<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://jesperejsing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jesper Ejsing</a></em></p>
<p>We've all salted out before; it's a unifying experience in the game of Commander. No matter what you love about the game, we all, sooner or later, have a moment where our mood shifts for the worse due to some element of the game.</p>
<h2>Why?</h2>
<p>I've tried to explore this. Where I started was with <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/salt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EDHREC's 100 Saltiest Cards</a>. My logic in looking here was to understand what these cards have in common. Maybe if I could find that connection, I could get to the heart of this universal experience.</p>
<h3>Denial</h3>
<p>Initially, I thought the concept must be about denial. Players don't like feeling like they can't participate in the game. If you deny them an untap step or the ability to take meaningful game actions, then salt might ensue.</p>
<p>This definitely isn't wholly it, by leagues, but I want to explore this theory first. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stasis" href="#" target="_blank">Stasis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winter Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Winter Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger" href="#" target="_blank">Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are undeniably salt inducing and have some of the highest salt score cards in the list.</p>
<p>What about denial is upsetting? I want to get deeper. I want to get philosophical. Being able to take game actions is one of the quintessential parts of the game. Counter magic and removal is part of the game too, though. When we sit down to play, what we enjoy is disruption as much as acceleration, at least fundamentally. It's part of what we love. We just don't like when disruption happens to us, and even that isn't true for all players.</p>
<p>Personally, I love being stopped over and over and still winning. It makes it feel earned. It makes me feel accomplished.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stasis"></div></div>
<p>Messing with a players' ability to tap lands is different though. Counter magic or removal feels like interruption, not locking another person out. Counter magic ideally stops one thing or a moment of an opponent's turn. Mass land denial stops players for many turns. It's simply more effective.</p>
<p>Why is that so upsetting? Why is it <em>universally</em> upsetting?</p>
<p>I'll turn on my psychological brain for a second. <em>Magic: The Gathering</em>'s Commander is a game that likely requires a time investment of 1+ hours. During this time, due to the nature of being able to effectively play and manage your win, you must be vigilant and assessing. Things are changing and evolving all the time, changing how your cards affect the game.</p>
<p>Commander requires vigilance and time.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Winter Orb"></div></div>
<p>Imagine investing that kind of care to your possibility of enjoyment and be denied it. You'd like to play. You want the vigilance and time in order to vie for a win, to take meaningful game actions. Someone in the game, in order to protect their win, forces you into inaction - irrelevant vigilance: taking a turn out of obligation. It rips the fun and purpose away from the very essence of the game. If you can't play, what can you enjoy?</p>
<p>I don't mean to moralize Stax. I think it's a relevant, and in some respects essential, strategy in <em>Magic. </em>Stax even has a huge history (you can<a href="https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/cashinds-seo-01072025-the-pros-and-cons-of-stax-in-commander" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> read about it here</a>). I'm simply noting why people tend to feel some type of way about it.</p>
<h3>Efficiency</h3>
<p>I'm always surprised by what I see on the <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/salt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EDHREC Salt List</a> next, after mass land denial. It's cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nadu, Winged Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Nadu, Winged Wisdom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The One Ring" href="#" target="_blank">The One Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is both surprising, yet not surprising. I've often salted out myself about an infinite combo, which share some similarities with these cards.</p>
<p>What's surprising is how universal this feeling is. These cards are just efficient. They're simply cards printed in the game that work well; they're some of the best cards in the game. All have, at some point, seen play in cEDH.</p>
<p>What about efficiency is upsetting? I want to think deeper about this. These cards don't stop you from playing. Playing good cards seems perfectly reasonable to me. Why do we hate to see other's succeed? Aren't we all making our decks as efficiently as we can make them, within our means, most of the time?</p>
<p>What about seeing another player manage this is salt inducing? It's not actually as simple as I'm making it sound.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nadu, Winged Wisdom"></div></div>
<p>"Within our means" is a huge point here - not the only point, but worth noting. <em>Magic</em> is an expensive hobby. Some of these all-star cards will cost you a pretty penny to run. There's this class division between the haves and the have-nots in this game. Not everyone feels comfortable proxying - though it's a solution to this.</p>
<p>Financial limitation isn't something to ignore. It's upsetting to think what stops you from winning, or effectively participating in a game, is how much money you make. No one wants to fight a wallet. We don't like to feel powerless, helpless, in a hobby meant to bring joy and inclusiveness.</p>
