Central Elevator // Promising StairsCentral Elevator // Promising Stairs | Art by Cristi Balanescu

Setting Expectations

How often do you find yourself playing games where decks are ill-matched?

Maybe the deck you brought is stronger than your opponents' decks, and you accidentally stomp the table. Maybe your opponent undersold their Eldrazi deck, and you chose a lower-powered deck based on that expectation. Commander is a complex format with decks that can wildly vary in power level.

Without a pre-game discussion, you might pull out a strong Bracket 4 deck against a player with a slightly upgraded precon and not realize the power difference until halfway into the game. This is a common experience, especially when playing with strangers at your local game store. It can sour any player's mood.

That's why you need an elevator pitch for your Commander decks.

When a player asks what your deck does or how strong it is, how do you reply? Do you mention what bracket level you think it is? Do you just say the theme? How you talk about your deck will set expectations for your opponents and may even be a deciding factor in how they pick their commander.

If you describe your deck as being slow because it's an Eldrazi deck that requires a lot of mana, your opponent might then think their Edgar MarkovEdgar Markov deck is too fast and instead play a Bonny Pall, ClearcutterBonny Pall, Clearcutter deck with that expectation.

Using simple descriptors to set power-level expectations might be fine in short-hand, but you hardly told your opponent anything about your deck. Yet they just know it's low-power and plan accordingly. The problem lies in the fact that what constitutes a low-powered deck will vary person to person.

So, when you set the expectation that your deck is low-power and then your deck outperforms the table early in the game, it can be frustrating for those players. You set an expectation for your opponents, and that expectation was broken the moment you popped off on turn four.

The bracket system looks to give everyone common language to use when determining the experience players want to have. It's a good step in the right direction. However, it's only a part of the discussion.

The Bracket System

Players at my LGS have openly accepted brackets and will mention what bracket their deck is before starting. This has been a huge step forward, given the number of times someone has pulled out a deck without saying anything, or didn't care to discuss power level. Brackets have somewhat narrowed down the conversation, so that if someone says they want to play Bracket 2, we know that means precon-esque power level. If we play Bracket 4, then we know for sure we're playing stronger decks.

And if we say Bracket 3, well...

Bracket 3 feels like the new seven. It's where players who don't understand that their deck is Bracket 4 will say their deck is a high 3. The landscape of Commander hasn't changed, and players still can undervalue their decks. The inclusion of the Game Changers list helps to set a clear line between brackets, but you certainly don't need Game Changers for a deck to be a Bracket 4.

That's the gray area of this system, and leaves it up to the players to self-evaluate their decks.

Brackets are a step in the right direction when it comes to having a more unified understanding of power level, but the pre-game conversation can't simply be, "My deck is Bracket 3." Adding in more information to let others know what experience you're bringing to the table will go a long way to having more fun games of Commander.

My belief is that decks can hang in pods that are one bracket above or below their intended power level. A Bracket 3 deck should be fine in Bracket 4 pods or Bracket 2 pods. A Bracket 1 deck can be in a pod of Bracket 2 decks, etc. The issue arises when a Bracket 4 deck is played in a pod of Bracket 2 decks, or vice versa.

The power imbalance is more apparent when there's a difference of two brackets in any given scenario. The goal of having an elevator pitch for your deck is to have more effective pre-discussions that creates pods where the power-level differences are only off by one.

Pre-Game Discussions

Pre-game discussions are important because they allow everyone to weigh in on the type of experience they're looking for.

Recently, I played against someone who wanted to pull out his Jodah, the UnifierJodah, the Unifier deck after we mentioned wanting a Bracket 3 game. He tried downplaying it, but after two other players at the table said they did not want to play against it, given that Jodah decks are often overwhelming and difficult to play against. So, that player swapped it out for a different deck.

I give this example because a notable commander like Jodah is easier to have expectations for since he's a popular commander that players have probably played against. But so many legends are printed every set, and it's impossible to have thoughts on, let alone experience with, all of these commanders. So, a simple pitch for your deck can help clue players in on what your deck brings to the table.

Think of it as asking players if they wish to play against this deck.

An elevator pitch needs to be simple and concise. It's a way to convey an idea quickly, but also needs to include keywords that players know and can grab onto. Start by mentioning the theme of the deck. Using common terms like "Aristocrat" or "+1/+1 Counters" gets the idea across of what your deck's archetype is.

In addition to this, mentioning the strategy of the deck will go a long way. Is it an aggro deck? Is it a control deck? Is it trying to assemble a combo? Is it a midrange deck that has varying game plans? Understanding the theme and strategy does a lot of heavy lifting because they're ideas that players know and will be able to grasp easily.

After that, mention what the goal of the deck is. Is it trying to win through combat? Are you casting burn spells to scorch the table? Mentioning the goal of your deck will help paint a better picture of what your deck wants to do.

Your Elevator Pitch

Let's look at a simple formula for what you might say:

"[Commander Name] is my [Theme] deck. It's a [Strategy] deck that wants to accomplish [Goal]. It's Bracket [#]."

