<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder" href="#" target="_blank">Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder</a> Illustrated by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CYuichi+Murakami%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yuichi Murakami</a>
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Hello, and welcome to Am I the Bolas?
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?
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-25893" src="https://commandersherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/bolcast_logo430x430-300x300.png" alt="" width="249" height="249" />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AmITheBolcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">THIS PODCAST!</a>
I'm Mike Carrozza and I just learned the Final Fantasy set is based on a video game??!!
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jumbo Cactuar"></div></div>
You're saying I can play as this friggin' guy!?
This week, an email I missed from the column's old email address! Sorry I got to it so late!
(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)
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<h2>HELLO, MIKE</h2>
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I had a game that left a particularly foul taste in my mouth, and lashed out afterwards to express my discontent. I wanted to know if you thought I was being the Bolas for my response.
I was playing my new <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder" href="#" target="_blank">Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder</a> aristocrats deck in a game of online Magic with long-time friends. My opponents were playing <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod the Uncaring" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod the Uncaring</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eriette of the Charmed Apple" href="#" target="_blank">Eriette of the Charmed Apple</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adrix and Nev, Twincasters" href="#" target="_blank">Adrix and Nev, Twincasters</a>. The game starts off rather poorly, with me missing several important land drops on turn three, four, and six, and being forced to use a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myriad Landscape" href="#" target="_blank">Myriad Landscape</a> from behind. That being said, it wasn't particularly a famine, because I managed to get my Evereth out with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Reaver Cleaver" href="#" target="_blank">The Reaver Cleaver</a> while the other players were similarly setting up their defenses.
I can't fault the Eriette player for enchanting my commander, nor the Ashnod player for keeping an <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aether Spellbomb" href="#" target="_blank">Aether Spellbomb</a> up with the explicit condition that, if I attack them, they would bounce my commander. That's just good, clean Magic. But when I attacked the only available target to try and get my Treasures, they revealed their <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krosan Grip" href="#" target="_blank">Krosan Grip</a> from hand, targeting my <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Reaver Cleaver" href="#" target="_blank">The Reaver Cleaver</a>, when they could have removed the obstacles for me to attack other players before the combat step. Sure. Fine. Someone was gonna be unhappy with that <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krosan Grip" href="#" target="_blank">Krosan Grip</a>, whatever. We're moving on.
Come several unimpressive turns later while my mana base catches up, Adrix and Nev and Ashnod are both down to low enough life totals that, with the <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fling" href="#" target="_blank">Fling</a> in my hand, I am able to kill them both. Meanwhile, the passive play from the Eriette player has left them with a healthy board state. I reveal to the two others that I am capable of killing them at instant speed, hoping to keep them from targeting me any further. Instead, before the start of their turn, Ashnod pops the <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aether Spellbomb" href="#" target="_blank">Aether Spellbomb</a>, not only targeting my commander specifically, but also one of my creatures instead of Eriette. I am forced to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fling" href="#" target="_blank">Fling</a> in response, and with lethal damage showing on the stack, they use <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadly Rollick" href="#" target="_blank">Deadly Rollick</a> as a spiteful last middle finger, targeting my final creature and leaving me with an empty board against Eriette. Two turns later, and the game is over with me having received every single instance of removal and Aura Curses my opponents played.
I was frustrated at the lack of agency I felt during that game, where the opponents I targeted could have removed the obstacles that prevented me from going after the other players. I expressed that rather crassly after the game, accusing those players of targeting me exclusively, and ultimately deciding the winner in a stacked 3v1. Am I the Bolas? Or was that truly an unofficial Archenemy game?
Forever a fan, 
Nahiri Apologist
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder"></div></div>
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<h2>HOWDY, NAHIRI APOLOGIST!</h2>
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.
What a sign off, too! "Forever a fan." I mean wow, thank you!
