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A big pet peeve of mine in a game of Commander is a player's lack of threat assessment. With that said, I feel I must disclaimer such a statement. I don't mind being attacked when I am the alpha at the table. I don't mind being attacked when I have the superior board state. What drives me crazy is when I am clearly not the threat at the table. It reminds me of Pinky and the Brain from Animaniacs. For those not familiar with the cartoon by Steven Spielberg, Pinky and Brain are genetically enhanced laboratory mice who reside in a cage in the Acme Labs research facility. Brain is self-centered and scheming; Pinky is good-natured but feebleminded. In each episode, Brain devises a new plan to take over the world, which ultimately ends in failure, usually due to Pinky's idiocy, the impossibility of Brain's plan, Brain's own arrogance, or just circumstances beyond their control. When a player makes an incorrect assessment at the table and ends my chances of victory forever, I can't help but relate to that cartoon.
It's a Hard Knock Life
I have been playing the following deck on MTGO a lot lately.
One thing I have quickly realized with this deck is just how much players over-value life gain. A resolved Essence Warden sends everyone into a tizzy. Certainly, life gain has its advantages. It is hardly a super strong mechanic, though. I can attest to this by the numerous times I have lost with this deck. I have lost to being milled, Gates, and just good old combat damage. A Genesis Wave into Craterhoof Behemoth and a dozen friends have knocked me down from 120 to zero in on quick swoop. Sometimes I just run out of gas and it doesn't take long for a couple of big creatures on the board to take me out of the game. This is Commander. The game state and who is the alpha at the table can change quickly. Unless you are putting the final nail in someone's coffin, life doesn't matter. There are much bigger fish to fry.
Blue Sun's Zenith for 50 Alex
Am I really saying to ignore the board state? Well, it depends. Context is everything in Magic. There will be a corner case for everything. It is one of those things that strains the writing of Magic articles. I, or any other author for that matter, have to be very, very careful to not paint myself into a corner. However, players continue to freak out about what they can see. What they should worry about is what they can't see. Somebody's superior position can quickly go poof in a blink of an eye. The blue mage's new favorite toy, Cyclonic Rift, has proven that time and time again.
I would really like to beat this subject to death and then some. It is simply the most egregious error that I see again and again. Some player top decks an Avacyn, Angel of Hope and everybody freaks. It may be the only thing they have on the board with no cards in hand. The lynch mob ensues until the threat has been negated. All the while, the alpha at the table has quietly been letting the other players do his or her dirty work. A spell or two later, everyone else is also dead.
Mana Dorks
Let me ask you a question. Who is going to play more scary spells: the player with four lands or the player with eight lands?
What was that? Your answer is the player with eight lands. Your answer was eight. Just checking. So… why are you attacking me? Oh, Thrun. Right…
Next turn Mana Ramp Guy drops Amulet of Vigor and then casts Boundless Realms, followed by a Time Warp. The very next turn is followed by Avenger of Zendikar, Eternal Witness on a Boundless Realms that is abruptly cast again, and topped off with Akroma's Memorial for the win.
Yup, good thing you were worried about that Thrun, the Last Troll. Sigh.
Keep in mind that I am not trying to be snarky and just picking on green mages here. This also includes those blue mages and their artifact stones. More mana equals a bigger Mind Spring. Did you think those artifacts were just there to be shiny? A good Thada Adel, Acquisitor will search out Sol Ring and other artifacts stones the first few hits. More mana equals bigger and better steals. Mana equals danger.
Big, Bad Bullies
I love politics in a game of Commander. A game of Commander without politics is like poker without bluffing. Alliances are important, however superficial or temporary they may be. What I frown upon though is a Free for All that begins with a duo already in cahoots. I don't mind if that is what players enjoy playing as a format. However, this puts the other two players immediately at an unfair disadvantage. If team play is what you like, you should play in teams. Don't come to a free for all with a buddy unless you plan on sharing the beats.
What have astounded me about this subject are the players who don't watch for this subterfuge. I've seen a player wide open, but their opponent just doesn't attack. Why? The player is wide open. There is no disadvantage for attacking him or her. If a play seems fishy, a player should always consider that there is an unholy alliance at the table. At the same time, an alliance should be formed with the other unpaired player.
Again, I am not against team play. But I feel it should be part of a gentleman's agreement at a Commander free for all. When a player sits down at the beginning of a game, everyone should be treated as friend or foe equally. I'll confess that I have been guilty of this in the past. I'd hop online with a friend and give him/her an unfair advantage at the table. It should not be surprising that we won the majority of those games. It also took me a while to realize the error of my ways. Sure, bring friends to a game, but be cognizant of this and be fair to the other players at the table. Commander is a format for fun, not for a bunch of bullies.
The End Game
I've been accused of being a bully on more than one occasion for attacking an opponent with a poor presence on the battlefield. Usually, it is followed by some name-calling. There are also times when other players will gang up on me because I come off as a jerk. Many times my actions are warranted. A few turns later that same player has suddenly spawned a daunting game state for everyone involved. However, it is too late as many have wasted their resources elsewhere or on me. The game is over with nobody learning a valuable lesson. I wasn't picking on that player. I was launching a strategic preemptive attack for future plays and spell casting by that opponent. I didn't care that he had only a Solemn Simulacrum in play while other players had much more pressing matters on the board. It was the eventual Basilisk Collar plus Tibor and Lumia combo that I was worried about.
Stop living the moment and prepare for the end game.
Don't Pull that Trigger
Repeatable effects are a topic I have been meaning to write about for Commander. Inclusion of repeatable abilities is one of the best things for any deck. Baneslayer Angel or Kitchen Finks are great cards. However, they cannot dominate a game by themselves. Admonition Angel can continue to impact the board without any further assistance besides a land drop. Okay, Sheoldred, Whispering One would have been a better example. It would seem obvious Titan effects are often the bigger threat on the table. No additional resources are necessary. Thus, it confuses me when my Exalted Angel gets hit with a Swords to Plowshares. I will admit that it is a good card, but it isn't a dominating card. Toss a big fat flyer in front of it and I am forced to expend additional resources.
I think one of the skills to master as a planeswalker for Commander and competitive Magic is learning restraint. Many players will drop mass removal any time the board state is not in their favor. Sometimes, letting the game evolve naturally is the best course of action. Don't react to what is going on in the moment. React to what will happen. Baneslayer Angel isn't doing any more damage than it currently is doing. I have won many games where I never played that Wrath of God I had since the beginning of the game. Save that Path to Exile for something that really dominates the game. If Battlegrace Angel threatens you, I think you have bigger problems.
Context is Everything
Now if you excuse me, I have a world to take over.
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