Okay, here's the thing: You can build your Commander deck any way you want to. It's a great idea to follow the banned list if you are going to be playing against strangers since it puts everyone on the same page. At the same time, lots of us play with the same group week after week, so if your group has a separate banned list, go with that.
Now, with that out of the way, there are a few main themes and game mechanics that suck to play against. This isn't a universal truth, but it's probably close to one. If you are the kind of player that takes special joy in playing with the things on this list, that's cool. Just know that the rest of the table is probably going to start looking for excuses to not invite you to the next gaming session. :)
Off the top of my head, here's the list of major items that I won't include in a deck. I might put one or two cards in that do something on this list, especially if they serve a good purpose; but, I won't make it a "main theme."
No-no List
- Hand Destruction
- Land Destruction
- Eldrazi (Annihilator, See Land Destruction)
- Combo
- Bounce
- Creature Steal (This one is new.)
Watch List
- Taking Extra Turns
- Life Gain
- Counter Magic
- Poison / Infect
Hand Destruction / Land Destruction / Eldrazi
As it turns out, people like to play the spells they put in their decks. Who knew? Things that directly interfere with being able to play the game at a basic level are totally part of the game - a part of the game that sucks to play against.
My heart is sad that the Eldrazi fall into this category. They are damn cool. But, I hate the look on my opponents faces when I attack into them with one (or more!) of the monsters.
Combo
There's a big difference between synergy and outright combo. No one cares that you play Sylvan Library and Abundance in your green deck and draw three cards per turn with no loss of life. That's just cool. What people care about is your crazy, fifth turn, storm combo deck that kills everyone. It's neat once, maybe.
Bounce
Same deal here. One or two bounce spells are fine. Bouncing everything, over and over, falls into the "not getting to play" camp. A camp that sucks.
Creature Steal
This one is new to my list. As usual, there's a story that goes along with this.
Chris (Kaervek), Will (Kemba), and I (Bolas) were playing a quick three-player game of Commander. Will played Kemba on turn two or three, equipped her up with a couple things including Darksteel Plate, and started pumping out filthy, filthy cats. I took Kemba with Treachery on turn five. I believe that if I hadn't done that, Chris and I would have gotten slaughtered with steriod-rage-kitty beat down. Will had Crusade out too, for good measure. But, that's not the point.
The point is that between Treachery, Slave of Bolas, Control Magic, and other similar spells, I was able to steal creatures left and right. When I took Kaervek, I saw the light dim in Chris' eyes. It's just not fun to play against that much creature steal. And I'm not having fun when it's at the expense of others.
The problem is that if I cast Murder, I'm down one card and my opponent is down one creature. But, if I cast Control Magic on that same creature, it's a double-plus swing. My opponent is down one creature still, but now I'm even because I gained a creature. Oh, and now I'm going to beat your face in with it. Thanks.
Taking Extra Turns
As for the Watch List, taking an extra turn once in a while is annoying. It's not that it's a powerful effect (which is really is), it's that it means they don't get to play. People are already waiting for 3-8 other people to finish their turns before they get a crack at casting the cools spells they brought to the table. When you take an extra turn, it means that they have to wait even longer.
Life Gain
You want to pick up a handful of life points here and there? Great. But, don't be that guy that spikes to hundreds or thousands of life. Yes, you can still lose to Commander damage, but too much life gain completely nullifies a lot of decks out there that can't chew through that much life before the universe suffers heat death.
Counter Magic
Counterspell (and it's ilk) is not quite as powerful in a multiplayer game, given that there are usually too many targets to stop everything from getting through. So, Counter Magic is only on my watch list. If I find myself cramming too much Counter Magic into a deck, I take a step back.
This also applies to "tucking" the Commander with Hinder. It's a valid strategy, but against the right deck and Commander, it means the player you target is basically out of the game. Is that their fault for relying so much on their Commander? Maybe. But, what if they love that particular Legend? What then?
Poison / Infect
Until or unless they make it more than 10 poison counters to take a guy out, this one stays on the watch list. There are a handful of ways to sail in under the radar with some sort of evasion and take a guy out in one or two swings. Unless your opponents are set up to handle this particular line of attack, it's like the ultimate way of saying "you don't get to play."
Playing against more than one opponent makes the "no-no" list flexible. I mean, if you start to show strength at the table, these things have a way of self-correcting when everyone targets you with their bombs and their guns. But, just because everyone wants to put pressure on you doesn't mean they can. Destroying lands and stealing Commanders can push a player towards irrelevance in short order.
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