I think this is a story that's heavy on the details of the game, but not on the incident that has you asking if you're the Bolas. You say you crassly accused your opponents of focusing in on you. I guess "crassly" is doing the heavy lifting. It's fair to discuss the game and the feedback that comes with it. I'll say it's ideal to even casually discuss the unfolding of a match while small moves are being made toward the next game - putting stuff away, taking out another deck, etc. I feel like by saying "crassly" you're telling on yourself - you think you went a little too far. I can't say whether you were the Bolas, but there's a part of you that feels enough of a twinge to know that "maybe a little" is at least where it starts. Keep your cool next time; you'll be proud of yourself. You can get your point across without making yourself feel like you might be the Bolas.
I want to discuss the game and, while unfortunately you may have been on the receiving end of the brunt of the removal from your opponents, I have to ask - "can ya blame 'em?"
Evereth came out at the tail end of last year in <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/j25" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Foundations Jumpstart</a> and is a Rakdos commander I think is super cool and interesting, but most definitely rings some alarm bells for anybody who's familiar with it. If you've been exposed to a game against Evereth, watched a video about her when the card was released, or even wandered over to her <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/evereth-viceroy-of-plunder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EDHREC</a> page, one thing is very clear: you brought a bomb to the table.
As a Rakdos aficionado and aristocrat strat lover myself, I see the appeal of her in the command zone, but much like many other scary commanders, you essentially send a message as a pre-game action. Her first ability is locked behind sorcery-speed timing, but that death trigger ability paired with a sacrifice outlet and a way to pay puts the table on notice. Even at a mana deficit, Evereth can set something up that'll make your opponents keep an eye on you. What choice do your opponents have in their position?
I'll give you this - Adrix playing the <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krosan Grip" href="#" target="_blank">Krosan Grip</a> without wanting to politic is an interesting move. There was a deal to be made to allow you to swing at Eriette, but at this point in the game, Eriette hadn't been chopping their life totals down yet. The more immediate and explosive threat is an Evereth who can make a ton of Treasures and sacrifice them to herself. Evereth's death trigger says "each opponent," after all. With you having been missing land drops, keeping you off of mana seems like a good game plan if you're chasing a win. We don't know for sure, because we don't get your opponents' side of things here.
Of course, this is all without considering the fact that you flashed them the big red button. Showing off your <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fling" href="#" target="_blank">Fling</a> didn't quite seal the deal like you thought it would - a bummer, for sure, but there's an arrogance to a move like that. I'm sure this also motivated your opponents to maybe prioritize you on their removal scale. I think it sucks for Ashnod to have just used <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadly Rollick" href="#" target="_blank">Deadly Rollick</a> on your other creature, and it feels a lot like kingmaking, what with them forcing your hand in popping the <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fling" href="#" target="_blank">Fling</a> already. I think that part is where I'm most on your side. Although, a spite move on the way out isn't unheard of. It's like if you were to win via combat damage with an army of creatures that vastly surpass my army of creatures - am I supposed to roll over and let it through? I'm going to block to hurt you the most! And that's what this feels like. It's risk assessment and dealing with the consequences.
Overall, I think your feelings on the game are valid, but I can't determine if you're a Bolas for your reaction since I didn't get much of it. So you writing in tells me that you're probably at least a little Bolasy and hopefully you've learned something from this experience. Sometimes games don't break your way, and that sucks. But that's Magic, baby!
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod the Uncaring"></div></div>

Am I The Bolas? - No Agency

<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vazi, Keen Negotiator" href="#" target="_blank">Vazi, Keen Negotiator</a> Illustrated by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/parodi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">José Parodi</a>
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Hello, and welcome to Am I the Bolas?
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?
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-25893" src="https://commandersherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/bolcast_logo430x430-300x300.png" alt="" width="249" height="249" />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AmITheBolcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">THIS PODCAST!</a>
I'm Mike Carrozza and I'm never going to play Final Fantasy.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stiltzkin, Moogle Merchant"></div></div>
But I will die for this lil' angel. Nobody tell me anything devastating!
