This thread is for the discussion of my latest article, The Art of War and Magic - Chapter 11. We would be grateful if you would let us know what you think, but please keep your comments on topic.
I just want to thank you for these insights into the strategy behind playing Magic through the eyes and mind of a military strategist. There is clearly a lot of thought and work you lay into each article, translating the overt references to wartime tactics into something that is applicable to our game. I have garnered some very useful information that I will be applying in the future.
"How to make everyone at your local FNM not ever want to play with you."
I've played with plenty of people who think they are Jedi, all trying to manipulate everyone else.
More often than not, it leads to me going, "OK you're a doosh, you die first..."
But of course, I don't say that...I say something like:
"I'm kind of irritated with you trying to manipulate people."
And just by saying something like that, people think about it and go, "Yeah...he has been manipulating people, especially the lesser players."
And then they do the dirty work for me...
What's even better is once you've damaged a player's reputation like that, it doesn't just go away. From then on people will be very suspicious of that player and more likely to be hostile towards them from now on...while you look like a hero and up-holder of virtue...
EDH should be fun and casual. Not some political fiasco.
I play powerful cards that accelerate the pace of the deck and give it consistency sure.
But I let my cards speak for them selves.
I announce each thing I play so that the whole table knows what I'm doing (I don't give away my strategy, but people know I'm being fair and not slipping anything on the board unnoticed).
I've found that the best way to win consistently is to carry lots of answers and a couple win cons.
People will want you in the game because they know that you'll help stop the cheesy game ruining stuff, you'll catch people trying to play dirty, and you'll recognize the threats and call them out.
That's how you play politics. Not with empty threats and Jedi mind tricks.
Don't be the threat, but don't be the easy target either. Just be that guy who's got some stuff and who doing interesting stuff each turn and who's seems to have answers to the board's issues.
Don't try to make people be your friend...make people want to be your friend.
Make the simple tricks of the deck very obvious. One of my decks is Odun Oakenshield and runs fleshbag marauder and other simple creature based removal. It gives me plenty of very obvious solutions. It says to players, if you force my hand I will blow up your shiny. The whole board knows it because it's sitting right there in the open graveyard. That's how you play politics.
Keeping and recurring your little Sakura-Tribe Elder for a chump blocker is a simple solution to make people say "well, not gonna attack him...it'll do no good" in a lot of cases. Maybe it's just my play group, but if you say, "Don't attack me, I'll get you back." You just made yourself a target by trying to manipulate them...
Don't be a threat for more than 1 turn before finishing someone off / ending the game. Be swift about it and don't just control everyone to death for a half an hour...because that's miserable for the table and they will hate you forever.
Thanks for stopping by, even if you're not enjoying the series as its written
I think we differ in our readings of the text: I know that the strategies you're advocating are valid because they're the strategies I use, and the positions you're opposing aren't ones I'm defending.
I agree with Peli's points. Whenever I play multiplayer EDH, and someone starts talking the political talk (even if they're not calling it that, or trying very hard to not make it seem political) it starts to taint the game ever so slightly. And when people try to perform table-wide machinations, it really turns sour.
I do however enjoy reading the articles and retain one or two little ideas from them. Keep it up.
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My Cube
My Articles
Check out my game, Awien Ambush.
My Cube
My Articles
Check out my game, Awien Ambush.
"How to make everyone at your local FNM not ever want to play with you."
I've played with plenty of people who think they are Jedi, all trying to manipulate everyone else.
More often than not, it leads to me going, "OK you're a doosh, you die first..."
But of course, I don't say that...I say something like:
"I'm kind of irritated with you trying to manipulate people."
And just by saying something like that, people think about it and go, "Yeah...he has been manipulating people, especially the lesser players."
And then they do the dirty work for me...
What's even better is once you've damaged a player's reputation like that, it doesn't just go away. From then on people will be very suspicious of that player and more likely to be hostile towards them from now on...while you look like a hero and up-holder of virtue...
EDH should be fun and casual. Not some political fiasco.
I play powerful cards that accelerate the pace of the deck and give it consistency sure.
But I let my cards speak for them selves.
I announce each thing I play so that the whole table knows what I'm doing (I don't give away my strategy, but people know I'm being fair and not slipping anything on the board unnoticed).
I've found that the best way to win consistently is to carry lots of answers and a couple win cons.
People will want you in the game because they know that you'll help stop the cheesy game ruining stuff, you'll catch people trying to play dirty, and you'll recognize the threats and call them out.
That's how you play politics. Not with empty threats and Jedi mind tricks.
Don't be the threat, but don't be the easy target either. Just be that guy who's got some stuff and who doing interesting stuff each turn and who's seems to have answers to the board's issues.
Don't try to make people be your friend...make people want to be your friend.
Make the simple tricks of the deck very obvious. One of my decks is Odun Oakenshield and runs fleshbag marauder and other simple creature based removal. It gives me plenty of very obvious solutions. It says to players, if you force my hand I will blow up your shiny. The whole board knows it because it's sitting right there in the open graveyard. That's how you play politics.
Keeping and recurring your little Sakura-Tribe Elder for a chump blocker is a simple solution to make people say "well, not gonna attack him...it'll do no good" in a lot of cases. Maybe it's just my play group, but if you say, "Don't attack me, I'll get you back." You just made yourself a target by trying to manipulate them...
Don't be a threat for more than 1 turn before finishing someone off / ending the game. Be swift about it and don't just control everyone to death for a half an hour...because that's miserable for the table and they will hate you forever.
I think we differ in our readings of the text: I know that the strategies you're advocating are valid because they're the strategies I use, and the positions you're opposing aren't ones I'm defending.
My Cube
My Articles
Check out my game, Awien Ambush.
I do however enjoy reading the articles and retain one or two little ideas from them. Keep it up.