<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stoic Rebuttal" href="#" target="_blank">Stoic Rebuttal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CChris+Rahn%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Rahn</a></em></p>
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<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>?<strong> </strong>This week, a rebuttal from The Salties from <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-salty-for-your-losses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this article</a>.</p>
<p>This column is for all of you out there who have ever played some <em>Magic </em>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?"</p>
<p>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?</p>
<p><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" /></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AmITheBolcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">THIS PODCAST!</a></p>
<p>Here's the episode we did just yesterday:</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Bolcast 53 - The Salties Rebuttal and Michael Celani Returns" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EqT9c5NnqPk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>I'm Mike Carrozza, and this is me having another Diet Pepsi when my tummy hurts.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unstable Experiment"></div></div>
<p><i>The taste is worth the bubbles!</i></p>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
<hr />
<h2>SUBMISSION</h2>
<p><em>Hi there,</em></p>
<p><em>A friend told me to listen to the most recent mailbag episode of The Bolcast because it sounded similar to a story I had told him about my playgroups’s last retreat. When he told me the submitter’s anonymous name, I knew immediately it was our friend. We throw around hegemon a lot. Who else does that!?</em></p>
<p><em>I am writing you to say we The Salties, and the rest of the group, are brewing up our retort. Like a blue player with two blue held up, we have a response.</em></p>
<p><em>We believe that the situation has been grossly misrepresented and seek to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help us Ugin.</em></p>
<p><em>Please stay tuned for what we have.</em></p>
<p><em>Sincerely,</em></p>
<p><em>The Salties</em></p>
<hr />
<div dir="auto">
<p><em>Hi there,</em></p>
<p><em>Sorry it took awhile to get this to you, our response is as follows:</em></p>
<p><em>It’s The Salties reporting for duty! We are the two players mentioned in your last mailbag. We felt some important context was missing, and after discussing with the other players in the pod, we wanted to share our perspective and some additional details. Every year we all set time aside from family, loved ones, and work to get together for this week-long Magic retreat with our friends. We look forward to it all year, and do so much work to make it special, even creating annual merch. </em></p>
<p><em>It’s a time for bonding, friendship, and fun for us all. The retreat isn’t a place for us to pit our Magic skills against each other - we have FNMs for that! It’s a space for us to unwind, let loose, and play a game we all love.</em></p>
<p><em>We want to begin with stating that we believe the Hegemon builds incredible decks, there is no doubt about that. But when his decks don’t align with the rest of the pod’s power level, it impacts the fun for the rest of us. There is a big difference between a deck technically qualifying as Bracket 3 (his favorite defense) and consciously lowering the power of decks to maintain the power level we are aiming for with our pod. While our decks have extremely even win rates (13–16%) for five of us, the Hegemon’s decks (including games where he didn’t pilot them) won 43% of our games. In fact, another member of our pod played his decks this year, and won every single game he played with them. On the other hand, when the Hegemon has played with our decks he hasn’t won.</em></p>
<p><em>Furthermore, we feel like an important part of healthy Commander games is respecting each other’s time. This was one of our primary complaints that we directly discussed with the Hegemon. More often than not, his turns have caused people to get up from the table and disengage, especially in the 5 and 6 player games. We can appreciate that this is him “playing optimally,” but this results in the game slowing to a crawl. Players have even scooped during his turn (something we don’t like doing and try to avoid) because his plays take so much time even when he is far ahead in the game. The rest of us consciously try to play more quickly to keep games moving, especially in the larger games. Despite us raising this concern, he has mentioned that he sees any adjustment of his play-style as sandbagging. We do not wish for him to sandbag cards or pull his punches, but just to keep the game moving rather than spend literal minutes trying to determine the correct play.</em></p>
<p><em>Finally, there are many formats for competitive play in Magic where winning at all costs is the expectation. Everyone in our group plays these formats except for him. We believe that the Hegemon’s lack of interest in other formats could be playing a role in some of our issues. Commander is his only competitive outlet for Magic. From our perspective, he approaches every Commander game as a competitive test, while the rest of us are looking for a more relaxed, varied experience when we play EDH.</em></p>
