Magic: The Gathering - Casual Decks and Competitive Decks

Short version: Competitive decks are typically built by people with money to burn. Casual decks are built by people with a decent card collection and a budget. Like oil and water, they do not mix.

Nath is back for this example!

All of the decks I have posted here in my previous Steemit articles could be reproduced for under $100, and most for under $50. They have all been built using cards I already owned, and expanded through trading with other players. If you are planning to have fun, my previous post featuring a Nath deck offers a mild control and elf tribal fun for around $35, or about the same price as a pre-constructed Commander deck at a retail store.

In contrast, This writer has built a deck that would cost over $3,000 to duplicate. The "budget" version is still over $500. If you have played Magic since the early days and have a collection of high-priced cards already, the sticker shock may be diminished, but anyone looking to get into the game will have a heart attack if this is the level of decks commonly played at local events.

With this in mind, find out which end of this spectrum dominates the events at venues in your area. Bringing a casual deck into a competitive event is no fun. Bringing a high-dollar competitive deck to a casual venue sucks the fun out of the game for everyone else you face. In both cases, I would advise finding a different group if you can't fit in with the existing play environment. It sucks to say, "Don't play if you can't pay," but if you're the only one without a thousand-dollar deck, you probably just don't belong in the group. The other side of that coin is that if you're the only player with a fine-tuned competitive deck filled with high-priced cards, you're a jerk. And don't forget that these ideas don't just apply to the Commander format.

I will begin posting some new deck lists soon. Meanwhile, for more budget deck ideas, check out Commanders Brew on Twitter and Youtube! They're a great source for casual deck ideas and themed deck experiments.

Don't forget to check out Pucatrade for online card trading to expand your collection. If you join through that link, we each get a 100-pucapoint bonus! You can also expand your collection or acquire trade inventory in the strangest of places sometimes.

Commander Introduction
Deck 1 - Goblins Incorporated
Deck 2 - Azorius Shenanigans
Deck 3 - Bruna Voltron
Deck 4 - Green Tide Elves
Deck 5 - Special Forces
Deck 6 - Dimir Mill
Deck 7 - Golgari Elves
Deck 8 - Simic Proliferation
Deck 9 - Gruul Rage
Deck 10 - Black Death