Dark BanishingDark Banishing | Art by Rebecca Guay

You know, with all of the deck techs on EDHREC, many of our coworkers hadn't fathomed writing an article about the best time to dismantle a Commander deck. As a trendsetter, I felt that this topic was one on which I had a lot of experience. I've dismantled more decks than I currently own, and believe me, that's a lot of dismantling.

And I've done this for a variety of reasons. In a sense, that means that there are quite a few reasons I can actually speak on here.

You may be thinking of dismantling a Commander deck or two. After all, there's a reason you clicked on this article. Therefore, let me walk you through why that may be a good idea, or, potentially, a major unforced error.

Reasons to Dismantle a Commander Deck

There are plenty of good (or at least understandable) reasons to end a deck's tenure in your Commander repertoire. These include, but are by no means limited to, the following:

• Financial factors: Sometimes, a Commander deck can get really expensive to maintain. This is especially true if you are the kind of player who wants to keep all of your decks current and cutting-edge. Alternatively, it's possible that a few key cards in your deck have spiked in price and you'd prefer not to carry such heat with you.
• Less-Fun factors: Perhaps you have built an extremely linear deck. It's so linear, in fact, that you've gotten dissatisfied with using it. Or, perhaps a commander isn't your playstyle after having tried it out a bit. Either way, it isn't a fun deck for you to play anymore
• Power Level factors: It's also possible that your deck is either too strong or too weak for your current playgroup. This factor also ties into fun, but may also be indicative of something related to your group's dynamic.

In addition to these fair reasons to dismantle your deck, there are probably any number of other reasons you wouldn't want to keep a Commander deck you own. Ultimately, we won't get into topics about memories or falling out with people. Frankly, while these reasons may be good too, they're too subjective to go into detail about.

Finally, this article will detail certain reasons that you may come to regret dismantling your deck. These include succumbing to peer pressure or showing some disinterest in the game itself. Overall, these are reasons you may want to avoid as justifications for disassembling a deck.

Before we get into it, let's provide some full disclosure that this is, of course, an opinion-based article. If you feel strongly that one reason listed is better than another, feel free to sound off in the comments. However, everyone has their reasons for doing this, and it's not great to belittle someone over those reasons.

"Good" Justifications to Dismantle

Finally, we can discuss the matter of why players might want to dismantle a deck. There are a bunch of reasons I haven't listed here, but I want to look at three primary "good" justifications. Again, this is a delicate, subjective matter, so I can't be faulted for using quotation marks there.

Smothering Tithe. Illustrated by Mark Behm. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

Financial Factors

First, let's talk about financial factors. This topic seems to be more and more in the public eye nowadays. Many players are either speculating on or engaging in card price fluctuations lately. While Wizards of the Coast will strictly not speak on secondary market prices, it's obvious that every card has a price.

So when talking about Commander decks and their prices, it's also clear that every deck has an overall price. Fluctuations in deck prices may have an impact on people's budget decks still being "budget," as an example of how this affects players. But this isn't the only way price changes may affect players.

There's also the discussion of financial hardship. This is a place where I've been in the past, and it isn't great. I've resorted to selling multiple decks at once in times of hardship, just so I can get a bite to eat. Let me just tell you, it isn't fun, but it was my responsibility to do. Between having a great deck or a full stomach, I'll always pick nourishment, folks.

Mitigating the Financial Factor

Now, if you're looking for a fix or a way to mitigate having to dismantle a deck for money, there's a lot of discourse about the best ways to go about it. For fear of bringing the "proxy" debate into things, I won't necessarily vouch for that method, but it's an option.

I also often initially buy foreign cards, which, as an act, serves two purposes. For one, non-English cards often cost a little less than cards in English, meaning one's wallet is padded just a bit more. And for another, local game stores often won't buy foreign cards, lowering the chance that someone can even be tempted to sell them. But also, they're often seen as "blingier," so one's deck can look great without breaking the bank.

