I have 17 Commander decks. And I'm taking them all apart.

This isn't a video about hating Commander. I've had plenty of good experiences playing EDH, and if Commander is the way you enjoy Magic, you should absolutely keep playing it.

But I've realized that I don't actually enjoy playing Commander very much anymore.

So I'm breaking down why.

I talk about how I first discovered Highlander, how I got back into Commander after returning to Magic in 2012, building my first artifact decks, playing Commander during the pandemic, and how my relationship with the format changed over time.

The bigger issue is that I've realized what I actually enjoy about Magic: community-created formats, 60-card decks, deckbuilding, and playing with cards that I love.

That's led me toward formats like Premodern, Classic Legacy, Peak Legacy, and my own Peak Modern battle box — formats where I can build decks, lock in a card pool, and play the game without constantly worrying about the next round of updates.

I also show off the battle boxes I've been building, including:

• Classic Legacy
• Premodern
• Peak Modern
• Affinity
• Gifts
• Jund
• Lantern Control
• Birthing Pod
• Scapeshift
• Storm
• Splinter Twin
• Tron
• Blue-Eyed Red

And that's really the point of the video.

I'm not quitting Magic. I'm trying to spend my time playing the Magic I actually enjoy.

I want to play more 60-card Magic with my friends. I want to build battle boxes. I want to explore old formats. I want to make weird cards playable again. And I want to spend less time maintaining 17 Commander decks that I barely touch.

If you're playing Commander because you genuinely love it, keep playing it.

But if you're only playing it because everyone else is, maybe it's worth asking yourself what kind of Magic you actually want to play.

00:00 — Why I'm Taking Apart 17 Commander Decks
02:26 — How I Got Into Commander
04:44 — The Social Rules of EDH
07:05 — Why Commander Stopped Being Fun for Me
09:26 — The Problem With Maintaining 17 Decks
12:24 — Building My Own Peak Modern
15:38 — My Peak Modern Battle Box
21:09 — The Classic Legacy Battle Box
23:28 — Why I'm Going Back to Community Formats
25:45 — Playing Magic the Way I Actually Want

I have 17 Commander decks. And I'm taking them all apart.

This isn't a video about hating Commander. I've had plenty of good experiences playing EDH, and if Commander is the way you enjoy Magic, you should absolutely keep playing it.

But I've realized that I don't actually enjoy playing Commander very much anymore.

So I'm breaking down why.

I talk about how I first discovered Highlander, how I got back into Commander after returning to Magic in 2012, building my first artifact decks, playing Commander during the pandemic, and how my relationship with the format changed over time.

The bigger issue is that I've realized what I actually enjoy about Magic: community-created formats, 60-card decks, deckbuilding, and playing with cards that I love.

That's led me toward formats like Premodern, Classic Legacy, Peak Legacy, and my own Peak Modern battle box — formats where I can build decks, lock in a card pool, and play the game without constantly worrying about the next round of updates.

I also show off the battle boxes I've been building, including:

• Classic Legacy
• Premodern
• Peak Modern
• Affinity
• Gifts
• Jund
• Lantern Control
• Birthing Pod
• Scapeshift
• Storm
• Splinter Twin
• Tron
• Blue-Eyed Red

And that's really the point of the video.

I'm not quitting Magic. I'm trying to spend my time playing the Magic I actually enjoy.

I want to play more 60-card Magic with my friends. I want to build battle boxes. I want to explore old formats. I want to make weird cards playable again. And I want to spend less time maintaining 17 Commander decks that I barely touch.

If you're playing Commander because you genuinely love it, keep playing it.

But if you're only playing it because everyone else is, maybe it's worth asking yourself what kind of Magic you actually want to play.

