Commander Bad Habits: Playing at Sorcery Speed

    Welcome! In the next few posts here on the blog, we’re looking at some piloting bad habits. These are things that newer commander players and some veteran players do that can drastically lower win percentage. Before we begin, a couple disclaimers. First off, in casual commander, winning is not everything. However, if someone is going to lose, it should be from something not necessarily in our control. I do understand that commander players will sometimes play suboptimally for time or the health of the pod, but this ultimately is an active choice vs a mistake. The first bad habit we will be talking about is playing at sorcery speed.

    Let's pretend it’s your turn and you have a swords to plowshares in hand. There is a threat on the board like an Ishai with a lot of +1/+1 counters on it. So to deal with the threat, you decide to use the swords to exile it. The next player in rotation casts a board wipe, destroying all creatures, and then uses a sneak attack to bring out a blightsteel colossus, killing you. This type of thing happens A LOT in commander. It may not feel like it, but the amount of time between your turns is actually quite significant. Let me explain.


    Let’s say it is turn 7 in a casual pod. Assuming everyone has a use for their mana and noone is topdecking at this particular point, you are looking at a minimum of three new cards being added to your opponent’s hands and 21 mana is being spent on various spells. That type of production can drastically alter the landscape of a game. That Ishai player might be the least of your worries by the time the next turn rolls around. In addition, by exiling the threat on your turn, the Ishai player would have the opportunity to spend their turn rebuilding if that is what they felt was best. This can also protect you in combat.


    Ishai, at a large size with evasion, is prone to attacking. If the bird attacks one of your opponents, that’s a good thing. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” If the bird attacks you, you can then exile it. The next time you play against that player, there is a high chance they will have to factor in a removal card as a possibility which will make them more cautious. Additionally , keeping creatures with flash in your hand for longer can become surprise blockers or pseudo-haste creatures on your turn. An added bonus is if an opponent casts a board wipe, those creatures that weren't on the board would be safe.


    To conclude, by playing at instant speed, you are able to keep creatures around longer, remove bigger threats, and make decisions on as much information as possible. All you have to do is remember our favorite phrase in all of magic. “In Response!”