Choosing a General/Commander

[kicks_422]

I need help in choosing a general for 1v1 EDH/Commander.

Basically I want a big mana deck - Extraplanar Lens, Caged Sun, etc. I'm choosing between Omnath, Locus of Mana and Maga, Traitor to Mortals, though I'm open to other suggestions.

Also, are these generals OK for an EDH novice? This would be the first EDH deck that I'd be building. Thanks.

Btw, I guess this thread can also help other Sourcers who need advice in picking out their generals.

[(nameless one)]

If you want to use Extraplanar Lens and Caged Sun, I would suggest a mono-green general. Then have a lot of Rampant Growth effect cards with it. Also, if you're going to use Extraplanar Lens, I would suggest snow-covered basic lands (so its a different name as regular basic lands, and not sharing advantage to other players)

Single color generals should be fine with new EDH players as they usually have a straight forward strategy.

[BWM]

This screams for Azusa as general...

[Kuma]

Azami, Lady of Scrolls is probably the strongest mono-colored general followed by Azusa, Lost But Seeking.

If, however, you want to play black, I'd recommend Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon.

http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?20639-EDH-Skithiryx-the-Blight-Dragon

[kicks_422]

I actually started out with your Skithiryx deck, Kuma. Aftera lot of testing, I switched to Maga as my general as I think that fit my play style better. Much of the core of the deck came from yours though. :tongue:

I really want to avoid blue though. As for Azusa... Why her over Omnath?

[Kuma]

I actually started out with your Skithiryx deck, Kuma. Aftera lot of testing, I switched to Maga as my general as I think that fit my play style better. Much of the core of the deck came from yours though. :tongue:

Cool :smile:

I've debated Maga, Traitor to Mortals vs. Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon endlessly in my mind. The thing is, they both read "Destroy target player" the turn you cast them and have the ability to kill one player a turn thereafter. What I like about Skithiryx is that not only does he regenerate, you only need one tutor to make him lethal (go get Nightmare Lash or Lashwrithe). Maga requires several to set up infinite mana. It's pretty hard to get to 43 mana without going infinite, even with all the mana rocks.

I've found that it's a lot easier to kill people when you want with Skithiryx, but Maga is a fine choice. I've also considered making Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed the general. Corpse Danse really makes me think about it.


I really want to avoid blue though. As for Azusa... Why her over Omnath?

EDH is really all about acceleration. The best decks are mana-ramp decks because they get you into the late game faster and let you drop table destroying bombs sooner. You can also do ridiculous things like Strip Mine lock the table, and I think there are a few mono-green combos with Azusa, Lost But Seeking, but I'm not an expert on Azusa decks.