(Stirring Bard | Art by Raluca Marinescu)

Hipster Quotient

One of the difficulties Magic R&D faces when designing cards is the tension between making powerful, exciting, and playable cards, and the possibility of making cards too good, too flexible, and too generically powerful. You may recall the recent critique of Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines.

"As we on the Rules Committee (RC) have repeated with some frequency, we believe cards being generically good is a net negative for the format. While it can allow deckbuilders, as I mention above, to explore multiple different types of strategic or thematic lines, the flip side to being generically good means it introduces a sameness to many of our games.

The mechanical upside of being generically good is efficiency. That costs us in other ways. Once we get to the point of, “If you’re playing white, there’s no reason to avoid playing Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines” (or insert card name), we’ve reduced our effective deck size by one more card. When twenty or more of our cards have been decided before we actually start building the deck, we’ve headed in a dangerous direction. We’ve sacrificed creativity on the altar of efficiency. That’s good in formats which privilege the mechanical. It’s a contrarian position in Commander."

~ Sheldon Menery, on Elesh Norn

To the extent that EDH is a format with one commander, one Sol Ring, and 98 other cards, it reduces the heterogeneity that can make the format so appealing. The EDHREC Top Cards page lists format staples, the top 100 most-played cards each appear in (about) 1/6th or more of eligible decks. To some extent, this is just a matter of probabilities - some cards are always going to be more played than others - but as time and set releases progress, and power creep inexorably advances, the number of auto-includes in a given color combination will only tend to increase.

To that end, I propose a voluntary deckbuilding restriction/metric that I'll call the Hipster Quotient. There are many different reasonable ways of approaching the same concept, but I'll suggest the following:

A deck's Hipster Quotient is the sum of the proportion of all recorded EDH decks in which its constituent cards (excluding basic lands) appear.

So, consider Sheldon Menery's Phelddagrif deck recorded at Archidekt, here. Sol Ring appears in about 83.7% of all current EDHREC decks; Reliquary Tower in 27.2%, Swords to Plowshares 25.8%, etc. So, that deck's Hipster Quotient is 83.7% + 27.2% + 25.8% ... + 0.0% (Equal Treatment), which comes to 457%.

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Do It Yourself

How can you calculate this for yourself? One option would be to use EDHREC to find the number of decks in which each card in your deck appears, then divide each of those by the total number of decks on EDHREC (almost 1.9 million as of today), then sum those percentages.

OR, you could use the Hipster Dragon Highlander App that I built!

I hope it's fairly self-explanatory, but you can input your decklist by URL (Moxfield or Archidekt) or by manually pasting the decklist, one line per card, along with the commander. Then hit the Update button, and your deck's Hipster Quotient will be calculated and presented.

You can take a screenshot of the "Hero Image" of your commander's illustration superimposed with your "MTGDS Certified" Hipster Quotient, and present that to your opponents as verification of your deck's relative ubiquity or obscurity.

One idea is to agree with your playgroup to a HipQ cap, build decks that fit under that cap, and play games on equally obscure footing. If you want essentially no cap, 1500% should be sufficient; if you want moderately hip decks, I'd suggest something like 500%. If you want something truly obscure, try 150%: you'll likely see a bunch of cards you've never seen at the table before!

For reference, I looked at a large sample of decks in the EDHREC database, and found the following Hipster Quotient percentile values:

	hipq
0%	0.0
1%	65.3
2%	99.0
3%	125.7
4%	148.8
5%	169.0
10%	237.2
20%	317.7
25%	347.2
30%	373.3
40%	419.7
50%	462.8
60%	504.0
70%	547.3
75%	571.1
80%	596.9
90%	663.9
95%	719.0
96%	734.2
97%	752.7
98%	777.2
99%	811.5
100%	1439.0

