Tocasia, Dig Site MentorTocasia, Dig Site Mentor | Art by Lie Setiawan
Hello, and welcome to Am I the Bolas? This week, what if my jank is too jank?
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?"
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(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)
SUBMISSION
Hey,
My name is Buddy and I play in a friend group of about ten folks who meet up a few times a month to play mostly Bracket 2 to 3 decks. The terrifying decks in our pod are decks like Yuriko, the Tiger's ShadowYuriko, the Tiger's Shadow Ninja typal, a brutal Yuna, Hope of SpiraYuna, Hope of Spira enchantment deck, and Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre StraitAesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait Landfall good stuff. Nobody is running very many Game Changers, and our games reliably hit that turn 8-ish sweet spot for lower power games.
Enter Tocasia, Dig Site MentorTocasia, Dig Site Mentor. I'm a huge Vorthos and I have loved The Brothers' War for a long time, so I built a somewhat Vorthos Tocasia deck mostly out of bulk rares that I've found at my LGS. There are no Game Changers in the deck, and a handful of cards are there more for the lore than the synergy (like Urza, Lord ProtectorUrza, Lord Protector). The deck focuses around Tocasia's ability to give a ton of creatures the ability to tap to surveil, so you can flood the board with tap-enablers and rip through your library to game-winning cards.
Technically, Tocasia has the ability to loop extra turns because Nexus of FateNexus of Fate is in the deck, so it's a Bracket 4, but most of my games end another way: Approach of the Second SunApproach of the Second Sun. Most of the time, I'm looking to find Hedge ShredderHedge Shredder to surveil a ton of lands into play, then if I have a few creatures, Kutzil, Malamet ExemplarKutzil, Malamet Exemplar, and something that will draw me a card, I can Approach of the Second SunApproach of the Second Sun twice in one turn to win the game. I like this win condition because it's fragile and finicky and feels like a cool, interesting payoff to the deck's surveil/mill shenanigans. It also takes about ten seconds to pull off, since if the win is properly protected, I can walk through the game actions really efficiently.
My friends think this win condition sucks. Recently, we had a friendly argument about the deck, and I posited: I could replace Approach of the Second SunApproach of the Second Sun with Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth and get a win that way, too. The deck already goes wide, so it'd turn those creatures into 10/10s that trample through and win that way. Frankly, I recognize it'd be a much better wincon because it doesn't require 15 lands, six creatures, Tocasia, and a draw enabler, but that's exactly why I don't like it: that's the boring way to win with Tocasia that doesn't play into her unique strengths as a commander. My friends seem to think that winning with Approach of the Second SunApproach of the Second Sun is dishonorable skulduggery while winning with Craterhoof is honorable combat damage. Am I the Bolas for refusing to put a Craterhoof in Tocasia and insisting on Approach of the Second SunApproach of the Second Sun wins?
Buddy
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 love that you have a Tocasia, Dig Site MentorTocasia, Dig Site Mentor deck. I think it's such an interesting card, and I never see it out in the wild. I'm thrilled there are folks out there building this for Commander. I, too, am a huge fan of a win that requires many pieces to make happen. It's a slow, drawn-out inevitability if left untouched, and I think that's interesting.
First, I'd say, personally, I'd nix the Nexus of FateNexus of Fate to keep it out of Bracket 4 and because looping extra turns is a bummer. I have a Rassilon, the War PresidentRassilon, the War President deck that runs Alrund's EpiphanyAlrund's Epiphany, and I'll say two extra turns is plenty to get the table to groan or even scoop. I prefer a pod with a fighting chance instead of simply running turn spells until the table throws their hands up. That's why Epiphany's been on the chopping block for that deck lately.
Approach of the Second SunApproach of the Second Sun is a beautiful card. It's a control player's finisher, gift-wrapped in Vorthos goodness. I think the most fun part of this card is that it's an impending win. It forecasts that not only will we be seeing this again, but it's going to end the game with just this card on the stack, turning the game into survival mode for the next seven draws. When it's gamed to win on the spot, it can feel a little anticlimactic, certainly, but it definitely requires a ton more work than Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth.
What you illustrated in your breakdown versus a board of creatures and a single beefcake from Avacyn Restored shows that the Hoof is a little less effort for a win. The combat step is more basic to the game and therefore where I believe the "honorable" comment comes from. A board of 10/10s can be blocked, damage can be prevented, and creatures can be removed. Sometimes a player has so much life that the Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth buff makes it still impossible to take out all opponents at once.
But with Approach of the Second SunApproach of the Second Sun, it hits the stack and your opponents have to have a CounterspellCounterspell or Angel's GraceAngel's Grace handy. It's narrower and more secure of a win condition when you have it all set up, which is where this argument stems from, I'm assuming.
All that said, I think Craterhoof is just as - if not more - boring! I think if there's a deck that can take advantage of Approach of the Second SunApproach of the Second Sun it should get to do so, but I'd expect that to get old for everybody pretty quick. You included! I have never been a big fan of alternate wincons. Anything that goes "you win the game", count me out, for the most part. If Revel in RichesRevel in Riches didn't have that dumb second line of text, do you know how much more I'd play that thing? Ugh, it makes me angry just thinking about it! What a cool card otherwise!
Anyway, it's your deck. You decide how you want to play it, build it, and so on. However, if your playgroup is getting tired of the Approach and it's putting a strain on game nights, then maybe it's time to retire the combo win with it and find another way. You're not the Bolas for playing the card and having a way to get that win quickly, but if people aren't stoked to play against the deck and there's other ways to pull out a win, I'd prioritize those outs to this one.
Thanks again for writing in!
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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