So I play EDH with 3 other friends on a regular basis. What I'm finding is I usually go out first because I seem to become the biggest threat on the field first. I'm looking to assemble an EDH deck that basically let's me stay alive long enough to actually enjoy playing EDH.
I've narrowed down what I think I need in an EDH deck and need advice or someone to point me to a decklist:
1) Lifegain
2) Token generation (for chump-blocking)
3) Something that makes my permanents indestructible
4) Something that gives all my creatures death touch
5) Primarily flying creatures (or reach)
Basically I'm looking for a deck that doesn't make me look like the biggest threat at the table (where I get ganged-up on) while at the same time gaining me life and making people think that they don't want to swing at me or mess with me. lol
I like playing Glissa, the traitor for appearing not being a threat whille just sitting there gathering resources. Plus she has first strike deathtouch no one wants to attack into her.
The problem is those pesky flying creatures :/ beating me to death. I do have the option of repeatly use Oblivion stone to wipe the board when needed is great.
My particular build uses a lot of tokens, hangarback walker *cough*.
So I play EDH with 3 other friends on a regular basis. What I'm finding is I usually go out first because I seem to become the biggest threat on the field first.
While playing a different list for a while can potentially get you out of the political crosshairs of being the Archenemy frequently, there's no guarantee of it succeeding without understanding the original causes of your opponents dogpiling you. You might come to the table with a different deck but just as easily experience the same outcome because the new deck was a bandage instead of a cure.
If you don't mind, I'd like to understand how you "become the biggest threat on the field first". I, too, play with the same players most often rather than random pods. There's a lot of psychology and reputation at work in such environments. First, the basics:
Cards like dueling grounds and crawlspace help a lot. Alo g with cards like ghostly prison, propaganda and sphere of safety.
Copy sphere with copy enchantment and clever impersonator. Tbey are paying 9 to swing ay you. Throw in humility and now they ate payi g 12 to swing with a 1/1 and no abilities. Throw in hhe others i listed (duelibg grounds, ghostly prison and propaganda) tbey are paying 25 to swinv with a 1/1.
With e ougb enchantments. They are not glnna have enough mana to swi g at you.
You may even want to go 5 color. As black helps tutor for your stiff (white ca tugor enchant.ents but bkue cannot help as easily (tbey are mkre artifacts.)
So I play EDH with 3 other friends on a regular basis. What I'm finding is I usually go out first because I seem to become the biggest threat on the field first.
While playing a different list for a while can potentially get you out of the political crosshairs of being the Archenemy frequently, there's no guarantee of it succeeding without understanding the original causes of your opponents dogpiling you. You might come to the table with a different deck but just as easily experience the same outcome because the new deck was a bandage instead of a cure.
If you don't mind, I'd like to understand how you "become the biggest threat on the field first". I, too, play with the same players most often rather than random pods. There's a lot of psychology and reputation at work in such environments. First, the basics:
What kind of decks do you play?
What percentage of games do you win?
Agreed. Just changing decks may not be the answer. Are you known for winning more? How are you socially - do you make loud, boisterous threats, or are you affable? How is your rules knowledge compared to your opponents? Do you usually swing for first blood, or do they? Are you countering their spells or blowing up their land or just playing chaos cards that frustrate them? Are you good at multi-player politics? There are so many factors beyond the deck that matter. If we asked the guys you play with, why would they say they attack you?
Certainly, building a deck that discourages such behavior can help, but in the end, you need to know why they are doing it before you can address the issue properly.
I find that the best way to play a table is to be enough of a threat that they don't want to burn resources going after you, while not being so much of a threat that they have to.
You've probably seen it before where one player swings at the guy with no blockers for a free attack or to trigger some ability. You've probably also seen it where one guy builds up a massive army or a board of game-breaking permanents and everyone else has to team up to deal with them or lose. Having deathtouch blockers helps, as does taxing them to attack you (Ghostly Prison). There are a few good Queen Marchesa builds out there, as well as O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami, that are designed to do just that - punish anyone who hits you while not being overly aggressive until the end.
If you don't mind, I'd like to understand how you "become the biggest threat on the field first". I, too, play with the same players most often rather than random pods. There's a lot of psychology and reputation at work in such environments. First, the basics:
What kind of decks do you play?
What percentage of games do you win?
I have an Eldrazi deck with Kozilek as my commander. I can usually ramp to about 12 mana by turn 4 and start casting my big stuff. Obviously everyone else is like, uh, we have to kill him or we are all dead. I also have a Boros Avacyn (flip) deck that blinks a lot of stuff and basically deals a lot of damage to all opponents. Basically flashing her in at the beginning on my opponent's end step and during main equipping her with something that pumps doesn't spell well for me.
