So you guys did an episode from an email I sent about magic jargon like 8 or 9 years ago. That's how long I've been watching. However I have two kids and a lot of responsibilities that take up all my free time. I no longer can play magic with my friends at a table. The only way I play it now is on magic arena. So with that being said I also have been unable to finish episodes in one day. Almost always it takes me 3 or more days to complete an episode like this one. I would love for you to do short videos. Something like 12 mins long. I understand that any given episode has about 10 mins of ads in it so a 22 min episode is fine too. Long story short. Bring back the top 5 or top 10 list. Secondly I love the draft series you are doing. When you draft lands or equipment. That's fun. And it's not 2 hrs. Plus Rachel is the best. You guys hire the best. Keep it up. Mono black player here at heart just asking for you guys to "remove" the long stuff.
Would you guys ever consider rating fans decks for a fee this show got me playing mtg so it would be cool if y'all rated fans decks and gave tips on improving them and told us our power levels of our decks
I thought it was awesome how you personalize your rules about card selection for the guest, I knew Jacob Bertrand was a powerful player when he brought koma but I think it's funny you told him to cut some counterspells lol, that would be me too.
Tbh I don’t care whether it’s content or gameplay, or what people believe the line is between that anymore. Your content is what introduced me to magic, commander, and its entire community, something I will always be grateful for. I no longer sit down to episodes of game knights for satisfaction, I do so for pure enjoyment. As long as I walk away from a video with an enjoyable experience, that’s all I can ask for.
Same for me. I had a couple friends who played found a show I liked and the rest is history. I leave it playing on loudspeaker while I work or do tasks it's an always continuing endeavor to learn more cards more strats more formats and find other great shows. I'm very much a magic whore I say lol I love all the good decks and formats and cards and shows it's all awesome to me....
I second this. Their content reminded me how much I love the commander format. Not only that even rewatching old episodes I learn new tricks to improve my gameplay.
This might be one of THE single best piece of EDH deck building content I've seen online. It doesn't focus on power, or efficiency, or synergies, or hard rules for ratios and card choice, but rather on what can make or unmake a fun, entertaining and dynamic edh night. Love this video.
Kinda have to focus on power, efficiency and synergies to get to where you have fun, entertaining, and dynamic edh nights. Ever notice how every deck they play tends to play various if not all focused and powerful staples? And every deck runs synergy engines? Crazy huh, it's like we can say all the buzzwords we like, but in the end we still all play and build to win regardless of how niche and quirky we try to be. xDDD
Agreed in points like producting and general quality, they all are for sure more or less sympathic, but sometimes you have to throw your brain out of the window to watch them, because even if someone has removal, nobody ever kills the by far biggest threat on the board.
Honestly yeah. After watching this episode I decided to cut a few counterspells from my recent deck. I had them all in there because it relies on the lord so much and I feared people might remove it. After watching this I remembered that people play commander to have fun and let others have fun, so most likely they'll let me play the lord and worry about it later when I already got a bunch of draw in and probably found the counter anyways
I learned commander from your show, and now when I meet people who want to learn I always point them to you. Easiest games to follow, full stop. And so fun. I binged them all and now look forward to new ones.
This has been the same for me as well. I have been playing for two years now and after the nuanced rules (real not unwritten) episode I find myself understanding complex interactions that long time players often miss. This show really helped bring me up to speed and then some!
Game Knights was my wife's entry point to understanding Magic & how a game of Commander generally works. I think some long-enfranchised players poke fun at the show for seeing things explained that they already know; teasing about a cutaway like "Someone cast a turn 1 Sol Ring, this will mean they have more mana for big spells on later turns!" but that is almost essential for someone just dipping their toes into this very very complicated game. Without the asides, confessionals, and explanations it's really easy for someone to go from "what's this 'Commander' game?" to "wow, I have no idea what's going on... I'll watch something else".
@@51gunner100% agree. I had actually been playing magic for three or four years before I touched commander… but I was playing with dollar commons while drinking with my friends in the garage. I ‘knew how to play’, but I didn’t actually know the RULES. Nor did I have a clue about how to build a good deck. Game Knights was THE resource that got me over the hump and actually understanding how stuff worked. All the explanations totally changed my ability to play the game. Once I got through the GK content I hit Tolerian. Now Im playing intolerable flicker bullshit decks and being a problem lmao
The Command Zone 10 year "wok don't run" celebration. Just a humble cooking episode where Josh and Jimmy make a comfort food dish of course w/ sriracha dipping sauce!
IMHO, the best episode of Game Knights was the Brandon Sanderson one. The game had a lot of back and forth, and Sanderson's skills as a storyteller translate pretty well to being a showman, and keeping the game entertaining. Admittedly, it's a hard game for viewers to replicate, since it used his personal cube, but it also goes to show viewers how much fun a cube can be, and might have even helped inspire a few people to build their own.
Thank you. I have been co-leading a LGS commander group for the last 1.5 years with an intentional focus on game play based on mutual respect. Many of the elements we have used were spoken about here. Like Josh said, often what makes watching a game on RUclips more enjoyable also makes simply playing more enjoyable. Thank you for validating that being the most well know commander RUclips channel.
10 year game knights idea. Big 16 or 32 person tourney over the course of a while with slots filled with returning guests or winners of previous episodes. Obviously a multi part thing over the course of several episodes. Would be cool if there was a central theme for all the games or maybe individual themes for each game of 4 (no cards over 4 mana cost, No rare lands, innistrad themed)
How about a 16 player tournament, and any card that wins a game is banned in the next round? It would be really interesting to see what obscure options they resort to for the finals.
16 players is 8+4+2=14 games. If editing takes 5 weeks that’s 70 weeks to produce. And if a game takes a day to film that’s 2 weeks straight of filming. You want to reconsider that idea?
@@BfeoAdmin Nope. I understand it's a lot of time and it was purely a hypothetical suggestion. Plus it would be a hell of a way to celebrate ten years. Feel free to give me calculations, but the snarky response really does nothing for your point.
@@BfeoAdmin 16 players commander tourney would be 4 games + 1 finals. Idk why you'd suggest any other format since the channel is best known for commander gameplay. Unless your calculation (which also didn't account for the final, weird) is suggesting a round robin format so all players get to play with everyone else? Sounds like a scheduling and admin nightmare
Hey I just wanted to say I got into magic about 5 months ago and I did because of your channel, you introduced me to commander and I built my own commander deck for my first deck and loved the game. I love your content and what you guys stand for and the amount of passion and hard work you put into all of your game knights episodes, even the extra turns ones. I learned alot from this channel and will always be grateful for you guys introducing me to Magic, In fact my older brother used to collect in the early 90s and 2000s but I never would have asked him if it wasnt for your channel. I always finish watching game knights extremely satisfied and learn about cards and interactions that I see NO one else do.
Thank you for sharing your secrets! As a mom learning from and with her kids how to play Magic, I appreciate the care and thought that goes into the crafting of your content. The presentation is very well done. I am sharing this with my son who is finishing a degree in electronic film and media. He can learn a lot from your process. And I am learning more from you and Prof about how to play. I am relieved - I feel bad about how long it can take me to play sometimes, and knowing that is not unusual shores up my confidence a bit!
The reality TV style editing certainly contributed to the allegations of being scripted. A big portion of the viewers lived through the early 2000s when reality shows were ubiquitous and many were eventually shown to be scripted. We carry that cynicism with us who had to live through a time when the Internet was slow and entertainment was limited to cable TV.
First I have to say thank you to the entire Command Zone Crew. I have been playing MTG since around 1993 with many many breaks over the years but my son recently sparked my interest again and pointed me to your podcast/youtube channel. It is fun seeing the game evolve and it is really helpful to see your GameKnights games for tips and tricks. I look forward to searching through your back catalogue for tips on dusting off my game.
