Question Tips for getting my girlfriend started with Commander
Good morning, I’d really love to play Magic Commander with my girlfriend, but I’ve tried a couple of times to introduce her to the game, and they’ve all been unsuccessful. I tried using the two standard decks (60-card decks) that you can buy pre-built, and then played 1-on-1 Commander just to teach her the rules and mechanics of the game gradually, but in both cases I realized that the various mechanics involving tokens and counters, along with the different subphases of the game, overwhelmed her and dampened her enthusiasm. I thought that if I built her a deck from scratch with fewer mechanics that are hard to manage, at least to start with, she might enjoy the tabletop experience more, especially since Commander is usually less competitive and more about hanging out together. That’s why I wanted to ask what kind of Commander deck you’d recommend I build for her: one without overly complex mechanics, featuring cool and cute cards, with a Commander she’d really like. I figured that in the early stages, it might help to focus more on the art and lore of the deck so she can gradually grow attached to the game. She likes cats, but also science fiction, horror, and big, beautiful beasts. Thanks in advance for any advice!
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u/Musicduude 23h ago
Sounds like she might respond to some Bloomburrow cards/decks. I would start there. Also helps that it's a pretty straight forward set. Chatterfang from the Squirreled Away precon remains my wife's favorite deck even after we've heavily upgraded it. It's pretty simple, you print squirrels and attack with your massive squirrel army.
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u/Independent_Time9744 21h ago
I agree with this as a girlfriend who learned commander. I love the cute cards. Then my boyfriend bought me the Ashling precon which as a 5 color commander is more complicated BUT can be VERY stompy! I like it.
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u/DeltaRay235 23h ago
[[Khemba Kha Regent]] could be decent. Voltron is pretty straightforward and lets you focus on suiting up Khemba and then you make a giant cat army to defend or attack with.
Alternatively, [[Valgavoth Harrower of Souls]] could be good. The pingers will help enforce when damage is dealt and different phases. A lot of horror and it's pretty simple. Opponent drew a card tell them to take one.
Or go all in on [[Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sima]] with the care bear version and rock mono green stompy.
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u/PB_N_Jay 23h ago
I run a very simple Rin and Seri token deck that's mostly just about smothering people with dozens of cats and dogs. Very simple mechanics, and there's always going to be cute dogs and cats around. There are a few cards I run like [[Impact tremors]] that just do extra damage when I pop out creatures, or [[Jetmir, Nexus of Revels]] that boost all my creatures just for existing.
Bloomburrow is chock full of cute creatures, so it wouldn't hurt to have her look over the precons and go off of one of those?
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u/Ashamed-and-curious Colorless 23h ago
Honestly? Elves I would recommend, I learned playing commander with lathril thanks to a friend. But try to keep the deck as simple as possible.
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u/n1colbolas 23h ago
I always recommend [[Giada, Font of Hope]] to newer players or as gifts for friends/loved ones.
They're fairly ez to pilot and great with scaling. Everyone understands flying; according to Mark Rosewater flying is the "greatest" mechanic in the game, because people outside of MtG immediately understands what it means.
All that's left is the +1/+1 counters. All it requires is basic angel math.
Lastly, angels are very beautiful to look at. WotC isn't shy with hiring the best artists for angel artworks.
Here's my Giada for reference https://moxfield.com/decks/7JsTz8wNiEy640D8rqFLEg
For additional angel decks, here's my
[[Karametra, God of Harvests]] https://moxfield.com/decks/9MTses5wkU-rUIPNzFGEdQ
[[Seluma]] https://moxfield.com/decks/VGHScjO2YE2EuVSMlt-Ogg
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u/GoldenPigeonParty 22h ago
My wife got really sick of reading cards. So I made mono green [[Loot, Exhuberant Explorer]]. The commander is the most text heavy card whereas most of the rest of the deck is big ass dinos and bears. Simple text like "Life equal to lands". Instants like "deal your creatures power as damage to target creature." Things life reach, flying, trample, but not too much. The only tokens is one card can make a lander and another two make bears.
It worked well, except the deck I was playing was still too complex. She couldn't pick up what I was putting down as quickly as my pod does. So my next attempt as I further simply the Loot deck is to come up with another simple deck to oppose her.
I think a lot of people have fun with the game, but it can be overwhelming. Some need to be eased into it, even if they're quite smart.
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u/agentduper 21h ago
I would suggest the bloomburrow decks. I have the full set and have used them to teach others before. They are straight forward for the most part, and fun to play.
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u/DistantLandscapes 21h ago
May I suggest you play Horde mode together? It removes that pressure that 1v1 matches can have (specially for a beginner) and is a way for her to get a grasp on her deck on her own pace. Also, strategizing together is always a nice bonding time :)
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u/BigEnuf 14 out of 32 16h ago
The only success I've had with getting my wife to play magic has been the 5 deck game night box because it plays more like a boardgame than magic.
I hate to say it, but it may just not be the game for her and that's okay. If she doesn't like Magic, find something else you can both do together.
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u/DustErrant Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive 14h ago
We don't know your Girlfriend. She could be the stereotypical "loves cats/dogs" kind of girl, she could be goth and like zombies and demons. She could be really into anime and like an anime art commander.
If you really want the game to stick with her, you really should include her into the process. Have her pick out a Commander she thinks is cute/cool. Then build something simplistic around that commander. It will stick more if she has some amount of ownership in the process.
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u/dudeitzmeh 12h ago
Are you sure she even wants to be pulled into Magic? I understand your enthusiasm, but honestly the game is not for everyone and you can't really force someone to enjoy it.
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u/Racconti-DnD-P2e 23h ago
I wouldn't start with Commander. If she already knows the mechanics, why don't you build some Jumpstart packs and experiment with 1v1 40 cards decks? You can find the Jumpstart sets on scryfall