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Game Knights Isn’t Scripted, BUT… | The Command Zone 605 | MTG EDH Magic Gathering
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- čas přidán 7. 08. 2024
- Support the show and become a Patron! Be a part of our community, receive awesome rewards, and more! / commandzone
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Ever watched an episode of Game Knights and thought that it was so dynamic, so thrilling, and so focused that it must have been planned out ahead of time? Well… it isn’t, but that doesn’t mean there aren't tricks to help keep games as exciting as possible!
We’ve developed a ton of gameplay and deck building strategies to make Game Knights good television. Here’s the big secret though: YOU can use these techniques at your own table! Want to play like a Game Knight? We’re about to tell you how!
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Discover, build, catalog, and playtest on Archidekt, the deck-building website that makes it easy to brew brand new lists or manage your old favorites. Go to www.archidekt.com/commandzone to get started today!
ULTRAPRO:
Huge thanks to UltraPro for sponsoring this episode! Be sure to check out their PRO GLOSS eclipse sleeves and super classy MYTHIC COLLECTION deck boxes. If you want to keep your cards protected and support the show, visit: ultrapro.com/command
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Relevant Links:
Arin Hanson:
Twitter: @egoraptor
Kyle Hill:
Twitter: @Sci_Phile
Xolo Mariduena:
Twitter: @Xolo_Mariduena
Jacob Bertrand:
Instagram: @thejacobbertrand
Kathleen De Vere:
Twitter: @Kathleen_LRR
Graham Stark:
Twitter: @Graham_LRR
The Professor:
Twitter: @TolarianCollege
Jake Boss:
Twitter: @JakeBossMTG
Jamie Block:
Twitter: @Jamblock
Josh Murphy:
Twitter: @alsonamedjosh
Mia and Beezy:
Twitter: @NitpickingNerds
Kenji Egashira
Twitter: @NumotTheNummy
Murders at Karlov Manor w/ Arin Hanson | Game Knights 67:
• Murders at Karlov Mano...
MTG Fallout w/ Kyle Hill & Tiffany Smith | Game Knights 68:
• MTG Fallout w/ Kyle Hi...
Blingmas Battle! Commander Holiday Special | Game Knights 50:
• Blingmas Battle! Comma...
Kaldheim w/ Hawk from Cobra Kai | Game Knights 42:
• Kaldheim w/ Hawk from ...
Modern Horizons Commander w/ LoadingReadyRun | Game Knights 27:
• Modern Horizons Comman...
Theros Beyond Death w/ The Asian Avenger and Ashlen Rose | Game Knights 33:
• Theros Beyond Death w/...
FAN vs Game Knights | Episode 24:
• FAN vs Game Knights | ...
Post Malone Epic Magic The Gathering Gameplay | Game Knights 51:
• Post Malone Epic Magic...
Wilds of Eldraine w/ Brian Kibler | Game Knights 64:
• Wilds of Eldraine w/ B...
Strixhaven: School of Mages | Game Knights 44:
• Strixhaven: School of ...
The Best 4 Color Commander 2016 | Game Knights 1:
• The Best 4 Color Comma...
Post Malone Plays Magic: The Gathering | Game Knights 45:
• Post Malone Plays Magi...
The Brothers War w/ The Professor | Game Knights 58:
• The Brothers War w/ Th...
Upside-Down Stranger Things w/ Kenji NumotTheNummy | Extra Turns 39:
• Upside-Down Stranger T...
The cEDH Episode w/ Higher | Extra Turns 46:
• The cEDH Episode w/ Hi...
Budget Battle w/ the Nitpicking Nerds | Extra Turns 45:
• Budget Battle w/ the N...
Do This One Thing to Win More Games | How to Playtest | The Command Zone 596:
• Do This One Thing to W...
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Email us:
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Commander Rules and Ban List:
mtgcommander.net/
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Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:04:35 - The Secrets Of Game Knights
00:07:25 - What Makes An Ideal Game Knights?
00:16:59 - Game Knights Commanders
00:25:07 - Building Game Knights Decks
00:31:49 - Deck Building Guidelines
00:48:32 - House Ban List
01:04:36 - Goldfishing
01:09:53 - Mulligans
01:17:19 - Gameplay Mindset
01:38:04 - Editing
01:55:49 - Game Knights Live
01:59:13 - The Difference Between GK And XT
02:02:14 - Looking Forward
02:08:24 - To The Listeners
#magicthegathering #mtg #commander #mtgcommander #edh #podcast #commandzone
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
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
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.
I'm voting for a Gameknights 10km run event.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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!
I've missed seeing Jimmy & Josh on a non-gameplay video. Nothing against the other hosts!
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?
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!
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 ❤
Prof with meld mirshra episode was great
It’s meldin time!
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.
they basically layed out why fan decks would likely not make any sense for what they are trying to produce.
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.
You need to have the spiffing brit and josh strife hayes on a episode of game knight 🙂
Would love to see either of them!!!
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.
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.
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
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 !!! ❤❤❤
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 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
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
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
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!
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
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!!!
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
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!😁
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.
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 :)
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!
this episode is so helpful, not just for magic stuff, but for making content in general :D thanks for sharing so much
Okay so here's my idea for the 10 year anniversary for game knights a live magic tournament with all the best magic content creators
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
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
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
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'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.❤❤❤
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 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
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!
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.
