PersecutePersecute | Art by D. Alexander Gregory
Hello, and welcome to Am I the Bolas? This week, a conversation starter!
This column is for all of you out there who have ever played some Magic and wondered if you were the bad guy. I'm here to take in your story with all of its nuances so I can bring some clarity to all those asking, "Am I the Bolas?"
I'm ready to hear you out and offer advice. All you have to do is email amithebolas@gmail.com with your story, a pseudonym you want to use, and of course, only include details you don't mind in the column! You might see your story below one day. You might even hear it on the podcast. Which podcast?
I'm Mike Carrozza and I'm having a bit of an identity crisis!
WHO EVEN AM I ANYMORE?! lol jk.
(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)
SUBMISSION
Hey there!
So, I'm the host of a playgroup with a clear intention of playing within the guidelines of Bracket 3, mainly to avoid too much salt, and uneven matches between Bracket 3 decks and Bracket 4 decks. I have five Bracket 3 decks and one Bracket 4 deck. The power level between the Bracket 3 decks and the Bracket 4 deck are abundantly clear via gameplay.
A player in our group is consistently salty over a few of my Bracket 3 decks. While they are indeed highly optimized Bracket 3 decks, they are still Bracket 3 and wouldn't shake a stick at my Bracket 4 deck, or anyone's Bracket 4 deck for that matter. I don't play my Bracket 4 deck at this group unless everyone wants to play at that level, so that deck is not the problem in question. The problem is that this said salty player is consistently telling me that my strong Bracket 3s are in fact Bracket 4.
I have explained to him that the Bracket System is a healthy guideline to build intention and power limits, and not exclusively a "Power" ranking system. There is obviously a wide range of "power levels" within Bracket 3 guidelines. He disagrees and says my Bracket 3 decks are in fact Bracket 4 because they are so optimized. None of them have infinite combos, land denial, stax pieces, or more than three Game Changers. They all fit perfectly within every guideline of the Bracket 3 description and requirements. They don't eliminate players until about turn seven or nine.
Am I the Bolas for simply optimizing my Bracket 3 decks to be competitive?
Follow up - I suppose I should mention that this is not a new player. I would never enjoy "pubstomping noobs," and by no means do I dominate the win-rate in our pod. This player is every bit as good as I am, and his decks are also highly optimized, usually sitting around $1K each. I've repeatedly tried explaining to him that being a strong/optimized Bracket 3 doesn't make a deck a Bracket 4 and he disagrees.
Thanks,
Tehd Danszin
VERDICT
Thank you for writing and asking me to weigh in on your story. As I mention every week, if folks don't write to me, there's no column, so if you, the reader, want to send me a story, whether it's your own or one from Reddit or a friend's, please send it to amithebolas@gmail.com and I'll get to it here.
I appreciate you writing in about this because this is a topic that comes up a lot, but rarely do I get an example that is so granular that it demonstrates a difficulty I've had with the Bracket System since it's been more widely adopted. I'll explain, but I think it's important that I get something out of the way: there is no real Bolas in this story, but everybody's got something to work on. Pobody's nerfect, and so on.
The Bracket System is pretty great! The team that worked on it and continues to do so did a good job. However, there are some kinks that need straightening out, and that's okay. Expected, even! The collective chase for the perfect system is a bit of a fool's errand. We see it in the comment section of this column time and time again, where people agree and disagree about the submissions that I receive for this series.
The social nature of Commander makes the game so much less predictable and makes it much more difficult to find a system that will work all the time.
The Bracket System is a useful tool to get the conversation started. However, by the time a playgroup is solidified, that conversation's been going on for a while. People have gotten to know each other, dynamics and traits emerge, and patterns are learned. The relationship has grown.
The Bracket System is a good way to set a baseline, but in the end, if you're playing in playgroup pods regularly, the rules can be retooled to fit your group. House rules allow you to tailor the experience that makes everybody as happy as they can be.
Brackets can also usually contend against each other when they're one away from each other, like say, playing a good Bracket 2 deck against some Bracket 3 decks. Tehd, you nailed it when you said the Bracket System isn't a "Power" ranking, but you acknowledge the spectrum of power levels that can be contained within the expectations of the Bracket. It's an exaggeration, but this subcategorization is almost like the Bracket's a just slightly different format than Commander.
Before the Bracket System, we had the imperfect one-to-ten power level scale. In my experience, it's always worked best when I've used it for regular playgroups. Having a common reference point to work from on the power scale allows playgroups to better determine where decks land among each other and what they each can handle.
Continue having conversations around how decks in your playgroup stack up against each other and whether there might be sub-Bracket rules that could be helpful to implement for a more even experience. Find ways to meet each other at the same level as much as possible.
All that said, it seems like there's just a fundamental misunderstanding with this opponent in particular. If you're evenly matched when it comes to gameplay ability and his decks are also optimized, I'd have to learn more about the elements of your decks that upset your opponent. You mentioning that you're not dominating the win rate of the group absolutely perplexes me here.
If I had to pick a Bolas, I'd have a hard time - even if your opponent's complaints based on the information we have seem unfounded, there is a dismissiveness and "hand-waving" attitude of sticking to the guns of "well, they're Bracket 3 because of the rules." Sure, there might only be three Game Changers, but there's a difference between playing Demonic TutorDemonic Tutor, Rhystic StudyRhystic Study, and Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe versus Coalition VictoryCoalition Victory, Glacial ChasmGlacial Chasm, and Crop RotationCrop Rotation. Even among the Game Changers there is a hierarchy.
Which all leads back to where we began which is that the Bracket Systems serves to begin the conversation. It's up to you to keep it going rather than to shut it down because boxes are checked. I'd be really curious about the rest of the playgroup's reaction to your decks and whether other players get held to the same standard as you do by this pal of yours.
I think there's been a trend surrounding most recent submissions where the solution is having a conversation among the players in the group while also making the effort to accept the fact that Magic, especially Commander, doesn't always break your way. If it keeps happening, it's time for a chat or retooling some cards in your decks. Toss in a Doom BladeDoom Blade instead of a value piece, make sure you've got your draw spells over something you see in your hand and never cast, and make sure your land count is high enough so you don't get screwed.
Take the necessary steps in your means to ensure that you have a good time while contributing as much as possible to the good time of your opponents, within reason.
I don't know. This one is strange to me. I don't think you're the Bolas, but I think get a little more of a conversation going rather than shutting things down based on the rules of Bracket 3. Find out what it is your friend is really annoyed by and if it's everything, then that's a different conversation. Being frustrated with the game can sometimes be part of the experience.
Dust yourself off, get some air, then get ready for the next game.
Mike Carrozza
Mike Carrozza is a stand-up comedian from Montreal who’s done a lot of cool things like put out an album called Cherubic and worked with Tig Notaro, Kyle Kinane, and more people to brag about. He’s also been an avid EDH player who loves making silly stuff happen. @mikecarrozza on platforms.
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