I will say this, as an aspiring content creator - producer, it's great to hear about production cost for vfx and how playing a card actually effects the overall cost of the episode. I appreciate you guys for bringing that up as many people overlook that fact. Hopefully this helps people appreciate the artist involved more,. and understanding just how tedious that job can be. Seriously, loved this episode guys.
The thing I enjoy about this channel is that you guys were probably the first MTG channel to REALLY focus on your production value and it shows. There have been plenty of channels that stream gameplay but you guys made a whole series out of it and your hard work shows. I mainly watch Game Knights for said production value and seeing the fun animations that your crew comes up with
One of my favorite guests you guys have on is Brian Kibler! I love how he showcases simple decks at a high level with a fun demeanor. Bring him back soon!!
58:43 Admittedly, there was a time during Game Knights’ run when I felt turned off seeing you guys play your duals and other expensive toys. I remember thinking that the Command Zone and Game Knights no longer cared for budget-conscious players like myself, and that I am no longer part of your target market, causing me to actively avoid CZ/GK videos unless whenever you played precons. Glad to hear that you guys actively made changes in that regard.
If anyone doubts them about how hard evaluating cards in a vacuum is, remember that in the Mystic Intellect (C19) precon upgrade, they recommended cutting Dockside Extortionist for "a better ramp piece"
I’ve seen every episode of game knights now and they are the best, I love putting on an episode WHILE I build a deck just to help inspire I cool combo or a fun table card, amazing series with an amazing group behind it!
This episode brought to light some interesting "behind the scenes " information, information that raised my respect level about what you guys do. As a commander player, I have learned valuable knowledge from your channel. As I took advice from seasoned players, you, I noticed my game play change and improve. Thanks for all you share with the magic community!
Interesting mulligan rule for sure. My little group does a mulligan system where you always mulligan 7. BUT you draw 7, if you dont like it set it aside and draw a new 7. Once comfortable with your hand you then shuffle back in all the cards you set aside. Really speeds things up to start a few games for the night.
My group does a unique start which largely eliminates mulligans. We draw 12 bottom and put 5 on the bottom. Rare mulligans, only allowed for lack of land, everyone gets at least an ok start. Makes it fun for new decks right away and seems to minimize people getting flooded or droughted. Works for us
The discussion on trying to win versus trying to make an awesome game, and how sometimes that can require making suboptimal plays, makes me think of another channel I watch. There, a common recurring disclaimer is "if it looks like my opponents are going too easy on me at first, it's because they know people will only see them win if the run is interesting enough to get posted to RUclips." Which, incidentally, also echoes the earlier discussion about being "camera-worthy" in this video. It's interesting to see how different content creators can describe the same general ideas, and how regardless of the game, "it's only a good win if it isn't a one-sided stomp" is the best way to have fun, entertaining games. Great video!
What would be really fun to watch (for some of us at least) is a full behind the scenes of one episode. Even if the video is like 5-7 hours long, it would be really interesting to watch all the extra work you guys do to make the game knights content.
This was super helpful! I’ve been watching you guys forever! I even went back and rewatched your video on content creation and how to record your voice before I made the Chanel! I still have my make shift sound proof box you guys suggested! Thank you for all you do ❤
1:48:15 I absolutely learned magic through watching you guys. It’s been a wonderful ~1 year and I feel like I’ve watched your entire back log as well. Y’all are living the dream
I truly love this episode! Main reason is because I feel I understand what goes into you guy’s process. Secondly is because honestly your videos didn’t expose me to MTG. But, you guys made me love MTG! I truly wish I could properly find out how to support you with Card Kingdom and Ultra-Pro. Because I exclusively buy thru these sites because of you and I’ve spent plenty with your upgrade videos.
Listening to you guys talk about the show is so much fun, you have such a lovely and respectful dynamic, both during the podcast and also during play episodes! I started playing MtG/Commander about a month ago due to a friend bringing me into it (didn't even look at a magic card before and now I'm lowkey obsessed, ngl-) and he recommended your channel to me - watching your games sure helped me understand the game better, but it mainly showed me how much fun playing Commander with friends is
Josh and Jimmy are amazing. The Command Zone and all its sorrounding content are an great accomplishment that attests to what they've built. Rachael has been such a top tier addition to the main cast. She brings so much to the shows she is a part of. Like however the choice was made to bring her on, it was absolute a home run choice. Probably the 2nd best decision trailing only the creation of Command Zone itself.
you're guys channel an you're content single handed is the reason I came back 2 magic. Thank you guys for everything you do an we love all the content you guys do !!! ❤❤❤
How about they all play with the original Elder Dragons with no card printed later than Scourge - the last set with retro frames? It would be a nice throwback to the early days of Elder Dragon Highlander.
I think Josh's true turning point was the Dalek deck. His face lit up when he started making all those tokens, next episode was LCI. He played a token making graveyard deck!
Josh talking about them "sellng the concept of a deck" really hits home for me. I immediately started building and then bought the Mycotyrant after seeing him play it on Game Knights. That play he did with Dredge and Lethal Scheme was so cool that I had to try it myself. Now it's my favorite deck!
Last year I got back into magic and tried commander for the first time! I loved it! Found you guys then and you’ve helped me and many new players understand commander much better! Love your guys stuff and keep posting for us to enjoy! Happy 10 years to you guys!!!
As a very experienced EDH player who's seen a lot of content, I very often gravitate more to shorterish content where the gameplay speaks for itself, in particular muddstah and Quintessential Commander. That said, Game Knights is still and will always be the gold standard for the level of production and craft in EDH youtube content, and thats not even touching on how many thousands of people theyve brought into this hobby (and also possible financial ruin 😂) Really appreciate this behind the scenes look at your craft. The care and love you guys put into this really shines through and is super inspiring. Im not one myself but I think this should be required viewing for content creators in your sphere.
This was such an interesting episode and it also cast a light on our pods - I run a monthly edh casual torunment and this really inspired me to explain what could make for a "fun" game versus just wanting only to win
One thing I like about North 100 on LRR is that the show is for showcasing weird, fun, cool, or personal decks. I believe they find them on Moxfield or other sites. This format could be cool for Commander too.
I literally love everything the command zone does! Keep it going! To cut some of the technical difficulties and time consuming aspects of technical plays from the live board state. Cut away from the live board and add an "interactions" or "stack" screen. Where someone from the crew or one of the guests could narrate the play. Digital representations of the cards can be much more easily added, removed, and interacted with. Hopefully this will stop the need for huge chunks of live play editing and you could cut back to the game once its all resolved. I appreciate all the hard work in creating the content you do!
I would love to see an episode of game knights where each player makes a deck for the person to their left, and they can talk about why they thought that person would love that deck, and we can hear more about each person’s playstyle and preferences
Thank you for this video. I've been watching your RUclips channel since there were only 4 or 5 episodes of game knights. I love the opportunity you give us to peek behind the curtain once in a while. I am at a point now where I run FNM at my LGS. (That gives me an income to supplement my magic spending habits. 😁) A number of your episodes have helped me learn the game (how priority works, cards you're probably playing wrong, etc...) I am much more confident and more often correct when I'm asked to make a judge call at an event I'm running. Keep these great, entertaining, and informative videos coming.
Craig’s fetch land episode laid the groundwork for me wanting to go off in lands matter strategies, I’m an established Titania player and am known for it in my group!😁
1:45:10 this improv “yes, and…” conversation reminds me of when Michael Scott joined an improv group and every scenario he was part of ended with him killing every other person. This kind of parallels with the idea that you guys choose to avoid playing the overpowered, one-card-game-ending pieces, because it has the same vibe; we are all building on each other and you come along and end the skit the same way every time - and it just is a big eye roll from everyone again.