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Obscura Charm

You might naturally wonder which commanders lend themselves least and most easily to building in a hip way? Well, here are the ten least-hip commanders, by their average decklist:

commander	ubiquity	ubiq_cards	hip_cards
	704	Sol Ring Command Tower Arcane Signet Exotic Orchard Cyclonic Rift Rhystic Study Demonic Tutor Misty Rainforest Verdant Catacombs Watery Grave Polluted Delta Breeding Pool Swords to Plowshares Birds of Paradise Mana Crypt	Breeding Pool Misty Rainforest Birds of Paradise Watery Grave Verdant Catacombs Overgrown Tomb Polluted Delta Swan Song Demonic Tutor Rhystic Study Mystic Remora Scalding Tarn Mystical Tutor Fierce Guardianship Wooded Foothills
	692	Sol Ring Command Tower Arcane Signet Exotic Orchard Fellwar Stone Rhystic Study Cyclonic Rift Demonic Tutor Scalding Tarn Polluted Delta Watery Grave Mana Crypt Swords to Plowshares Misty Rainforest Bloodstained Mire	Steam Vents Scalding Tarn Mystic Remora Watery Grave Rhystic Study Polluted Delta Dockside Extortionist Swan Song Mystical Tutor Bloodstained Mire Fierce Guardianship Underworld Breach Flooded Strand Force of Will Arid Mesa
	651	Sol Ring Command Tower Arcane Signet Exotic Orchard Demonic Tutor Cyclonic Rift Mana Crypt Rhystic Study Verdant Catacombs Polluted Delta Vampiric Tutor Marsh Flats Watery Grave Misty Rainforest Dark Ritual	Demonic Tutor Vampiric Tutor Dark Ritual Verdant Catacombs Opposition Agent Polluted Delta Mana Crypt Breeding Pool Overgrown Tomb Chrome Mox Watery Grave Jeweled Lotus Diabolic Intent Marsh Flats Mana Vault
	648	Sol Ring Command Tower Arcane Signet Exotic Orchard Swords to Plowshares Lightning Greaves Cyclonic Rift Demonic Tutor Rhystic Study Cultivate Misty Rainforest Marsh Flats Verdant Catacombs Birds of Paradise Arid Mesa	Mindblade Render Derevi, Empyrial Tactician Druids' Repository Exotic Orchard Birds of Paradise Breeding Pool Overgrown Tomb Windswept Heath Arid Mesa Wooded Foothills Marsh Flats Champion of Lambholt Noble Hierarch Stomping Ground Verdant Catacombs
	648	Sol Ring Command Tower Arcane Signet Exotic Orchard Cyclonic Rift Rhystic Study Fellwar Stone Mana Crypt Counterspell Polluted Delta Brainstorm Scalding Tarn Misty Rainforest Demonic Tutor Ancient Tomb	Glint-Horn Buccaneer Mystic Remora Rhystic Study Swan Song Mystical Tutor Fierce Guardianship Cyclonic Rift Lotus Petal Scalding Tarn Polluted Delta Pact of Negation Flusterstorm Mental Misstep Chrome Mox Force of Will
	646	Sol Ring Command Tower Arcane Signet Exotic Orchard Counterspell Cyclonic Rift Beast Within Watery Grave Demonic Tutor Fellwar Stone Rhystic Study Overgrown Tomb Misty Rainforest Verdant Catacombs Breeding Pool	Overgrown Tomb Watery Grave Breeding Pool Seedborn Muse Deathrite Shaman Verdant Catacombs Misty Rainforest Polluted Delta Assassin's Trophy Neoform Birds of Paradise Windfall Demonic Tutor Abrupt Decay Mystic Remora
	636	Sol Ring Command Tower Arcane Signet Exotic Orchard Counterspell Brainstorm Fellwar Stone Reliquary Tower Cyclonic Rift Demonic Tutor Watery Grave Rhystic Study Dark Ritual Steam Vents Blood Crypt	Dark Ritual Brainstorm Steam Vents Talisman of Creativity Ponder Windfall Watery Grave Dimir Signet Preordain Blood Crypt Izzet Signet Faithless Looting Talisman of Dominance Mystical Tutor Frantic Search
	625	Sol Ring Command Tower Arcane Signet Exotic Orchard Swords to Plowshares Fellwar Stone Counterspell Rhystic Study Cyclonic Rift Swiftfoot Boots Hallowed Fountain Lightning Greaves Path to Exile Flooded Strand Brainstorm	Hallowed Fountain Swords to Plowshares Rhystic Study Exotic Orchard Flooded Strand Mystic Remora Cyclonic Rift Esper Sentinel Dovin's Veto Sea of Clouds Fellwar Stone Swan Song Arid Mesa Fierce Guardianship Scalding Tarn
	625	Sol Ring Command Tower Arcane Signet Exotic Orchard Cultivate Lightning Greaves Beast Within Counterspell Swiftfoot Boots Rampant Growth Brainstorm Farseek Rogue's Passage Kodama's Reach Evolving Wilds	Brainstorm Memory Lapse Growth Spiral Aqueous Form Stomping Ground Explore Farseek Steam Vents Cultivate Exotic Orchard Rampant Growth Breeding Pool Frontier Bivouac Beast Within Yavimaya Coast
	620	Sol Ring Command Tower Arcane Signet Exotic Orchard Swords to Plowshares Reliquary Tower Smothering Tithe Skullclamp Evolving Wilds Mind Stone Lightning Greaves Fellwar Stone Watery Grave Path of Ancestry Counterspell	Talisman of Progress Talisman of Dominance Talisman of Hierarchy Swords to Plowshares Smothering Tithe Ultramarines Honour Guard Space Marine Devastator Nadir Kraken Arcane Sanctum Commissar Severina Raine Company Commander Vexilus Praetor Skullclamp The Golden Throne Prairie Stream

