Commander Guidelines

Everyone and his brother has a set of guidelines for the Commander format. Well, I'm no different. Since there always seems to be someone interested in getting into Commander, here are a few notes that I've found helpful on my journey when explaining things to new-to-the-format players.

• Play to win, but win with style.
• Play the cards you like.
• Don't play cards your opponents will hate (if you want a second game).
• You have more turns to set up big plays, so take it to that level.
• Your deck will be more random than you are used to.
• There are some cards that make almost any deck better, so use them.
• Politics matter.
• Decktesting is tedious. Just roll with it.

More Info:
Check out my post on speed, mana, bombs, and creating spectacular situations.
If you aren't building a green-based deck, check out my post on non-green ramp.

Want a different perspective with more detail and better writing? Check out Bennie Smith's Commander Primer over at Star City Games. You should read his articles, too.

MTGCommander.net is the official source for rules. Read them. There are some subtleties that you need to consider when building a deck. Pay particular attention to how the "color identity" rule works.