The Power Level Elevator: How to Play Successfully at Different Power Levels without Changing your Deck

     Commander is a social format through and through. Though it has changed over the years, it is one of the only games designed to take into consideration the enjoyment of your opponents as well as yourself. The only problem with this is different players have VERY different definitions of fun. For example, I play in a lot of different playgroups throughout my city on different nights. This provides me with a nice variety of levels and opponents to keep the game fresh, but it also poses a threat. 

    If, on Mondays, my group doesn’t like fast mana at all—no Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Moxes, and the like allowed—then I have to drastically power down my decks to avoid any of those. But then, if my playgroup likes to play bad strategies at higher power, by not running those pieces I am at an extreme disadvantage to the point it is difficult to win any games at all. By the time I get to Fridays, where everything is a “seven,” I’m simply burned out from working my decks so they are appropriate for my group. 

    This becomes the issue: I don’t want to come and play with something that the table is not able to handle, but I don’t want to get blown out either. I believe that the solution to this is a simple one, but it does require a bit more thought. If you do it right, you don’t even have to tell your playgroups you are doing it. Allow me to explain. 

    In Commander, the number one issue people normally have with power level is the explosiveness of the decks. It is common to see a game start with a turn one Sol Ring into Arcane Signet, effectively putting yourself three turns into the future from the rest of the table. That leaves the rest of the table with two choices: either spend everything they have in removal to slow you down, or face a very probable defeat. We have stats that state that turn one Sol Ring players win at a lower rate than non-turn one Sol Ring players, but how often are those games actually fun? I’ve experimented with a house rule for myself in casual pods that has allowed me to play at a lower level without having to modify my decks at all. Here is what I do. 

    The golden rule here for casual Commander is to avoid playing anything close to fast mana until your third turn. By doing this, if you are going to have an explosive turn, the other players in the pod have more mana and resources at their disposal to prevent you from running away with the game. From a card advantage standpoint, if you went first, your opponents collectively have had six chances to draw removal by that point. And that is if you went first. Additionally, removal spells like Anguished Unmaking, Generous Gift, and Beast Within are on curve for your opponents to cast. When you do this, make sure your opening hand is reliable without having an explosive turn one. If I have a one-land, Mana Crypt, Rhystic Study hand, I am not keeping it. This strategy is not a good one for players that like to keep risky hands. As far as other powerful spells like Rhystic Study and Smothering Tithe, I take their mana value and add one or two depending on the pod and prevent myself from casting that spell until that turn rolls around. For example, if I have Rhystic Study in hand in a more casual pod, I won’t be playing that card until at least turn five, lowering its power through limiting opportunities. 

    Now, will this work 100% of the time? I don’t think so. But if you need your decks to be able to play at multiple power levels, I highly recommend giving this a try.