<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>
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<h2>SUBMISSION</h2>
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<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>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="9mDlqgIJOg"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-deal-or-no-deal/">Am I The Bolas? - Deal or No Deal?</a></p></blockquote>
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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? - Reputation