I am one of the more knowledgeable players at the table (regarding rules), so sometimes that can bite me. I am definitely not the loudest or most boisterous. In fact, I'm probably the most quiet at the table.
There are a few good Queen Marchesa builds out there, as well as O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami, that are designed to do just that - punish anyone who hits you while not being overly aggressive until the end.
The things you described seem to fit very well with my Teysa, Orzhov Scion deck.
It is a deck based around churning out tokens for life gain, and draining all of your opponents. Teysa's abilities are very effective for acting as a rattlesnake, and she also protects your board fairly well from blow-outs.
I face a similar issue with Jhoira. People see my commander and then pile on because in two out of hundreds of games I bashed an Ulamog out Turn 3 and proceeded to clean everyone elses board states on a rotation until I won. What they fail to realise however, is that if I didn't cast him that turn and wipe the Narset opponent's land/mana rock base, he would have won when it came around to his turn. I'm literally forced to play a counter deck with suspended fatties to deal with a competitive Prossh player and a competitive Narset player. If I don't, they just win turn 3/4. cEDH is very weird to deal with. If I play one of my other decks (Alesha Stax, Krenko, Baral), I durdle/control for a few turns and then the table loses to a combo player.
If you make a new deck that doesn't look imposing, and then go on to dominate through mass life + Aetherflux Reservoir, people will then focus you in later games again.
There's two options. Encourage your pod to implement more answers to their current meta state (our Oloro pillow fort player now has counters in his deck), or specifically build a second tuned-down deck that is less imposing (Narset player now has Nath Stax).
I feel for Kolaye. biggest thing I would recommend would be to not win until the turn before your opponents can if you are playing decks that are leagues better than yours. normally I would just spread the love around so people don't feel like you are picking on them.
First step is to avoid commanders that draw hate. If you run something like Jhoira or Zur, expect to get targeted unless that's standard for the table. Pretty much any commander that shifts into high gear shenanigans the moment it sticks, like Narset, Kaalia, etc, will draw hate. You are sending a signal that if your commander sticks, you'll take over the game.
Second, if you are still targeted and your commander isn't kill on sight, and boros avacyn isn't, switch to control. Pillow fort works, but isn't for everyone, and can make people target you harder if they figure that they cannot allow you to build the fort. Instant speed answers punish people for attacking you and protect you from the worst threats. Attacking you becomes a risk in which the opponent that commits the most against you takes the biggest risk of losing resources, and the opponents that don't attack you benefit, meaning everyone wants someone else to be the one to take the risk of swinging at you. It's also reactive self defense (people don't get mad when you path the creature they just attacked you with), and since you are protecting yourself it doesn't carry the same political baggage as a purely vengeful crackback attack.
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Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I am kind surprised, and yet not surprised, by some of the responses here. I am going to assume that your opponents are attacking you because defeating other players is the objective of the game. I don’t know about you, but I tend not to question things when I sit down to a game and opponents try to reach the objective, and prevent me from doing so.
Short answer, you are probably the biggest threat at the table. There is nothing to do about that other than bringing a worse deck.
Long answer, there is probably something you are doing that will cause the other players to lose, and the other players decks are built in a way that they can kill you faster than they can access an answer. It could be because they are building answer-light decks, or fast decks, or that what you are doing has stack-based answers only available to Blue (combo, MLD, etc).
Other possibilities are opponents being irrational in their threat assessment, which is a pet-peeve of every EDH player, but nothing you can do about it other than ask permission before making plays.
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I've narrowed down what I think I need in an EDH deck and need advice or someone to point me to a decklist:
1) Lifegain
2) Token generation (for chump-blocking)
3) Something that makes my permanents indestructible
4) Something that gives all my creatures death touch
5) Primarily flying creatures (or reach)
Basically I'm looking for a deck that doesn't make me look like the biggest threat at the table (where I get ganged-up on) while at the same time gaining me life and making people think that they don't want to swing at me or mess with me. lol
Advice appreciated!
The problem is those pesky flying creatures :/ beating me to death. I do have the option of repeatly use Oblivion stone to wipe the board when needed is great.
My particular build uses a lot of tokens, hangarback walker *cough*.
My friends now know to never leave me alone with a salvaging station because I'll very quickly draw my whole deck with my collection of Baubles, Mishra's bauble and Conjurer's Bauble.
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own
If you don't mind, I'd like to understand how you "become the biggest threat on the field first". I, too, play with the same players most often rather than random pods. There's a lot of psychology and reputation at work in such environments. First, the basics:
What kind of decks do you play?
What percentage of games do you win?