This kind of content is amazing, keep it up. Open, transparent and informative, i really feel this carries wisdom that would greatly help other youtube channels, not even magic related; both in type of content and on how you create your content.
You can't ramp into card draw but you will draw into ramp. Card draw gets you all the pieces eventually so the more you draw the faster you assemble your wincon or get the required interaction
I love all of the content that you guys put out but the podcasts like this one are definitely my favorite. It's refreshing to hear a group discussing whatever the topic is for that day, and it also can be an eye opener as well. These podcasts really make you feel like you're part of the conversation and I love that. I also learned that out of my 37 commander decks I'd probably only be able to bring about 5 of them to a Game Knights episode haha. (Nothing against their house rules, I just love playing combo) Much love guys
You've created a metagame where low-CMC card advantage commanders are a hundred thousand times better than they already are, and whoever gets the lead snowballs out of control.
All of you at the Command Zone are amazing!! I learned so much more about commander from your podcast than I could of done just from playing at my local game store. I truly appreciate everything you do to make these videos available and cohesive. It definitely has improved my game play so much.
I've struggled for the last year to build decks I enjoy playing as well as fun to play against. I'm a sucker for stax, but I have listened to this podcast at least four times in the last two days, and have taken alot of your deckbuilding stuff to heart. Definitely changing the approach substantially. Probably one of the most insightful pieces of deckbuilding advice you have done. Thank you!
I don't even play Magic anymore, but I watch you guys. Since you all have or can get access to most or all the cards, you can do things that I or my playgroup may not especially with more expensive cards. I feel anxious when I think about playing Commander because I always feel inadequate as a player and deck, but I can live vicariously through Game Knights and treat it like watching a sporting event or TV show. Plus I absolutely LOVE to insight and getting the thought processes with the interviews or even the podcasts. Like I said, I don't play the game anymore, but I really like listening to Rachel and Josh or whoever is on reviewing commanders vs the 99 for each set or the discussion on gold fishing or deck building or Jimmy talked about mindset and psychology. This channel is such an inspiration. I wish I knew how to start up my own version of Command Zone for the card game I do currently play, but maybe becoming what you guys are now is a lofty goal. Maybe I should go back to some of the original episodes and capture the essence of that, apply it to my game, and see what becomes of it. It would be so cool for my game's community to have something like this within reach, and getting all the secrets to the recipe is really cool too. Producing exciting gameplay and offering a deep insightful perspective on what it takes to play better or improve the experience is everything I'd love to provide in a channel. Thank you for the Command Zone, Game Knights, and this episode in particular.
When it comes to playing commander, don't worry about inadequacies. Most play groups I've been in as a brand new commander player myself have been real cool about it, and there's no real 'point' in winning games, because you never know if you'll be able to get through. Case in point, I thought I was gonna be able to kill 2 people in a single shot with spell copy, and one of the copies got countered, so I couldn't close it out. Ohhh well, next game! Good luck to you if you start up your own command zone type of thing!
I’m really liking the more behind the scenes videos that are coming out. It was funny that Rachel said we probably wouldn’t want to hear about the editing, cause that’s actually something I’m most curious about; what’s the edit schedule, how does the interview section work, etc. Very cool episode!
my playgroup uses mostly the same mulligan, but in order to speed things up, instead of shuffling in between each mulligan, you "burn" those seven and go for the next seven. it helps everyone keep a hand where they can impact the game, and lessens the time between games
I started being more involved with commander with lost caverns of Ixalan, your game knights of LCI was really fun and it really made me excited to play games of my own!
Great episode, probably my favorite from recent memory. I really enjoyed the deep dive of the behind the scenes stuff that helps make the show watchable.
I think I realized why I love watching Game Knights so much... I have the same philosophy with my deck building and gameplay. The fun rule. I prioritize fun over everything else and it can sometimes be tough in my playgroup, where people are using best-in-slot cards.
Game knights got me into magic 2 years later in still here now with like 13 decks ten of which are custom brews and 3 pre cons Really enjoy watching you're podcast and gk episodes theyve helped me build my own decks and decide how i want to play magic
this makes sense. everything pretty much geared towards making a show instead of just playing EDH as you would at a random LGS or similar. this is why I personally much prefer the very early episodes of game nights, where at least to me it seemed that all these rules either did not yet exist or where much looser. felt much more realistic to how the average table plays. extra turns also feels much closer to that than game nights episodes. and of course all these rules and guidelines explain why some episodes feel scripted (even if they aren't).
What I really enjoyed about your show as a player who started not too long ago is the pacing of the show. Every card that comes into play either has an animation, but more importantly, shows you the card so I can read and learn how it plays. You guys are a great show. Scripted or not, I still learn about so many cards.
The secret banned list was a bit of a surprise. I 100% have reduced the complexity of my decks as a result of this show. I think you have talked about the mental bandwidth of cards before. I took Arcane Bombardment out of my Spellslinger decks with red in them for a reason. I would just get steamrolled by MY OWN CARD because I would have other things that interact with that card's activation and it just wasn't fun anymore.
@ 20:00, talking about controlling commanders -- do know that an unmitigated unrestricted table can be less fun as well. If someone takes over quickly and isn't slowed down by anything, well that's no fun either! there needs to be a mix of playstyles at a table for the most optimal fun IMO. Some aggro, some midrange, some control.
I love seeing how much thought and care goes into making the show! It’s clear that y’all care a lot about protecting the vibe, and I *love* that! I also have a newfound respect for JLK, if this is him reining in his Control-Combo instincts 😝 I had a friend who played truly brutal control, then got his feelings hurt every time he didn’t win, so I’ve got some trauma from that
So many profound sayings in the 'Gaming Mindset' segment around 1:21:30 onwards. It's why I'm so appreciative of your approach to how you do... everything... as explained in the video. Because watching a game truly feels like watching a game I like to play for fun with friends, but still with a competitive edge. It's why I found the cEDH video interesting, but not as fun, because it felt very contra to everything you've said - the decks felt very 'gotcha', or 'I found the combo, I win now'. Thanks for the behind the scenes talk, really interesting to know HOW you craft such fun videos.
The Game Narrative portion is what resonated with me the most. I love playing Commander to have fun games. I want to see everyone do the thing. I design my decks to do the thing, but in a way that doesn't take away from other people's ability to do the thing. Thank you for this video! Glad to learn this stuff.
This is my favorite video from you guys so far. A decent amount of these "rules" are just things most playgroups end up doing after a couple years of playing together. After a while people start realizing what is and isn't fun to play with; cutting tutors and fast mana, playing for the "cool factor" instead of playing to win, never punching down and letting every deck shine a little... those are the games that are the most fun.
I really enjoy episodes like this. I have been playing magic off and on since the mid 90's, but the command zone has made me a better player all around. The best comment I've ever received (in an mtg context), was that someone at an lgs said I was their favourite person to play against.
Great episode! So many things to think about, how to make the game even more fun to play. I like those episodes where you talk about the more philosophical and practical aspects of Magic!
I share a lot of these philosophies with you guys. I'm always trying to play to have fun and make sure everyone can have a great experience. Obviously I can't impact everything but little things like pointing out lines, reminding of my place in the power balance, even pointing out safe/bad attacks/blocks. Some people find it annoying I'll be honest but I only do it when I'm involved. I think it helps everybody play a cleaner game and helps when people are afraid to make decisions because they are overwhelmed. Great episode guys.
This breakdown of your video and game process and behind-the-scenes makes a lot off sense as to why I enjoy watching you guys play magic even if I don't. Coming from a Yu-Gi-Oh and now Pokemon background, MTG has always been that OG card game that seemed too daunting to even watch, but even though I don't play, I absolutely love watching this show and the way you guys do the interviews are so entertaining that I've found myself waiting for the next big play/counterplay, and I've learned a bit too!