This week, building to your taste or your playgroup's?
(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)
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<h2>HELLO, MIKE</h2>
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I’m a long time reader, first time writer, and I absolutely LOVE the column and podcast! Your advice has helped me puzzle through so many difficult situations on game night, and I’m really grateful for that.
This situation isn’t so much about gameplay, but more about some tension between me and my friends about deckbuilding.
One of the things I enjoy most about four-player Commander is the politics and deal-making aspect. I like to play this up by building decks with interactive strategies or play styles. When I say interactive, I mean the decks encourage table talk and decision making. I’m not running more removal or board wipes or anything like that. As an example, my favorite deck is a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vazi, Keen Negotiator" href="#" target="_blank">Vazi, Keen Negotiator</a> list centered around kingmaking then switching sides to rally the table against the archenemy. Additionally, I also like to build decks that I think are are underrepresented in the playgroup, to see how people react and to foster more creative deckbuilding (this comes up later).
Most of my friends tolerate and enjoy playing against my decks, but one friend doesn’t seem to like many of my decks, especially the more interactive ones. Their decks are built in a more traditional battlecruiser style, and even though they’re able to withstand interaction and board wipes pretty well, this player will still lean towards targeting me if I’m playing an interactive deck. They usually express their discontent at the start of the game by asking me to play another deck, telling me to play another deck, or switching to a stronger deck, even if my deck isn’t that powerful. This is a strong pattern, and as someone who tracks their decks’ wins and losses, I’ve noticed a correlation with a deck’s win rate and it’s interactivity.
The Bolas situation happened a couple days ago, when I decided to start brewing a stax deck. It’s not that I’m a naturally hateful person, I’m just interested to see how the group reacts. When I called this friend up to tell them about it, they obviously got upset, which I don’t blame them for. However, after that they started talking about how they’re going to build a targeted land destruction deck aimed only at my stax deck, and how they’re going to constantly try to deny it resources every time they play against it.
I don’t play to win and I want the table to have a good time. However, the games I enjoy the most involve more player interaction than average, and more interaction than this friend likes. So far, none of the other players in our playgroup have complained about my decks, and one other friend has also talked about how some of their more interactive decks (they just built a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadpool, Trading Card" href="#" target="_blank">Deadpool, Trading Card</a> control deck based on sacrificing and reanimating Deadpool over and over) have received similar hate from the same friend.
The question is this: Am I the Bolas for pushing the playgroup in new directions with my different and interactive decks? And what’s a good solution to solve the tension in our playgroup? We’re all just trying to have a good time, after all.
Thanks,
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kellan, Inquisitive Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Kellan, Inquisitive Prodigy</a>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vazi, Keen Negotiator"></div></div>
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<h2>HOWDY, RAVEN!</h2>
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.
Kellan, thank you so much for the kind words. I'm glad the column has helped you navigate some tricky situations! That's always been the goal so to have somebody just outright tell me warms my heart. Thank you for that.
Your submission's super interesting. It's easy to see this one from both sides. If I were someone who didn't want to play socially interactive games but rather focused on deck building to battlecruise to a win with technical threat assessment, I wouldn't love to see you coming to the table. I'd get pretty salty if every experience I had with my friends playing Magic resulted in the perfect play being tipped over by somebody striking a deal. Every time? Oof. Once in a while? That's Magic, baby! As much as I like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vazi, Keen Negotiator" href="#" target="_blank">Vazi, Keen Negotiator</a>, the way it can warp a game like group hug can be a little taxing on some strategies.
Side note, I think of Vazi as Vazi Keen as if that's their name. As if it's Vazi Keen, Negotiator and not <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vazi, Keen Negotiator" href="#" target="_blank">Vazi, Keen Negotiator</a>. Like I'd say "Hey, Vazi Keen!" if we were friends. And then they'd be like "what'd you call me?" and I'd sheepishly repeat it before they corrected me. Whatever, no big deal!