<p><em>This is a shared frustration and it’s not a short-term streak. However, we truly value his friendship and wish to continue to play together. This is the entire reason we tried to address the issues up front! We appreciate you taking the time to hear us out and hope you can help us manage this tricky situation.</em></p>
<p><em>Sincerely,</em><br />
<em>“The Salties”</em></p>
</div>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Satya, Aetherflux Genius"></div></div>
</div>
<div dir="auto"></div>
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<h2>VERDICT</h2>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Is this the first time we've had a rebuttal from the other side of a previously submitted story? Before we get into things here, I should note that I'm not quite looking to turn this into a regular thing that happens, but by all means, please send your side of the story to amithebolas@gmail.com if you recognize yourself in another submission.</p>
<p>If you aren't familiar with the original submission from Hegemon, please read it <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-salty-for-your-losses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p>
<p>I really love how well this rebuttal approaches the conversation while also reminding Hedge that the group loves and values him as a friend while also reassuring him that you all still want to play with him. It's an excellent example of how to do this in your own playgroup. Specific points to improve on with some evidence, add an implied or expressed solution and a reminder that after all you're all friends, and you've got a solid rebuttal that feels respectful and appreciative.</p>
<p>Very well done, bravo.</p>
<p>This rebuttal also shows us that Hedge neglected to mention what I would argue is one of the more important pieces of the puzzle. This is, of course, the long turns. By being in the tank long enough for other players to disengage and some even scooping, I think Hedge may have omitted the worst offence.</p>
<p>Before we get into that, games of Commander that go into five or six players are a particular beast of their own. They can be longer than usual, they add another board or two which can complicate things a ton - I can see why Hedge would take lots of time to assess the board.</p>
<p>If everybody else is going quickly enough to match pace, Hedge is being the pause button, so on the one hand it makes sense Hedge wins a lot if he's taking time to plot the rest of his turns. If five-six player games are the norm, I hope you pick up a variant like Kingdoms or maybe three-way Two-Headed Giant. Heck, if Hedge is really building great decks, maybe you can play Archenemy!</p>
<p>That said, my first bit of advice is to help with turns taking a while would be to have players five and six be commentators or something rather than another participant in the game.</p>
<p>"But Mike, we like to play games with more than four players and we want to play a six-player game!" Heard! Bully for you! You can disregard my advice, but it might be helpful to recognize that this option is in your arsenal. Don't have time for a six-player game and everybody wants to play? Break up into two pods of three! Help you help yourselves!</p>
<p>Coming back to Hedge's turns taking long enough to get players to bow out. It seems like these lengthy turns are all about "playing optimally," which The Salties take issue with. I understand that everybody gets their competitive itch scratched elsewhere. Hedge isn't wrong for trying to scratch his with Commander, I just think the playgroup isn't the place for it every time.</p>
<p>From the perspective of The Salties, it seems like the Brackets aren't matching up, and rather than playing quickly with some abandon, Hedge is spending a lot of time trying to win. So folks aren't too pleased. It seems that winning is less important to the rest of the crew.</p>
<p>Hedge isn't wrong for wanting to win! What if that's just how Hedge likes to build the decks and play? Are there any complaints about turn lengths when Hedge is playing someone else's deck?</p>
<p>What I anticipated from the original submission if other players were to borrow Hedge's decks comes up - other players borrowed his decks and still won, which therefore leads to a confirmation of "okay his decks are too powerful," but with the data of his decks taking wins whether he pilots them or not plus the loss percentage when he borrowed other decks, it seems there's likely an imbalance.</p>
<p>Check on <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">your Bracket discussion</a>.</p>
<p>In the end, the best thing to do would be to keep having these conversations and find where you can compromise. Maybe there's a game where everybody is playing their strongest decks and really making an effort to win at all costs before the silly six-player game where everybody's playing a monocolored or colorless deck. Lots of ways to keep this top of mind to accommodate each other.</p>
<p>Either way, I'm impressed with this rebuttal and hope The Salties and Hegemon figure things out. I'm jealous of this retreat! I wish I could be there! It sounds so fun. You guys all have something so precious to celebrate in this playgroup, which is friendship and commitment to this event with and for each other.</p>
<p>I really wanted to get this response out there so everybody can see how it's done!</p>
<p>No Bolases. Keep me posted. I'm invested in the health of this playgroup! Thanks again!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Friendly Neighborhood"></div></div>