<p>This isn't the only point of contention here, though. It's not just class divide that makes these cards salt inducing. There's the simple fact that these cards warp the game. When someone plays a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it usually means the game is over if you don't have the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force of Will" href="#" target="_blank">Force of Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. There's something so final about this card. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The One Ring" href="#" target="_blank">The One Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is not too dissimilar. It doesn't end the game, but warps the advantage towards that player so much that any other player has to struggle to come out from under it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thassa&#039;s Oracle"></div></div>
<p>Aren't we all are trying to win? Why does it matter what we play? Why does that get our briefs in a bunch? Well, the game is meant to feel like equal stakes and ability. That's why the Commander Bracket system exists and why the power scaling before it existed. We all best enjoy the game when we feel we have an equal enough footing; we know decks are diverse and thus it's complicated to balance them - but still.</p>
<p>We want to know there is a purpose to the struggle, a purpose to the playing. Sometimes a game is so overwhelmingly disparate in power that it becomes impossible. Hence the salt, justifiably.</p>
<p>Again, I'm not moralizing playing strong cards and paying for them. That's a whole other article that I'll likely be asked to avoid writing about because of honest and true contentiousness. I'm not saying its bad or good paying for cards. Just understand that the difference is contentious, especially when that card warps the play patterns so much that the game becomes extremely one-sided.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>This conclusion is going to be a whopper. What was my point in writing all of this? First, I wanted to normalize this feeling we get when games upset us. Second, and more importantly, I needed to talk about that to explain how we should be coping with these kinds of emotions.</p>
<p>We've all experienced: passive aggressive comments; complete silence and poorly blocking; withdrawal from the game; or rage, unbridled and direct, scooping up their cards and storming off.</p>
<p>I really want to hold your hand and suggest that all of these behaviors are annoying, but the reasons behind them are pretty valid. Most of these are the most common ways players salt out, but most of these aren't really harmful. Now if someone starts knocking over other people's stuff, insulting people, cussing them out, then I would say that's not healthy or acceptable.</p>
<p>Maybe to some extent, any aggressive behavior aside from excusing yourself isn't exactly appropriate. But taking your stuff and leaving is a great way to protect your piece of mind. It's valid not to want to play with people who upset you.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Force of Will"></div></div>
<p>All the methods of salting out are ways people cope with indirectness. I'm a firm believer in directness. If you don't like something, say exactly that.</p>
<p>But that's not really necessarily feasible for everyone. Some people might not feel comfortable directly naming their feelings. They might not even know how to name what they're feeling. And these other methods of indirectness - salt - don't necessarily hurt anyone else. Obviously everyone is different and these methods might bother you, but you're also free to leave the situation as well.</p>
<p>All I'm saying is, I've noticed moralization against some of these methods of coping. Calling them childish or even going as far as invalidating getting upset about a card game at all as if it's beneath them. The number of people who salt outnumbers the people who don't, in my experience playing this game for almost a decade now. That means salting out is normal.</p>
<p>Why are we making people feel bad for something that's perfectly normal? Why are we trying to mold how a person responds to this kind of stimuli if the response is self soothing and not harmful? I stress the <em>not harmful</em> part; not all coping behaviors are acceptable.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Counterspell"></div></div>
<p>This is not my normal, open to critique self. I feel this so passionately that I won't budge on one fact. I might allow critique about why we salt out, or even about how we handle it, but I won't allow people to take away the ability to feel something about this game.</p>
<p>Players should be allowed to get angry, sad, or even hurt by something they invest a great deal of time, thought, creativity, and money into. I stand by this. <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strixhavendropout.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">But as always, if you're looking for a fight on Blue Sky hit me up. I'm @strixhavendroout there.</a></p>
<h3>Read More:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="KjtkHKESwG"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/should-you-run-more-removal-in-commander/">Should You Run More Removal in Commander?</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Should You Run More Removal in Commander?&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/should-you-run-more-removal-in-commander/embed/#?secret=dHjq61wOAH#?secret=KjtkHKESwG" data-secret="KjtkHKESwG" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="DsH3TJ70Ei"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/powerful-magic-cards-we-take-for-granted-in-commander/">Powerful Magic Cards We Take for Granted in Commander</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Powerful Magic Cards We Take for Granted in Commander&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/powerful-magic-cards-we-take-for-granted-in-commander/embed/#?secret=CVuYVKtmAA#?secret=DsH3TJ70Ei" data-secret="DsH3TJ70Ei" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="o1g6pLYcJM"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/is-winning-the-most-important-thing-in-commander/">Is Winning the Most Important Thing in Commander?</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Is Winning the Most Important Thing in Commander?&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/is-winning-the-most-important-thing-in-commander/embed/#?secret=CeFx43PC4n#?secret=o1g6pLYcJM" data-secret="o1g6pLYcJM" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


Why Do We Salt Out in Commander?