Really glad I watched this episode! It felt like Josh was speaking right to me when he mentioned about putting more card draw in and not keeping an opener with an explosive turn 3 cause when someone stops you then you have nothing to do the rest of the game. So it's better to have a steady stream of doing something the whole game. I don't care about winning or losing, I just hate playing games where I do nothing or don't get to do the thing. I have a bad habit of getting upset and salty when my stuff gets removed in a game and I'm pretty convinced this is the reason why! I just have nothing to do after and rather than getting upset at the person for removing the threat, I just need to become a better player/deck builder. Great video, great advice, great commentary. Loved it! Well done all ❤ Edit: towards the end when their talking about playing commander is like doing a wheelie on the playground is totally my playstyle, like yeah I don't Wana stop you from doing the thing, I just also Wana do the thing but I also Wana win so I'm gonna try and do the thing first. Me and my friend were laughing about it cause I always give him so much shit for removing my stuff and I was like yeah I'm just trying to do a wheelie and your over there killing my bike! 😂
I started plaing commander (and even mtg in general) about 9 months ago and I was so thankful for your channel and game knights to exist!! I came from yugioh and really wanted to get into commander and I think the most important thing is, that GK is communicating everything thats happening so perfektly. You guys are doing a great Job!
Hearing Rachel talk about being "easy" to play with is how I feel after learning basically everything I know from watching Game Knights. It's pretty ingrained in me that part of my turn is explaining it as I go, so I'm always that person in my pod.
"Learning commander through Game Knights is a little nuts" Me, who during covid binged all the episodes in a week and bought an ikoria precon because of the show
I think it's totally fine to avoid certain cards that lead to complex board states that don't make for great shows, but personally I would prefer *if* a board state exists on the show, that all the game actions are shown- even if they're moved over pretty quickly. I think even though it may make things slightly less "fun," but I think it does a disservice to new players and for old players most of us would rather see them anyway even if it's not constant action. Just my 2c.
What's not to love, wholesome moments with wholesome people and we get to share in the experience. Wether it's you amazing people on here, Tolarian community college, Edh hijinks, or commander at home you all help us get through the week with smiles on our faces even if it is occasionally giggling when one of you major pops off whilst Jimmy gets land locked... we've all been there in our commander pods 😂❤
'We don't use cards that are too annoying like Winter Orb because even watching it becomes tedious after a while' 'Pay for Rhystic? Pay for Sentinel? Pay for Tithe? Pay for Curse?'
First ever video I watched from you guys was the first Post Malone video and I have been hooked on commander ever since. I have watched every episode of game knights and it is such a blast to watch. You guys put so much work in and make each episode the best it can be. Keep up the great work 😁
This was a great video, really fun to listen to. I wish viewers would remember that these rules work well because you are playing in a controlled environment, a controlled/tailored meta, and with a semi-fixed (or at least mostly regular) group of players, with a very specific goal (fun games to watch). These aren't hardfast and true real life game circumstance that normal players will find in a game store.
Prof is so enigmatic and silly, it gives permission to the other players at the table to open up too. He definitely garners the eye-rolls and relishes in it. I aspire to be more open and honest like prof.
For 10 years why not do a game knights tournament with as many knighted guests and maybe some new ones + as much of the production team as possible playing games until a champion is decided
We love your content because that's how we like our games to go. Fun, interactive and random. From time to time we also play a power pod where we bring the most powerful decks we have, otherwise we play causally. I hate playing against combo decks for the same reason. And even when we do we make it public stuff like if this resolves I'll win the match.
I’d love to see some of the gameplay that was shot and not used for the Final Cut. Like where someone just gets a huge explosive start and just wipes the floor with the other three! If you did this, maybe it would give younger and new players an example of how experienced players deal with that aspect of the game.
Watching the episode of Game Knights when Josh played MoM is when I found my favorite commander. Watching that deck unfold confirmed that I had to build that deck!!
My playgroup has experienced a couple "not-fun-nights" in a row the last 2 times we gathered. This episode seems like a good guideline and I'm putting it forward as such, for an attitude to bring to the evening if you want to participate. Obviously, as you mention, a turn zero talk where "do we want to play a mean game" can always be tabled, I think the spirit of gameplay you guys outline here should be the benchmark for an enjoyable evening. Thanks for all the awesome content 💪🏼❤️👍🏼
I think ward 2 on legendary creatures is acceptable, we want to build around a commander and it should be easier to keep them around. I think he presence of ward is overstated, yeah roaming throne didn't need it but i think the strength of voja and roaming throne are the parts of the cards that are the issue moreso than the ward. My 6 mana ziatora the Incinerator shouldnt be removable by exile for one white pip also removing my ability to interact with the interaction by providing indestructible or using a feign death effect. I also utilize nearly 0 board wipes, 1-2 is generally the most and only if they are synergistic, like languish in Grismold or tragic arrogance in feather or wilson
In our playgroup we have a different mulligan rule. We still use the regular london mulligan rule, BUT you draw 10 cards instead of 7. After deciding to keep your hand you have to shuffle 3 cards back in to your deck + however many times you've taken a mulligan (first mulligan is free). We learned that this makes the games more fun for all players, but still have the drawbacks of having to take a mulligan
I really enjoy listening through these issues and I really feel like they help me try to be a better deckbuilder and player. If I could only make one suggestion it would be to get subtitles... And if possible, to translate said subtitles to other languages. I'm kind of sad that my playgroup aren't really willing to get into your content (and get better at playing) mostly due to the language barrier. Otherwise, keep it going! It's awesome!
Okay so I'm just a casual fan but I have to say @Josh, It was because of you that I built 2 cmc Emmara and to this day it is one of my favourite decks. I love the statement he said about this being a love letter and He's happy to just Sell someone on a deck he's playing. Much Love!
Did anything surprise you about our house rules or process? What do you think we can work on improving?
I knew that CZ allowed multiple mulligans to make sure everyone had a playable starting hand but I thought it was 2-3x not 10x
So you guys did an episode from an email I sent about magic jargon like 8 or 9 years ago. That's how long I've been watching. However I have two kids and a lot of responsibilities that take up all my free time. I no longer can play magic with my friends at a table. The only way I play it now is on magic arena. So with that being said I also have been unable to finish episodes in one day. Almost always it takes me 3 or more days to complete an episode like this one. I would love for you to do short videos. Something like 12 mins long. I understand that any given episode has about 10 mins of ads in it so a 22 min episode is fine too.
Long story short. Bring back the top 5 or top 10 list.
Secondly I love the draft series you are doing. When you draft lands or equipment. That's fun. And it's not 2 hrs.
Plus Rachel is the best. You guys hire the best. Keep it up.
Mono black player here at heart just asking for you guys to "remove" the long stuff.
Would you guys ever consider rating fans decks for a fee this show got me playing mtg so it would be cool if y'all rated fans decks and gave tips on improving them and told us our power levels of our decks
I thought it was awesome how you personalize your rules about card selection for the guest, I knew Jacob Bertrand was a powerful player when he brought koma but I think it's funny you told him to cut some counterspells lol, that would be me too.
Do you guys ever play or spotlight on fan's deck builds??
Game Knights isn’t scripted. But it doesn’t change the fact that Josh will draw cards while jimmy will be in a land drought.
or land flood
@@cosmicpheon1x546or Land Flood with no Payoffs or Removal. Or lose after Dockside Looping 6 Times
So, one must ask. How do you remove the Jimmy curse? Because the last few games I've played, it's been either one or the other for me lol
@@amphilochusofmallus5070 Simple. You cannot remove the Curse. It must be passed to another
@@amphilochusofmallus5070witchbane orb?