<h3>Read More:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="9BdsTNvIez"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-rubbing-off-on-each-other/">Am I the Bolas? - Rubbing off on Each Other</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Am I the Bolas? - Rubbing off on Each Other&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-rubbing-off-on-each-other/embed/#?secret=f6pkEgBc90#?secret=9BdsTNvIez" data-secret="9BdsTNvIez" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="sqX8U4x7nY"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-trending-away-from-removal/">Am I The Bolas? - Trending Away From Removal</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Am I The Bolas? - Trending Away From Removal&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-trending-away-from-removal/embed/#?secret=POREjjeT1w#?secret=sqX8U4x7nY" data-secret="sqX8U4x7nY" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="z7oyrOThUE"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-promise-of-retaliation/">Am I The Bolas? - Promise of Retaliation</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Am I The Bolas? - Promise of Retaliation&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-promise-of-retaliation/embed/#?secret=2jpioX09tP#?secret=z7oyrOThUE" data-secret="z7oyrOThUE" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


Am I the Bolas? - A Rebuttal From the Salties

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warped Devotion" href="#" target="_blank">Warped Devotion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Illustrated by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CDany+Orizio%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dany Orizio</a></em></p>
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<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>? This week, a playgroup will impact how you build and play - that can feel good or bad.</p>
<p>This column is for all of you out there who've ever played some <em>Magic </em>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?"</p>
<p>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?</p>
<p><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" /></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AmITheBolcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">THIS PODCAST!</a></p>
<p>I'm Mike Carrozza and my signature card from now on is...</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="City Pigeon"></div></div>
<p><i>I can't stop writing pigeon jokes in my stand-up, it's a problem. </i></p>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
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<h2>SUBMISSION</h2>
<div dir="auto">
<p><em>Hello Mike,</em></p>
<p><em>For the past four years, my partner and I have spent Monday evenings playing EDH with another neighborhood couple. While we usually have a great time, there's been a growing tension between me and one of the other players. They’ve expressed feeling unfairly targeted by me during games — particularly when I choose to attack them or remove their stuff.</em></p>
<p><em>Things came to a head recently when I had the choice to destroy a mana rock or their <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of the Animist" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of the Animist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I chose the Sword, and it sparked a pretty intense conflict.</em></p>
<p><em>This person is a very skilled </em>Magic <em>player. Outside of our weekly games, they mostly play Limited and don’t participate in multiplayer EDH with other groups. I mention this because I wonder if more exposure to EDH politics might help them develop thicker skin around threat assessment. But I also recognize that’s speculative.</em></p>
<p><em>We’ve talked at length about our dynamic, and I’ve admitted that I do sometimes target them more than others — mainly because they’re a strong player with finely tuned decks. That said, I don’t believe I overdo it.</em></p>
<p><em>They’ve shared that feeling singled out has affected how they build their decks. They’ve started including “anti-me” cards (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherize" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherize</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, since I often run aggro), not because they want to, but because they feel they have to in order to survive. I think the impact on their sense of autonomy and self-expression as a deckbuilder is starting to weigh on them.</em></p>
<p><em>Ironically, I’ve also held back from attacking them at times — worried I might upset them — only to watch them win the game from two life after a 20-minute turn.</em></p>
<p><em>I know threat assessment is subjective. What I see as the right strategic move might not match others’ perceptions. And I could be wrong! But I don’t want our playgroup to fracture, and I don’t want this friend to feel alienated or attacked.</em></p>
<p><em>Am I their Bolas?</em></p>
<p><em>Appreciate you,</em></p>
<p><em>Hero of Preccinet One</em></p>
</div>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetherize"></div></div>
</div>
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<h2>VERDICT</h2>
<p>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 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.</p>