Thank you for this video. I've been watching your CZcams 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.
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!
For the 10th anniversary you should do a special magic decathlon where you each compete in various tasks associated with mtg; sorting cards, sleeving cards, shuffling, finding lethal, describing cards from the name etc I think that could be a very funny episode lmao.
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 😂❤
This is super sensible. Thank you for the look behind the scenes.
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!
Really cool video, thanks for the insight
Would love to see some behind the scenes on an episode of that's possible to see some of this in action
I like that you're talking about not always playing the same "best 5" cards. That's something my playgroup is working on, as well. Commander is more interesting if people aren't all playing the same ~20 best cards in every color
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.
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!
I really love the episodes of the cast when it's you three ❤
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 😁
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.
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.
This may be something that you guys dont are fully aware of, but this show makes a lot easier for ones that are not english native speakers to watch. When game knight started, I was just learning english and I felt I could do it due to videos from this channel, not only the show. Magic is a hobby so it's familiar for some people and it narrows down the subject, what makes the conversation more oriented and it facilitates a lot the whole process. I think this happen because of the quality and the care about the product. Nowadays it's easier to find another shows that are good too, but, back then, it was it.
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 CZcams more enjoyable also makes simply playing more enjoyable. Thank you for validating that being the most well know commander CZcams channel.
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!
I love that this video helped me go through and pick the best deck to audition for the next patron episode
Is there ever a case where you would release your deck building "guidelines" that you all sortve follow so we can try to replicate the balance that exists in game knights on our own tabletops ?
I love watching Game Knights! I played Magic before commander became the most popular format, and it’s so fun to watch. I really appreciate all the work you all put into the show, and this was a fun episode to peak behind the scenes.
You know what, though? I think that far and away the most important element of good content is the personality of the creators themselves, regardless of what the content is. At the end of the day, you all are just funny, interesting, entertaining people, haha (guests included).
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.
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!
Have you ever considered having a game with more or less than 4 players?
I feel like a great marker for the 10 year anniversary could be a tournament, with the final being five players each playing a different mono-colour deck. The prior round would have five games of four players playing the same colour. For instance, the mono green game could feature a Toski tokens deck, an Azusa landfall deck, a Selvala elves deck and a Goreclaw big stompy deck.
This would give a very clear reference point of how the colour pie can affect the feel of a game and how different decks of the same colour can play.
I would have all three hosts in the first game. If one of them wins, the other two face guests in the second etc. While it seems ideal for Jimmy to end up representing Red, Rachel White and Josh Blue the possibility for them to beat each other at their own colour could be incredible.
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.
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 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!
for my play group, we have a "everybody gets one" rule. Basically we get two "free" mulligans. After that its mulligan as normal. We've found that to work pretty well.
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 CZcams."
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!
Game knights definitely got me back into Magic after a 15 year absence.
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! 😂
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 💪🏼
This channel brought me into magic. I love everything you guys do! I like the idea of the banlist. Infinite combos can be kind of boring.
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.
Speaking of alternative EDH Mulligans, our group plays by this method. If you would Mulligan, set aside the entire seven and draw seven. Continue until you have a playable hand then reshuffle the rest.
We tend to define playable hand by not having too many or too few lands. But after listening to this we may look at it slightly different. :)
Our casual commander playgroup's mulligan is drawing 12 cards and keeping 7. It pretty much always makes for a fair game of magic where everyone has a usable hand.
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
Speaking on the mulligan options, we stuck with Partial Paris. It feels pretty balanced at all power levels. It does allow a bit of fishing, but not much, and it allows you to keep some of what you want.
For the not wanting too many boardwipes, I've really been enjoying Breaking Point when I'm playing red. It's only 1RR for a sorcery that destroys all creatures unless someone takes 6 damage, unless the person with a bunch of creatures is also gaining a bunch of life that might be a hard/risky decision. Especially if you have any of the red damage amplifiers out on your board. I'm not sure if it's a good thing (let me know if not) but I've started using choice interaction instead of hard interaction. Breaking point, Dash Hopes for a black counterspell, blue counters with the "unless they pay x" thing. I just like giving everyone more options.
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.
I played with JLK/Jimmy/Kyle on the channel fireball's first pandemic commandfest at home and I had a Mana Crypt in my deck, and it got played. When I submitted my decklist, initially it was not there (decklist was out of date). It ended up surprising Kyle and I felt bad about it at the time. The game ultimately played out well -- Jimmy won in a tight match. In any case, your policy makes sense, but if I was in any way responsible for contributing to the house ban, sorry :(
I loved hearing about the goldfishing and gameplay prep for Game Knights Live. I am unlikely to ever be able to attend one but I enjoy watching the recordings
Fantastic episode love how you do the thing. I would love it if you did a behind the scene video of all that goes into an episode like camera, lighting etc.
You guys are right about Game Knights informing how people play the game. After watching some older GK episodes I've found myself wanting to build more and more just the most powerful version of whatever kind of deck I'm building. Sometimes that means a powerful synergy that's not as fun for other people because I saw Josh get Mindslaver locked and thought "well it's not even as mean as things they do on Game Knights so I'm still good". Or things like letting Cassius play a combo deck, and all that sort of stuff
I heard jimmy and josh say rizz, and I now feel like I'm a century old.
Started following Jimmy back when VGHS was first on yt, then started playing magic because of the command zone. wow how time flies by...