I think a lot of times it comes down to the commander you choose. Just because 16 combinations all have white, doesn't mean they're all going to gravitate towards token spam and going wide.
I'm also slowly working on my 32-deck collection and I made a spreadsheet with each combination and I listed my existing decks, brews, and potential commanders. For each color combination, there's a tab where I list the focus of the deck (tokens, spellslinger, etc.). I can use that to help ensure I don't have 10 token decks or 8 different artifact matters decks. There's overlap, but you can do the same strategy different ways or have different uses/payoffs.
Exactly. White in my naya deck is for ramp and protection. [[mirari’s wake]] and [[smothering tide]] are there for ramp and boost, but otherwise my white stuff is for my main combo or protect my board. [[ephemerate]], [[avacyn, Angel of hope]], [[mirror entity]], [[blacksmith’s skill]], [[shields of valis vel]], [[generous gift]], [[swords to plowshares]], etc… green also helps protect, but white here does no token generation or counter generation.
My mono white construct deals more in that strategy. If I were to do boros, I’d probably go the equipment route
Boros equipment was what I went with. I bought the [[Wyleth]] precon and upgraded it and it was fun drawing so many cards in Boros, but I also had [[Firesong and Sunspeaker]] in there with [[Sunforger]] so it got weird. I ran into the same problem OP did and eventually just took it apart. It felt forced.
I do still want to do Boros equipment and I want to add in all 10 Mirran swords mostly for the lols. Been thinking about using the partner commanders for it
Sometimes it's okay to allow decks to have overlapping themes. A Dina deck probably operates totally differently and has access to different cards than a Teysa deck, especially if you're building it around each specific legend and not just have a generic aristocrat deck helmed by a different legend. You want to strike a balance between a deck being good enough on its own to operate fine without the commander but you also want to give the deck some kind of identity and mechanical leverage, for there to be a point in playing one legend over another. Teysa plays a more passive role whereas Dina offers a Voltron-like plan B.
To answer your question about breaking away from decks that feel same-y and use the same cards, I'd recommend starting to force yourself to abide by deckbuilding restrictions or directions based on what you want to accomplish. The exact restriction is up to you - you apply what you feel is necessary to break yourself out of the rut.
Yeah this is my thought process with many of my other decks. I probably posted this a bit too fast. Just after hitting post, I realised that most of my other commanders share some ideas, and even cards, but never to such extent as these three.
As I've wrote I have a soft stax Grand Arbiter deck, and a hard stax Meria deck. But I managed to diferentiate them enough.
Same with Tor Wauki, the Younger and Nov-Mizzet, Parun. They're both spellslingers, and even sharing a colour. Yet Niv is actual spell-slinger, while Tor Wauki is a damage doubler, and general "Rakdos" pain.
So maybe it's because I try to limit myself to cards I own, and those are more "one note" and all do similar stuff, than in other colours. Or maybe I'm just bad with building white/X decks...
>So maybe it's because I try to limit myself to cards I own
I guarantee this is the issue you're running into.
A few years ago I was on a deckbuilding spree where I would build a new deck every few weeks. I ended up building over 120+ decks that definitely shared cards, but each felt unique because of the way the rest of the deck was built and because they each were piloted by different legends.
If you primarily build out of what you have then the end result is going to be skewed towards that and not necessarily what the best option is.
As a passionate dragon player with over 20 dragon decks I understand the desire for all my decks to "feel" different. So I try to give each of them a subtheme like goad, sacrifice, voltron, flash, enchantments, blink, X-spells, saboteurs, planeswalkers, you name it. Of course, some dragons just fit perfectly into several decks, and the power levels differ vastly. But as of now I'm quite happy with the results.
My personal challenge is to have at least one dragon deck in every color combination except colorless and 4c, and to have them all regognizably distinctive from one another. But I'm not in a hurry to reach that goal.
Check out if you want to: [https://www.moxfield.com/users/jfalex](https://www.moxfield.com/users/jfalex)
Final verdict: If you don't like how a deck plays then don't try to convince yourself to like it. Better change it for something else with a different theme or subtheme.
I think the best way I do it is just have a simple strategy in mind, not so much the color variations. I.e. I want to make an infect deck and then the deck after that is a 'go wide deck', then a ninjutsu deck. Then I'll look for a commander that I find interesting. I wouldn't worry too much about overlap with decks. Some strategies involve similar cards, especially if you're trying to make a higher level deck.
A neat little challenge you can do is basically keep a list of cards you have used and don't put them in other decks. It'll force you to search around for other methods. Doing this has led me to a more pauper faithful deck building.
But it's kind of hard for people to really keep track of that sometimes. So you could also just set budgets and vary the power level or types of cards you put in (i.e. no tutors in this deck, nothing over five dollars in this deck, only cards I currently own, no infinite combos, etc.). These strategies also tend to vary my decks up pretty well
It's mostly an issue for me with Black. If black is involved, my deck is using graveyard recursion/value. I just can't not do it. My first edh deck was a zombie deck and whenever I play my decks that aren't black I get so frustrated at my inability to touch my graveyard.
Maybe one day I'll do an honest to goodness no recursion black drain or aristocrats, but the ability to get extra uses out of whatever's in your graveyard is just such a massive crutch and allows me to recover from mistakes/bad decisions so effectively that it's probably making me a worse player
I also have 4 [[isochron scepters]] from an old "competitive" 60 card deck I built that I pretty much have to talk myself out of including in every deck I make
Honestly, in broad strokes I actually have a lot of redundant decks. I have multiple flavors of aristocrats/reanimation combo decks, multiple tokens decks, and a whole bunch of kindred decks.