00:00 — Why I'm Taking Apart 17 Commander Decks
02:26 — How I Got Into Commander
04:44 — The Social Rules of EDH
07:05 — Why Commander Stopped Being Fun for Me
09:26 — The Problem With Maintaining 17 Decks
12:24 — Building My Own Peak Modern
15:38 — My Peak Modern Battle Box
21:09 — The Classic Legacy Battle Box
23:28 — Why I'm Going Back to Community Formats
25:45 — Playing Magic the Way I Actually Want

Reality Fracture has a surprising number of cards that are at least worth discussing for Legacy — but which ones actually have a shot at seeing play?Zac and Phil go through some of the most interesting Legacy candidates from the set, separating genuine possibilities from cards that look powerful but probably aren't worth the slot.We look at potential applications for Reanimator, Lands, Selesnya Depths, Eight-Cast, Painter, Dredge/Hogaak, and more, while digging into some of Reality Fracture's new mechanics and design choices.Among the cards we discuss:Avison, Angel of HorrorAvatar of Burgeoning EchoesJace, Reality SculptorCrater Claw ColossusDarklight PhoenixDarksteel AngelEmergent Dune DoomHexhaven InvigoratorKarn, Argent DefenderMarwin the PreserverThraxos, Academy GuardianTheorist's ProxyTheorist's CharmLoyal TutorChandra, Chill of ComplianceThe new color-specific sideboard cardsLibrary of AlexandriaThe big question isn't simply whether these cards are powerful.Can they actually compete with the cards already available in Legacy?We also talk about what makes a card worth testing in the current Legacy environment, the impact of Orcish Bowmasters, and why some seemingly powerful cards simply don't have enough room to make the cut.What Reality Fracture cards are you actually testing?⏱️ Chapters00:00 — Reality Fracture Legacy Set Review00:37 — Avison, Angel of Horror03:05 — Avatar of Burgeoning Echoes & Jace11:11 — Crater Claw Colossus & Artifact Strategies15:32 — Darklight Phoenix & Hogaak19:07 — Darksteel Angel & Reanimator23:53 — Hexhaven Invigorator & Lands25:58 — Karn, Argent Defender27:47 — Marwin the Preserver & Selesnya Depths35:51 — Eight-Cast, Charms & the Rest of Reality Fracture

Reality Fracture has a surprising number of cards that are at least worth discussing for Legacy — but which ones actually have a shot at seeing play?Zac and Phil go through some of the most interesting Legacy candidates from the set, separating genuine possibilities from cards that look powerful but probably aren't worth the slot.We look at potential applications for Reanimator, Lands, Selesnya Depths, Eight-Cast, Painter, Dredge/Hogaak, and more, while digging into some of Reality Fracture's new mechanics and design choices.Among the cards we discuss:Avison, Angel of HorrorAvatar of Burgeoning EchoesJace, Reality SculptorCrater Claw ColossusDarklight PhoenixDarksteel AngelEmergent Dune DoomHexhaven InvigoratorKarn, Argent DefenderMarwin the PreserverThraxos, Academy GuardianTheorist's ProxyTheorist's CharmLoyal TutorChandra, Chill of ComplianceThe new color-specific sideboard cardsLibrary of AlexandriaThe big question isn't simply whether these cards are powerful.Can they actually compete with the cards already available in Legacy?We also talk about what makes a card worth testing in the current Legacy environment, the impact of Orcish Bowmasters, and why some seemingly powerful cards simply don't have enough room to make the cut.What Reality Fracture cards are you actually testing?⏱️ Chapters00:00 — Reality Fracture Legacy Set Review00:37 — Avison, Angel of Horror03:05 — Avatar of Burgeoning Echoes & Jace11:11 — Crater Claw Colossus & Artifact Strategies15:32 — Darklight Phoenix & Hogaak19:07 — Darksteel Angel & Reanimator23:53 — Hexhaven Invigorator & Lands25:58 — Karn, Argent Defender27:47 — Marwin the Preserver & Selesnya Depths35:51 — Eight-Cast, Charms & the Rest of Reality Fracture

What would Legacy look like if you went back to the format before Innistrad Block completely changed the metagame?

That's the idea behind Classic Legacy.

Innistrad introduced—or coincided with—the arrival of some of the cards and archetypes that became fundamental to how modern Legacy is played: Delver of Secrets, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Griselbrand, and the Miracles strategy. Classic Legacy stops before that transformation, forcing familiar archetypes to solve their problems without many of the cards we've come to treat as Legacy staples.

Zac and Phil go through a series of Classic Legacy decks and ask:

What did these archetypes actually look like before their defining cards existed?

