Everyone seems to know it is coming. June will bring the release of the appropriately hyped and eagerly awaited Commander decks. These decks will shatter two historical barriers to entering the Commander format:

1. Assembling good hundred-card Magic decks can be expensive.
2. Building a coherent, fun Highlander deck is complicated.

New and seasoned players will have a chance to snag their favorite "wedge-colored" preconstructed Commander deck for $30. At that price point, few players will find the format "too expensive." It is a reasonable assumption that the R&D team slaved away to make the decks playable. Rather than going through the trial-and-error style of deck construction that might thwart new or inexperienced Commander players, folks can simply flop thirty bucks and join in the fun.

Not only will the decks offer new players a convenient "on-ramp" to the format, but the decks are likely going to beg the new owners to experiment with unfamiliar cards and upgrade strategies over time. It is likely that the format will see an influx of players, and many of these players will be exploring the vast world of Vintage-legal cards for the first time. This exploration can be fun for the player base and profitable for players and store owners who sell Commander staples.

With each newly formed Commander league, the host store usually experiences a couple of side effects. Commander players purchase a huge range of cards from the casual and competitive Vintage/Legacy stock. Be prepared to sell out of Sol Rings and to have players snatching copies of Eternal Witness, any card with the word "Tutor," and the myriad of popular lands that see play in the format. Those once plump foil binders thin out as players attempt to pimp their deck(s) and nontraditional gaming supplies fly off of the shelves. Our local store typically moves through a large quantity of Dragon Shield deck boxes that offer enough room for one hundred sleeved cards. Everyone wants a foil copy of their Commander, and players typically jump onto waiting lists for format favorites like Maze of Ith or Doubling Season.

Aside from the benefits to the local brick-and-mortar, Commander leagues allow players the opportunity to make a number of new social contacts. At this point, I have met hundreds of Commander players. Once your group or store has a reputation for Commander play, you find the opportunity to break out your hundred-card pride at nearly every Magic event. We play Commander between rounds during Friday Night Magic, get together before big events, and play together once we scrub out! If you are feeling down about a tough beat in at a PTQ, nothing makes you feel better than a little casual multiplayer action with a group of good friends.

In addition to the ample play opportunities and maximization of fun when I hit up tournaments, I have found the unexpected benefit of adding impressive cards to my collection. When I started slinging hundred-card decks, I would peruse foil binders, search boxes packed with bulk rares, and land interesting cards that had long since rotated from Standard. Occasionally, I would snag an interesting artifact that would untap a bunch of land (Candelabra of Tawnos) or might stumble across a card banned in Legacy that fit perfectly into my Highlander concoctions (Grim Monolith and Time Spiral, for example). As I went about the business of building Commander decks, the Legacy tournament scene was growing, and other players began taking interest in my $25 dual lands.

It turned out that collecting cards and building decks for Commander turned out to be a slick financial investment. Nearly all of my Legacy-playable cards began to increase in value. Some cards doubled or tripled in value, and my collection of judge promo foils really skyrocketed. The foils that I sniped from those binders occasionally yielded a collectable all-star like Enlightened Tutor, Duplicant, or Solemn Simulacrum. I remember purchasing these cards eighteen months ago for under $3 each. It turns out that forming a Commander league provided fun and profit.

Preparing to Launch Your League

Before we jump into the logistics of getting players through the door, managing tournaments, prizes, and growing the player base, there are some foundational considerations and preparation tasks that folks should consider. I do not own a store, but I try to form a close relationship with my local gaming establishment. While many stores are actively seeking to establish new tournaments, they might not understand how to develop a fertile environment for Commander play.

I consider my prep work with stores a sort of consultation. Having developed a number of successful playgroups and tournaments, I have learned things that allow Commander leagues to flourish and pitfalls to avoid. Each league should try to capitalize on the strengths of the format and motivations to play while avoiding hazards that could drive players away or result in degenerate, defunct tournaments.

Stocking Up

There are several things that you might do in preparation for the formation of the league. I typically ask the local stores to acquire a good supply of Commander staples. This is mutually beneficial for the player base and the owners. The players have access to the cards they need, and the store has the benefit of selling stock. If your shopkeep is not familiar with Commander, you might make a printout of some of the hottest cards for the format. It is likely that simply carrying the five preconstructed Commander decks will be necessary but not sufficient. Players may initially purchase the decks like a starter and seek to customize their builds with various additions. Players shop where they play and like to look through the display glass packed with cards they are going to need. Some stores make a Commander-centric binder filled with staples for the format or run a 10% discount on Commander cards prior to the start of the league.