The "ubiquity" column is that commander's mean Hipster Quotient %; ubiq_cards are the most-played × most-ubiquitous cards for that commander, and hip_cards are the most-played × least-ubiquitous cards for that commander. In general, the ubiq_cards lists are not very interesting.

On this unhip list, even the hip_cards are themselves not that hip. Lots of lands, ramp, tutors, and staples. Things get more interesting when we look at more hip/obscure/unique commanders:

commander	ubiquity	ubiq_cards	hip_cards
	113	Sol Ring Arcane Signet Arid Mesa Scalding Tarn Wooded Foothills Skullclamp Bloodstained Mire Lightning Bolt Chaos Warp Swiftfoot Boots Abrade Prismatic Vista Blasphemous Act Myriad Landscape Mind Stone	Lightning Bolt Monastery Swiftspear Lightning Strike Light Up the Stage Incinerate Chain Lightning Bonecrusher Giant Loyal Apprentice Ramunap Ruins Castle Embereth Searing Spear Goblin Guide Burst Lightning Bomat Courier Fiery Confluence
	169	Sol Ring Cultivate Reliquary Tower Beast Within Kodama's Reach Eternal Witness Harmonize Thought Vessel Heroic Intervention Myriad Landscape Sylvan Library Krosan Grip Reclamation Sage Nature's Claim Rampant Growth	Journey of Discovery Abundance Yavimaya Elder Seek the Horizon Sprouting Vines Nissa's Pilgrimage Nissa's Triumph Harmonize Nylea's Intervention Hydra Broodmaster Rites of Spring Armillary Sphere Gaea's Bounty Dryad Greenseeker Helix Pinnacle
	188	Sol Ring Myriad Landscape Arcane Signet Solemn Simulacrum Reliquary Tower Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth Bojuka Bog Temple of the False God Cabal Coffers Gray Merchant of Asphodel Ancient Tomb Mind Stone Diabolic Tutor Thran Dynamo Demonic Tutor	Skirge Familiar Dread Return Gray Merchant of Asphodel Cabal Coffers Crypt Ghast Myriad Landscape Cabal Stronghold Diabolic Tutor Hedron Archive Phantasmagorian Thran Dynamo Unmask Peat Bog Hollow One Whip of Erebos
	199	Sol Ring Swiftfoot Boots Beast Within Llanowar Elves Cultivate Rogue's Passage Elvish Mystic Rampant Growth Fyndhorn Elves Reclamation Sage Lightning Greaves Heroic Intervention Myriad Landscape Kodama's Reach Arcane Signet	Llanowar Elves Rancor Primal Bellow Elvish Mystic Wild Beastmaster Arbor Elf Fyndhorn Elves Blossoming Defense Giant Growth Blanchwood Armor Snakeskin Veil Kenrith's Transformation Ranger's Guile Aspect of Hydra Season of Growth
	220	Sol Ring Arcane Signet Myriad Landscape Bojuka Bog Mind Stone Feed the Swarm Gray Merchant of Asphodel Swiftfoot Boots Dark Ritual Wayfarer's Bauble Phyrexian Arena Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth Cabal Coffers Sign in Blood Animate Dead	Tymaret Calls the Dead Doomwake Giant Seal of Doom Grim Guardian The Eldest Reborn Tormod, the Desecrator Gray Merchant of Asphodel Tymaret, Chosen from Death Hateful Eidolon Liliana's Mastery Agent of Erebos Dreadhorde Invasion Endless Ranks of the Dead Graf Harvest Sinister Concoction
	224	Sol Ring Arcane Signet Counterspell Swiftfoot Boots Brainstorm Mystical Tutor Reliquary Tower Lightning Greaves Mind Stone Myriad Landscape Thought Vessel Mystic Sanctuary Cyclonic Rift Fellwar Stone Negate	Mystical Tutor Mana Severance Counterspell Thassa's Oracle Brainstorm Mystic Sanctuary High Tide Thousand-Year Elixir Minamo, School at Water's Edge Frantic Search Laboratory Maniac Essence Flux Narset's Reversal Dramatic Reversal Ghostly Flicker
