The Immortal SunThe Immortal Sun | Art by Kieran Yanner

The idea for today's article about "generic commanders" comes from a deck that doesn't exist. More precisely, about a deck that should have existed but was never completed. But, let's not skip ahead, and first answer a crucial question: how did I end up in this situation?

The Origin: Krang, Utrom WarlordKrang, Utrom Warlord

Some time before the writing of this article, I came across this card and it initially fit perfectly my idea of a janky and stompy commander. All in all, it's a nine-mana colorless legend with a bunch of keywords slapped onto it and an over-the-top effect. It checks all my boxes for a fun casual deck and I was ecstatic to build it.

I soon felt something was off about it: I couldn't really figure out how to craft a list around such a generic effect. You really want to buff as many creatures as possible with it, so I imagined a go-wide strategy. But then I'd be giving a ton of keywords to small bodies that can't do anything with it.

Hence, I thought about going tall with similar heavy-hitting permanents. In this case KrangKrang's impact on the board would be limited by the low number of permanents it'd affect.

Nevertheless, I wasn't going to let this small inconvenient discourage me. I was going to find a good strategy for it and everything would be fine.

So, I came up with the idea of using small, self-buffing creatures like Hangarback WalkerHangarback Walker, ChronomatonChronomaton, and Patchwork AutomatonPatchwork Automaton. They could be cast early in the game, grow in the mid game and be game-enders when KrangKrang finally hit the board.

I also thought it would be nice to give them a jump-start in stats. Cards like Graaz, Unstoppable JuggernautGraaz, Unstoppable Juggernaut and The Capitoline TriadThe Capitoline Triad could really help with it. In this way, even the meeker creatures would benefit from KrangKrang's keywords.

The Breaking Point: What Is an "Original Deck"?

After I was done with these initial inclusions, I had put around 20-25 cards in the deck. And I was already starting to feel out of ideas.

But I wasn't letting this emotion take over. My first article ever for EDHREC was a Winota, Joiner of ForcesWinota, Joiner of Forces Myr typal deck: it wasn't any good, but it was a legal 100-cards deck list. I do know how to build a gimmicky deck.

So I kept going, and I started adding mana rocks and other synergistic cards, like Unwinding ClockUnwinding Clock and Clock of OmensClock of Omens to activate my self-buffing creatures multiple times, and some more wacky ones like Lux ArtilleryLux Artillery.

I then caved in and put in the list some more simply good artifact creatures-matter cards, like Cyberman PatrolCyberman Patrol, CryptothrallCryptothrall and Cybermen SquadronCybermen Squadron.

The deck list grew until I hit the actual breaking point for the deck, the point where I gave up, which is also the origin of this article: The Immortal SunThe Immortal Sun.

I've always considered this card to be the epitome of a "generic" card. Just look at its effects: Are they good? More or less. Do they work together? Not in the slightest.

These two factors make The Immortal SunThe Immortal Sun blunt and somewhat uninteresting. It's not a bad card, but it isn't good either. It could be played in many decks, but none is interested in four random lines of text stapled onto the same artifact. It's so average and forgettable in everything it does it almost hurts.

Clearly, if I got to the point of including this card, something about the deck overall must have been off. And I think I managed to understand what that "something" is.

The Problem of Generic Commanders

Just like The Immortal SunThe Immortal Sun, Krang, Utrom WarlordKrang, Utrom Warlord isn't inherently a bad card. Sure, it isn't competitive or absurdly strong, but neither does it aspire to be so. It clearly is a fun casual card that promises to be the center of someone's game highlights.

So, what was the problem with it? I didn't want to build a competitive deck either, so, what stopped me?

The lack of direction.

Sure, a generic effect gives you a blank sheet to draw and imagine on, but it also takes away any kind of guidance during the deck building process. There's no trace of possible synergies, nor some nod to a specific creature type. It doesn't push the builder towards any particular direction, but it doesn't pull either.

It's always nice to work with "open" commanders, those that you can build in many different ways. You may be tied to a clearly specific theme but, although there may be a preferred way to conceive said card, you're never truly out of options for customization.

