PlayingMagic: The Gathering’s Commander mode has become a fixed part of my monthly routine recently, as I was only formally introduced to the game and its multiplayer format at the start of 2024. However,it quickly turned into a subject of my hyperfocus and within a few days of playing my first match, I was already looking at cardsthat would work well with my Kykar deck to upgrade it and have a better shot at winning against my table. Simultaneously, I was also looking at some of thebestMTGCommander decks, trying to understand how they worked.
Within a few months, I’d upgraded my Kykar deck and purchased two new decks, without considering extra accessories such as playmats and shields.I quickly spent a lot of money on the game, and a significant portion of it didn’t pay off as I had hoped. Some upgrade cards for Kykar didn’t perform as well as I had thought they would. My Captain N’ghathrod deck was also somewhat disappointing since I built it around milling and the horror theme, but it turned out to be slower than anticipated. However, I found a solution to myexpensiveMagic: The Gatheringspendings.
Tabletop Simulator Helped Me Try New Magic: The Gathering Cards & Decks
The Game Costs $19.99 On Steam
In lieu of spending more money on cards and decks I didn’t know I would click with, I made a $20 investment intoTabletop Simulator, a Steam game that can run a variety of games, including the Commander mode forMTG. While my pod and I haven’t sacrificed our monthly reunions to play cards in person, we’ve been playing Commander virtually with some frequency thanks toTabletop Simulator. When running the mode on the Steam game, we can add whicheverMagic: The Gatheringdeck we desire based on card lists from popular listing websites like Archidekt, Scryfall, and Moxfield.
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Effectively, this allows us to play with decks we don’t actually own in real life, experimenting with lists built by other players – or by ourselves, when we put effort into studying how the deck can run – and seeing if it’s a match with our playstyles. We can also run multiple games with the same decks and see if a loss was proof of not attuning to the deck’s mechanics inMagic: The Gathering’s Commander mode or if the previous match was just an unlucky series of events that stemmed from a poor starting hand to bad draws.
I’ve Spent Much Less Money On Magic: The Gathering Commander Because Of Tabletop Simulator
The Game Allowed Me To Feel Decks & Measure My Pod’s Reactions
Thanks to my experiments withTabletop Simulator, I’ve been spending less money onMTGthan I was during my first few months. This isn’t because the game is no longer a subject of my hyperfocus – it very much is – but because I’ve been more cautious about what types of decks I’m going to put money into. I still love my Captain N’ghathrod deck, but I’m scarred by how difficult to run it can be (because of the number of triggers and high mana costs). The deck’s mistakes would’ve been avoided if I’d experimented with it inTabletop Simulator.
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Now, before building and purchasing a new deck, I verify that I actively play with it sometimes and see how I feel running it. Recently, I tried out a Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign deck with my table and it felt great. The Esper deck is a great control deck that keeps opponents at bay while meticulously striking opponents. It helps you build up your board even when you have poor draws thanks to the Commander card’s ability, which in turn helps keep you safe from attacks from your opponents. ThisstrongMTGCommander deck, however, has one deep-rooted problem.
The Yennett deck is extremely salty. As much as I relished and won a match with it, I sensed my opponents were distasteful with how my deck ran, as they always felt like they couldn’t attack me or cast any removal spells against my cards. Surely, that’s part of the deck’s functionality, but if I am consistently upsetting my friends for the sake of victory and, in turn, immediately becoming “the problem” once any match starts, no one in the pod would be pleased – not even myself.Tabletop Simulatorallowed me to see this greatMTGdeck’s worst issue.
With Yennett, there were turns that I finished with all my mana open, making opponents consistently wary of counterspells and punitive removals.
Even though I enjoyed playing with Yennett, the little experiment made me see that this would not be such a great deck to use against my friends, ultimately sparing me something around $300. BeforeTabletop Simulator, I would have possibly built and purchased the deck, only to experiment with it afterward, leaving the match with a sense of bitterness and disappointment having invested in something that could be unpleasant for others. While experimenting with newMagic: The GatheringCommander decks is the most straightforward approach toTabletop Simulator, the Steam game can also help with upgrades.
Tabletop Simulator Has Helped Me With MTG Commander Upgrades, Too
I Test Card Upgrades & Removals Before Applying Changes
Recently, I purchased Endless Punishment, thebestMagic The Gathering: DuskmournCommander deck. The deck, which features Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls, is already a great precon to run, but it can become exponentially better with upgrades. Like finding new decks to play with, researching upgrades for decks can be a tiresome effort and it doesn’t necessarily always pay off. This could result in a few dozen or even hundreds of dollars spent on cards that are recommended but that don’t feel that good during actual gameplay, and this is whereTabletop Simulatorcomes in.
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Magic: The Gathering’s upcoming Foundations set is perfect for veterans and newcomers alike, and some great cards have already been revealed.
Players can modify their decks on their preferred listing platform and then import them, allowing them a chance to test the new cards they consider purchasing. For example, I was able to run my Valgavoth deck simulating an upgrade with Sulfuric Vortex, Roiling Vortex, and Fiery Emancipation. After a few matches, I was certain that these were upgrades that made sense for me to purchase, unlike Mana Barbs. As much as Mana Barbs is strong, it becomes the target of removals as soon as it enters the board, which would make it a vain investment inMagic: The Gathering.
For an upgrade to be added, a card needs to be removed, andTabletop Simulatoralso gave me a better chance to play with some of the cards that are recommended to be removed. Enchanter’s Bane, for example, is listed among the possible cards to be removed from Valgavoth’s deck, but I’ve had a good time playing with it for now, which means I’ll prioritize removing other recommendations to make space for upgrades.
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Even though the gameplay experience provided byTabletop Simulatorpales in comparison to in-person Commander tables, the Steam game does provide an alternative for me to play with my friends without having to wait for a whole month before our schedules match. Furthermore, this $20 investment has also helped me better manage my money when it comes to buying newMagic: The Gatheringdecks and upgrades, as it allows me to actually test them and make sure I like them before making a final decision.
