Devoted Crop-MateDevoted Crop-Mate | Art by Zoltan Boros

There's a new feature on Archidekt that's perfect for the deck doctors out there.

Last week, the team at Archidekt released Deck Help Request, a new feature that allows anyone who uploads a deck to the site to do exactly that: request help for their build.

Any deck can now be flagged as requesting deck help, and users can do so via the Deck Help Requests link on the global navigation bar. The feature can also be found in the "More" menu in the deck builder, shown in detail below for both desktop and mobile:

What Happens With a Deck Help Request?

When a deck is flagged as requesting help, the user requesting that help will be prompted with two questions to better hone the assistance they'll receive:

• What is this deck trying to do?
• What does this deck need help with?

Answering these questions clearly and succinctly is key, as it gives Helpers a clear path to do what they do best: help!

With the influx of new cards and strategies in Commander, no one's an expert on everything, so Deck Help Requests make use of the collective wisdom of the Archidekt community. The above questions will allow Helpers to best diagnose the deck's faults and recommend that perfect card or cards to take it from a pile to a tuned list.

I Want to Help! What Do I Do?

That's the easy part. Simply head to the Deck Help Request global page, found here or in the "Decks" dropdown menu at the top. There, you'll see all the decks that have outstanding requests for help. After that, you help. Now you're a Helper!

You'll see in that list each deck requesting help, with the most recent requests at the top, as well as the answers to the two Requester questions. You'll also see the deck's estimated Bracket, its tags (+1/+1 Counters, Aggro, etc.), and how many views and comments the deck has had to that point. Decks still awaiting their first comment will be highlighted with an animated border.

Each Deck Help Request is initiated by the member of the community uploading that deck, so by providing your expertise, you're strengthening the Archidekt community itself, as well as having the opportunity to flex your Magic muscle for the good of all. And, if you're a cross-format pro, not all Deck Help Requests are Commander-based; you might find decks for Standard, Modern, or other formats looking for help.

More On Deck Help Requests

Once your Deck Help Request is initiated, your deck will appear on the list and the session stays active for seven days. During that time, you'll receive notifications whenever someone comments with Help, collected under the bell icon at the top right corner of the page.

At the end of the seven-day period, the Deck Help Request will automatically expire, but if you're still looking for feedback, you can reinitiate the Help Request.

Want some examples of a Deck Help Request in action? Look here:

Above, you'll see a deck with an active Help Request that has not received comments yet. Below, a deck is shown with a well-considered Help comment delivered:

Why Has the Deck Help Requests Feature Been Added?

Anyone who's ever asked online for deck help has had the same roadblocks. Whether you're posting on Reddit, Discord, or elsewhere, more often than not your call for help goes unseen. And if help does come, you'll be hearing advice on what to change in one window, while implementing those changes in a different window.

With Archidekt's Deck Help Requests feature, those changes in response to advice happen in real time, so the request, the help, and the updating all happen on the same page.

On the other hand, if you enjoy providing deck advice, often you're sifting through random deck list links on social media, dropped into a chat or comment with little context. By requiring Requesters to explain what their decks are trying to do, and specifically in which area they want help, Deck Help Requests removes a lot of that guesswork.

For the feature to work, however, there needs to be a good balance between Requesters and Helpers, and the best way to achieve that balance is for both parties to do what they do best: build, and help build!

So go forth, and happy building!