We look at:

• CounterTop / Blue-White Control without Terminus
• Storm without Past in Flames
• Canadian Threshold without Delver of Secrets
• Stone Blade-style decks without True-Name Nemesis or Batterskull
• Lands before Dark Depths + Thespian's Stage
• Aggro Loam without Green Sun's Zenith
• Merfolk without Master of the Pearl Trident
• Dredge before some of its later tools
• Affinity before the Scars of Mirrodin artifact explosion

One of the biggest themes is just how much one card can reshape an entire archetype.

Without Terminus, control decks had to rely on cards like Wrath of God, Moat, Engineered Explosives, and Pernicious Deed rather than building around a one-mana instant-speed sweeper.

Without Past in Flames, Storm is forced to operate through older engines like Ill-Gotten Gains, creating a fundamentally different set of decisions and deckbuilding constraints.

And without Delver, Canadian Threshold still looks familiar—but the deck loses the incredibly efficient turn-one threat that eventually streamlined the entire strategy.

We also get into some of the weirdest consequences of playing in this earlier card pool: Lands without Crop Rotation, Merfolk with Coralhelm Commander, Aggro Loam with Necrogen Mists, Dredge with different Dread Return targets, and Affinity desperately waiting for Scars of Mirrodin.

The result is a Legacy format that feels familiar—but requires you to solve problems that modern Legacy decks simply get to ignore.

If you're a Legacy player, which modern staple would you miss the most?

00:00 — What Was Legacy Before Innistrad?
01:53 — CounterTop Without Terminus
06:15 — Storm Without Past in Flames
09:37 — Canadian Threshold Without Delver
12:16 — Stone Blade Without Batterskull
15:37 — Lands Before Dark Depths
17:40 — Aggro Loam & the Missing Green Sun's Zenith
20:39 — Merfolk Without Modern Lords
24:25 — Dredge Before Modern Dredge
30:10 — Affinity Before Scars of Mirrodin

⏱️ Chapters

What would Legacy look like if you went back to the format before Innistrad Block completely changed the metagame?

That's the idea behind Classic Legacy.

Innistrad introduced—or coincided with—the arrival of some of the cards and archetypes that became fundamental to how modern Legacy is played: Delver of Secrets, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Griselbrand, and the Miracles strategy. Classic Legacy stops before that transformation, forcing familiar archetypes to solve their problems without many of the cards we've come to treat as Legacy staples.

Zac and Phil go through a series of Classic Legacy decks and ask:

What did these archetypes actually look like before their defining cards existed?

We look at:

• CounterTop / Blue-White Control without Terminus
• Storm without Past in Flames
• Canadian Threshold without Delver of Secrets
• Stone Blade-style decks without True-Name Nemesis or Batterskull
• Lands before Dark Depths + Thespian's Stage
• Aggro Loam without Green Sun's Zenith
• Merfolk without Master of the Pearl Trident
• Dredge before some of its later tools
• Affinity before the Scars of Mirrodin artifact explosion

One of the biggest themes is just how much one card can reshape an entire archetype.

Without Terminus, control decks had to rely on cards like Wrath of God, Moat, Engineered Explosives, and Pernicious Deed rather than building around a one-mana instant-speed sweeper.

Without Past in Flames, Storm is forced to operate through older engines like Ill-Gotten Gains, creating a fundamentally different set of decisions and deckbuilding constraints.

And without Delver, Canadian Threshold still looks familiar—but the deck loses the incredibly efficient turn-one threat that eventually streamlined the entire strategy.

We also get into some of the weirdest consequences of playing in this earlier card pool: Lands without Crop Rotation, Merfolk with Coralhelm Commander, Aggro Loam with Necrogen Mists, Dredge with different Dread Return targets, and Affinity desperately waiting for Scars of Mirrodin.

The result is a Legacy format that feels familiar—but requires you to solve problems that modern Legacy decks simply get to ignore.

If you're a Legacy player, which modern staple would you miss the most?