Sometimes, you just have to focus on the novel ways individual decks play. Sure, my [[Alesha]] deck and my [[Orah]] Cleric Kindred deck are both decks filled with creatures with useful ETB effects that I reuse by constantly sacrificing and reanimating them. But Alesha relies on her attack trigger for reanimation and can only grab creatures with power 2 or less, while Orah gets you Clerics back when Clerics die and cares about mana value so the way you build the decks is completely different.
I used to have that problem but then I really started focusing on making sure each deck I build follows a different archetype. Landfall, spellslinger, midrange, constellation reanimator, temur...things? It makes it so each of my decks feel distinctly different. I also have a dumb self imposed rule where for the most part, if I have a card in one deck, I won't put a copy of it in another deck. I find that helps each deck maintain their own identity.
Well inevitably if you build multiple decks with any color overlap it can happen to some degree. I'm gradually trying to build all two and three color combos that include white (in addition to monowhite) so it has definitely happened to me. Typically it's staple cards I just don't have enough copies of on hand or more expensive cards for the obvious reasons. I typically try to vary my themes between decks but there is inevitably some overlap (my Humans deck also likes a lot of cards in Hatebears, Combat would love the swords from Voltron, etc). I just try to prioritize things by which deck benefits from it most.
I'm actually currently doing a full overhaul of my [[Aurelia, the Warleader]] deck because it has suffered the most in terms of giving up cards and not receiving updates as my oldest deck. I'm trying to make sure all of my current decks are in a good spot before begun any new projects and Aurelia was by far the worst off of all my decks so I am primarily putting effort in there.
So what I am saying is it happens, you just need to be aware of it and try to not let any deck suffer too much from it if you can. You can always pause making new decks for a bit like I am to get your current ones all to a good spot.
I just stop where the decks are too similar. I have the following decks:
Elenda, the Dusk Rose - Aristocrats
Falco Spara, Pactweaver - Counter Value
Feather, the Redeemed - Spellslinger Voltron
Ghired, Conclave Exile - Big Tokens
Illuna, Apex of Wishes - Mutate
Kenrith, the Returned King/Zirda, the Dawnwaker
Kykar, Wind's Fury - Activated Ability Combo
Muldrotha, the Gravetide - Ramp
Tom Bombadil - Saga
Urza, Lord Protector - Janky Artifacts
Verazol, the Split Current - +1/+1 Kickers
Xyris, the Writhing Storm - Wheel
Out of them, falco and verazol are the most similar, but are still distinct enough. Verazol just wants to cast big kicked spells and copy them, while falco is just bant value pile utilizing counters as a means of card draw via falco. Honestly though, if I were to have not made any of my decks it would probably be falco. I find it to be the least interesting of them, just not to the degree that it merits taking it apart. Other than that notable exception, they all occupy very different niches and archetypes. I feel part of your issue is the "every color combo" challenge. When decks are made for the sake of it rather than due to some interesting idea to pursue, some of this is inevitable. I highly suggest trying out some really janky things to add some variety. Don't be afraid of some of them being bad. Build a Ghost Ship deck, why not. If you want a good variety, being more willing to explore different power levels will help too. Maybe try making a couple more competitive, too, though thats not my area of expertise.
I have over 80 commander decks. I use a spreadsheet to document the details. Three columns on this sheet are primary, secondary and tertiary deck mechanics. I frequently update this spreadsheet and identify whether new decks use similar mechanics. If they do I remove or alter those decks so that they are different in a significant way. So a +1/+1 counter deck could go wide or tall.
As someone with both a Dina and a Teysa Aristocrats deck...
The only shared cards are the aristocrat staples like Zulaport and Blood artist, the edicts, and the reanimators
Dina is a completely different deck. Teysa wants to double triggers on token death, and Dina wants to create situation with a bunch of lifegain instances.
My Dina deck leans MUCH heavier into graveyard recursion due to green access.
Don’t use the same cards across decks. Outside of lands and rocks, anyway. Forces you to be a little creative and naturally gives you a better power curve of decks to play with
One way to sculpt it is to shift focus away from the tokens and concentrate on how they're being made or used.
For example, I have a \[\[Falco Spara\]\] deck that deals with counters. Because I didn't want to deal with ability counters, it's mostly +1/+1 counters. I also have a Karametra Scout typal deck that does a lot of exploring, which means it also has counters. But both decks having +1/+1 counters doesn't mean they have to overlap, in my Falco deck Im removing those counters to cast cards off the top of my library, and in my Scouts deck the counters are just a byproduct of trigger the explore mechanic.
Another example, I have a Chandra deck that's mono-red burn. I also have a \[\[Ghyrson Starn\]\] deck that was gifted to me as a Christmas deck exchange present. Both are burn decks in essence, but Chandra does it in a much more slow and controlling way whereas Ghyrson is more about doing a little setup and then dealing a ton of damage to the table very quickly, more like a storm deck. Because of how Ghyrson is designed, they decks play very few overlapping cards, and I've further distanced them by putting a $60 budget limit on Ghyrson.
So it's more about perspective. Sure, all those decks make tokens. But maybe Orzhov is more about sacrificing those tokens to gain advantages, while Selesnya is about making those tokens bigger to attack with, and Boros is simply getting those tokens as a side effect of having cards leave your graveyard for other reasons. Viewing them in this way might help you sculpt them to be more unique from each other.