Tbh I don’t care whether it’s content or gameplay, or what people believe the line is between that anymore. Your content is what introduced me to magic, commander, and its entire community, something I will always be grateful for. I no longer sit down to episodes of game knights for satisfaction, I do so for pure enjoyment. As long as I walk away from a video with an enjoyable experience, that’s all I can ask for.
I think unscripted but expertly curated content is my favorite way to enjoy mtg content outside of playing. 🙂 The command zone does this well. 👍🏼
Same for me. I had a couple friends who played found a show I liked and the rest is history. I leave it playing on loudspeaker while I work or do tasks it's an always continuing endeavor to learn more cards more strats more formats and find other great shows. I'm very much a magic whore I say lol I love all the good decks and formats and cards and shows it's all awesome to me....
I second this. Their content reminded me how much I love the commander format. Not only that even rewatching old episodes I learn new tricks to improve my gameplay.
Same here. I also found their constant cutaways to explain what was happening to be really helpful when first learning
Same. I didnt play at all and just watch command zone and now we have a league at my LGS with similar rules from the command zone.
This might be one of THE single best piece of EDH deck building content I've seen online. It doesn't focus on power, or efficiency, or synergies, or hard rules for ratios and card choice, but rather on what can make or unmake a fun, entertaining and dynamic edh night. Love this video.
Kinda have to focus on power, efficiency and synergies to get to where you have fun, entertaining, and dynamic edh nights. Ever notice how every deck they play tends to play various if not all focused and powerful staples? And every deck runs synergy engines? Crazy huh, it's like we can say all the buzzwords we like, but in the end we still all play and build to win regardless of how niche and quirky we try to be.
xDDD
Bear deck goes brrrrr @@Wiwwia
Agreed in points like producting and general quality, they all are for sure more or less sympathic, but sometimes you have to throw your brain out of the window to watch them, because even if someone has removal, nobody ever kills the by far biggest threat on the board.
Honestly yeah. After watching this episode I decided to cut a few counterspells from my recent deck. I had them all in there because it relies on the lord so much and I feared people might remove it. After watching this I remembered that people play commander to have fun and let others have fun, so most likely they'll let me play the lord and worry about it later when I already got a bunch of draw in and probably found the counter anyways
I learned commander from your show,
and now when I meet people who want to learn I always point them to you.
Easiest games to follow, full stop. And so fun. I binged them all and now look forward to new ones.
They are the only gameplay videos that I can actually get my husband to watch.
This has been the same for me as well. I have been playing for two years now and after the nuanced rules (real not unwritten) episode I find myself understanding complex interactions that long time players often miss.
This show really helped bring me up to speed and then some!
Game Knights was my wife's entry point to understanding Magic & how a game of Commander generally works.
I think some long-enfranchised players poke fun at the show for seeing things explained that they already know; teasing about a cutaway like "Someone cast a turn 1 Sol Ring, this will mean they have more mana for big spells on later turns!" but that is almost essential for someone just dipping their toes into this very very complicated game.
Without the asides, confessionals, and explanations it's really easy for someone to go from "what's this 'Commander' game?" to "wow, I have no idea what's going on... I'll watch something else".
@@51gunner100% agree. I had actually been playing magic for three or four years before I touched commander… but I was playing with dollar commons while drinking with my friends in the garage.
I ‘knew how to play’, but I didn’t actually know the RULES. Nor did I have a clue about how to build a good deck. Game Knights was THE resource that got me over the hump and actually understanding how stuff worked. All the explanations totally changed my ability to play the game. Once I got through the GK content I hit Tolerian.
Now Im playing intolerable flicker bullshit decks and being a problem lmao
Same
The Command Zone 10 year "wok don't run" celebration. Just a humble cooking episode where Josh and Jimmy make a comfort food dish of course w/ sriracha dipping sauce!
Need a feast of fiction crossover / return 😔
IMHO, the best episode of Game Knights was the Brandon Sanderson one. The game had a lot of back and forth, and Sanderson's skills as a storyteller translate pretty well to being a showman, and keeping the game entertaining. Admittedly, it's a hard game for viewers to replicate, since it used his personal cube, but it also goes to show viewers how much fun a cube can be, and might have even helped inspire a few people to build their own.
Thank you. I have been co-leading a LGS commander group for the last 1.5 years with an intentional focus on game play based on mutual respect. Many of the elements we have used were spoken about here. Like Josh said, often what makes watching a game on RUclips more enjoyable also makes simply playing more enjoyable. Thank you for validating that being the most well know commander RUclips channel.
I'm voting for a Gameknights 10km run event.
10 year game knights idea.
Big 16 or 32 person tourney over the course of a while with slots filled with returning guests or winners of previous episodes.
Obviously a multi part thing over the course of several episodes.
Would be cool if there was a central theme for all the games or maybe individual themes for each game of 4 (no cards over 4 mana cost, No rare lands, innistrad themed)
How about a 16 player tournament, and any card that wins a game is banned in the next round?
It would be really interesting to see what obscure options they resort to for the finals.
16 players is 8+4+2=14 games. If editing takes 5 weeks that’s 70 weeks to produce. And if a game takes a day to film that’s 2 weeks straight of filming.
You want to reconsider that idea?
@@BfeoAdmin Nope. I understand it's a lot of time and it was purely a hypothetical suggestion. Plus it would be a hell of a way to celebrate ten years.
Feel free to give me calculations, but the snarky response really does nothing for your point.
@@BfeoAdmin 16 players commander tourney would be 4 games + 1 finals. Idk why you'd suggest any other format since the channel is best known for commander gameplay. Unless your calculation (which also didn't account for the final, weird) is suggesting a round robin format so all players get to play with everyone else? Sounds like a scheduling and admin nightmare
I like how some people don’t understand that commander is a 4 player game
Hey I just wanted to say I got into magic about 5 months ago and I did because of your channel, you introduced me to commander and I built my own commander deck for my first deck and loved the game. I love your content and what you guys stand for and the amount of passion and hard work you put into all of your game knights episodes, even the extra turns ones. I learned alot from this channel and will always be grateful for you guys introducing me to Magic, In fact my older brother used to collect in the early 90s and 2000s but I never would have asked him if it wasnt for your channel. I always finish watching game knights extremely satisfied and learn about cards and interactions that I see NO one else do.
Thank you for sharing your secrets! As a mom learning from and with her kids how to play Magic, I appreciate the care and thought that goes into the crafting of your content. The presentation is very well done. I am sharing this with my son who is finishing a degree in electronic film and media. He can learn a lot from your process. And I am learning more from you and Prof about how to play. I am relieved - I feel bad about how long it can take me to play sometimes, and knowing that is not unusual shores up my confidence a bit!
The reality TV style editing certainly contributed to the allegations of being scripted. A big portion of the viewers lived through the early 2000s when reality shows were ubiquitous and many were eventually shown to be scripted. We carry that cynicism with us who had to live through a time when the Internet was slow and entertainment was limited to cable TV.
First I have to say thank you to the entire Command Zone Crew. I have been playing MTG since around 1993 with many many breaks over the years but my son recently sparked my interest again and pointed me to your podcast/youtube channel. It is fun seeing the game evolve and it is really helpful to see your GameKnights games for tips and tricks. I look forward to searching through your back catalogue for tips on dusting off my game.
I will say this, as an aspiring content creator - producer, it's great to hear about production cost for vfx and how playing a card actually effects the overall cost of the episode. I appreciate you guys for bringing that up as many people overlook that fact. Hopefully this helps people appreciate the artist involved more,. and understanding just how tedious that job can be. Seriously, loved this episode guys.
The thing I enjoy about this channel is that you guys were probably the first MTG channel to REALLY focus on your production value and it shows. There have been plenty of channels that stream gameplay but you guys made a whole series out of it and your hard work shows. I mainly watch Game Knights for said production value and seeing the fun animations that your crew comes up with
One of my favorite guests you guys have on is Brian Kibler! I love how he showcases simple decks at a high level with a fun demeanor. Bring him back soon!!