Again, Commander players love to put their hands on foils and alternate-art cards. If a store has the means to acquire the shiny version of staples or chase foils, they might move well over the course of league play. Basically, a store can prepare for league play by stocking up on desirable cards and product specific to the format.

Casual Orientation

Although this might be up for some debate, many Commander players have a sort of casual orientation. Outlets for competitive constructed play already exist. Standard is the king of crowd-drawing constructed tournaments in most areas. Some stores also offer Limited, Extended, and Legacy play. It is important for your Commander tournament scene to meet the unmet needs of your player base. While I assume it exists, I have never experienced a sustained, popular, one-on-one Commander tournament scene. There are popular French one-on-one leagues with their own banned list, but most players seem to be interested in multiplayer. Wizards of the Coast developed the preconstructed decks with packaging that denotes that they are "tuned for multiplayer." In fact, my experiences and successes have all focused on the multiplayer aspect of the format.

You might want to consider the advantages of adopting a casual orientation (versus a competitive orientation) for your league's atmosphere. I have been a part of two leagues and played, on occasion, in a third. The largest league sports an average of twenty-five to thirty players, and the smallest league tends to register an average of twelve to sixteen participants. Each league has a strong bias toward social interaction, fun, and promoting a casual atmosphere. If the tournament organizers and players do not adopt a casual orientation, they run the risk of promoting "degenerate" deck construction and "unfriendly" play. While the terms "degenerate" and "unfriendly" are subjective, it is clear that the Commander format can be easily broken, and decks can be built that suppress interaction and limit multiplayer fun.

Here are a couple of examples and nonexamples that might demonstrate the risk of developing a competitive league. The nonexample is a story from the very first league I ever started. We followed the FNM structure at one of the local stores. The buy-in for tournament play was $5, and players could win store credit. After a couple of months, we were getting twenty to twenty-five players at our Sunday tournaments. The prize pool was giant. The first-place player (with the most kills) would get 66% of the prize pool, while the second-place player would land 33% of the store credit. The first-place player would pull down more than $80 a week, eclipsing the top prize for FNM. Over time, players really wanted to win that money, and the decks became more and more degenerate. There were arguments during the games, and more than a couple of players left the league over bad blood or because they did not have the knowledge or card quality to compete. Over time, the tournament entries decreased, and eight to ten players consistently pitted their infinite combos against each other on a weekly basis. The rest of the players (ten to fifteen) reserved their play for other stores. After eighteen months, that league is still running. However, it is a shell of its former self, and other leagues in town have continued to grow.

The example is a story of sustained success. There are two other stores in the Tampa Bay area that run casual tournaments for Commander. They regularly draw between sixteen and thirty-six players. One draws significant attendance on Thursday evenings, while the other scoops up weekend warriors. While not every player has adopted a casual orientation, the tournament organizers and majority of the players tend to put social play and interaction first. One tournament uses points as a sort of alternate win condition for league players. There are still great prizes, but you generally do not "win the table" or generate substantial points in the league if you combo out on turn three.

The other league generated a simplistic long-term and short-term prize structure. The long-term prize structure involved in-game and in-store (out-of-game) achievements. Some players can win more than a box for a combination of deck-construction constraints, winning a sportsmanship award, and eating one of every candy offered by the store (the Buffet Achievement). The primary way to unlock the long-term achievements have to do with high attendance rates, bringing along new players, and supporting the fun atmosphere in the league. The short-term rewards are bound to a single tournament and require a single tournament entry.

A Look at Part 2

The timing is right! This summer will mark an explosion of new players flocking to the Commander format. Start planning your league and thinking through developing successful, profitable Commander tournament. In this first part of the series, we covered the reasons for forming a league and some suggestions on preparation and necessary steps prior to the introduction of league play. Part 2 dives into the logistics and explicit examples and nonexamples that will drive the formation or betterment of your league play. We will outline effective prize structures, discuss tournament logistics like pairings and rounds, and cover some essential discussions related to social interaction.

Not everyone wants to play multiplayer, and not everyone wants to participate in casual games. However, the casual player base is the largest group of Magic players. If you want to interact with a new aspect of the player base or you're a casual player looking to organize your fun, check out the next installment. Thanks for reading.