Jacob Lerner Talks Tournament Bias, Stakes, and the Future of Competitive Commander in Magic the Gathering
Even though it is not one of Wizards of the Coasts sanctioned competitive formats, Commander has become one of the most popular ways to play Magic: The Gathering. While Magic: The Gathering is known as a highly technical and competitive game, Commander has enjoyed popularity as a more casual format thanks to its multiplayer nature and comparatively affordable buy-in. But competitive Commander, or Elder Dragon Highlander, as the format was originally called, is on the rise. In the competitive scene, players «pilot» multi-thousand dollar decks for a chance at even bigger purses, hoping to attain winning combos in a matter of three to five turns while preventing their three opponents from doing the same.
Like any form of high stakes gaming, competitive EDH has enormous potential for drama, exacerbated by EDH's history of friction between casual and hardcore MTG players, and the format's complex relationship with Wizards of the Coast. The format was not originally developed by Wizards, and as a result, most competitive Commander tournaments are organized and hosted by third parties. Game Rant spoke with Jacob «Bad Dog» Lerner, a pilot and «brewer» (deck-builder and theory crafter) in Southern California's Commander scene, about a recent experience at a professionally hosted tournament as both a bellwether and cautionary tale of bias and gatekeeping in the competitive community.
Post Malone Says He Spent $800,000 on a Magic: The Gathering Card
Monarch Media, which describes itself on Twitter as «a non-profit MTG tournament organization specializing in cEDH content,» organized a tournament over September 3 and 4 at the Frank and Son Collectible Show in City of Industry, CA. The tournament was presented in partnership with Cash
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