Kind of depends on what you mean by "good" too...like good as in most powerful and likely to win, or good as in fun.
I'd stay away from 1v1 powerhouses like Zur or Braids, but other than that, go for a general that can generate card advantage, tempo, or has good colors.
I like token generals like Rhys and Rith. I like good generals in solid colors like Rafiq, Doran, Teneb, Vorosh, Wort the Raidmother. I also like build-around-me generals, like Sedris, Niv-Mizzet, Jhoira (totally broken), Rofellos, Mayael, Hanna Ship's Navigator...the list goes on.
I usually like the build-around-mes, so I'd think of a general strategy and pick a general that compliments that rather than pick a general first. I also think that in multiplayer, card advantage is the most important aspect of winning, more important than say, tempo.
Is there a particular card you think is fun or powerful? Do you like control, combo, or aggro? Do you like particular colors?
I personally like to stay away from running the "kill him now or he'll win" type generals. I'd say to stay safe, you can pick from the dragon cycles, most of which make decent generals (Planar Chaos Dragons, Invasion Dragons, Elder Dragons (forget the set name here)).
They pretty much hit the nail on the head. It really depends on how you are wanting to play. I enjoy using vorosh as he has the possibility of being a threat if you CHOOSE to by activating his ability when you are swinging at people. On the other spectrum there's generals like Kami of the crescent moon, walking howling mine hooray! Only downside is that it restricts you from playing any other color since he's just blue.
IMO Numot is one of the more fun generals to play multi plaer with. normally for muti player, you want mid-range type EDH build. for instance, a general like jenara probly wouldnt be the best idea because the best way to play her is to kill as quick as possible. kill oner youve got 1+ other dudes waiting and building army's. the 3 color generals are normally seem to be the best for multi player matches imo.
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IMO Numot is one of the more fun generals to play multi plaer with. normally for muti player, you want mid-range type EDH build. for instance, a general like jenara probly wouldnt be the best idea because the best way to play her is to kill as quick as possible. kill oner youve got 1+ other dudes waiting and building army's. the 3 color generals are normally seem to be the best for multi player matches imo.
um... Numot is not a good general if only for the reason that his effect causes land destruction which is one of the most hated strategies in EDH.
And I have to disagree with your analysis of General Damage in Multiplayer, but that is primarily because the deck I play wins via General Damage.
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"As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero." -- Varsuvius, Order of the Stick
I believe that generals that are "build around" are worse in multiplayer then in single player. Sweeper effects tend to be INCREDIBLY common in multiplayer, as well as ways to stop what your doing. The main deck i've played in multiplayer is my Vorosh deck (i do most of my EDH online, so no multiplayer). From the games I've played with it, I dunno in my first 6 games if I ever actually hit anybody a second time with my Vorosh (i mean hit them for 12 damage). What I mean is stuff won't live that long. If you overcentralize your strategy, you will be stuck with a bunch of bad cards. i think whats best is making your deck around a theme, but a more general theme. Like if you run Sedris, don't make it JUST about sedris, but make sedris just a good way of reanimation. Zur is still powerful, just because he's still ridiculous. I dunno why Braids, Conjurer adept is often used. Mono U is not going to break it as much as your opponent, hell in SINGLE player rather then multiplayer. In multiplayer i saw a few times someguy try it and he would play braids, everybody else would then drop a fattie into play then the final turn before the Braids guy's upkeep the braid was killed.
That being said, I think certain complete build around generals work. Jhoira is still powerful in multiplayer, as sweep effects like Decree of Destruction just GAIN power. Jhoira doesn't need to survive until next turn to work, if you know your opponents fear you or run lots of removal, wait til 5 or 7 mana to play Jhoira. Also, I would simply avoid aggro decks. They can work, but i just don't think their worth it.
i think we can all agree that jhoira is the best multi player general.
Zur would be good but people see him and auto aim for you.
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even thought LD is hated if you put the deck together correctly, there isnt much against it.
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His essential point, though, was I think distinguishing between quick damage from a Jenara 1v1 deck and a slower deck with a beefier win-con and more inevitability on its side.
I would also say that, from experience, Sen Triplets is one of the most hated multiplayer generals, even though the color combination is surely excellent and the ability generates massive, crippling levels of card advantage.
Jhoira of the Ghitu is one of the most hated cards in EDH, but a potent general. The turn after you drop her you can suspend 2 6+ CMC cards in red and blue, colors not known for having subtle 6+ CMC cards.
The Planar Chaos or Invasion dragons are safer choices for casual multiplayer and don't inspire such terrible hatred. Garza Zol, Plague Queen is a good general, but I've never seen the whole U/B/R thing come off cleanly. Maybe it's just my aesthetics.