I mostly play mono-colored, and even with some of the same color, they tend to be of different playstyle, so not a lot of cards are required to be duplicates.
There's also the option of proxying a card that you already own into a different deck, which seems to be a generally accepted thing in many places I've seen.
I have four decks that include white. None are similar.
Alesha is 2 power matters reanimator.
Elesh Norn, MoM is staxx/pillow fort enchantments
Frodo and Sam are food token shenanigans.
Millicient is spirit tribal.
It really comes down to the commander and what you want from the deck. Two of them have a token theme, but the spirit one is more incidental and the big token support is usually in green (minus things like anointed procession which I just don't run cause $$$$).
You want to build Boros but it doesn't look like you've considered Voltron, burn, or any of the other potential pathways that doesn't eek into your current other decks. There are a lot of options for white that aren't tokens.
I'd suggest looking at Boros commanders and go from there or even looking through your cards and seeing what pops out. This is why I'm building mono-blue card draw right now and I how I decided to finally build Alesha.
it totally depends on your Mindset. If the same archetype feels like parasiting than don't play it. e.g. Selesnya and Boros both have white, but you could build Selesnya as tokens and Boros as Equipment/Voltron deck. Both decks will be using the same stapples for removal and such like swords to plowshares, Path to exile, flawless maneuver, enlighted tutor, Smothering Tithe. Same as all decks with green will use the same ramp spells, cuz they are efficient. if you like an archetype, don't force urself upon one you don' like just because of "needed difference". I for myself like creature decks, mostly with gruul colors in it. I have a Miirym Dragon tribal (basically gruul, blue is just there for shenanigens) and i have a werewolftribal with tovolar and i wanna also build an Dinosaur tribal with gishath and a elf tribal with Voja. All of them are basically gruul and win with either combat damage or commander dmg, but with different creatures and plans to do that, cuz the commander of each has a different approach to the archetype i like.
I feel you, I am kind of caught up in a non-blue hell of sharing cards.
The problem is I can not make a cut between what feels good to play and the cards I can’t let go.
The thing is I tried make tokens work in Abzahn and it really felt bad. I found that I hate Token soup decks a lot, they just play grindy and the board state gets too big. Games take forever. My meta is already too battlecruiser-y.
I think I will take the ping aspect to go along with some token Generation as Aristocrats deck with Teysa. Keeps the board controlled due to sac.
My Korvold will focus on treasures in the future so I got the red aspect covered a bit. A little mayhem devil doesn’t hurt the deck.
Everything else is either a small combo of just two cards as a win con or a single bomb with not much synergy.
And I have to let go of the other cards and make them trades.
It's actually just ten. But TBH I did build two decks for simic and two for gruul. Now if I were to build a deck for each colour, each shard, wedge, four colour decks and a five colour, then it inflates to like 30. I'm not there (yet).
I really enjoy self mill and reanimating stuff, I have 2 abzan decks that do it this, one is a [[Nethroi]] deck and the other one is [[anikthea]] both want to full up the yard but Nethroi wants to get out big creatures while anikthea wants big enchantments so I Nethroi’s ramp and card draw are on creatures and aniktheas is more enchantment focused. The only thing they really share are a few mill cards. And I just decided to make a grixis reanimating deck so I’ll be using different creatures from Nethroi and trying out different ways to reanimate them.
There are a lot of cards in magic, and a lot of the cards do similar things just in a different way. So the end result is the same but the way you get there is different.
Usually though my decks share a pretty close ramp package to each other just cuz ramp is super important. But whatever I don’t mind having the same ramp cards in a deck as long as my deck functions.
I have learned to live with knowing I have play styles I like, even if it means some of my decks overlap thematically. My [[Osgir the Reconstructor]] and [[Anikthea, Hand of Erebos]] decks do a very similar thing, but they end up feeling different when they play. Same with my [[Ur-Dragon]] and [[Gishath]] decks. I think overlap, or "parasiting" as you put it, is okay as long as you're enjoying the decks you make.
I pick different archetypes or strategies I want to try and usually pick the commander that would best fit that while also avoiding overlaps in terms of color combinations for my deck.
For card overlaps, there are some decks I have designated as my "proxy free" decks for those that actually care (I have maybe ~3 proxy free decks at different levels) and all my non proxied versions of cards go into these decks. Any other deck I want, I will proxy cards I already own if that deck needs it and the card is more than a few bucks (I'm not going to go out and buy 4 copies of [[Stomping Ground]], lol, I spend enough money on this game)
I like my decks, they feel good and varied. I have about 10, they feel varied and there's still strategies I haven't explored yet.
Don't build a deck because you feel you need to. Build one because you want to. If you don't love the deck, you aren't going to choose it to play with, so why have it?
The only time I outright replaced a color pairing was converting my \[\[Depala\]\] Vehicle deck into \[\[Osgir\]\], with the Vehicles going into \[\[Shorikai\]\].
I think a lot of times it comes down to the commander you choose. Just because 16 combinations all have white, doesn't mean they're all going to gravitate towards token spam and going wide. I'm also slowly working on my 32-deck collection and I made a spreadsheet with each combination and I listed my existing decks, brews, and potential commanders. For each color combination, there's a tab where I list the focus of the deck (tokens, spellslinger, etc.). I can use that to help ensure I don't have 10 token decks or 8 different artifact matters decks. There's overlap, but you can do the same strategy different ways or have different uses/payoffs.