00:00 — What Was Legacy Before Innistrad?
01:53 — CounterTop Without Terminus
06:15 — Storm Without Past in Flames
09:37 — Canadian Threshold Without Delver
12:16 — Stone Blade Without Batterskull
15:37 — Lands Before Dark Depths
17:40 — Aggro Loam & the Missing Green Sun's Zenith
20:39 — Merfolk Without Modern Lords
24:25 — Dredge Before Modern Dredge
30:10 — Affinity Before Scars of Mirrodin

⏱️ Chapters

Control has been under siege in Legacy for a long time. But with the current metagame shifting, could Eternal Weekend finally be a place where control can compete again?

Zac and Phil break down the current Legacy metagame and ask a simple question: what would a control deck actually need to do to survive right now?

The current field is incredibly diverse, with Dimir Tempo, Tron, Death & Taxes, Boros Energy, Reanimator, Doomsday, Delver, Beanstalk Control, Eldrazi, Sneak & Show and more all showing up near the top of the metagame.

We talk about how control needs to line up its answers with the questions being asked, including the changing role of Prismatic Ending, Swords to Plowshares, Wrath of the Skies and other removal. Tron adopting Giants' Boulder is one example of how seemingly small changes to an opposing deck can completely alter control's answer suite.

Then we get into one of the biggest questions facing blue control decks right now:

Is Ponder too slow?

In a format full of Orcish Bowmasters, Thalia, Tamiyo, Delver threats and other ways to punish a player for spending an entire turn cycling at sorcery speed, the opportunity cost of Ponder may finally be too high.

We also discuss Consider, Spell Snare, instant-speed interaction, card advantage, Beanstalk, Flow State, and how control decks need to think about maintaining resource parity while still having enough answers to actually survive.

So is control ready to make its comeback at Eternal Weekend?

Or are we still trying to make an archetype work that Legacy simply doesn't want anymore?

Let us know what you think.

00:00 Can Control Compete in Legacy Again?
00:49 The Current Legacy Metagame
03:01 Why Tron Is Still a Problem
04:34 Control Has to Know the Questions
06:43 Aggro, Control & Combo in Legacy
10:23 The Problem With Combo Backup Plans
14:00 Bowmasters, Tamiyo & Removal
20:05 Is Ponder Too Slow?
24:48 Is Spell Snare Actually Good?
28:10 How Control Maintains Card Advantage

⏱️ Chapters

Control has been under siege in Legacy for a long time. But with the current metagame shifting, could Eternal Weekend finally be a place where control can compete again?

Zac and Phil break down the current Legacy metagame and ask a simple question: what would a control deck actually need to do to survive right now?

The current field is incredibly diverse, with Dimir Tempo, Tron, Death & Taxes, Boros Energy, Reanimator, Doomsday, Delver, Beanstalk Control, Eldrazi, Sneak & Show and more all showing up near the top of the metagame.

We talk about how control needs to line up its answers with the questions being asked, including the changing role of Prismatic Ending, Swords to Plowshares, Wrath of the Skies and other removal. Tron adopting Giants' Boulder is one example of how seemingly small changes to an opposing deck can completely alter control's answer suite.

Then we get into one of the biggest questions facing blue control decks right now:

Is Ponder too slow?

In a format full of Orcish Bowmasters, Thalia, Tamiyo, Delver threats and other ways to punish a player for spending an entire turn cycling at sorcery speed, the opportunity cost of Ponder may finally be too high.

We also discuss Consider, Spell Snare, instant-speed interaction, card advantage, Beanstalk, Flow State, and how control decks need to think about maintaining resource parity while still having enough answers to actually survive.

So is control ready to make its comeback at Eternal Weekend?

Or are we still trying to make an archetype work that Legacy simply doesn't want anymore?

Let us know what you think.

00:00 Can Control Compete in Legacy Again?
00:49 The Current Legacy Metagame
03:01 Why Tron Is Still a Problem
04:34 Control Has to Know the Questions
06:43 Aggro, Control & Combo in Legacy
10:23 The Problem With Combo Backup Plans
14:00 Bowmasters, Tamiyo & Removal
20:05 Is Ponder Too Slow?
24:48 Is Spell Snare Actually Good?
28:10 How Control Maintains Card Advantage

⏱️ Chapters

Classic Legacy might be one of the easiest community formats to get into — especially if you miss playing the old Magic cards that have been pushed out of competitive Legacy.

