Hey brewer Josh here from ThemEDH! Today, I wanted to share something a little different – not a deck tech, but the story of how I truly caught the “budget brew bug” and why it led to the creation of this blog.
Like many Commander players, I love the sheer possibility of the format. Thousands of cards, endless combinations… it’s amazing! But I started noticing a pattern in my own deckbuilding when I didn’t set limits. When aiming purely for power or efficiency, especially within a specific color pair, I often found myself reaching for the same powerful, often expensive, staples. You know the ones – the ubiquitous ramp and tutors, maybe a Smothering Tithe here, a Rhystic Study there, powerful format staples like The One Ring or Orcish Bowmasters slotting into almost anything that could run them. While effective, it sometimes felt like I was building variations of the same deck, losing some of the creative spark that drew me to EDH in the first place.
Finding Joy in Constraints
That realization led me to try something different: imposing constraints. Specifically, budget and theme. I set myself the challenge that now defines this blog: could I build fun, flavorful, functional Commander decks for around a $50 budget cap?
Suddenly, deckbuilding felt like a whole new puzzle! Instead of reaching for the auto-includes, I had to:
- Dig Deep: Scour card databases for hidden gems, obscure commons, and budget rares that fit the theme and performed a needed function.
- Embrace Synergy: Rely on clever interactions and thematic coherence rather than just raw power level.
Honestly? It made deckbuilding more fun for me. The constraints didn’t feel limiting; they felt liberating. They forced creativity and led to decks that felt truly unique and personal. It taps right into why I love brewing – the challenge, the discovery, the satisfaction of making a cool concept work affordably. Seriously, ask me what I do most nights before falling asleep – chances are I’m scrolling through Scryfall on my phone, chasing down some obscure common or weird synergy, already dreaming up the next quirky deck idea! That deep dive is half the fun.
The Deck That Started It All: Sita Varma’s Elves
The first deck I really dove into with this philosophy was a bit of an oddball concept: an Elf tribal deck led by a non-Elf, Sita Varma, Masked Racer.
The idea was to use the classic budget power of Elf tribal (mana dorks, token swarms, lords) but leverage Sita’s unique +1/+1 counter and power-setting ability as a surprising finisher. It involved balancing the Elf plan with +1/+1 counter synergies and finding budget ways to make it all click.
Why was this deck so pivotal for me?
- It forced me to use dozens of commons and uncommons I already owned or could get for pennies.
- It made me appreciate the power level you can achieve with synergy, even without expensive cards (the non-land cards in the linked theory brew total under $30!).
- It gave me immense satisfaction finding the perfect home for cards I’d had sitting around forever, waiting for their chance to shine.
Building that deck, even just in theory initially, solidified my love for this style of brewing.
Why Budget + Theme is Fun
Combining budget and theme constraints has been incredibly rewarding. It prevents the deckbuilding process from becoming just an optimization problem using the same expensive staples. Instead, it becomes a creative challenge: “How can I represent this flavor using only affordable tools?”
Something else that really clicked for me was starting to dig into the actual **lore** behind the cards. I realized so many legendary creatures have fascinating backstories, whether within Magic’s own expanding universe or from cool Universes Beyond settings. Suddenly, thematic brewing wasn’t just about matching mechanics or creature types; it became about trying to tell that character’s story through the cards. Thinking about Bess, Soul Nourisher literally ‘nourishing the community’ with food tokens, or picturing Kalain, Reclusive Painter holed up in her windmill with only rats for company – those stories make the deckbuilding process incredibly engaging and creatively satisfying. It encourages building decks that truly tell a story and have a distinct identity.
And honestly, there’s a unique kind of fun in actually piloting these decks. When a synergy using unusual cards that you spent time brainstorming clicks, or an overlooked budget card drastically overperforms, it feels like you’re truly making it happen. It’s a different, more connected experience than playing a preconstructed deck where powerful things might happen to you; here, you visualized the interactions and brought the deck from initial idea to the table. That connection makes the gameplay itself incredibly satisfying, win or lose. Plus, focusing on your own brew completely sidesteps the feeling of an “arms race” that can sometimes creep into playgroups.
And That’s Why ThemEDH Exists…
This whole journey – finding the joy in budget limits, the creativity sparked by thematic constraints and character lore, the satisfaction of making underused cards shine, fuelled by countless hours dreaming up ideas on Scryfall, and the rewarding feeling of piloting your own creation – is what led me to create ThemEDH. I wanted to share these “digestible homebrews,” celebrate flavorful and affordable deckbuilding, and hopefully inspire others who might feel priced out or stuck in a brewing rut.
So, if you’ve ever felt like your decks are becoming too similar, or if the cost of Commander staples seems daunting, I highly encourage you to try imposing some limits on your next brew! Set a budget, pick a weird theme based on some cool lore you found, and see what hidden gems you uncover.
Thanks for reading, and as always, happy brewing!
ThemEDH 
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