I just wanted to state, that I disagree... if built right, aggro can be a very powerful strategy in multiplayer EDH... though it is far better in 1v1 EDH. However it is still possible for it to be effective in multiplayer. It just takes a different approach to winning with aggro.
It definitely isn't advisable for everyone to run Aggro... but given the right approach the format can be quite enjoyable with an aggro deck running around. I don't see aggro decks winning EVERY multiplayer game, but since when was the important thing of EDH to WIN games? I thought the important aspect of EDH was to have fun?
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"As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero." -- Varsuvius, Order of the Stick
Intet is a really cool general, and that color combo is wierdtastic.
As for the whole aggro argument, sure, you can build an aggro EDH deck and it can be very powerful, but I personally find that anything that comes screaming out of the gates is generally not a sustainable or all that fun a choice for multiplayer. Sure, you rule the first 5 turns, then you're left top decking.
While I agree that aggro can be pretty darn good, I would distinguish Goyf Sligh or RDW type aggro from stompy decks that are less perturbed by the 40 point life total and inability to pack multiples of all the best smack your face in aggro cards ever printed for multiplayer. EDH stompy is awesome.
While I agree that aggro can be pretty darn good, I would distinguish Goyf Sligh or RDW type aggro from stompy decks that are less perturbed by the 40 point life total and inability to pack multiples of all the best smack your face in aggro cards ever printed for multiplayer. EDH stompy is awesome.
I guess then in a way I play EDH Stompy Still I consider that a form of Aggro
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"As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero." -- Varsuvius, Order of the Stick
I think the generals that do poorly in multiplayer are those that have to stay in play to keep engines going. Ones with 187 abilities or beaters are perfectly viable, if you build correctly.
Any aggressive deck worth its salt plays a number of good haste effects (fires, greaves, etc), dampening that whole 'weak vs. sweepers' thing, and cards like Savage Beating make aggro/general damage strategies *perfectly* viable. Ever entwine that targetting Stonebrow, Krosan Hero? 28 tramply general damage is precisely the sort of awesome EDH play we all love.
Phelddagrif all the way, baby! It's a pretty beefy critter by itself, resilient (bounce it to your hand, can replay for base cost each time), and helps you influence the entire field. Someone's falling behind? Have some life and some tokens, maybe even draw a few cards.
My cousin runs a Sapling of Colfenor deck and it's great in multiplayer. For one thing, never underestimate the benefit of an indestructible general. For the most part, you can attack with her every turn, racking up card advantage and some life. It's not really brutal, so he doesn't garner a lot of hate from the rest of us, usually (although I just Condemning the Sapling).
My Oros, the Avenger deck has done pretty well. It's full of mass removal and ways to reuse the graveyard, including the criminally underrated Sigil of the New Dawn.
I agree that you mostly want to stay away from decks that depend on their generals in a big way. One of our group has a Zur deck, and although it is scary, we gang up on him and he loses first most of the time.
In my opinion the strongest EDH strategies for multiplayer are mass mana denial, usually in the form of mass land destruction but also things like Winter Orb and "I win" or "You lose" effects, usually in the form of infinite combos but can also include things like Hatred, Door to Nothingness, etc. Given this, the best generals are ones that work well with those strategies since the strategies should be amazing with your general but still awesome on their own. Example would be Jhoira of the Ghitu since the cards that work well with her are things like Obliterate and Jokulhaups which are very good on their own. Some would also say that generals that are good but non-threatening are the way to go since people tend to leave you alone if they think your general sucks but this doesn't apply if you are playing in the same group repeatedly with the same decks since you will likely get some free wins with your Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker deck but eventually your playgroup will wise up and your non-threating general will become threatening once everyone figures out your strategy.
I've won many times as early as turn 5, and even kamikaze killed the entire table on turn 4. My Hidetsugu deck's nickname at my local shop is "twenty minutes".......games with him usually don't last much longer.
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Savra, Queen of the Golgari yet. She is probably among the best generals for multiplayer games. Savra is great because her effect hurts ALL players and she really doesn't care if your opponents run a bunch of mass removal. She is in the best colors for reanimating creatures and getting double use out of spells. She even has some life gain aspect to give you some resiliency. As Rantipole pointed out, Sapling can be devastating as well. Indestructibility is always good...see Worldslayer here.
I'd stay away from 1v1 powerhouses like Zur or Braids, but other than that, go for a general that can generate card advantage, tempo, or has good colors.
I like token generals like Rhys and Rith. I like good generals in solid colors like Rafiq, Doran, Teneb, Vorosh, Wort the Raidmother. I also like build-around-me generals, like Sedris, Niv-Mizzet, Jhoira (totally broken), Rofellos, Mayael, Hanna Ship's Navigator...the list goes on.