Please don't.. you can watch his own show 🙃
@@maxbodifee3263why not both?
58:43 Admittedly, there was a time during Game Knights’ run when I felt turned off seeing you guys play your duals and other expensive toys. I remember thinking that the Command Zone and Game Knights no longer cared for budget-conscious players like myself, and that I am no longer part of your target market, causing me to actively avoid CZ/GK videos unless whenever you played precons. Glad to hear that you guys actively made changes in that regard.
If anyone doubts them about how hard evaluating cards in a vacuum is, remember that in the Mystic Intellect (C19) precon upgrade, they recommended cutting Dockside Extortionist for "a better ramp piece"
I still remember when they said it wasn't that good lol
lmao, seriously? Oh man, I gotta go find that and watch it.
I’ve seen every episode of game knights now and they are the best, I love putting on an episode WHILE I build a deck just to help inspire I cool combo or a fun table card, amazing series with an amazing group behind it!
This episode brought to light some interesting "behind the scenes " information, information that raised my respect level about what you guys do. As a commander player, I have learned valuable knowledge from your channel. As I took advice from seasoned players, you, I noticed my game play change and improve. Thanks for all you share with the magic community!
Interesting mulligan rule for sure.
My little group does a mulligan system where you always mulligan 7. BUT you draw 7, if you dont like it set it aside and draw a new 7. Once comfortable with your hand you then shuffle back in all the cards you set aside. Really speeds things up to start a few games for the night.
My group does a unique start which largely eliminates mulligans. We draw 12 bottom and put 5 on the bottom. Rare mulligans, only allowed for lack of land, everyone gets at least an ok start. Makes it fun for new decks right away and seems to minimize people getting flooded or droughted. Works for us
@@Kurisu42069”we draw 12 bottom”
Are you saying that you draw 12 from the bottom of your deck for your opening hand instead of from the top? Why?
@eXJonSnow no that was weird, must have been tired. Draw 12 from the top then bottom 5. If you have 3 or more lands you must keep.
The discussion on trying to win versus trying to make an awesome game, and how sometimes that can require making suboptimal plays, makes me think of another channel I watch. There, a common recurring disclaimer is "if it looks like my opponents are going too easy on me at first, it's because they know people will only see them win if the run is interesting enough to get posted to RUclips."
Which, incidentally, also echoes the earlier discussion about being "camera-worthy" in this video. It's interesting to see how different content creators can describe the same general ideas, and how regardless of the game, "it's only a good win if it isn't a one-sided stomp" is the best way to have fun, entertaining games.
Great video!
What would be really fun to watch (for some of us at least) is a full behind the scenes of one episode. Even if the video is like 5-7 hours long, it would be really interesting to watch all the extra work you guys do to make the game knights content.
This was super helpful! I’ve been watching you guys forever! I even went back and rewatched your video on content creation and how to record your voice before I made the Chanel! I still have my make shift sound proof box you guys suggested! Thank you for all you do ❤
1:48:15 I absolutely learned magic through watching you guys. It’s been a wonderful ~1 year and I feel like I’ve watched your entire back log as well. Y’all are living the dream
I truly love this episode! Main reason is because I feel I understand what goes into you guy’s process. Secondly is because honestly your videos didn’t expose me to MTG. But, you guys made me love MTG! I truly wish I could properly find out how to support you with Card Kingdom and Ultra-Pro. Because I exclusively buy thru these sites because of you and I’ve spent plenty with your upgrade videos.
Listening to you guys talk about the show is so much fun, you have such a lovely and respectful dynamic, both during the podcast and also during play episodes!
I started playing MtG/Commander about a month ago due to a friend bringing me into it (didn't even look at a magic card before and now I'm lowkey obsessed, ngl-) and he recommended your channel to me - watching your games sure helped me understand the game better, but it mainly showed me how much fun playing Commander with friends is
Josh and Jimmy are amazing. The Command Zone and all its sorrounding content are an great accomplishment that attests to what they've built.
Rachael has been such a top tier addition to the main cast. She brings so much to the shows she is a part of. Like however the choice was made to bring her on, it was absolute a home run choice. Probably the 2nd best decision trailing only the creation of Command Zone itself.
I cant believe they predicted the new banlist. Damn.
I can lmao
you're guys channel an you're content single handed is the reason I came back 2 magic. Thank you guys for everything you do an we love all the content you guys do !!! ❤❤❤
For 10 years, you can play your favorite decks or have the fans build your decks.
Yeah! Fan decks would be great! I have the jankiest Volo Guide to Monsters deck and would LOVE to see Josh pilot it!! 😆🤣
How about they all play with the original Elder Dragons with no card printed later than Scourge - the last set with retro frames? It would be a nice throwback to the early days of Elder Dragon Highlander.
I think Josh's true turning point was the Dalek deck. His face lit up when he started making all those tokens, next episode was LCI. He played a token making graveyard deck!
Josh talking about them "sellng the concept of a deck" really hits home for me. I immediately started building and then bought the Mycotyrant after seeing him play it on Game Knights. That play he did with Dredge and Lethal Scheme was so cool that I had to try it myself. Now it's my favorite deck!
Last year I got back into magic and tried commander for the first time! I loved it! Found you guys then and you’ve helped me and many new players understand commander much better! Love your guys stuff and keep posting for us to enjoy! Happy 10 years to you guys!!!
As a very experienced EDH player who's seen a lot of content, I very often gravitate more to shorterish content where the gameplay speaks for itself, in particular muddstah and Quintessential Commander. That said, Game Knights is still and will always be the gold standard for the level of production and craft in EDH youtube content, and thats not even touching on how many thousands of people theyve brought into this hobby (and also possible financial ruin 😂)
Really appreciate this behind the scenes look at your craft. The care and love you guys put into this really shines through and is super inspiring. Im not one myself but I think this should be required viewing for content creators in your sphere.
This was such an interesting episode and it also cast a light on our pods - I run a monthly edh casual torunment and this really inspired me to explain what could make for a "fun" game versus just wanting only to win
I've missed seeing Jimmy & Josh on a non-gameplay video. Nothing against the other hosts!
One thing I like about North 100 on LRR is that the show is for showcasing weird, fun, cool, or personal decks. I believe they find them on Moxfield or other sites. This format could be cool for Commander too.
I need to see an ad for whatever Jimmy is using in his hair. Dude’s mop is looking healthy.
It’s a perm!!! Highly recommended for people who have straight hair and want to punch it up a bit - jimmy
@@commandcast what was the other Mirko deck for Jimmy? and why he chose the one he used?
I literally love everything the command zone does! Keep it going!
To cut some of the technical difficulties and time consuming aspects of technical plays from the live board state.
Cut away from the live board and add an "interactions" or "stack" screen. Where someone from the crew or one of the guests could narrate the play. Digital representations of the cards can be much more easily added, removed, and interacted with. Hopefully this will stop the need for huge chunks of live play editing and you could cut back to the game once its all resolved.
I appreciate all the hard work in creating the content you do!
I would love to see an episode of game knights where each player makes a deck for the person to their left, and they can talk about why they thought that person would love that deck, and we can hear more about each person’s playstyle and preferences
Thank you for this video. I've been watching your RUclips channel since there were only 4 or 5 episodes of game knights. I love the opportunity you give us to peek behind the curtain once in a while. I am at a point now where I run FNM at my LGS. (That gives me an income to supplement my magic spending habits. 😁) A number of your episodes have helped me learn the game (how priority works, cards you're probably playing wrong, etc...) I am much more confident and more often correct when I'm asked to make a judge call at an event I'm running. Keep these great, entertaining, and informative videos coming.