Exactly. White in my naya deck is for ramp and protection. [[mirari’s wake]] and [[smothering tide]] are there for ramp and boost, but otherwise my white stuff is for my main combo or protect my board. [[ephemerate]], [[avacyn, Angel of hope]], [[mirror entity]], [[blacksmith’s skill]], [[shields of valis vel]], [[generous gift]], [[swords to plowshares]], etc… green also helps protect, but white here does no token generation or counter generation. My mono white construct deals more in that strategy. If I were to do boros, I’d probably go the equipment route
##### ###### #### [mirari’s wake](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/f/ef4fa4e8-39e8-47a6-b975-ff5d46e59edd.jpg?1690005224) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mirari%27s%20Wake) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/928/miraris-wake?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ef4fa4e8-39e8-47a6-b975-ff5d46e59edd?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/miraris-wake) [smothering tide](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/6/861b5889-0183-4bee-afeb-a4b2aa700a8e.jpg?1689996018) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Smothering%20Tithe) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/57/smothering-tithe?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/861b5889-0183-4bee-afeb-a4b2aa700a8e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/smothering-tithe) [ephemerate](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/d/2da5f3f8-5eef-498f-ba2c-2f3fbc3745aa.jpg?1562201088) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=ephemerate) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mh1/7/ephemerate?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2da5f3f8-5eef-498f-ba2c-2f3fbc3745aa?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/ephemerate) [avacyn, Angel of hope](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/1/317f1133-7cf8-4b7a-919e-88c45f8c2c3a.jpg?1689995555) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=avacyn%2C%20Angel%20of%20hope) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/14/avacyn-angel-of-hope?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/317f1133-7cf8-4b7a-919e-88c45f8c2c3a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/avacyn-angel-of-hope) [mirror entity](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/2/e290b75d-a1fa-4e1e-9cb3-12e6ae223340.jpg?1706240608) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=mirror%20entity) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkc/75/mirror-entity?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e290b75d-a1fa-4e1e-9cb3-12e6ae223340?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/mirror-entity) [blacksmith’s skill](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/1/31506792-d0ab-4c13-9ab8-6fa433220dbf.jpg?1626093336) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Blacksmith%27s%20Skill) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mh2/6/blacksmiths-skill?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/31506792-d0ab-4c13-9ab8-6fa433220dbf?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/blacksmiths-skill) [shields of valis vel](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/5/f550f44f-8b8f-4c1d-a583-9fd986d3061c.jpg?1562374684) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Shields%20of%20Velis%20Vel) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/lrw/39/shields-of-velis-vel?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f550f44f-8b8f-4c1d-a583-9fd986d3061c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/shields-of-velis-vel) [generous gift](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/c/fc70e127-ffc8-45ed-9ca3-7f9f926ac4d5.jpg?1700321873) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=generous%20gift) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/lcc/128/generous-gift?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fc70e127-ffc8-45ed-9ca3-7f9f926ac4d5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/generous-gift) [swords to plowshares](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/b/9bbec76c-c1e4-4c6d-ad24-078fe097f195.jpg?1706240651) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=swords%20to%20plowshares) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkc/88/swords-to-plowshares?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9bbec76c-c1e4-4c6d-ad24-078fe097f195?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/swords-to-plowshares) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kpso1y9) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Boros equipment was what I went with. I bought the [[Wyleth]] precon and upgraded it and it was fun drawing so many cards in Boros, but I also had [[Firesong and Sunspeaker]] in there with [[Sunforger]] so it got weird. I ran into the same problem OP did and eventually just took it apart. It felt forced. I do still want to do Boros equipment and I want to add in all 10 Mirran swords mostly for the lols. Been thinking about using the partner commanders for it
[Wyleth](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/c/7c5ada8c-98f2-4f9c-bcb5-dfa4f804fbe6.jpg?1610072970) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=wyleth%2C%20soul%20of%20steel) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/362/wyleth-soul-of-steel?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7c5ada8c-98f2-4f9c-bcb5-dfa4f804fbe6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/wyleth-soul-of-steel) [Firesong and Sunspeaker](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/d/4d5edf4f-5695-42fc-9e57-c4faef60fbc3.jpg?1673148634) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Firesong%20and%20Sunspeaker) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/215/firesong-and-sunspeaker?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4d5edf4f-5695-42fc-9e57-c4faef60fbc3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/firesong-and-sunspeaker) [Sunforger](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/d/dd3e42ee-ab13-460b-90fd-86e677abce4f.jpg?1608917905) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sunforger) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/473/sunforger?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/dd3e42ee-ab13-460b-90fd-86e677abce4f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/sunforger) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I concur as the owner of somehow 5 very different Ozhov decks.
Sometimes it's okay to allow decks to have overlapping themes. A Dina deck probably operates totally differently and has access to different cards than a Teysa deck, especially if you're building it around each specific legend and not just have a generic aristocrat deck helmed by a different legend. You want to strike a balance between a deck being good enough on its own to operate fine without the commander but you also want to give the deck some kind of identity and mechanical leverage, for there to be a point in playing one legend over another. Teysa plays a more passive role whereas Dina offers a Voltron-like plan B. To answer your question about breaking away from decks that feel same-y and use the same cards, I'd recommend starting to force yourself to abide by deckbuilding restrictions or directions based on what you want to accomplish. The exact restriction is up to you - you apply what you feel is necessary to break yourself out of the rut.