Here are some questions that you want to answer. Who is your commander? What theme is your deck? What's the goal of your deck, or how fast is the deck looking to win? What bracket # is your deck? Also, are there notable Game Changers that you should mention, such as extra turn spells or mass land denial?

Here's an example using one of my decks:

"Gonti, Canny AcquisitorGonti, Canny Acquisitor is my Rogue deck. It's a theft deck that wants to hit people with evasive Rogues to steal cards, and eventually pump up my Rogues for the win. It's Bracket 3."

Let's dissect this example. In the first sentence, I'm answering who my commander is and what the theme is. In the second sentence, I'm answering what style of game plan my deck is and how it tries to win. This is important as some players might want to opt out of playing against a theft deck.

By talking about my deck's playstyle, I'm also giving my opponents the chance to opt out of an experience they don't wish to have. Archetypes like Chaos or Stax will have an effect on the game that players might not be up for.

In this example, Gonti is doing a lot of heavy lifting. My opponents will read what Gonti does and know that it's a theft deck. It helps that Gonti is well-known, as they're the face commander for the Grand Larceny precon. I also mentioned that this is a Rogue-themed deck. Gonti isn't necessarily a Rogue commander like Anowon, the Ruin ThiefAnowon, the Ruin Thief, so I make sure to let people know that it's a typal deck with Rogue synergies.

Rogue Typal isn't a super popular theme, with Anowon, the Ruin ThiefAnowon, the Ruin Thief being the only notable Rogue commander. Unlike Vampires or Dinosaurs, which are more well-known archetypes, you'll have to explain more about what Rogues can do. Many Rogues are usually small and have evasion in some form, usually through being unblockable or having keywords like flying or shadow.

However, an unblockable 1/1 becomes more threatening when I put down a Banner of KinshipBanner of Kinship and turn my small creatures into 7/7s. Or when I'm creating six Treasures a turn with Grim HirelingGrim Hireling.

When I describe my deck to players, I might have to add that Notorious ThrongNotorious Throng is an extra turn spell that I could get back with Halo ForagerHalo Forager or Bala Ged RecoveryBala Ged Recovery. Or, I could emphasize that this is Bracket 3 and that it can generate a lot of card draw through spells like Kindred DiscoveryKindred Discovery.

While I can't explain all of this in a quick elevator pitch, emphasizing the deck is Bracket 3 will hopefully convey that this is an optimized list that has strong creature synergies.

Here's a link to my deck, Gonti's Rogue Criminals. Let me know if my pitch accurately describes my deck or if there's room for improvement.

Let's look at another example:

"Ognis, the Dragon's LashOgnis, the Dragon's Lash is my token deck. It's an aggro deck that uses hasty tokens to generate a lot of Treasure tokens and cast big splashy spells. It's Bracket 2."

The goal is to illustrate that this is an aggro deck that wants to make Treasures each turn to cast big spells. Permanents that make haste tokens each turn, like Urabrask's ForgeUrabrask's Forge, make free attackers that will trigger Ognis. Then, once I've amassed a ton of Treasure tokens, I can cast big X spells like Song of TotentanzSong of Totentanz to create an army of Rats. With a focus on making creature tokens, I can get the most out of drain effects like Mirkwood BatsMirkwood Bats or Nadier's NightbladeNadier's Nightblade.

Finally, with all those Treasure tokens, I can cast big spells like Mob RuleMob Rule to swing out at my opponents. Here's a link to my deck, Ognis' Hasty Minions, and let me know if you think my elevator pitch accurately describes this deck.

Your elevator pitch will look different and may contain more or less the same information, but try out this formula if you're not sure where to start.

Your pitch may include why you built your deck. For example, if you're playing a Bracket 1 deck that has a unique build, you might want to talk about why you built the deck in the first place. Also mention if you have a self-imposed deck-building restriction, like Lenny Wooley's gumball decks, where each card can't cost more than 25¢. Or Dana Roach's Ognis deck that's restricted to mono-red. Unique decks often garner interest from other players.

In an episode of Commander at Home, Ben Brode built a ThraximundarThraximundar deck using only the tiny cards from the series of small Magic decks that Wizards of the Coast released. And for comedic effect, he used the oversized commander card of Thraximundar. While the premise of the deck is more of a gag than a theme, it's an example of how your reason for building the deck can be part of your pitch.

Commander decks are a form of expression.

Now It's Your Turn

I would love to see more people take this exercise and use it at their local game stores. Giving your opponents an elevator pitch of your commander deck will encourage pre-game discussions and reduce the odds of games feeling imbalanced.

Being able to describe your deck effectively will not only improve games, but also help you better understand your deck. Maybe it can even help distill what you like about your deck and narrow down its focus.

Let me know your thoughts on this approach to pre-game discussions and if you have any suggestions on how you would improve it. Give me your best elevator pitches for your decks in the comments down below, and I'll see you next time!