If the rules for Commander are intended as a starting point (spoiler: they are, and ignoring that won’t earn you anything), then one of the best things you can do is mess with its fundamental rules. Last month’s variant was a strictly tougher set of rules than normal, and hence always “acceptable” to other players. This time I want to talk about how to diverge from the rules of Commander but still embrace its spirit, in a way that other players will enjoy.

Of course, before breaking the rules it’s useful to understand why they exist. Colour Identity is one such fundamental rule of the format, which dates back to the early days of the format. It provides two things…

1. A deck building restriction, which increases diversity of card choices
2. A more coherent theme for each deck

… each of which serves the over-arching purpose of the format: richer experiences. Done right, Commander isn’t just competition, it’s performance art.

But Colour Identity is only one way to achieve those goals, and you should feel free to experiment with others. Back in Coldsnap, I experimented with a way to abandon the mana-symbol restriction, and replace it with a restriction on creature types.

Enter, Lovisa Coldeyes… the OG representation.

I decided to build a deck with any colour of mana symbols, but only cards which fit the “Warriors, Barbarians, and Berserkers” theme. Adapted the standard rules for Tribal decks:

• At least one third (33) of the cards must be creatures
• All non-land cards must
  • Mention a relevant creature type in their name, subtype, or text, OR
  • Contain the text “Choose a creature type”

This is a pretty high bar… which is one of the secrets to making it work. It’s obvious to other players that I’m not trying to circumvent the normal deckbuilding challenge to a net advantage. I considered restricting non-basic lands as well, but it goes over the top — the effective prohibition on mana rocks and other fixing is sufficiently punishing. Excluding all non-basic lands as well would be equivalent to saying that all lands in a Commander deck must generate coloured mana.

(Yes, allowing “Choose a creature type” cards is a hack, with several holes… it’s not something which could ever be codified in real rules, but we have the advantage of just having fun)

So, let’s get the obvious questions out of the way:

• Is this deck good? No, not even close.
• Is this deck fun? Oh yes.
• Could I could have made a mono-red deck instead? Of course, but the result would have been less interesting than a deck which really leveraged her ability.
• Could I have used a different commander for the same deck? Sure… a Najeela deck would be much better at winning the game, and lots of other commanders would suffice. Less interesting though, somehow.
• Could I have abused this? Yes… but nobody would want to play against it.

I’ve rebuilt this deck a few times over the years. These days it looks like this:

Lovisa Coldeyes Combat Celebrant Alesha, Who Smiles at Death Ankle Shanker Archetype of Aggression Belbe’s Portal Berserkers’ Onslaught Blood-Chin Fanatic Boldwyr Intimidator Brion Stoutarm Champion of Rhonas Civic Wayfinder Coat of Arms Den Protector Drumhunter Duskwatch Recruiter Elvish Skysweeper Flaxen Intruder Furystoke Giant Gilt-Leaf Winnower Goblin Bushwhacker Grand Warlord Radha Hazezon Tamar Huatli, Warrior Poet Jungle Wayfinder Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet Kindred Dominance Lightning Mauler Lord Windgrace

Madrush Cyclops Mercy Killing Mindblade Render Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist Mogis’s Marauder Moriok Replica Nath of the Gilt-Leaf Oakhame Adversary Obsidian Battle-Axe Ogre Battledriver Oketra’s Monument Patriarch’s Bidding Raiders’ Spoils Reckless Bushwhacker Rhys the Redeemed Rush of Battle Samut, Voice of Dissent Secure the Wastes Sedris, the Traitor King Start/Finish Surrak Dragonclaw Sylvan Offering Undead Gladiator Vanquisher’s Banner Viridian Zealot Warrior’s Oath Warriors’ Lesson Wren’s Run Packmaster

Yasova Dragonclaw Zealous Conscripts Pillar of Origins Unclaimed Territory Cascading Cataracts Crystal Quarry Fabled Passage Wooded Foothills Command Tower Gateway Plaza Rupture Spire Fire-Lit Thicket Breeding Pool Stomping Ground Krosan Verge Verdant Catacombs Temple Garden Sacred Foundry Smoldering Marsh Arid Mesa Godless Shrine Sheltered Thicket Ghitu Encampment Bloodstained Mire Steam Vents Cavern of Souls 6 Forest 5 Mountain 3 Swamp 1 Island 2 Plains

Again… could I have broken this more? Absolutely, but it’s important to notice that’s no different than any other Commander deck. It’s easier in this case for potential opponents to refuse to play against me (using the rules-as-written to justify their preference), but they shouldn’t be forced to play against ANY deck. If you look at a deck and think “This works because other people have to play against me”, you’re doing it very, very wrong.

So does a Tribal Identity commander need to have an intrinsic “creature type matters” mechanic? No, but it’s a good idea… it makes the “creature identity” of the card clear. There are tribes which are more or less powerful… I don’t even know if there are enough Digeridoos to make an all Minotaur deck, but Kangee Bird Tribal is fine. You’ll have a hard time convincing people your Elf Tribal deck is fun to play against.

Going further…

Are there other “identities” your group could experiment with? Card Type Identity springs to mind… there’s lots of commanders who would work well with only “Lands and Instants”. Karn with only lands and Artifacts is a challenge as old as the format (first built by format pioneer Gijsbert Hoogendijk circa 2005?). Mechanic Identity could also be viable… all-flying for easy mode, all-coinflip if you’re nasty.

Whatever variants you try, it’s important to decide (or at least think about) whether it’s a variant that mixes well with “basic” Commander, or should be used alone. Most Tribal Identity decks will play fine with “colour identity” based decks… restricting the cards in your deck by creature type is arguably more of a constraint than restricting the colours available.

To recap, the key is that Colour Identity is meant to provide a thematic coherence and deck building challenge, both of which improve the experience for everyone involved. You can use other constraints instead (or in addition) to achieve the same thing… just remember to embrace them, not try to abuse them.