1 Ticket Commander: Magic That’s Cheaper Than Bread

Rob WhiteBudget, Commander, Magic: The Gathering Articles, MTGO

Today’s article is a guest piece from the mind of Robert White. Rob is going to be our guide through the wonderful world of 1 Tix Commander. If you enjoy today’s article then let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to like and subscribe to keep you to date with all the latest from us here at Master of Magics.

People say that Magic is expensive. Those people are wrong.

Sure, if you want to compete at the highest level of the game, win the Pro Tour and master all the formats, you’re going to have to shell out for some seriously pricey cardboard.

But the great things about this game that we all love is that there are so many ways to play it! If you want to have fun on the cheap, it doesn’t get cheaper than the newest format doing the round on MTGO: 1 Ticket Commander.

1 Commander deck. 100 cards. 1 ticket. That’s the name of the game. For less than the price of a loaf of Kingsmill Best of Both, you can build and play a fun, exciting new format that’s as fun to deck build as it is to battle with.

 

Unlike Penny Dreadful, which demands that every card in your deck must be 0.01 tix, 1 Ticket Commander asks only that your whole deck equals 1 ticket. This gives you more flexibility thanks to a larger card pool while keeping the budget nice and low and the fun of building to a restriction. It allows you to go deep on that Panharmonicon strategy if you’re prepared to invest.

How to Play 1 Ticket Commander in 5 Easy Steps

  1. Have a Magic: Online account. If you’re reading this, I’m going to assume you already have one of those. 1 Ticket Commander is an online-only format because digital Magic is WAY cheaper than paper Magic.
  2. Have some friends. The best way to play Commander is with people you know and get along with. The best thing about Commander is the banter. So grab your buddies, get on Skype or Discord or however you like to keep in touch online.
  3. Set a Deadline. The digital Magic economy changes every minute of every day, just like the stock market. Once you’ve built a deck, the price can change, buggering up your perfect build. So set a date for deck submission. If it’s less than 1 ticket at that time, it’s legal.
  4. Build your deck! You have 1 ticket to grab a Commander and 99 other cards. This unique deck restriction will push your creative deck building skills to the limit as you search for cards that are powerful, fun or on-theme.
  5. Buy your cards and play! Spend your 1 Ticket, Fire up a game on MTGO and let the carnage commence! It’s just that simple.

Once you’re all set up, you too can have fun just like this…

1 Ticket Commander Lingo

If you want to walk the walk, you have to talk the talk.

Micro – This is the currency of 1 Ticket Commander. We don’t deal in dollars or tickets. Not even nickels and dimes, but 1/100th of a ticket. That’s what we call a Micro. So a card valued at 0.01 Ticket is 1 Micro.

Walue – A term denoting a card that is worth very little, but provides in-game value. Walue is the soul of this format in it is in walue that you will achieve victory.

How To Track MTGO Prices

The price of cards fluctuates all the time. That’s why you set a date for deck submission. There are plenty of ways to track the price of MTGO cards, but we recommend MTG Goldfish. On their handy-dandy website, not only can you track the cost of cards, you can build your deck while you’re doing it to make sure you’re on budget. Then, you can download your list, buy your cards and fire it into MTGO easily!

Does Playing 1 Ticket Commander Mean Playing Crappy Cards?

Hell no. The great thing about Magic: Online is that so many fantastically busted cards are worth next to nothing. Here’s a sample of the cards you can get for just a few Micros…

So even the Spikes have something to play with 1 Ticket Commander. You can storm off, have degenerate combos, play control, have unstoppable creatures, the sky’s the limit! (And the card cost…)

And as for Commanders? There are plenty to choose from! Currently, there are 710 Legendary Creatures in Magic. Sure, not all of them are on Magic Online, but most of them are within the 1 – 3 Micro range – perfect for this format!

So if you’re looking for a fun new way to build decks and play Magic, give this format a try! In my next article, I’ll go deep into some of the Commander choices for 1 Ticket Commander and some of the strategies that really work, even with a 1 ticket budget.

Liked it? Take a second to support Master of Magics on Patreon!

In response...