There is a good reason why Wizards of the Coast first began designing and publishing preconstructed decks for Magic: The Gathering's Commander format (and the reason might surprise you).
At its core, Magic is a deckbuilding game. Deck building, though, isn't for everyone. It's something that Gavin Verhey, Principle Designer for Magic: The Gathering, recognizes can be quite daunting for some players.
"If you're a new player coming to Magic and you're like 'build a deck, put whatever cards you want in there, it's up to you, figure it out,' it's a big challenge," he comments.
That's what makes the preconstructed decks that Wizards releases for Commander and other formats so critical to the collectible card game. They're meant to be a tool for new and casual players to be able to simply purchase a premade deck and jump in to play a game right on the spot.
VIDEO: Why Commander Preconstructed Decks Exist
"We really reinforce precons as a landing place for players," says Verhey. "But we want to make it clear how to make your deck better."
Wizards does this, he says, by including cards in the game's main sets that are designed to be clear upgrades from some of the cards that come in that set's preconstructed Commander decks.
"So you buy a precon for a set and you're like 'oh, so clearly this rare is gonna be awesome in this deck -- it's got the keyword that this deck is built around, it's cool legendary or whatever -- I'm gonna put it in," he explains.
Those interested in jumping in with a preconstructed deck for Commander can pre-order the ones for the next set, Lorwyn Eclipsed, coming out in January or (for those not wanting to wait until January), preconstructed Commander decks are currently available for a number recently released Magic sets such as Edge of Eternities.
