer mass of cards I’ve used over those years. And if such a tenured decklist as that can respond positively to suggestions, then anyone can. Just keep that in mind, these posters are after all spending their free time to give you and your decks attention they otherwise weren’t obligated to give.
That's it! If you've got a handle on those and you have decks you would like to have a chance at Random Deck of the Week, just submit the link to your deck, I'll pull out your username and deck title from there. Message me the deck list you want to add to the pool, using the "send message" button when you click my name. I currently am accepting ONE deck list per player to ensure that each submitter has an equal opportunity for a deck spotlight. If you want a new list featured, message me and I will replace the current featured list with your new request.
I will leave each featured decklist up for one calendar week (seven days) to allow a robust albeit slow time for everyone to comment on a decklist when they have an opportunity to do so.
Lastly, keep in mind the golden rule to these types of threads, which Bill & Ted said best; Be excellent to each other! With that in mind, your experience in this thread should always be a positive one!
What sort of comments should you leave here?
• Have you played with a deck like this before? If so, tell us about it! Would you recommend building a deck like this? What about your deck was similar to this? Did you use the same colors and general, or were you playing something strategically similar? Did you play mostly the same cards? What cards are a uniquely good fit for this deck? What's would be your favorite card to draw from this deck? Is there an opponent this deck is really good against or really bad? Is there a number of players you find this deck ideal for? What seemingly obvious inclusions would you say are traps to avoid? Do you have any particularly memorable moments from playing something like this?
• Have you played against a deck like this before? If so, tell us about that! How would you feel playing against this deck? Has this style of decks given you good games or bad ones? How do you feel sitting across the table from this commander, and does this deck meet your expectations? What card is in the back of your mind that you hope your opponent doesn't draw? Are any cards you play especially bad against this deck or especially good against it? If you wanted to set up a good matchup, either for competitive or entertainment purposes, what deck would you play against this? Do you have any particularly memorable moments from playing against a deck like this?
• Regardless of your past experience, were you inspired reading this decklist? What in this deck would you want to imitate? What would you least want to imitate? What in this deck have you never thought about before? Are there any strategies you feel would overlap nicely with what this deck is doing? Are there any ideas from this deck you would consider adding to your own other decks? Would you rather play with this deck or against it? If you were to recommend this deck to someone you know, what type of player would that be, and how would you sell them on it?
And of course, try to limit discussion to whatever the current deck is. Some overlap is inevitable, but please don't distract from the current deck by responding to otherwise concluded conversations.
Should you leave comments or questions for the deckbuilder?
As an aside, it would be for the best to gauge the at least rough power level a deck is sitting at. i.e. if a deck appears to be a fresh out of the box set with a couple of edits, then suggesting Mana Drain will look as silly as a fish out of water. Similarly, if a deck’s stated goal is as an entry into cEDH play, then offering suggestions based on a “theme” or creative outlet is surely to be misplaced as cEDH games are about ruthless efficiency than a theme or other non-quantifiable statistical measure. While it’s true the only bad suggestion is the one left unmade, I’d implore you to think about the authour’s goals, before making a suggestion. Remember, oftentimes these decks have been played by them for much longer than the time you spent reading over it, so if a seemingly obvious card has been left out, there may be a reason for it! And that reason for omission, in and of itself, may be a better conversation point to the authour than the “why aren’t you playing card name” question that oh-so-often gets glossed over.
How do you get your decks into the Random Deck of the Week
1. You need a link to your list. I can't take stray decklists as submissions, so you need a url to link to. Whether that’s on @mtgnexus or @tappedout is sufficient for me.
2. Your deck list must be a 100 card Commander deck, including the commander(s). I’d refrain from submitting lists full of variant rules and banlists as it only serves to create confusion to the reader which will put someone off from commenting on your brew. YMMV, however!
3. You genuinely want feedback. Not all feedback is complimentary, but this is the internet and if you don’t have the ability to distinguish constructive feedback from a personal attack then this thread may not be the right place for you. If you want to have people talking about your deck, go in with the mindset that all comments are welcome; this proves to be the best way to both learn, and grow as a deckbuilder.
4. A word to the wise, if a poster should make suggestions, and you quickly dismiss them all, others will read that as being close-minded to opportunities for change. Even tenured decks have opportunities for advancement. For example I’ve played and maintained my own Kaalia of the Vast primer for the past eight years now, and I’d consider myself an expert with the deck, but I’m also not so naive and bull-headed that I refuse to listen to suggestions that could improve my match-ups, in spite of the sheer mass of cards I’ve used over those years. And if such a tenured decklist as that can respond positively to suggestions, then anyone can. Just keep that in mind, these posters are after all spending their free time to give you and your decks attention they otherwise weren’t obligated to give.
That's it! If you've got a handle on those and you have decks you would like to have a chance at Random Deck of the Week, just submit the link to your deck, I'll pull out your username and deck title from there. Message me the deck list you want to add to the pool, using the "send message" button when you click my name. I currently am accepting ONE deck list per player to ensure that each submitter has an equal opportunity for a deck spotlight. If you want a new list featured, message me and I will replace the current featured list with your new request.
I will leave each featured decklist up for one calendar week (seven days) to allow a robust albeit slow time for everyone to comment on a decklist when they have an opportunity to do so.
Lastly, keep in mind the golden rule to these types of threads, which Bill & Ted said best; Be excellent to each other! With that in mind, your experience in this thread should always be a positive one!