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Emancipation|wot|42" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Emancipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CHarry+Conway%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harry Conway</a></em></p>
<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>? 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 - dear lord, what is that <em>smell!?</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Cabbage Merchant"></div></div>
<p><em>"Two for one special!"</em></p>
<p>This week, spell it out.</p>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
<hr />
<h2>SUBMISSION</h2>
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<p><em>Hey Mike,</em></p>
<div dir="auto"><em>There was an incident at a Commander game last year, at my school’s Magic club, that has been nagging me, and once I heard about this column I decided you should hear it. I was playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Roxanne, Starfall Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Roxanne, Starfall Savant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The other people at the table were playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaalia of the Vast" href="#" target="_blank">Kaalia of the Vast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder" href="#" target="_blank">Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenrith, the Returned King" href="#" target="_blank">Kenrith, the Returned King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</em></div>
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<div dir="auto"><em>Kaalia and Yidris were my friends, and Kenrith was the teacher supervisor. On turn two, I dropped <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Generous Plunderer" href="#" target="_blank">Generous Plunderer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a card that gives myself and target opponent a Treasure on my upkeep. When it got back around to me, I noticed that Kaalia was complaining about being stuck on white, so I gave them a Treasure. For every upkeep from then until turn seven, I gave Kaalia a Treasure. With my help, they were able to steamroll the rest of the table into single digits, without attacking me. They said they were not attacking me because of the Treasures. I will note I made no promises, did not make any deals, only kept feeding Kaalia the Treasures. They never did draw a white source. </em></div>
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<div dir="auto"><em>On turn seven, I gave them the last Treasure. With my ramping, I windmill slammed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Emancipation" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Emancipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthshaker Giant" href="#" target="_blank">Earthshaker Giant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and went to combat. I had enough power to kill either Kaalia, or Kenrith and Yidris. I went for the jugular, one-shotting the Kaalia deck. I was quickly eliminated by the rest of the table, and the game ended soon after that. Now comes the problem. The Kaalia player started arguing with me about that combat. They thought because the Treasures kept coming their way, there was a deal going on. I insisted that no deal had been made and I was well within my right. After the game was over, Kaalia moved to another pod to watch their game and tell the other four players that I had broken our deal. We began to argue again. <strong>I ask you: was there an unofficial deal going on, or was I breaking an unwritten rule? Am I the Bolas?</strong></em></div>
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<div dir="auto"><em>Sincerely,</em></div>
<div dir="auto"><em>Green Ramp Enjoyer</em></div>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Earthshaker Giant"></div></div>
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<hr />
<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>Alright, GRE, let's get into. Also, I'm just going to call you Greg because it looks so silly to just see GRE without the G at the end. I hope you don't mind.</p>
<p>This is one of those submissions where I can already see the comments under it going long and argumentative. Depending on the day, I'd call this angle shooting or totally valid. Today, I'm going with angle shooting. I looked for a definition of angle shooting and this one makes the most sense:</p>
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<p><strong><em>Angle shooting is a poker term that "refers to using subtle, unethical, and often deceptive tactics to gain an unfair advantage over opponents, while technically not violating the explicit rules of the game. It's a form of bending the rules to mislead opponents and exploit their reactions." </em></strong></p>
<div class="NPrrbc" data-cid="b942c624-f754-4d85-8a0e-a7b9ad340c5c" data-uuids="16775381595295955439,16775381595295956878">
<div class="BMebGe btku5b fCrZyc LwdV0e FR7ZSc qVhvac OJeuxf" tabindex="0" role="button" aria-label="View related links" data-hveid="CJkBEAE" data-ved="2ahUKEwjIzerR04iPAxUkkIkEHa-CGEEQ3fYKegUImQEQAQ">
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<div class="kHtcsd">(Shout out to PokerNews.com for the explanation.)</div>
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<p>I believe this situation qualifies particularly because of this line: "<em>They said they were not attacking me because of the Treasures."</em></p>
<p>There's an explicit direction from the Kaalia player saying "GREG, I am only doing this because of the Treasures" and then you keep giving them Treasures which to many would seem like a tacit or implied agreement to the terms. If this wasn't the case, then a clarification would be in order. "That's great, but we never really made that deal," would be fine. Then the Kaalia player would be able to threaten you with violence and you would then be in a position to explicitly take the deal or suffer the consequences.</p>
<p>Either way, speaking up at that moment to clarify would have been welcome, I'm certain.</p>
<p>That said, it's true, there was no "real" deal. There was no handshake. There was no explicit agreement. I think the Kaalia player could have phrased their intention a little more clearly in a way that would invite an affirmative or negative response, definitely. However, if the rest of the table could ostensibly articulate to their friends in telling this story later that "GREG kept giving Kaalia Treasures, so Kaalia never attacked GREG," I think this deal/not-a-deal was understood.</p>