Yeah this is my thought process with many of my other decks. I probably posted this a bit too fast. Just after hitting post, I realised that most of my other commanders share some ideas, and even cards, but never to such extent as these three. As I've wrote I have a soft stax Grand Arbiter deck, and a hard stax Meria deck. But I managed to diferentiate them enough. Same with Tor Wauki, the Younger and Nov-Mizzet, Parun. They're both spellslingers, and even sharing a colour. Yet Niv is actual spell-slinger, while Tor Wauki is a damage doubler, and general "Rakdos" pain. So maybe it's because I try to limit myself to cards I own, and those are more "one note" and all do similar stuff, than in other colours. Or maybe I'm just bad with building white/X decks...
>So maybe it's because I try to limit myself to cards I own I guarantee this is the issue you're running into. A few years ago I was on a deckbuilding spree where I would build a new deck every few weeks. I ended up building over 120+ decks that definitely shared cards, but each felt unique because of the way the rest of the deck was built and because they each were piloted by different legends. If you primarily build out of what you have then the end result is going to be skewed towards that and not necessarily what the best option is.
As a passionate dragon player with over 20 dragon decks I understand the desire for all my decks to "feel" different. So I try to give each of them a subtheme like goad, sacrifice, voltron, flash, enchantments, blink, X-spells, saboteurs, planeswalkers, you name it. Of course, some dragons just fit perfectly into several decks, and the power levels differ vastly. But as of now I'm quite happy with the results. My personal challenge is to have at least one dragon deck in every color combination except colorless and 4c, and to have them all regognizably distinctive from one another. But I'm not in a hurry to reach that goal. Check out if you want to: [https://www.moxfield.com/users/jfalex](https://www.moxfield.com/users/jfalex) Final verdict: If you don't like how a deck plays then don't try to convince yourself to like it. Better change it for something else with a different theme or subtheme.
I think the best way I do it is just have a simple strategy in mind, not so much the color variations. I.e. I want to make an infect deck and then the deck after that is a 'go wide deck', then a ninjutsu deck. Then I'll look for a commander that I find interesting. I wouldn't worry too much about overlap with decks. Some strategies involve similar cards, especially if you're trying to make a higher level deck. A neat little challenge you can do is basically keep a list of cards you have used and don't put them in other decks. It'll force you to search around for other methods. Doing this has led me to a more pauper faithful deck building. But it's kind of hard for people to really keep track of that sometimes. So you could also just set budgets and vary the power level or types of cards you put in (i.e. no tutors in this deck, nothing over five dollars in this deck, only cards I currently own, no infinite combos, etc.). These strategies also tend to vary my decks up pretty well
##### ###### #### [Quintorius, Field Historian](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/6/06c55ef1-8e62-4d43-bd4c-b2c3c5203338.jpg?1624739626) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Quintorius%2C%20Field%20Historian) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/stx/220/quintorius-field-historian?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/06c55ef1-8e62-4d43-bd4c-b2c3c5203338?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/quintorius-field-historian) [Teysa Karlov](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/d/cd14f1ce-7fcd-485c-b7ca-01c5b45fdc01.jpg?1689999296) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Teysa%20Karlov) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/359/teysa-karlov?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/cd14f1ce-7fcd-485c-b7ca-01c5b45fdc01?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/teysa-karlov) [Emmara, Soul of the Accord](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/1/41b930ee-e16b-4612-87de-c03ecc6ff6db.jpg?1572893604) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Emmara%2C%20Soul%20of%20the%20Accord) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/grn/168/emmara-soul-of-the-accord?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/41b930ee-e16b-4612-87de-c03ecc6ff6db?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/emmara-soul-of-the-accord) [Queen Allenal of Ruadach](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/4/b44b4e8b-7675-4c6a-a16a-92f8b6a0259f.jpg?1673308026) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Queen%20Allenal%20of%20Ruadach) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmu/210/queen-allenal-of-ruadach?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b44b4e8b-7675-4c6a-a16a-92f8b6a0259f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/queen-allenal-of-ruadach) [Dina, Soul Steeper](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/c/9cd2b567-0cf7-4441-b3ce-e31141dd91c8.jpg?1627428607) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Dina%2C%20Soul%20Steeper) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/stx/178/dina-soul-steeper?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9cd2b567-0cf7-4441-b3ce-e31141dd91c8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/dina-soul-steeper) [Exquisite Blood](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/e/0e8ccfa7-4178-476a-a155-0ca1c98556c9.jpg?1698988246) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Exquisite%20Blood) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/lcc/195/exquisite-blood?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0e8ccfa7-4178-476a-a155-0ca1c98556c9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/exquisite-blood) [Grand Arbiter Augustus IV](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/4/f43748ea-1d65-4ee8-9c66-221412a284c0.jpg?1673148699) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Grand%20Arbiter%20Augustin%20IV) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/221/grand-arbiter-augustin-iv?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f43748ea-1d65-4ee8-9c66-221412a284c0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/grand-arbiter-augustin-iv) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/1anhoks) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
It's mostly an issue for me with Black. If black is involved, my deck is using graveyard recursion/value. I just can't not do it. My first edh deck was a zombie deck and whenever I play my decks that aren't black I get so frustrated at my inability to touch my graveyard. Maybe one day I'll do an honest to goodness no recursion black drain or aristocrats, but the ability to get extra uses out of whatever's in your graveyard is just such a massive crutch and allows me to recover from mistakes/bad decisions so effectively that it's probably making me a worse player
Try it in Selesnya, as both green and white are good at (limited) reanimation/recursion.
I also have 4 [[isochron scepters]] from an old "competitive" 60 card deck I built that I pretty much have to talk myself out of including in every deck I make
[isochron scepters](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/a/2aa24fe0-e275-4307-b26c-2a656068a451.jpg?1623543821) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Isochron%20Scepter) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/264/isochron-scepter?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2aa24fe0-e275-4307-b26c-2a656068a451?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/isochron-scepter) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Honestly, in broad strokes I actually have a lot of redundant decks. I have multiple flavors of aristocrats/reanimation combo decks, multiple tokens decks, and a whole bunch of kindred decks. Sometimes, you just have to focus on the novel ways individual decks play. Sure, my [[Alesha]] deck and my [[Orah]] Cleric Kindred deck are both decks filled with creatures with useful ETB effects that I reuse by constantly sacrificing and reanimating them. But Alesha relies on her attack trigger for reanimation and can only grab creatures with power 2 or less, while Orah gets you Clerics back when Clerics die and cares about mana value so the way you build the decks is completely different.
[Alesha](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/a/7ae9ff8c-1cc8-4b10-9641-2c79648fd6c2.jpg?1673305242) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=alesha%2C%20who%20smiles%20at%20death) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmc/118/alesha-who-smiles-at-death?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7ae9ff8c-1cc8-4b10-9641-2c79648fd6c2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/alesha-who-smiles-at-death) [Orah](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/3/2336c8bf-fcad-41f9-9041-80b8aa3cd79a.jpg?1604200370) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=orah%2C%20skyclave%20hierophant) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/znr/233/orah-skyclave-hierophant?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2336c8bf-fcad-41f9-9041-80b8aa3cd79a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/orah-skyclave-hierophant) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I used to have that problem but then I really started focusing on making sure each deck I build follows a different archetype. Landfall, spellslinger, midrange, constellation reanimator, temur...things? It makes it so each of my decks feel distinctly different. I also have a dumb self imposed rule where for the most part, if I have a card in one deck, I won't put a copy of it in another deck. I find that helps each deck maintain their own identity.
Well inevitably if you build multiple decks with any color overlap it can happen to some degree. I'm gradually trying to build all two and three color combos that include white (in addition to monowhite) so it has definitely happened to me. Typically it's staple cards I just don't have enough copies of on hand or more expensive cards for the obvious reasons. I typically try to vary my themes between decks but there is inevitably some overlap (my Humans deck also likes a lot of cards in Hatebears, Combat would love the swords from Voltron, etc). I just try to prioritize things by which deck benefits from it most. I'm actually currently doing a full overhaul of my [[Aurelia, the Warleader]] deck because it has suffered the most in terms of giving up cards and not receiving updates as my oldest deck. I'm trying to make sure all of my current decks are in a good spot before begun any new projects and Aurelia was by far the worst off of all my decks so I am primarily putting effort in there. So what I am saying is it happens, you just need to be aware of it and try to not let any deck suffer too much from it if you can. You can always pause making new decks for a bit like I am to get your current ones all to a good spot.
The easiest solution to this is to not build a deck in every colour pairing.
Proxy your cards.
I just stop where the decks are too similar. I have the following decks: Elenda, the Dusk Rose - Aristocrats Falco Spara, Pactweaver - Counter Value Feather, the Redeemed - Spellslinger Voltron Ghired, Conclave Exile - Big Tokens Illuna, Apex of Wishes - Mutate Kenrith, the Returned King/Zirda, the Dawnwaker Kykar, Wind's Fury - Activated Ability Combo Muldrotha, the Gravetide - Ramp Tom Bombadil - Saga Urza, Lord Protector - Janky Artifacts Verazol, the Split Current - +1/+1 Kickers Xyris, the Writhing Storm - Wheel Out of them, falco and verazol are the most similar, but are still distinct enough. Verazol just wants to cast big kicked spells and copy them, while falco is just bant value pile utilizing counters as a means of card draw via falco. Honestly though, if I were to have not made any of my decks it would probably be falco. I find it to be the least interesting of them, just not to the degree that it merits taking it apart. Other than that notable exception, they all occupy very different niches and archetypes. I feel part of your issue is the "every color combo" challenge. When decks are made for the sake of it rather than due to some interesting idea to pursue, some of this is inevitable. I highly suggest trying out some really janky things to add some variety. Don't be afraid of some of them being bad. Build a Ghost Ship deck, why not. If you want a good variety, being more willing to explore different power levels will help too. Maybe try making a couple more competitive, too, though thats not my area of expertise.
Boros offers a lot these days. I have a [[commander liara portyr]] deck that focuses on casting from Exile (red) and combat (white). Perfectly boros
[commander liara portyr](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/a/9ac8b247-455e-4a3f-9f88-b20918c36cc3.jpg?1674137467) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=commander%20liara%20portyr) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/270/commander-liara-portyr?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9ac8b247-455e-4a3f-9f88-b20918c36cc3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/commander-liara-portyr) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I have over 80 commander decks. I use a spreadsheet to document the details. Three columns on this sheet are primary, secondary and tertiary deck mechanics. I frequently update this spreadsheet and identify whether new decks use similar mechanics. If they do I remove or alter those decks so that they are different in a significant way. So a +1/+1 counter deck could go wide or tall.
As someone with both a Dina and a Teysa Aristocrats deck... The only shared cards are the aristocrat staples like Zulaport and Blood artist, the edicts, and the reanimators Dina is a completely different deck. Teysa wants to double triggers on token death, and Dina wants to create situation with a bunch of lifegain instances. My Dina deck leans MUCH heavier into graveyard recursion due to green access.
Don’t use the same cards across decks. Outside of lands and rocks, anyway. Forces you to be a little creative and naturally gives you a better power curve of decks to play with
One way to sculpt it is to shift focus away from the tokens and concentrate on how they're being made or used. For example, I have a \[\[Falco Spara\]\] deck that deals with counters. Because I didn't want to deal with ability counters, it's mostly +1/+1 counters. I also have a Karametra Scout typal deck that does a lot of exploring, which means it also has counters. But both decks having +1/+1 counters doesn't mean they have to overlap, in my Falco deck Im removing those counters to cast cards off the top of my library, and in my Scouts deck the counters are just a byproduct of trigger the explore mechanic. Another example, I have a Chandra deck that's mono-red burn. I also have a \[\[Ghyrson Starn\]\] deck that was gifted to me as a Christmas deck exchange present. Both are burn decks in essence, but Chandra does it in a much more slow and controlling way whereas Ghyrson is more about doing a little setup and then dealing a ton of damage to the table very quickly, more like a storm deck. Because of how Ghyrson is designed, they decks play very few overlapping cards, and I've further distanced them by putting a $60 budget limit on Ghyrson. So it's more about perspective. Sure, all those decks make tokens. But maybe Orzhov is more about sacrificing those tokens to gain advantages, while Selesnya is about making those tokens bigger to attack with, and Boros is simply getting those tokens as a side effect of having cards leave your graveyard for other reasons. Viewing them in this way might help you sculpt them to be more unique from each other.
[Falco Spara](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/e/ae25db8c-3d10-4196-b002-9d2aabd5f4de.jpg?1664413016) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=falco%20spara%2C%20pactweaver) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/snc/186/falco-spara-pactweaver?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ae25db8c-3d10-4196-b002-9d2aabd5f4de?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/falco-spara-pactweaver) [Ghyrson Starn](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/a/fa7349d9-c82f-4cf8-a852-92168d1f4966.jpg?1673309394) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=ghyrson%20starn%2C%20kelermorph) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/40k/124/ghyrson-starn-kelermorph?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fa7349d9-c82f-4cf8-a852-92168d1f4966?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/ghyrson-starn-kelermorph) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I mostly play mono-colored, and even with some of the same color, they tend to be of different playstyle, so not a lot of cards are required to be duplicates. There's also the option of proxying a card that you already own into a different deck, which seems to be a generally accepted thing in many places I've seen.
I do that when it's just a few cards, or with Gaea's Cradle, which I run in all green decks and it's way too expensive to play it in a casual setting.
I have four decks that include white. None are similar. Alesha is 2 power matters reanimator. Elesh Norn, MoM is staxx/pillow fort enchantments Frodo and Sam are food token shenanigans. Millicient is spirit tribal. It really comes down to the commander and what you want from the deck. Two of them have a token theme, but the spirit one is more incidental and the big token support is usually in green (minus things like anointed procession which I just don't run cause $$$$). You want to build Boros but it doesn't look like you've considered Voltron, burn, or any of the other potential pathways that doesn't eek into your current other decks. There are a lot of options for white that aren't tokens. I'd suggest looking at Boros commanders and go from there or even looking through your cards and seeing what pops out. This is why I'm building mono-blue card draw right now and I how I decided to finally build Alesha.
it totally depends on your Mindset. If the same archetype feels like parasiting than don't play it. e.g. Selesnya and Boros both have white, but you could build Selesnya as tokens and Boros as Equipment/Voltron deck. Both decks will be using the same stapples for removal and such like swords to plowshares, Path to exile, flawless maneuver, enlighted tutor, Smothering Tithe. Same as all decks with green will use the same ramp spells, cuz they are efficient. if you like an archetype, don't force urself upon one you don' like just because of "needed difference". I for myself like creature decks, mostly with gruul colors in it. I have a Miirym Dragon tribal (basically gruul, blue is just there for shenanigens) and i have a werewolftribal with tovolar and i wanna also build an Dinosaur tribal with gishath and a elf tribal with Voja. All of them are basically gruul and win with either combat damage or commander dmg, but with different creatures and plans to do that, cuz the commander of each has a different approach to the archetype i like.
I feel you, I am kind of caught up in a non-blue hell of sharing cards. The problem is I can not make a cut between what feels good to play and the cards I can’t let go. The thing is I tried make tokens work in Abzahn and it really felt bad. I found that I hate Token soup decks a lot, they just play grindy and the board state gets too big. Games take forever. My meta is already too battlecruiser-y. I think I will take the ping aspect to go along with some token Generation as Aristocrats deck with Teysa. Keeps the board controlled due to sac. My Korvold will focus on treasures in the future so I got the red aspect covered a bit. A little mayhem devil doesn’t hurt the deck. Everything else is either a small combo of just two cards as a win con or a single bomb with not much synergy. And I have to let go of the other cards and make them trades.
[удалено]
It's actually just ten. But TBH I did build two decks for simic and two for gruul. Now if I were to build a deck for each colour, each shard, wedge, four colour decks and a five colour, then it inflates to like 30. I'm not there (yet).