Hypergenesis. Illusrated by Ron Spears. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

Less-Fun Factors

For this section, I want to direct focus to a deck I recently built:

The above deck is a pretty interesting one, but it falters in a big way. See, it's extremely linear, as it's focused on only one thing. That thing is casting HypergenesisHypergenesis a bunch of times. It requires a ton of setup, and it lacks in the card advantage department. However, that's the thing. This deck just wants to power out a bunch of haymakers with Hypergenesis off of Aloy, Savior of MeridianAloy, Savior of Meridian's discovery trigger from attacking with a zero-power artifact creature.

But that's legitimately all the deck wants to do. After that, it either wins or it loses. From start to finish, this deck has a linear game plan. As a result, I foresee myself dismantling this Commander deck very soon.

Alternatively, I've gone through so many iterations of decks that I simply couldn't appreciate playing. These decks weren't bad, per se, but they weren't of a style I was used to. This kind of reasoning feels extremely relatable concerning other players. How about you, dear readers?

Mitigating the Less-Fun Factor

The way I'd mitigate factors relating to fun in a non-power capacity is not the same as how many other players might choose to do it. These factors are rooted in my personal level of experience with the game and the Commander format as a whole. I've been playing Magic since 2001 and Commander since 2009, so I've been around the block a lot longer than many other players. So, forgive me if I state that the answer here is just to experiment with what you either know that you like, or don't know that you don't like. It feels simple, trite even, but this is the best way to know what makes you tick.

While this feels easy, it doesn't stop the inevitability of dismantling the problem Commander decks. Another option, in such a case, is to modify it a bunch instead. At the very least, you can modify these decks until they fit your needs as far as personal fun goes. It's not perfect, but it could serve a purpose and teach you about what you like about Commander.

Spike, Tournament Grinder. Illustrated by Zoltan Boros. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

Power Level Factors

Needless to say, there are also many times when your playgroup doesn't mesh well with a deck you've made. This could either be because of discrepancies in Brackets or a disregard thereof. Heck, it could simply be that your deck is just too weak to play in a given group.

I've been there; I've had decks that have proven too offbeat to make any sense in a new playgroup. Alternatively, I've played decks that, while fun, are so strong that they frustrated my friends endlessly.

These are completely reasonable justifications for you to dismantle a Commander deck, but there are easier steps to take before committing to that drastic measure.

Mitigating Power Level Factors

The easiest way to keep yourself from having to feel obligated to dismantle a deck for power level reasons is just by communicating with your playgroup! Talk to them about which decks don't jive well with them, and why they're not a great fit. And remember, you have a voice here too. While you want to reach an accord with your playgroup, confrontation is not the goal (if you want to keep your group). Therefore, try to keep things light if you can.

After the issues have been identified, that's when you should look at making shifts to the problem decks. This may involve brainstorming alone or with your group. A collaborative process can, to positively nobody's surprise, actually be really fun!

So, now that we've discussed the "better" justifications for dismantling decks, as well as ways to potentially avoid the act, let's look at some "worse" justifications.

Lamentation. Illustrated by Lars Grant-West. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

"Bad" Justifications to Dismantle

If you, as a player, feel inclined to dismantle a Commander deck, you should always give it some deliberation time. After all, you might be doing it for the wrong reasons. If you're being bullied out of a playgroup for playing a weak deck, that's no reason to up and quit! If players are pressuring you to dismantle a deck altogether without a solid discussion, like what I've mentioned above, you should try to reevaluate what you want in a playgroup.

Don't give in to bullies; doing so gives them validation to do more, and that's not okay.

There's another reason that I'd suggest takes more forethought before breaking apart a deck. If you're just not as "into" Magic as you were previously, this is another opportunity for you to evaluate your personal ideals. I wouldn't go about selling my decks to fund another game, or something that has directed my latest levels of interest. I did that once, back in college, and I regret doing so to this day, even though I've come back with full force.

Instead, I would suggest loaning your decks to someone who a) won't dismantle them, and b) will treat the decks (and you) with utmost respect.

Conclusion

And now, I'd like to ask you, dear readers, how you've managed dealing with such conundrums in the past. What were your reasons for breaking decks down? Do you regret dismantling any of your Commander decks? Which ones and why? Sound off below!