That said, one of the defining features of Commander is its multiplayer nature, and therefore the inevitability of table talk. I love politics at the table. I love getting to decide whether I'm in the mood for a deal or to shut it down. I get to express myself in Commander and part of that extends to being able to be flexible in my approach to politics and table talk.
I also think that part of my responsibility as someone who's part of a regular playgroup is to do anything you can to make sure you're invited back. Yes, you can be the most active person in a playgroup, you still need to be invited back, whether explicitly or implicitly. If somebody in your playgroup finds out you'll be there and they sigh dejectedly, then maybe there's some air to clear here. That's why I personally like that you called your friend and discussed your plans to build a stax deck (not inherently Bolas behavior, but close). I like that he made his feelings clear.
It seems that this player doesn't like how hard you're going into the politics and table talk. If somebody asks me not to play a particular deck, that's an opening to a discussion. "Why do you not want me to play this deck?" It seems like he'll have no problem telling you why.
I think you aren't the Bolas for wanting to build decks that push the group to explore different deckbuilding styles. If people are into it, that's great! If they're interested in moving with that meta, that's awesome. It seems, however, you've got one person who is less into it and if you can throw him a bone now and then, that'd probably go a long way. Have something straightforward, maybe borrow one of his decks.
Compromise. Don't do it to the extent where you lose your flame for the game, but most definitely recognize that you're in the driver's seat here. Your friend likes you enough to keep playing with you guys and to be honest in his reactions. That's good friendship. Open communication! Lots to celebrate! Nurture that friendship by showing him that he's heard and his feelings mean something to you. He pulls out a deck to hold his own against yours so that he can play the way he wants to while you play the way you want to. Meeting him on his level from time to time will go a long way, I promise (as far as I can promise anything).
Not the Bolas, but some improvements are definitely within reach.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hokori, Dust Drinker"></div></div>

Am I The Bolas? - Highly Interactive Politics

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Safana, Calimport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Safana, Calimport Cutthroat</a> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CWisnu+Tan%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wisnu Tan</a></h6>
Hello, and welcome to Am I the Bolas? 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?
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-25893" src="https://commandersherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/bolcast_logo430x430-300x300.png" alt="" width="249" height="249" />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AmITheBolcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">THIS PODCAST!</a>
I'm Mike Carrozza, aka Mark Carbonza, and it seems like my real name got out...
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gladiolus Amicitia"></div></div>
WHO TOLD!?!?!
This week, do you stop playing your slow deck your playgroup dislikes?
(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)
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<h2>HEY, MIKE</h2>
First, thank you for the Am I the Bolas? series, I learned a lot over time just being exposed to new problems and new cards and being more aware of potential pitfalls at the table. Now, I have a problem of my own - maybe you have some advice.
Among my Commander decks (way too many at this point... ) is one I rarely dare to pick up anymore, and that is my <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Safana, Calimport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Safana, Calimport Cutthroat</a> / <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dungeon Delver" href="#" target="_blank">Dungeon Delver</a> deck. I once played in an Adventures in the Forgotten Realms draft game where we had tons of fun messing around in the dungeons, and when the Baldur's Gate set dropped I immediately fell in love with Safana. Also, as a regular green player, I really wanted to build a Dimir deck for once.
The majority of the deck is very much the stuff you also see on EDHREC, but I've added a few more treasure token generators and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Revel in Riches" href="#" target="_blank">Revel in Riches</a> as a secondary win condition. No tutors, though. There's also a trickery subtheme with cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Trickster-God&#039;s Heist" href="#" target="_blank">The Trickster-God&#039;s Heist</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ertai&#039;s Meddling" href="#" target="_blank">Ertai&#039;s Meddling</a> or one of the bigger hitters being <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sower of Discord" href="#" target="_blank">Sower of Discord</a>.
