how do i get my friends to play commander?

Commander isn't much fun when you have no one to play with. That's why I have written this guide for all the lonely commander players. In this post, I'll guide you through various scenarios that you might encounter when getting your friends to play.


I understand that not every friend group is the same so take this advice with a grain of salt and do not worry if  you're a lone wolf, I got you covered as well😁. 



(These tips may also work when trying to get your friends to play a normal game of mtg)


1. You have friends who play some magic

Let's discuss this first scenario, you have some friends that play magic, they just haven't tried the glorious format also known as edh. Luckily for u, this is the easiest one to pull off(unless your friends are extremely suborn). In this case, I am assuming that you have some commander decks of your own.

The thing that holds most players back is the investment of a commander deck. This hesitation prevents them from ever getting the sweet taste of playing commander. The solution for this is simple, organize an edh night at your place and lend them some of your decks. During this night, you might wan't to emphasize the political/social part of commander. I believe that this is the strongest selling point of edh it lets you interact with multiple players and it doesn't necessarily have to be interaction by casting a spell.

If this doesn't work, then you might want to give them a deck with massive amounts of card draw or big spells. In a normal game of magic it rarely occurs that you get to cast 10+ mana spells, however in commander this isn't such a crazy feat. For some people, this might give them the final push to play another game just so they might cast that Rise of the dark realm and win in an overwhelming manner.



2. You have friends, but they don't play magic

In this case, you are the only magic player in your friend group. This might need you to be a bit more some convincing than in scenario 1. The first step to playing commander with your friends is learning them how to play magic. You might want to get them to play magic arena. Arena is free and a great way to learn how to play. If your friends want to learn magic while playing commander, then you might want to play some simpler decks. Green is always a great choice for this. Just put some big boys on the field and start wacking, it couldn't get simpler. After a few games you could introduce them to other colors and maybe some multicolor.

Some general tips
1 Let them win

Everybody likes winning, so if someone is making a game winning play, just try and resist to scream counterspell.


 Just don't make it to obvious that you let them win.

2 make it a fun night

Commander is the most social magic format, it is not forbidden to talk about other things that are happening in your lives.

3 don't force it

A wise man once said if you have to force a fart, then it's probably shit. The same applies here, you want them to have fun and not feel like they are walking into a gulag. If they really don't want to play, then it might be time to consider some other options. Maybe you could find some people who do want to play commander with you and maybe you get some new friends.

4 Alcohol

I am not suggesting that you get your friends black out drunk and if you are under the legal drinking age then you shouldn't drink. However, alcohol tends to make some people enjoy them self more and open up to other things. So a couple of beers might help you succeed😜.


5. Connect it to the things they like.

Try and give em a deck they like.
For instance, maybe your friends are big fans of Dungeons and Dragons, then introduce em to commander using the upcoming dnd set. Maybe they are willing to play some edh if they get to play Xanathar.

6. If all else fails.

If all else fails, then it's time to head to the magic shop and join ask when they are playing commander. Most shops hold some kind of game night. If there is no game store near your place then head up reddit, there are a multitude of reddit forums which are very active and you will probably find someone near you who is willing to play some edh with you.


I really hope this post helps some of you out. If it did, then please share your story, and maybe give some tips for the players who aren't as lucky.

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