Started following Jimmy back when VGHS was first on yt, then started playing magic because of the command zone. wow how time flies by...
Craig’s fetch land episode laid the groundwork for me wanting to go off in lands matter strategies, I’m an established Titania player and am known for it in my group!😁
1:45:10 this improv “yes, and…” conversation reminds me of when Michael Scott joined an improv group and every scenario he was part of ended with him killing every other person.
This kind of parallels with the idea that you guys choose to avoid playing the overpowered, one-card-game-ending pieces, because it has the same vibe; we are all building on each other and you come along and end the skit the same way every time - and it just is a big eye roll from everyone again.
This kind of content is amazing, keep it up. Open, transparent and informative, i really feel this carries wisdom that would greatly help other youtube channels, not even magic related; both in type of content and on how you create your content.
You can't ramp into card draw but you will draw into ramp. Card draw gets you all the pieces eventually so the more you draw the faster you assemble your wincon or get the required interaction
I love all of the content that you guys put out but the podcasts like this one are definitely my favorite. It's refreshing to hear a group discussing whatever the topic is for that day, and it also can be an eye opener as well. These podcasts really make you feel like you're part of the conversation and I love that.
I also learned that out of my 37 commander decks I'd probably only be able to bring about 5 of them to a Game Knights episode haha. (Nothing against their house rules, I just love playing combo) Much love guys
Easy power down tips:
- Remove tutors
- Reduce Removal/control
- Reduce mana ramp ;p
You've created a metagame where low-CMC card advantage commanders are a hundred thousand times better than they already are, and whoever gets the lead snowballs out of control.
All of you at the Command Zone are amazing!! I learned so much more about commander from your podcast than I could of done just from playing at my local game store. I truly appreciate everything you do to make these videos available and cohesive. It definitely has improved my game play so much.
I've struggled for the last year to build decks I enjoy playing as well as fun to play against. I'm a sucker for stax, but I have listened to this podcast at least four times in the last two days, and have taken alot of your deckbuilding stuff to heart. Definitely changing the approach substantially. Probably one of the most insightful pieces of deckbuilding advice you have done. Thank you!
You guys got me into commander and I have insane nostalgia for your videos. I love this channel so much.❤❤❤
I don't even play Magic anymore, but I watch you guys. Since you all have or can get access to most or all the cards, you can do things that I or my playgroup may not especially with more expensive cards. I feel anxious when I think about playing Commander because I always feel inadequate as a player and deck, but I can live vicariously through Game Knights and treat it like watching a sporting event or TV show.
Plus I absolutely LOVE to insight and getting the thought processes with the interviews or even the podcasts. Like I said, I don't play the game anymore, but I really like listening to Rachel and Josh or whoever is on reviewing commanders vs the 99 for each set or the discussion on gold fishing or deck building or Jimmy talked about mindset and psychology.
This channel is such an inspiration. I wish I knew how to start up my own version of Command Zone for the card game I do currently play, but maybe becoming what you guys are now is a lofty goal. Maybe I should go back to some of the original episodes and capture the essence of that, apply it to my game, and see what becomes of it. It would be so cool for my game's community to have something like this within reach, and getting all the secrets to the recipe is really cool too. Producing exciting gameplay and offering a deep insightful perspective on what it takes to play better or improve the experience is everything I'd love to provide in a channel. Thank you for the Command Zone, Game Knights, and this episode in particular.
When it comes to playing commander, don't worry about inadequacies. Most play groups I've been in as a brand new commander player myself have been real cool about it, and there's no real 'point' in winning games, because you never know if you'll be able to get through. Case in point, I thought I was gonna be able to kill 2 people in a single shot with spell copy, and one of the copies got countered, so I couldn't close it out. Ohhh well, next game!
Good luck to you if you start up your own command zone type of thing!
I’m really liking the more behind the scenes videos that are coming out. It was funny that Rachel said we probably wouldn’t want to hear about the editing, cause that’s actually something I’m most curious about; what’s the edit schedule, how does the interview section work, etc. Very cool episode!
Prof with meld mirshra episode was great
It’s meldin time!
my playgroup uses mostly the same mulligan, but in order to speed things up, instead of shuffling in between each mulligan, you "burn" those seven and go for the next seven. it helps everyone keep a hand where they can impact the game, and lessens the time between games
I started being more involved with commander with lost caverns of Ixalan, your game knights of LCI was really fun and it really made me excited to play games of my own!
Great episode, probably my favorite from recent memory. I really enjoyed the deep dive of the behind the scenes stuff that helps make the show watchable.
I think I realized why I love watching Game Knights so much... I have the same philosophy with my deck building and gameplay. The fun rule. I prioritize fun over everything else and it can sometimes be tough in my playgroup, where people are using best-in-slot cards.
Game knights got me into magic 2 years later in still here now with like 13 decks ten of which are custom brews and 3 pre cons
Really enjoy watching you're podcast and gk episodes theyve helped me build my own decks and decide how i want to play magic
this episode is so helpful, not just for magic stuff, but for making content in general :D thanks for sharing so much
this makes sense. everything pretty much geared towards making a show instead of just playing EDH as you would at a random LGS or similar. this is why I personally much prefer the very early episodes of game nights, where at least to me it seemed that all these rules either did not yet exist or where much looser. felt much more realistic to how the average table plays. extra turns also feels much closer to that than game nights episodes.
and of course all these rules and guidelines explain why some episodes feel scripted (even if they aren't).
What I really enjoyed about your show as a player who started not too long ago is the pacing of the show. Every card that comes into play either has an animation, but more importantly, shows you the card so I can read and learn how it plays. You guys are a great show. Scripted or not, I still learn about so many cards.
The secret banned list was a bit of a surprise.
I 100% have reduced the complexity of my decks as a result of this show. I think you have talked about the mental bandwidth of cards before. I took Arcane Bombardment out of my Spellslinger decks with red in them for a reason. I would just get steamrolled by MY OWN CARD because I would have other things that interact with that card's activation and it just wasn't fun anymore.
Just pulled it from my quickdraw deck last night because of Rachel's recommendation :)
@ 20:00, talking about controlling commanders -- do know that an unmitigated unrestricted table can be less fun as well. If someone takes over quickly and isn't slowed down by anything, well that's no fun either! there needs to be a mix of playstyles at a table for the most optimal fun IMO. Some aggro, some midrange, some control.
I love seeing how much thought and care goes into making the show! It’s clear that y’all care a lot about protecting the vibe, and I *love* that! I also have a newfound respect for JLK, if this is him reining in his Control-Combo instincts 😝 I had a friend who played truly brutal control, then got his feelings hurt every time he didn’t win, so I’ve got some trauma from that
So many profound sayings in the 'Gaming Mindset' segment around 1:21:30 onwards.
It's why I'm so appreciative of your approach to how you do... everything... as explained in the video. Because watching a game truly feels like watching a game I like to play for fun with friends, but still with a competitive edge.
It's why I found the cEDH video interesting, but not as fun, because it felt very contra to everything you've said - the decks felt very 'gotcha', or 'I found the combo, I win now'.
Thanks for the behind the scenes talk, really interesting to know HOW you craft such fun videos.
love this episode! so genuine and transparent but it didn’t ruin the fun. just sounds like you’ve cracked the code on how to make great MTG content.
The Game Narrative portion is what resonated with me the most. I love playing Commander to have fun games. I want to see everyone do the thing. I design my decks to do the thing, but in a way that doesn't take away from other people's ability to do the thing.
Thank you for this video! Glad to learn this stuff.
This is my favorite video from you guys so far. A decent amount of these "rules" are just things most playgroups end up doing after a couple years of playing together. After a while people start realizing what is and isn't fun to play with; cutting tutors and fast mana, playing for the "cool factor" instead of playing to win, never punching down and letting every deck shine a little... those are the games that are the most fun.