	234	Sol Ring Arcane Signet Lightning Greaves Dark Ritual Reliquary Tower Demonic Tutor Swiftfoot Boots Mana Crypt Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth Vampiric Tutor Bojuka Bog Opposition Agent Cabal Coffers Jeweled Lotus Command Tower	Dark Ritual Opposition Agent Ad Nauseam Ob Nixilis, Unshackled Sickening Dreams Cabal Coffers Cabal Ritual Demonic Tutor Jeweled Lotus Lotus Petal Vampiric Tutor Scheming Symmetry Elixir of Immortality Bubbling Muck Crypt Ghast
	234	Sol Ring Arcane Signet Counterspell Reliquary Tower Myriad Landscape Mind Stone Swiftfoot Boots Rogue's Passage Negate Mystic Sanctuary Rhystic Study Arcane Denial Brainstorm Thought Vessel Propaganda	Aqueous Form Eel Umbra Cartouche of Knowledge Gadwick, the Wizened Curiosity Altar of the Pantheon Invisibility Curator's Ward Frogify Kasmina's Transmutation Imprisoned in the Moon Starlit Mantle Tempest Djinn Thassa's Rebuff Auramancer's Guise
	234	Sol Ring Arcane Signet Swords to Plowshares Mind Stone Myriad Landscape Path to Exile Generous Gift Smothering Tithe Commander's Sphere Aven Mindcensor Swiftfoot Boots War Room Lightning Greaves Wayfarer's Bauble Vanquisher's Banner	Soulcatchers' Aerie Healer's Hawk Wingmate Roc Cartographer's Hawk Soulcatcher Aven Brigadier Battlefield Raptor Steel-Plume Marshal Aven Mindcensor Commander Eesha Cloudchaser Kestrel Battle Screech Healer's Flock Celestial Gatekeeper Kangee's Lieutenant
	236	Sol Ring Cultivate Beast Within Arcane Signet Llanowar Elves Rogue's Passage Rampant Growth Reliquary Tower Myriad Landscape Kodama's Reach Swiftfoot Boots Heroic Intervention Elvish Mystic Fyndhorn Elves Reclamation Sage	Evolution Sage Inspiring Call Karametra's Acolyte Armorcraft Judge Llanowar Elves Ivy Lane Denizen Rishkar, Peema Renegade Llanowar Tribe Beast Whisperer Incubation Druid Yorvo, Lord of Garenbrig Elvish Mystic Beast Within Fertilid Oran-Rief, the Vastwood

Kari Zev, Skyship Raider runs a large number of single-target burn spells, Sasaya, Orochi Ascendant reaches deep into the well of land tutors, Demonlord Belzenlok runs an unusually-high rate of cards with MV ≥ 4, etc., etc.

But these "average decks" aren't the ones you're likely to build if you're trying to adhere to a Hipness cap. You can play any commander this way: Atraxa as a -1/-1 Counter deck, Lathril with no Elves, any commander with a Hapax 99....

I do want to note that while ubiquity correlates with power level, the two are not synonymous. During your Rule Zero conversation, reporting your Hipster Quotient does more to describe your deckbuilding philosophy than your expected competitiveness. That said, sometimes it's just nice to see something new at the table. If WotC is going to print 1,992 new Commander-legal cards in a year, you might as well put some in your decks!

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Thoughts? Questions? Critiques? Suggestions?

Let me hear them! Please tell me if you try the App, or if you run a pod with a Hipness cap: I want to hear how it works, both technically and at the table. In fact, I would love nothing more than for you to send me your screenshots at @mtg_ds on Twitter.