<p>This submission feels a little more delicate than most. It feels like the continued conversations had between you two indicate that there's a desire on both ends for this to mesh better. That's an excellent sign. I think acknowledging this the next time you have a chat about this is a good start.</p>
<p>Laying everything out, we have a few points to touch on:</p>
<ul>
<li>Your friend believes themselves to be targeted more than most and you admit to targeting them more than others due to threat assessment, backed up by previous experience where the deck can pop off even at a low life total and them being a strong pilot.</li>
<li>Your friend plays lots of Limited and this might or might not port over some experience.</li>
<li>You're both building decks or playing differently than you want to so that you can accommodate or play around the other.</li>
</ul>
<p>I think it's fair to cop to the accusation pointed your way. Your friend believes you target them more than the others and you've mentioned that you do, but your justification is in line with the nature of a multiplayer free-for-all. There's a lot more to take into consideration when it comes to executing your game plan and some strategies or players are greater threats to your plan.</p>
<p>Here is a lesson I had to learn a long time ago and I'm glad it comes up from time to time: Threats to your game are different from those of your opponents; you're all packing threats for each other and sometimes your opponents deal with yours.</p>
<p>I'd like to touch on the Limited piece of this. In Limited, you play to beat your only opponent and anything goes. There's no such thing as being mean unless you're angle shooting or just saying awful things. There are no hard feelings because you are enemies in the context of the game.</p>
<p>The same goes for Commander. However, I believe there might be a bit of threat <em>self</em>-assessment missing from your friend. It seems reasonable to hit the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of the Animist" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of the Animist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> over a mana rock considering it can lead to more than the rock can produce pretty quickly. Them being upset signals to me a lack of self-awareness and maybe them forgetting that you are <em>all opponents.</em></p>
<p>Sometimes players will forget they're a threat to their opponents because they don't always put themselves in their shoes. Sometimes you're the <em>biggest</em> threat! It's just a fact! It's not a crime or anything. Trading off the designation of "The Threat" throughout a game of Commander is one of the most dynamic parts of the game, even!</p>
<p>To the biggest threat though, the biggest threat is the second-biggest threat, and it sounds like you're both the more experienced players at the table. Whether it's because your deckbuilding and play styles are opposed or real recognizes real, it's inevitable. You're bound to lock horns.</p>
<p>If your friend regularly finds themselves backed into a corner only to finally find a missing piece to go ham with an engine, you've seen the scene enough times to know that they're an eventuality. So what do you do as the more aggro deck at the table? Curb that possibility. I understand why your threat assessment goes to your friend.</p>
<p>I will mention that the changes your friend is making to their deck is something they can turn to in order to combat your tactics. However, holding back on what you believe to be the correct play is a shift in playstyle that ends up adding an extra layer to losing games where you wonder "Would I have won if I'd just not taken it easy on my friend?"</p>
<p>I see myself a lot in your friend: I build decks that need a few pieces to get humming and can come back from two life if the right things come together. I love an explosive, moving puzzle. It's my responsibility to try to stick my permanents and protect them. This doesn't happen by hoping that my opponents won't remove or counter anything. Your friend is becoming a stronger deck builder within this playgroup's dynamic.</p>
<p>It seems like you're both compromising. I'm not sure how to help with this one from your perspective, as I believe that this falls to your friend more than anything. Unless you're actually firing off 20 removal spells at them while other players are way ahead and it's really malicious, I think what you've described seems reasonable. You have less of an out than your friend because you need to play poorly to accomplish the compromise and your friend has to build better to fend you off. So what is there really?</p>
<p>The only other compromise I can think of is the use of personal goal lists that you come up with and accomplish to alter the win condition to not only be killing your opponents, but also "assembling the Tron lands" or "controlling 30 creatures." This takes the pressure off the actual win of the pod and allows you to maybe let a few things fly a little more.</p>
<p>My advice is to switch it up. Force some Two-Headed Giant and partner up. Play the literal Archenemy variant or Kingdoms variant. Add something to the game that injects a pre-determined dynamic so that this is the focus on the reasoning.</p>