I really enjoy episodes like this. I have been playing magic off and on since the mid 90's, but the command zone has made me a better player all around. The best comment I've ever received (in an mtg context), was that someone at an lgs said I was their favourite person to play against.
Great episode! So many things to think about, how to make the game even more fun to play. I like those episodes where you talk about the more philosophical and practical aspects of Magic!
I share a lot of these philosophies with you guys. I'm always trying to play to have fun and make sure everyone can have a great experience. Obviously I can't impact everything but little things like pointing out lines, reminding of my place in the power balance, even pointing out safe/bad attacks/blocks. Some people find it annoying I'll be honest but I only do it when I'm involved. I think it helps everybody play a cleaner game and helps when people are afraid to make decisions because they are overwhelmed. Great episode guys.
This breakdown of your video and game process and behind-the-scenes makes a lot off sense as to why I enjoy watching you guys play magic even if I don't. Coming from a Yu-Gi-Oh and now Pokemon background, MTG has always been that OG card game that seemed too daunting to even watch, but even though I don't play, I absolutely love watching this show and the way you guys do the interviews are so entertaining that I've found myself waiting for the next big play/counterplay, and I've learned a bit too!
Based on how you guys described Game Knights, it sounded like its the MTG equivalent of WWE. less scripted WWE
Really glad I watched this episode! It felt like Josh was speaking right to me when he mentioned about putting more card draw in and not keeping an opener with an explosive turn 3 cause when someone stops you then you have nothing to do the rest of the game. So it's better to have a steady stream of doing something the whole game. I don't care about winning or losing, I just hate playing games where I do nothing or don't get to do the thing. I have a bad habit of getting upset and salty when my stuff gets removed in a game and I'm pretty convinced this is the reason why! I just have nothing to do after and rather than getting upset at the person for removing the threat, I just need to become a better player/deck builder. Great video, great advice, great commentary. Loved it! Well done all ❤
Edit: towards the end when their talking about playing commander is like doing a wheelie on the playground is totally my playstyle, like yeah I don't Wana stop you from doing the thing, I just also Wana do the thing but I also Wana win so I'm gonna try and do the thing first. Me and my friend were laughing about it cause I always give him so much shit for removing my stuff and I was like yeah I'm just trying to do a wheelie and your over there killing my bike! 😂
I started plaing commander (and even mtg in general) about 9 months ago and I was so thankful for your channel and game knights to exist!! I came from yugioh and really wanted to get into commander and I think the most important thing is, that GK is communicating everything thats happening so perfektly. You guys are doing a great Job!
Hearing Rachel talk about being "easy" to play with is how I feel after learning basically everything I know from watching Game Knights. It's pretty ingrained in me that part of my turn is explaining it as I go, so I'm always that person in my pod.
"Learning commander through Game Knights is a little nuts"
Me, who during covid binged all the episodes in a week and bought an ikoria precon because of the show
I think it's totally fine to avoid certain cards that lead to complex board states that don't make for great shows, but personally I would prefer *if* a board state exists on the show, that all the game actions are shown- even if they're moved over pretty quickly. I think even though it may make things slightly less "fun," but I think it does a disservice to new players and for old players most of us would rather see them anyway even if it's not constant action. Just my 2c.
What's not to love, wholesome moments with wholesome people and we get to share in the experience. Wether it's you amazing people on here, Tolarian community college, Edh hijinks, or commander at home you all help us get through the week with smiles on our faces even if it is occasionally giggling when one of you major pops off whilst Jimmy gets land locked... we've all been there in our commander pods 😂❤
You need to have the spiffing brit and josh strife hayes on a episode of game knight 🙂
Would love to see either of them!!!
Dude josh stife Hayes would be awesome!!
'We don't use cards that are too annoying like Winter Orb because even watching it becomes tedious after a while'
'Pay for Rhystic? Pay for Sentinel? Pay for Tithe? Pay for Curse?'
First ever video I watched from you guys was the first Post Malone video and I have been hooked on commander ever since. I have watched every episode of game knights and it is such a blast to watch. You guys put so much work in and make each episode the best it can be. Keep up the great work 😁
This was a great video, really fun to listen to. I wish viewers would remember that these rules work well because you are playing in a controlled environment, a controlled/tailored meta, and with a semi-fixed (or at least mostly regular) group of players, with a very specific goal (fun games to watch). These aren't hardfast and true real life game circumstance that normal players will find in a game store.
Prof is so enigmatic and silly, it gives permission to the other players at the table to open up too. He definitely garners the eye-rolls and relishes in it. I aspire to be more open and honest like prof.
Just remember there's a such thing as being too open. I know because I am.
Prof is a gem
For 10 years why not do a game knights tournament with as many knighted guests and maybe some new ones + as much of the production team as possible playing games until a champion is decided
Love your soul ring rule, I make my friend do pushups. 20 pushups for turn one sol ring, 30 if you have a turn two play after and so on 💪🏼
We love your content because that's how we like our games to go. Fun, interactive and random.
From time to time we also play a power pod where we bring the most powerful decks we have, otherwise we play causally.
I hate playing against combo decks for the same reason. And even when we do we make it public stuff like if this resolves I'll win the match.
For episode 666 you should do a podcast on how the satanic panic affected magic 🤣 or make it a 4 player mono black deck game
I’d love to see some of the gameplay that was shot and not used for the Final Cut. Like where someone just gets a huge explosive start and just wipes the floor with the other three! If you did this, maybe it would give younger and new players an example of how experienced players deal with that aspect of the game.
Watching the episode of Game Knights when Josh played MoM is when I found my favorite commander. Watching that deck unfold confirmed that I had to build that deck!!
My playgroup has experienced a couple "not-fun-nights" in a row the last 2 times we gathered. This episode seems like a good guideline and I'm putting it forward as such, for an attitude to bring to the evening if you want to participate. Obviously, as you mention, a turn zero talk where "do we want to play a mean game" can always be tabled, I think the spirit of gameplay you guys outline here should be the benchmark for an enjoyable evening.
Thanks for all the awesome content 💪🏼❤️👍🏼
I think ward 2 on legendary creatures is acceptable, we want to build around a commander and it should be easier to keep them around. I think he presence of ward is overstated, yeah roaming throne didn't need it but i think the strength of voja and roaming throne are the parts of the cards that are the issue moreso than the ward. My 6 mana ziatora the Incinerator shouldnt be removable by exile for one white pip also removing my ability to interact with the interaction by providing indestructible or using a feign death effect.
I also utilize nearly 0 board wipes, 1-2 is generally the most and only if they are synergistic, like languish in Grismold or tragic arrogance in feather or wilson
In our playgroup we have a different mulligan rule. We still use the regular london mulligan rule, BUT you draw 10 cards instead of 7. After deciding to keep your hand you have to shuffle 3 cards back in to your deck + however many times you've taken a mulligan (first mulligan is free). We learned that this makes the games more fun for all players, but still have the drawbacks of having to take a mulligan
Game knights definitely got me back into Magic after a 15 year absence.
I love that this video helped me go through and pick the best deck to audition for the next patron episode
I really enjoy listening through these issues and I really feel like they help me try to be a better deckbuilder and player. If I could only make one suggestion it would be to get subtitles... And if possible, to translate said subtitles to other languages. I'm kind of sad that my playgroup aren't really willing to get into your content (and get better at playing) mostly due to the language barrier. Otherwise, keep it going! It's awesome!
Okay so I'm just a casual fan but I have to say @Josh, It was because of you that I built 2 cmc Emmara and to this day it is one of my favourite decks. I love the statement he said about this being a love letter and He's happy to just Sell someone on a deck he's playing. Much Love!