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R Zada Arcane Storm
RBU Marchesa
GWU Estrid
GWR Samut?
URB Kess
(R/W)(U/B) Akiri & Silas
BWR Alesha
R Neheb Dragons
G Nylea Wurms
W Darien
U Tetsuko
Cards like dueling grounds and crawlspace help a lot. Alo g with cards like ghostly prison, propaganda and sphere of safety.
Copy sphere with copy enchantment and clever impersonator. Tbey are paying 9 to swing ay you. Throw in humility and now they ate payi g 12 to swing with a 1/1 and no abilities. Throw in hhe others i listed (duelibg grounds, ghostly prison and propaganda) tbey are paying 25 to swinv with a 1/1.
With e ougb enchantments. They are not glnna have enough mana to swi g at you.
You may even want to go 5 color. As black helps tutor for your stiff (white ca tugor enchant.ents but bkue cannot help as easily (tbey are mkre artifacts.)
Forgo green go WUB and run oloro.
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
Certainly, building a deck that discourages such behavior can help, but in the end, you need to know why they are doing it before you can address the issue properly.
I find that the best way to play a table is to be enough of a threat that they don't want to burn resources going after you, while not being so much of a threat that they have to.
You've probably seen it before where one player swings at the guy with no blockers for a free attack or to trigger some ability. You've probably also seen it where one guy builds up a massive army or a board of game-breaking permanents and everyone else has to team up to deal with them or lose. Having deathtouch blockers helps, as does taxing them to attack you (Ghostly Prison). There are a few good Queen Marchesa builds out there, as well as O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami, that are designed to do just that - punish anyone who hits you while not being overly aggressive until the end.
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
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I have an Eldrazi deck with Kozilek as my commander. I can usually ramp to about 12 mana by turn 4 and start casting my big stuff. Obviously everyone else is like, uh, we have to kill him or we are all dead. I also have a Boros Avacyn (flip) deck that blinks a lot of stuff and basically deals a lot of damage to all opponents. Basically flashing her in at the beginning on my opponent's end step and during main equipping her with something that pumps doesn't spell well for me.
I am one of the more knowledgeable players at the table (regarding rules), so sometimes that can bite me. I am definitely not the loudest or most boisterous. In fact, I'm probably the most quiet at the table.
I might look into this, actually. Thank you!
If my post has no tags, then i posted from my phone.
(W/U)(B/R)GForm of Progenitus, Shape of a Scrubland
BRGJund Tokens with Prossh, the Magic Dragon Foil
URGAnimar, the RUG CleanerFoil
RRRFeldon of the Third Path 2.0 Foil
BG(B/G)Not Another Meren DeckFoil
UR(U/R)Mizzix, Y Control and X Burn Spells
(W/U)(B/R)GHarold Ramos - The 35 Foot Long Twinkie (In +1/+1 counters)
UB(U/B)Dragonlord Silumgar
It is a deck based around churning out tokens for life gain, and draining all of your opponents. Teysa's abilities are very effective for acting as a rattlesnake, and she also protects your board fairly well from blow-outs.
The checklist can be found here: http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/teysa-orzhov-scion-life-gaindrain-v-10/
If you make a new deck that doesn't look imposing, and then go on to dominate through mass life + Aetherflux Reservoir, people will then focus you in later games again.
There's two options. Encourage your pod to implement more answers to their current meta state (our Oloro pillow fort player now has counters in his deck), or specifically build a second tuned-down deck that is less imposing (Narset player now has Nath Stax).
Modern:R 8Whack R|W White Knights W
Second, if you are still targeted and your commander isn't kill on sight, and boros avacyn isn't, switch to control. Pillow fort works, but isn't for everyone, and can make people target you harder if they figure that they cannot allow you to build the fort. Instant speed answers punish people for attacking you and protect you from the worst threats. Attacking you becomes a risk in which the opponent that commits the most against you takes the biggest risk of losing resources, and the opponents that don't attack you benefit, meaning everyone wants someone else to be the one to take the risk of swinging at you. It's also reactive self defense (people don't get mad when you path the creature they just attacked you with), and since you are protecting yourself it doesn't carry the same political baggage as a purely vengeful crackback attack.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
Short answer, you are probably the biggest threat at the table. There is nothing to do about that other than bringing a worse deck.
Long answer, there is probably something you are doing that will cause the other players to lose, and the other players decks are built in a way that they can kill you faster than they can access an answer. It could be because they are building answer-light decks, or fast decks, or that what you are doing has stack-based answers only available to Blue (combo, MLD, etc).
Other possibilities are opponents being irrational in their threat assessment, which is a pet-peeve of every EDH player, but nothing you can do about it other than ask permission before making plays.