The problem is that the deck takes too long to do its thing in the eyes of the table and people are visibly annoyed when I pull it out. And I get that, in principle. Having to look up what each card does when you advance two or more rooms in the dungeon each turn, with trigger doublers galore, isn't super fun as an observer when it doesn't impact the rest of the table. I've tried to smooth the process as much as possible, played tons of test games, learned the ins and outs of all my cards to not get stuck looking up stuff on Scryfall. Still, not exactly fast gameplay compared to a green stompy deck where you ramp and trample in like five seconds.
But it's not like I'm the only one having to go through a bunch of triggers when playing my deck. My pod is super casual, Commander isn't the main hobby for any of us, so people regularly ask rules questions or have to math their boards state for a minute. Yet, whenever I want to play Safana, eyes are being rolled. I asked if the deck was being maybe perceived as too unfair/powerful/something and if I should rebuild it, but apparently it's just too slow, which I think is patently untrue within our pod's meta.
Am I the Bolas for wanting to continue playing Safana?
- Arne
<div dir="auto"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dungeon Delver"></div></div></div>
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<h2>HOWDY, RAVEN!</h2>
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.
Let me begin by admitting a little bias: I love <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Safana, Calimport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Safana, Calimport Cutthroat</a>. I think the handful of legends that care about the initiative without granting you the initiative were neat design space in the Baldur's Gate set. I've drafted that set a decent amount and also built Safana once, but with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Street Urchin" href="#" target="_blank">Street Urchin</a>. I really think that set is so much fun and recommend everybody draft it at least once.
I will say that I have a difficult time understanding where the bottleneck is here. I'm not sure the trickery subtheme is the culprit. Is it needing to look something up on Scryfall? Is that something a dungeon or The Undercity? If you're looking up what each dungeon does while you play your deck, I would also get a little tired of seeing you pull out your phone and look up something you probably should know, only to put the phone away and do it again the next time you venture. If this is the case, I highly recommend you purchase the tokens for the dungeons and copies of The Initiative / The Undercity. You'll cut down on time and confusion there for sure.
For what it's worth, something I've been doing a lot lately is adding five copies of The Initiative / The Undercity to the Quiver I use for the accessories I need for the game - Life counters, Infinitokens, markers, too many dice, and of course, a package of tokens that come up all the time (e.g., Treasure, Clue, etc.). I love the initiative and I'm a big fan of the cards that bring it along!
That said, if your opponents are just upset you're in the tank, that's a bummer. Everybody gets to go in the tank! It's <a href="https://commandersherald.com/solitaired-study-declares-magic-worlds-most-complex-tabletop-game/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the most complex games</a>, even when you're just goldfishing a deck - now add three other decks trying to disrupt and tussle; it's not easy! I think there's an element of perception to the types of slower play. Because you're likely going through multiple chains of small triggers, it seems like you're doing many things in a short time and it feels like you're taking a long turn. Whereas an opponent trying to figure out an attack to find the win can take the same amount of time, but because it's one crucial action, it seems like less so.
If your playgroup doesn't enjoy playing against it and you've surveyed them for ways to improve the experience to no avail, then I reckon it's a deck that doesn't get played much. That's a bummer! If you have another outlet for games, like an LGS or a Discord for Spelltable games, maybe scratch the Safana/Delver itch there and spare your playgroup the long game. But otherwise, if they'll keep allowing it and you do enjoy the deck, then keep trying to find a way to make it work for everybody. Come prepared, goldfish the deck, and make sure that your actions aren't just wheel-spinning. Have a win-con or two you can get to when your opponents start whining.
You want to keep playing this deck and that does not make you the Bolas. Keep asking your friends and make sure they're aware they can say no. If people don't want to play against this one, drop me another line and I'd love to play against it.
Not the Bolas. If you force the issue when folks say no, then you'll cross that line. But not the Bolas!
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Safana, Calimport Cutthroat"></div></div>

am i the bolas

Am I The Bolas? - No Agency

Am I The Bolas? - Highly Interactive Politics

Am I The Bolas? - Playing a Trigger Intensive Deck