I usually like the build-around-mes, so I'd think of a general strategy and pick a general that compliments that rather than pick a general first. I also think that in multiplayer, card advantage is the most important aspect of winning, more important than say, tempo.
Is there a particular card you think is fun or powerful? Do you like control, combo, or aggro? Do you like particular colors?
GX Tron XG
UR Phoenix RU
GG Freyalise High Tide GG
UR Parun Counterspells RU
BB Yawgmoth Token Storm BB
WB Pestilence BW
GBGB AggroGB
Modern
GBRWDeath's ShadowGBRW
UBWRAffinityUBWR
GRTitanshiftGR
URBGrixis ControlURB
Legacy
BUGTrue Name BUGBUG
UBRGrixis DelverUBR
BUGShardless BUGBUG
BUGElvesBUG
um... not to be a nit picker but it is Uril, the Miststalker... and honestly I would add Rith, the Awakener, and Sedris, the Traitor King to this list
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um... Numot is not a good general if only for the reason that his effect causes land destruction which is one of the most hated strategies in EDH.
And I have to disagree with your analysis of General Damage in Multiplayer, but that is primarily because the deck I play wins via General Damage.
That being said, I think certain complete build around generals work. Jhoira is still powerful in multiplayer, as sweep effects like Decree of Destruction just GAIN power. Jhoira doesn't need to survive until next turn to work, if you know your opponents fear you or run lots of removal, wait til 5 or 7 mana to play Jhoira. Also, I would simply avoid aggro decks. They can work, but i just don't think their worth it.
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Zur would be good but people see him and auto aim for you.
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even thought LD is hated if you put the deck together correctly, there isnt much against it.
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I would also say that, from experience, Sen Triplets is one of the most hated multiplayer generals, even though the color combination is surely excellent and the ability generates massive, crippling levels of card advantage.
Jhoira of the Ghitu is one of the most hated cards in EDH, but a potent general. The turn after you drop her you can suspend 2 6+ CMC cards in red and blue, colors not known for having subtle 6+ CMC cards.
Zur, The Enchanter, Momir Vig, Simic Visionary, and Braids, Cabal Minion are also absolute houses and some of the most powerful generals available to any EDH deck.
The Planar Chaos or Invasion dragons are safer choices for casual multiplayer and don't inspire such terrible hatred. Garza Zol, Plague Queen is a good general, but I've never seen the whole U/B/R thing come off cleanly. Maybe it's just my aesthetics.
It definitely isn't advisable for everyone to run Aggro... but given the right approach the format can be quite enjoyable with an aggro deck running around. I don't see aggro decks winning EVERY multiplayer game, but since when was the important thing of EDH to WIN games? I thought the important aspect of EDH was to have fun?
GBGB AggroGB
Modern
GBRWDeath's ShadowGBRW
UBWRAffinityUBWR
GRTitanshiftGR
URBGrixis ControlURB
Legacy
BUGTrue Name BUGBUG
UBRGrixis DelverUBR
BUGShardless BUGBUG
BUGElvesBUG
As for the whole aggro argument, sure, you can build an aggro EDH deck and it can be very powerful, but I personally find that anything that comes screaming out of the gates is generally not a sustainable or all that fun a choice for multiplayer. Sure, you rule the first 5 turns, then you're left top decking.
While I agree that aggro can be pretty darn good, I would distinguish Goyf Sligh or RDW type aggro from stompy decks that are less perturbed by the 40 point life total and inability to pack multiples of all the best smack your face in aggro cards ever printed for multiplayer. EDH stompy is awesome.
I guess then in a way I play EDH Stompy Still I consider that a form of Aggro
Any aggressive deck worth its salt plays a number of good haste effects (fires, greaves, etc), dampening that whole 'weak vs. sweepers' thing, and cards like Savage Beating make aggro/general damage strategies *perfectly* viable. Ever entwine that targetting Stonebrow, Krosan Hero? 28 tramply general damage is precisely the sort of awesome EDH play we all love.
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My Oros, the Avenger deck has done pretty well. It's full of mass removal and ways to reuse the graveyard, including the criminally underrated Sigil of the New Dawn.
I agree that you mostly want to stay away from decks that depend on their generals in a big way. One of our group has a Zur deck, and although it is scary, we gang up on him and he loses first most of the time.
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I've won many times as early as turn 5, and even kamikaze killed the entire table on turn 4. My Hidetsugu deck's nickname at my local shop is "twenty minutes".......games with him usually don't last much longer.
Current EDH Decks:
G Multani, Maro-Sorcerer
B Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
GU Momir Vig, Simic Visionary