<p>Maybe you could benefit from a brief break. Challenge yourselves to build like one another. Create a budget tier and get everybody to build with constraints. Ultimately, the number one thing is what you've already done a few times, which is to talk to each other.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, at a certain point, it feels like you're talking in circles. As the person writing in to the column, I can only really address you when I say that you're in a tough spot. It sounds like you're playing things right, making the correct threat assessments and acting on them in order to win. I would opt to deprioritize winning for a stretch to see if this impacts the dynamic positively, however, I want you to be mindful of your own enjoyment of the game.</p>
<p>I would be curious to hear what a conversation between you two goes or get more info on the games themselves!</p>
<p>No Bolas this week!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Camaraderie"></div></div>


Am I the Bolas? - Rubbing off on Each Other

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Lord of Pain" href="#" target="_blank">The Lord of Pain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CGreg+Staples%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greg Staples</a></em></p>
<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>?</p>
<p>This column is for all of you out there who have ever played some <em>Magic </em>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?"</p>
<p>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?</p>
<p><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" /></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AmITheBolcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">THIS PODCAST!</a></p>
<p>I'm Mike Carrozza, and, oh my god, what the hell is that?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cat-Gator"></div></div>
<p><i>Is this another </i>March of the Machine<i> team-up card?</i></p>
<p>This week, does your reputation precede you?</p>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
<hr />
<h2>SUBMISSION</h2>
<div dir="auto">
<p><em>Howdy there Mike!</em></p>
<div dir="auto"><em>First off, I love the article series! It's a great resource for increasing social awareness in pods. Thank you for your service!</em></div>
<div dir="auto"><em>I host a four-to-five player pod that meets at my house every couple of weeks. Two of the folks I've known and loved and played with for years; let's call them the Faves. The other two are friends of the Faves that I haven't known nearly as long, so let's call them Friends.</em></div>
<div dir="auto"><em>I buy cards slowly but I've been playing a while - I have 20+ decks now, and only two of them are newer than 18 months. This means that the Faves have lost to all my decks at one point or another. I've also adjusted my decks to mostly remove strategies the Faves tend to be more salty towards so they'll keep having a good time playing against those decks - for example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s, tutored combos, land destruction, etc.</em></div>
<div dir="auto"><em>Unfortunately, the Faves still remember the various ways I've beaten them before. It comes up when we rib each other at the table, and the Friends are picking up on it.</em></div>
<div dir="auto"><em>The trend's been building for a while, but it came to a point this week when I brought out my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic" href="#" target="_blank">Oloro, Ageless Ascetic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck. The Faves reacted with the kind of "Ohhhh we're in for it" that's usually reserved for Sliver decks. To be clear, the Oloro deck is a solid bracket 3 - it has <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanguine Bond" href="#" target="_blank">Sanguine Bond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> / <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Test of Endurance" href="#" target="_blank">Test of Endurance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felidar Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Felidar Sovereign</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but no tutors at all.</em></div>
<div dir="auto"><em>The Friends picked up on the table talk even though I emphasized it was Bracket 3 and they'd never seen the deck before. One of the Friends <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Demonic Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'d for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Lord of Pain" href="#" target="_blank">The Lord of Pain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, dropped it on turn five, and turned off my deck completely. Through bad luck, I didn't draw any removal except an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ethersworn Adjudicator" href="#" target="_blank">Ethersworn Adjudicator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which got removed by one of the Faves as soon as it hit play. The Friend with LoP won the game from the damage it dealt because it stayed in play the rest of the game.</em></div>
<div dir="auto"><em>I was extremely salty after that game and trying to hide it, but I don't know how justified my salt is. More than that I don't know how to change the situation. Should I ask the others to follow a more rigid bracket structure? Do I tune my decks back up to match the Friends, even though that feels like an arms race? Is the best solution just to ask the Faves to stop talking up my decks so much so that the Friends don't step on my neck?</em></div>
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<div dir="auto"><em>Thank you!</em></div>
<div dir="auto"><em>Sincerely,</em></div>
<div dir="auto"><em>Talkin Bout My Reputation</em></div>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Lord of Pain"></div></div>