Cards like Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Goblin Guide, Arcbound Ravager, Vendilion Clique, and Vial have all fallen dramatically in price compared to their historical highs, while Classic Legacy gives them another place to shine.

In this episode, Zac and Phil look through a bunch of Classic Legacy decklists and talk about just how inexpensive it can be to build the format.

We look at:

• Classic Sly / Burn
• Mono-Blue Control
• Dredge
• Merfolk
• Affinity
• Zoo
• Old favorites like Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Goblin Guide, Jace, Vendilion Clique, and Arcbound Ravager
• Which cards are still expensive — and which versions are extremely cheap
• Why the format's proxy-friendly nature makes the barrier to entry even lower
• How Classic Legacy could work as a battle box for groups of friends
• Why community formats are a great way to bring old Magic cards back to the table

The bigger point isn't just that Classic Legacy is cheap.

It's that there are so many Magic cards we loved playing that have been power-crept out of modern competitive formats — and Classic gives those cards somewhere to live again.

Zac is even putting together a Classic Legacy battle box with enough decks to invite friends over for a weekend of games.

What Classic Legacy deck would you build first?

Classic Legacy might be one of the easiest community formats to get into — especially if you miss playing the old Magic cards that have been pushed out of competitive Legacy.

Cards like Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Goblin Guide, Arcbound Ravager, Vendilion Clique, and Vial have all fallen dramatically in price compared to their historical highs, while Classic Legacy gives them another place to shine.

In this episode, Zac and Phil look through a bunch of Classic Legacy decklists and talk about just how inexpensive it can be to build the format.

We look at:

• Classic Sly / Burn
• Mono-Blue Control
• Dredge
• Merfolk
• Affinity
• Zoo
• Old favorites like Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Goblin Guide, Jace, Vendilion Clique, and Arcbound Ravager
• Which cards are still expensive — and which versions are extremely cheap
• Why the format's proxy-friendly nature makes the barrier to entry even lower
• How Classic Legacy could work as a battle box for groups of friends
• Why community formats are a great way to bring old Magic cards back to the table

The bigger point isn't just that Classic Legacy is cheap.

It's that there are so many Magic cards we loved playing that have been power-crept out of modern competitive formats — and Classic gives those cards somewhere to live again.

Zac is even putting together a Classic Legacy battle box with enough decks to invite friends over for a weekend of games.

What Classic Legacy deck would you build first?

There has been a wave of videos telling Magic players why they should quit Magic and move to the next big CCG — most recently, discussions around Riftbound.

But do you actually have to choose?

Zac takes a step back from the “Magic is cooked, go play X instead” conversation and looks at the history of collectible card games, the idea of a Magic Golden Age, the explosion of products, the decline of competitive infrastructure, and the cycle that repeatedly plays out when new CCGs enter the market.

The idea that everyone remembers a different “Golden Age” of Magic is more complicated than nostalgia. Zac argues that the best era of Magic is deeply personal, shaped by community, events, formats, and your own relationship with the game.

We also dig into the CCG lifecycle: a new game arrives with huge prize support and hype, competitive players migrate, the company sees diminishing returns, hardcore fans remain, value-driven players move on, and eventually another game begins the cycle again. Zac argues that this pattern has happened repeatedly across the hobby.

And then there's the idea of “sunk cost.”

If you've spent years and thousands of dollars building a Magic collection, does that mean you're trapped? Absolutely not. You can play Magic. You can play Riftbound. You can play Sorcery. You can play Legacy, Premodern, Cube, Limited, or whatever else makes you happy.

You don't have to quit one game to enjoy another.

Magic itself is already dozens of different hobbies, and Zac argues that there's no reason your next CCG needs to replace the one you already love.

So if you're thinking about trying Riftbound — go for it.

Just don't sell your Magic cards first.

00:00 — Do You Really Need to Quit Magic?
02:18 — Was There Ever a Golden Age?
10:34 — When Magic Became Too Much to Keep Up With
15:31 — The Death of the Grand Prix System
18:24 — The CCG Cycle
22:14 — Is Your Magic Collection a Sunk Cost?
24:07 — You Can Play Two Games
26:37 — The Future of Riftbound & Other CCGs
28:00 — You Don't Have to Quit Magic

⏱️ Chapters