(Opinion) Commander damage is an outdated rule and is bad for the format.
Before you start commenting about "rule zero", I understand that I can just find some like-minded players to enjoy EDH with without commander damage. I just want to have the discussion and flesh it out.
The main arguments I have heard in support of commander damage are:
It enables decks to win against infinite life combos, or against life gain in general.
It enables voltron decks (a popular strategy) with an easier path to victory.
Historically, 21 life was equal to three hits by one of the 7/7 elder dragons and this rule was an effort to combat lifegain and fit with the elder dragon theme at the inception of the format.
My problems with commander damage are:
- Infinite lifegain SHOULD win the game if your opponents don't have infinite damage or some alternative way to end the game. If you don't have a way to beat it, concede and start a new game just like you do against most other infinite combos. Many playgroups already don't allow infinite combos which lessens the necessity for commander damage even more.
When it comes to life gain decks in general, not infinite per say, I think this is just a strange obsession against what I would consider to be a fair strategy in magic. Life gain is not overpowered, it's largely considered to be a weak strategy across all formats since it's purely defensive and does not advance your board state unless you pair it with good synergies. You should not need to rely on the commander damage mechanic to combat this strategy.
- It can be difficult and complicated to keep track of, and in most games I play it's irrelevant so keeping track of it over the course of the game ends up being a waste of time. Commander damage wins are rare, and when they do happen they feel more like a weird gimmick or technicality than a legitimate win. EDH is complicated and messy enough
I will admit voltron decks will be hurt greatly by losing commander damage, but considering how easily voltron is able to get to 21 damage it's not unreasonable in my opinion to move the goalpost back a bit. In many cases I have seen against voltron, they would either kill you anyways or just be delayed by turn on delivering lethal. I think that having commander damage in the game hurts life gain more than removing it from the game would hurt voltron decks.
- It's outdated and the rule only exists because of the limited card selection in the late 90s. Games are far more aggressive now and 40 life per opponent isn't nearly as difficult to overcome.
Those are my thoughts, I think that there are some positive aspects still to having the unique edh mechanic but that the bad outweighs the good. I am not a voltron player, I am a very biased life gain player, so obviously my opinions are hinged a bit on that.