If we look at the top six most popular commanders at the time of writing, they all are "open" in their own way.

The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon, Edgar MarkovEdgar Markov and Krenko, Mob BossKrenko, Mob Boss are typal commanders. This means that there are a number of staples for each of their creature types, but no build is ever the same as someone else's. The vast majority of players includes Miirym, Sentinel WyrmMiirym, Sentinel Wyrm, Blood ArtistBlood Artist, and Goblin WarchiefGoblin Warchief in their decks, respectively, but the other creatures they're paired with change from person to person.

Someone might even exclude them all, wanting to tune the originality of the deck to the max.

Is there a clear traced line to follow? Yes, indeed. But this doesn't mean you can't make your own choices. You're given some guidelines, but you're free to execute them as it pleases you.

The same applies to Kaalia of the VastKaalia of the Vast and the three creature types it represents. In Atraxa, Praetors' VoiceAtraxa, Praetors' Voice's case, you're most likely building around a specific type of counters, with +1/+1s being the most popular, but you may also do charge or poison counters. Y'shtola, Night's BlessedY'shtola, Night's Blessed is the most generic of the bunch, with no clear tie to any strategy. Still, it gives out some big hints: You want to cast expensive spells, possibly during each player's turn.

All of these commander have one thing in common: they give the player agency in deck building without concealing the most popular strategy. They present you near-endless paths, but they all branch from a clearly-designed one you can come back to at any moment.

You don't have to make up a strategy, because there is one within the card itself. But you're also still free to explore and try new things, free to explore any of those branches laid in front of you.

With this in mind, let's have a look at two commanders closer to today's case studytoday's case study: Avacyn, Angel of HopeAvacyn, Angel of Hope and Sokrates, Athenian TeacherSokrates, Athenian Teacher.

AvacynAvacyn came to my mind because it was at the helm of the first deck a friend of mine ever built. Also, it was his first time ever playing Magic in general. And it showed.

He basically copied and pasted the most popular inclusions into his list and called it a day. Now, maybe he was simply a new player that didn't know what he was doing, but I also think it was symptomatic of a lack of direction. Although I love AvacynAvacyn and how it represents the history of the format, it's undeniable how hard it is to build.

It's an extremely powerful card, but that's it. No connections to any game plan at all (no, I don't consider mass land destruction a game plan).

On the other hand, I tried to build SokratesSokrates myself, but to no avail. I really liked the card, and I still do, but its design simply doesn't tell me anything. It invites the player to build a Political deck, but nothing else. And trust me, that's not a lot to work with.

In the end, none of these three cards is bad, per se. They can, and will, do a lot of work when they hit the battlefield. The problem is, they don't lead you in any direction. There's no starting point to branch from, so it's hard to justify running them over any other commander in the same color combination.

The Conclusion

From the super casual deck made of random pet cards to the spicy tech in a cEDH deck, personal taste is what truly makes Commander a kaleidoscopic format. And that's why I fell in love with it in the first place. There is no right or wrong. Your deck doesn't have to be optimal if you don't want to and "Because I like it" is the most valid response to "Why do you run this card?"

Still, it's crucial to recognize that not all commanders are created equal. Some of them come with an additional burden they can never get rid of: being generic. Too much freedom stifles creativity, especially when building Commander decks. Looking for synergies where there is none leads you to forcing them, creating a list that could probably be lead by any other general.

It's also important to notice how these commanders could be tricky for new players. What draws you towards a certain general as your first one is, most likely, how much you like the card. You don't really care about strategies, synergies, and all of that stuff, maybe also because you don't know any other card.

And this is totally fine.

Nevertheless, getting stuck on a inherently difficult-to-build commander might take away some of the lovely initial emotion that should fill every game you play.

So, if you're a new-ish player, but also if you're a seasoned veteran trying your hand at building some new decks, be careful with generic commanders. If you're not 100% sure about the deck you want to build, try and look for some more popular options with a clearly-designed strategy.

There's plenty of time to brew and innovate, so enjoy every game you take part in. Even those where you simply cast yet another The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon.