In a game with 3-5 players on average, your win percent is already lower than a regular game of Magic. Losses are going to happen more statistically out the gate- and people should definitely not be discouraged if they lose in Commander.

I try to evaluate cards more at the base level. It takes a fair amount of mana and time for it to become a Rack, and by that point there is a lot of progressive stuff other decks, even post-rotation, are doing.

One tricky thing with Discard at the moment is just how much good draw is out there.

Bandit is not ideal because most times they just pick the card they want to lose and you almost never get two cards from it.

One thing I have learned when rating spells is that giving the opponent choice makes it a lot less good.

Personally, Cruelclaw's Heist is very good, but mana base is bad.

Honestly, I think there are scarier things in new Standard for sure. With so many key cards rotating, decks look entirely different.

I am on a WG List at the moment, but I am looking at Flying Men (Mono U) being quite interesting as it loses little of what you want to be playing.

Been already preemptively testing it and it's not remotely good. Unironically, you want to be beating face with the 2/1.

That said, paired with Duress, Bat, and some other nonsense, we got ourselves a very terrifying WB Midrange deck that sometimes just takes all of your shit before you even start.

One of the best things about a relationship with communication and kindness at the forefront is that you can talk about these things and be who you are- all still while cracking jokes and eating chicken nuggies far into your late 90's (if lucky).

Your friends though: Mean bet to make. :c

If you are in Abzan Counters on a budget, I think this is a reasonable option.

It's got good stats and takes counters well itself, but it can be a source of getting that first important counter on creatures down the line.

The backside is the most useful though in my experience just for the draw.

I imagine I could probably get close in the range of 500-700 dollars.

The trick is to think categories I think, carefully naming all options and moving on when you just aren't sure- then after that, break down and name cards through decks.

To be fair, LGS worker here-

It's hard to sell take home kits these days since COVID has (mostly, not completely) passed- our allotment numbers are challenging to work with from distributors on occasion and empty promises and lost product happen all the time.

Kotis is so incredibly unique in its colors and underrated.

It's a Voltron-style deck with an incredible pay-off for getting it evasive.

It's in great colors to protect it with alternative methods over just giving it hexproof.

Great combination of colors for free spells and surviving wraths.

Love the color choice and quality of the printing.

The concept alone that something "doesn't exist" when you are discussing groups of people that might be playing a game a certain way is baffling.

So many people think Commander is the largest format and it still isn't. It's large, but 60-70 card kitchen table Magic is still the biggest format.