If you're looking to get into Commander but worried about the expense or competitive atmosphere, look no further than our Budget Commander League!

There will be a $10 entry fee to join the league, which will last six weeks with a game taking place each week. Participants must join our official Discord server (link below) when signing up so that games may be scheduled. Players will have a list of objectives during each game (see Scoring below) that can earn points to go toward their overall score. In this way, the league is focused more on creating fun, memorable games than strictly winning.

Any player who purchases a pre-constructed Commander deck from us for the purpose of playing in this league will have their entry fee waived.

Preregister here:
https://shoptoptiergaming.com/budget-commander-league-registration/

Deck Construction and Escalation

Deck construction rules for this league will follow the normal Commander rules except the changes outlined here. Each deck will operate with an escalating budget, starting at $50 and going up $10 each week until it reaches $100 for the final week. This budget does not include the deck's commander or commanders, for which there is a $25 static cap. If a deck is running multiple commanders (e.g. Partners), their combined total cannot exceed this cap. Players may change the composition of their deck as much as they wish within the confines of each week's budget, and may also change their commander one time during the league.

Note: for the purposes of this league, the lowest TCGPlayer Market Price for any version of a particular card may be used to determine the price as it counts toward the budget, regardless of the specific version that is present in the deck. In addition, basic lands do not count toward the budget.

If the TCGPlayer Market Price of the individual cards in a pre-constructed Commander deck bought to play in this league exceeds the starting budget, the deck is considered budget-legal up until the point the budget surpasses the deck's Market price.

Schedule

Each round will last one week, with a total of six rounds. Each round players will be placed in a pod of 3-5 random players while attempting to minimize repeat opponents. Monday night during or after our Commander Night is a common time to play games, however if that is not possible for one or more players in a pod they may schedule another time. Pairings will be available in our Discord server (http://discord.gg/rAYXQEM) on the #budget-commander-league channel. When pairings are posted, threads will be created within the channel for each pod, and players must post their availability for the week in that thread to expedite the scheduling process. Round one begins Monday, October 3rd.

Note: All league members MUST join our official Discord server and use it to contact their opponents each round, no exceptions. Additionally, league members must have reasonable availability to schedule their games (recommended at least three free evenings/weekend days per week). If an agreement is unable to be reached for a time to meet, please reach out to Corey for help resolving the matter.

Regarding Spelltable: pods may use Spelltable to play their league games only if every player in the pod unanimously agrees to use it. If any player in a pod cannot or does not want to use Spelltable, the game must be played in store.

Round One - $50: Oct. 3rd - Oct. 9th
Round Two - $60: Oct. 10th - Oct. 16th
Round Three - $70: Oct. 17th - Oct. 23rd
Round Four - $80: Oct. 24th - Oct. 30th
Round Five - $90: Oct. 31st - Nov. 6th
Found Six - $100: Nov. 7th - Nov. 13th

All results will be due in by Sunday of round end at close. Score sheets must be turned in to the employee on staff directly after the match has ended.

NOTE: There will be no make-up rounds in this league. All matches must be completed and reported by the Sunday of round end. If a player is unable to play in their pod during a round, they will receive zero points for the round and the rest of the pod will play without them.

Scoring

Players may gain or lose points during a game by the following means:

Once Per Game

Didn’t Hear No Bell (+2): Cast your commander from the command zone 3+ times in a game
First Blood (+2): Be the first player to inflict combat damage
Charmed, I’m Sure (+2): Control 5+ non-token enchantments
Suited Up (+2): Control a creature enchanted with 3+ auras or equipped with 3+ equipments
Zookeeper (+3): Control 7+ non-token creatures
Inner Timmy (+2): Control an unmodified creature with 10+ power
So Extra (+1): Control a permanent with 6+ counters on it
Good To Be The King (+2): Become Monarch
Everybody Gets A Car (+2): Cast a spell with 3+ different targets
Public Enemy #1 (+3): Deal 7+ combat damage to the player with the highest rank in your pod (N/A Round 1)
Stop Stop They're Already Dead (+4): Be eliminated first or second while in the lower half, rounded down, of overall rankings (N/A Round 1)
Whose Spell Is It Anyway? (+3): Cast an opponent’s spell
Prime Real Estate (+2): Control 12+ lands
Guess Who's Back? (+2): In any combination, cast 4+ spells from your graveyard or return 4+ permanents to the battlefield from your graveyard
A Fresh Start (+3): Remove 10+ nonland permanents your opponents control in a single turn
Spread The Love (+3): Attack all opponents simultaneously (must be more than one) with 5+ power each
Spirit Bomb (+2): Spend 8+ mana on a non-X spell that isn't your commander
Nope (And Nope) (+3): Counter 2+ spells in a game
Combat Trickery (+3): Remove an opponent’s attacking creature before the combat damage step
In Response… (+3): Control a spell that is part of a 4+ spell stack
Taste The Rainbow (+2): Cast a 3+ color spell that isn't your commander
The One That I Want (+3): Have 10+ devotion to a single color
Sick Gains (+2): Gain 20+ life in a single turn
Deus Ex Machina (+2): Have an effect prevent you from losing the game when you otherwise would (e.g. Angel's Grace, Lich's Mirror, etc.)
Sore Loser (-4): Eliminate yourself
Gotta Catch ‘Em All (+1 each): Cast a spell of each type (lands not included) that isn't your commander, +3 bonus for casting all

Multiple per Game

There Can Be Only One (+1 per player): Defeat another player
Eye Of The Tiger (+1 per player): Defeat another player while in the bottom half, rounded down, of overall rankings (stacks with There Can Be Only One, N/A Round 1)
Strip Mining (-5 per land): Destroy 3+ lands controlled by a single opponent
Backseat Driver (-2 per turn): Take control of an opponent’s turn
Easy There, Spike (-15 per combo): Generate infinite mana, creatures, turns, mill, damage, etc.*
What’s A Commander? (-3 per player): Eliminate a player without casting your commander this game
Mom Said It’s My Turn (-2 per turn): Take more than one extra turn

By Vote

Paragon (+1 per vote): Vote for the player who created the most enjoyable experience (can’t vote for self)

Players in a pod of 3 or fewer players start the game with one additional point.

*This includes technically non-infinite combos such as Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Curiosity, Demonic Consultation + Thassa's Oracle, or the like.

Players will be given a score sheet each week that they must mark as they earn or lose points during the game. Players must announce each time their points are affected so that the rest of the pod can confirm. After the game is over, score sheets must be handed in to the employee on staff for recording.

In order to combat point farming, we are instituting the following clause.

Stalling Clause: with 3 or 4 players still remaining in a pod, if all other players unanimously agree that a player has demonstrated capability to win (e.g. lethal damage on the battlefield) but is stalling the game to score more points, those players may concede the game with no penalty unless the stalling player immediately makes an action to end the game.

Prizes

Weekly

Every week, the player in each pod who gets the most votes for creating the most enjoyable experience will receive one past promo pack of their choosing. In the case of a two-way tie, both players will receive a promo pack. In the case of a three- or four-way tie, none of the players in that pod will receive a promo pack.

At the beginning of each round a weekly challenge will be posted. Players who complete that challenge during their game will receive one past promo pack of their choosing.

At League End

Players will earn store credit for the following two categories:

Most Points
Paragon of the Game (most votes earned across the entire league for creating the most enjoyable experience)

In addition we will have random drawings for a Secret Lair or AFR Ampersand Promo.

The number of players awarded for Most Points and drawn at random will depend on the total attendance for the league.

Entry: $10
Start: Monday, October 3rd
Format: Commander / Budget Escalation
Prizes: Described Above