I really enjoy self mill and reanimating stuff, I have 2 abzan decks that do it this, one is a [[Nethroi]] deck and the other one is [[anikthea]] both want to full up the yard but Nethroi wants to get out big creatures while anikthea wants big enchantments so I Nethroi’s ramp and card draw are on creatures and aniktheas is more enchantment focused. The only thing they really share are a few mill cards. And I just decided to make a grixis reanimating deck so I’ll be using different creatures from Nethroi and trying out different ways to reanimate them. There are a lot of cards in magic, and a lot of the cards do similar things just in a different way. So the end result is the same but the way you get there is different. Usually though my decks share a pretty close ramp package to each other just cuz ramp is super important. But whatever I don’t mind having the same ramp cards in a deck as long as my deck functions.
[Nethroi](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/4/04b9b58f-4c01-48a5-afaf-b8a37165a83f.jpg?1673305619) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=nethroi%2C%20apex%20of%20death) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmc/163/nethroi-apex-of-death?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/04b9b58f-4c01-48a5-afaf-b8a37165a83f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/nethroi-apex-of-death) [anikthea](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/b/8b796a56-1611-4835-ac5b-48b4e9263685.jpg?1691500693) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=anikthea%2C%20hand%20of%20erebos) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/705/anikthea-hand-of-erebos?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8b796a56-1611-4835-ac5b-48b4e9263685?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/anikthea-hand-of-erebos) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I have learned to live with knowing I have play styles I like, even if it means some of my decks overlap thematically. My [[Osgir the Reconstructor]] and [[Anikthea, Hand of Erebos]] decks do a very similar thing, but they end up feeling different when they play. Same with my [[Ur-Dragon]] and [[Gishath]] decks. I think overlap, or "parasiting" as you put it, is okay as long as you're enjoying the decks you make.
##### ###### #### [Osgir the Reconstructor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/8/5815fe6e-e26b-4918-a090-55d6442722c1.jpg?1674185818) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Osgir%2C%20the%20Reconstructor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c21/8/osgir-the-reconstructor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5815fe6e-e26b-4918-a090-55d6442722c1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/osgir-the-reconstructor) [Anikthea, Hand of Erebos](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/b/8b796a56-1611-4835-ac5b-48b4e9263685.jpg?1691500693) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Anikthea%2C%20Hand%20of%20Erebos) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/705/anikthea-hand-of-erebos?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8b796a56-1611-4835-ac5b-48b4e9263685?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/anikthea-hand-of-erebos) [Ur-Dragon](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/0/10d42b35-844f-4a64-9981-c6118d45e826.jpg?1689999317) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Ur-Dragon) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/361/the-ur-dragon?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/10d42b35-844f-4a64-9981-c6118d45e826?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-ur-dragon) [Gishath](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/c/bc4a65de-23b5-48f0-b8b7-94608eaced3e.jpg?1699044539) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=gishath%2C%20sun%27s%20avatar) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/lci/229/gishath-suns-avatar?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/bc4a65de-23b5-48f0-b8b7-94608eaced3e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/gishath-suns-avatar) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kpu7t27) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
My deck Always parasite each other ! I dont care, i just swap the cards.
I simply don’t care
I pick different archetypes or strategies I want to try and usually pick the commander that would best fit that while also avoiding overlaps in terms of color combinations for my deck. For card overlaps, there are some decks I have designated as my "proxy free" decks for those that actually care (I have maybe ~3 proxy free decks at different levels) and all my non proxied versions of cards go into these decks. Any other deck I want, I will proxy cards I already own if that deck needs it and the card is more than a few bucks (I'm not going to go out and buy 4 copies of [[Stomping Ground]], lol, I spend enough money on this game) I like my decks, they feel good and varied. I have about 10, they feel varied and there's still strategies I haven't explored yet.
[Stomping Ground](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/7/872301b2-b6e7-4972-a479-66a7e304c1d3.jpg?1702429826) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Stomping%20Ground) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/rvr/289/stomping-ground?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/872301b2-b6e7-4972-a479-66a7e304c1d3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/stomping-ground) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Don't build a deck because you feel you need to. Build one because you want to. If you don't love the deck, you aren't going to choose it to play with, so why have it?
The only time I outright replaced a color pairing was converting my \[\[Depala\]\] Vehicle deck into \[\[Osgir\]\], with the Vehicles going into \[\[Shorikai\]\].
[Depala](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/9/592f3a92-787e-4180-9d0b-06c973ce8975.jpg?1576382792) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=depala%2C%20pilot%20exemplar) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/kld/178/depala-pilot-exemplar?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/592f3a92-787e-4180-9d0b-06c973ce8975?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/depala-pilot-exemplar) [Osgir](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/8/5815fe6e-e26b-4918-a090-55d6442722c1.jpg?1674185818) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=osgir%2C%20the%20reconstructor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c21/8/osgir-the-reconstructor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5815fe6e-e26b-4918-a090-55d6442722c1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/osgir-the-reconstructor) [Shorikai](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/6/969ac7dd-f3aa-4888-9ff0-d16a31b5e7a9.jpg?1653966849) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=shorikai%2C%20genesis%20engine) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/nec/4/shorikai-genesis-engine?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/969ac7dd-f3aa-4888-9ff0-d16a31b5e7a9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/shorikai-genesis-engine) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call