When it comes to EDH, commander decks comes in many shapes and sizes. When it is time to play a game,the most enjoyable experiences is for all the players in the pod to sit down with similar decks in power level. This will involve communication between the players. Commander Clinic uses the following definitions of decks and power levels on a 1-10 power scale.You can use this scale to properly communicate with each other.
The Scale
- 1-2 Jank
- 3-4 Pile
- 5-6 Themed
- 7-8 Focused
- 9 Optimized
- 10 Competitive EDH
Definitions
Jank: 100 cards just thrown together with little thought. The card seems good or fun so you put it in.
Pile: A deck that uses the best cards from a collection that is mostly standard legal or has some serious card pool restrictions. ie. Innistrad Tribal.
Themed: A deck built around a theme often substituting most cards for budget reasons or a precon commander deck. It has few cards that are not modern legal. It can take over a game if left unhindered.
Focused: A deck built around a theme or concept. It’s balanced with card draw, mana ramp, and removal. The deck uses some of the top cards in EDH, It substitutes some cards due to cost. It is resilient to some disruption and can still win.
Optimized: A deck built using the strongest of cards with no concern to budget to accomplish its goal. It can win on turn four through six but not consistently. The deck is capable of taking over a game and withstand disruption.
Competitive EDH: The deck is able to consistently win Turn four or less and can stop others from doing so.