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<h2>VERDICT</h2>
<p>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.</p>
<p>I appreciate the kind words, TBMR. I'm really glad you've been enjoying the article series. It makes me very happy and I can't thank you enough.</p>
<p>This is such an interesting situation. And while it seems pretty narrow, it's a pretty natural part of any group of pals playing <em>Magic</em> for long enough. Any playgroup is going to have some folks cycle in and out. With this kind of change, the old guards showing the new kids the ropes and part of that is disclosing some deck reputations.</p>
<p>Ultimately, while the growth of the playgroup has changed and morphed to include two new players, your growth as a considerate deckbuilder has not quite been acknowledged. Is it not then worth pointing out to the Friends that the decks have been powered down compared to their memories of them? You're being considerate enough of their fun, I believe a conversation is in order to discuss how they're affecting <em>yours</em>.</p>
<p>I think your suggestion is great. Have a talk with your playgroup (like half the advice given in this series) and chat about how these moments of talking up your deck have been making you feel unfairly targeted by the group and making things a lot less fun.</p>
<p>I've been the boogieman once or twice in my playgroup, and when I've adjusted my playstyle and deckbuilding style, I did suffer through some pretty rough games. But most importantly, I talked to my friends and communicated that this isn't how I play anymore and that they can focus elsewhere. After a while, even my pal who didn't quite believe it stopped coming for me because I wasn't a threat as often.</p>
<p>There's an element of toughing it out that sucks, but it's like growing pains. I don't know how long or how often this has happened before you've written in or since, but I hope it was a short time for you. I understand this frustration and it makes sense. Even if they're right and your deck is strong, sometimes games don't break your way and your creature isn't the most worthy of a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Path to Exile" href="#" target="_blank">Path</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> yet it eats one anyway because someone at the table went "Oh no, <em>that </em>deck?!" before the game.</p>
<p>I will note that, despite the Oloro deck not using tutors, having three "I win the game" buttons that are easiest to achieve when you've got "<em>Eminence - </em>Gain 2 life at your upkeep" in the command zone might still be reason enough for your opponents to have packed an anti-life gain card. To have tutored it up right away is pretty rough though, for sure.</p>
<p>Your previous strategies that you avoid now are some of the more frustrating to play against. If you're the guy countering every spell on any given night, I would probably had a bit of a rib at you myself. I probably wouldn't want to play against land destruction if I wasn't specifically in the mood to give it a go. I don't really like tutors but I especially dislike them when it's for a combo win. I understand where your playgroup is coming from! However, you've taken the time and made the effort to change this when they've expressed themselves.</p>
<p>If you listening and implementing the changes to accommodate them is possible, you can point to that when you ask them for this really simple thing you want from them.</p>
<p>Another thing to do - and I know this literally isn't your speed - would be to build a new deck and begin with a clean slate. Maybe aim for Bracket 2 in your deckbuilding but play like you're in Bracket 4. I recognize that this isn't the most helpful because it doesn't feed directly into what you're doing now and requires more work, but I feel like this might be the out you need.</p>
<p>Your opponents will still know your playstyle, but they won't be able to point to specific pieces in the deck without having played against it first. If they do, then that's an indication of something bigger. Maybe even swap a commander out for another in an existing deck with some other key changes. I think if there's a semblance of newness, they might not be able to keep jumping down your throat about it.</p>
<p>However, mainly, my advice is to have a chat with your pals, maybe even show them the deck lists as proof if they need to see it.</p>
<p>I don't think there are any Bolases here. I'm just glad you lot are having fun together and I hope it changes enough to make you happier.</p>
<p>Thanks again for writing in!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic"></div></div>
<h3>More <em>Bolas</em>:</h3>
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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="USucN9LrsR"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-salty-for-your-losses/">Am I The Bolas? - Salty for Your Losses</a></p></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="V6zhCjb93J"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-rolling-for-combat/">Am I The Bolas? - Rolling for Combat</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Am I The Bolas? - Rolling for Combat&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-rolling-for-combat/embed/#?secret=6QEJsbxxDq#?secret=V6zhCjb93J" data-secret="V6zhCjb93J" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


commander playgroup

Am I the Bolas? - A Rebuttal From the Salties

Am I the Bolas? - Rubbing off on Each Other

Am I The Bolas? - Reputation