Wurm Welcome: The Perfect Introduction to Commander

When you invite a new player to a game of Commander to familiarize them with the format, the question arises: which deck should you give them? After all, you want them to have fun. In my experience, Baru, Wurmspeaker has everything needed to provide just that.

First of all, the mono-green color identity keeps it simple. Focusing on just one color highlights its strengths and abilities without the hassle of balancing mana production. By limiting the lands to mostly basics with a few utility lands allows you to focus on the fun of casting impactful spells. Fortunately, green's spell selection is straightforward: sorceries to draw cards and ramp mana, instants to interact with the board, and big creatures to win through combat. Ramp is particularly powerful in Commander and really enables your game plan of playing expensive spells.

Wurms play right into the core mechanics of green, as they are, by definition, huge creatures. They lack specific defining traits other than their unusually high power and toughness, which leads to a variety of unique and sometimes quirky mechanics among different wurms. The archetype carries a mysterious flavor, as wurms are related to dragons but feel more primal.

Baru, Wurmspeaker as the commander offers a pump effect paired with trample for all your wurms, a powerful buff that's always available from the command zone. Combined with an affordable mana cost and the ability to generate wurms himself, he is a well-designed and effective commander.

Ultimately, this deck brings joy by combining green's simple yet impactful mechanics with the sheer power and excitement of wurm creatures, all tied together by a commander that unites them into a combat-focused strategy. If this sounds appealing, give it a try yourself or share it with friends new to the format!

I avoided discussing specific cards to keep the article general, but if you're interested, you can check out my version of the deck: Cute Wurms