Resmustang’s Commander Corner

          By Ryan Sparks                                                                                               When people talk about “competitive Commander” (cEDH), one of the first things that comes up is fast mana. Sol Ring, Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, Chrome Mox, and Mox Diamond these cards often get labeled as automatic inclusions for “competitive” decks. But here’s the truth: fast mana alone does not make your deck competitive. (I wanted to write off something in contrast with Donovan Doust's article last week for ATG.) Why Fast Mana Feels Like Power Fast mana accelerates your game plan, giving you access to high-cost spells earlier than usual. That’s why Sol Ring has been an EDH ...

By Ryan Sparks There are a lot of places to buy cards, play events, and hang out with other TCG players - but for me, there’s only one place that truly feels like home: All That Games (ATG). From the moment I walked into ATG a few years ago, something felt different. The staff/owner remembered my name. Not just one time, but every time after. That familiarity turned into friendship, and soon, it wasn’t just a game shop anymore - it was a community I belonged to. Over time, I got to know nearly everyone who walks through those doors, and they got to know me. And I’m not alone- over 40–50 regulars across Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Lorcana, Pokémon, and more are known by name, not because of how much they spend or how often they win, but because they show up and love the game. You can walk around the shop, dig through boxes, and hunt for singles-and you’re never doing it alone. Regulars will stop what they’re doing to help you find what you’re looking for. Some will even sit down with you to h...

                            Beyond Card Advantage: Tuning Your Deck Like an Engine in Competitive Commander: By Donovan Doust One of the first major breakthroughs players experience on their Magic journey is the realization that card advantage  matters. The moment you grasp that  when you first realize that one card removing a     threat while leaving a threat behind  is better than one card doing one thing, you feel like you've leveled up & you have .... for a time. But many players get stuck there. Especially in Commander , and especially in competitive Commander ,  card advantage is not the end goal. It's one component in a larger system: your deck as a resource engine . The real question isn’t “How many cards can I draw?” It's “What is my bottleneck right now?” Bottlenecks: The Real Game State Every game has pressure points. Sometimes you’re stuck with a full grip and not...