<p>In the spirit of <em>Magic</em>, especially in Commander, the idea of "lying by omission" is a grey area that people venture into a couple of times until they realize that lots of players don't tend to be repeat podmates after that. It's almost like the super complicated game that we play - which considers nearly all the cards printed in the last 30+ years and is usually played with two extra opponents, therefore adding a difficult-to-navigate social element to it - has carved out some bits of etiquette that remain <em>technically unspoken. </em></p>
<p>Acts of deception are generally pretty frowned upon. While not speaking up and letting the Kaalia player attack your opponents isn't really the problem, it's letting the Kaalia player believe that this arrangement was in place by not speaking up when they explicitly laid out their reasons for not attacking you that qualifies as a potential toe-dip into deception. Because you exploited this to go in for the kill on Kaalia while they had brought the rest of the table down to less than ten life, this is angle shooting.</p>
<p>I will say that, while I can appreciate a little bit of venting, going over to another table of friends to tell them you've done *gasp* the unthinkable wasn't entirely called for. I think the discussion should have remained between both of you and should serve as a lesson for both you and the Kaalia player.</p>
<p>Sidenote: If you're going to take out a player who had been an ally to you in the game, make sure you have a plan to handle the crackback of the other opponents who want their revenge!</p>
<p>Bolas.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kaalia of the Vast"></div></div>
<h3>More <em>Bolas</em>:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="icJELzu1Ao"><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>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Am I The Bolas? - Salty for Your Losses&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-salty-for-your-losses/embed/#?secret=5gSkJd4C3t#?secret=icJELzu1Ao" data-secret="icJELzu1Ao" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="AksZjuC7Xb"><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=06YsYOEQM4#?secret=AksZjuC7Xb" data-secret="AksZjuC7Xb" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="Vl4mdnLPXZ"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-a-counterspell-on-the-table/">Am I The Bolas? - A Counterspell on the Table</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? - A Counterspell on the Table&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-a-counterspell-on-the-table/embed/#?secret=y9y0I9IUQB#?secret=Vl4mdnLPXZ" data-secret="Vl4mdnLPXZ" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


Am I The Bolas? - Deal or No Deal?

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mage&#039;s Attendant" href="#" target="_blank">Mage&#039;s Attendant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Illustrated by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CIgor+Kieryluk%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Igor Kieryluk</a></em></p>
<hr />
<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 I just got a new pet Plant Wurm thingy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ouroboroid"></div></div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>*sniffle* They grow up so fast. </i></p>
<p>This week: I told you already!</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 Mike!</em></p>
<p><em>First off, I wanna say, love the column and the podcast - your wisdom is greatly appreciated. Been really enjoying the mailbag episodes. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2x8AZCWsTM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This last one especially</a> - what a weird line to draw in the sand. Maybe this makes me the Bolas but if that guy sat across from me at the LGS I would pull out my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Obuun, Mul Daya Ancestor" href="#" target="_blank">Obuun, Mul Daya Ancestor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/5362978/counting_on_land_drops" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deck every time</a>, without breaking eye contact. Easiest form of player removal I've ever heard of.</em></p>
<p><em>Onto the crux of why I "called" today. I've been waffling about submitting this one, but it came up again recently, so I decided to ask your opinion on it.</em></p>
<p><em>I play with the same pod almost every Saturday. There is always a certain "meta" level of saltiness that can happen when certain decks and cards come down, but for the most part we get on pretty well and have a good time. We tend to be lenient with people making mistakes or accidental misplays, and are great at reminding each other about missed triggers. However, in the past year or so, we have started tracking our games stats with an app. It has definitely increased the level of competitiveness, but for the most part, hasn't messed with the friendly vibe we tend to adhere to.</em></p>
<p><em>Now onto the occurrence for which I request your sage scrutiny. I am playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burakos, Party Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Burakos, Party Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Folk Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Folk Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Background, and the other player in question was playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Queen Marchesa" href="#" target="_blank">Queen Marchesa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The Queen is a frequent flyer in our pod and a known aikido control deck, so we all are constantly on watch for a wipe or an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Insurrection" href="#" target="_blank">Insurrection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</em></p>
<p><em>In this particular game, we were a couple hours in, very much late game, and everyone has a pretty beefy board state except The Queen - bad sign for us. At this point, I know if I can get back to my turn, I have the game. I have my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pontiff of Blight" href="#" target="_blank">Pontiff of Blight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> out as well as a board full of party members, but I'm tapped out save for a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mind Stone" href="#" target="_blank">Mind Stone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If I get to untap, I'm extorting the board.</em></p>
<p><em>The issue happened when the Queen player asked the table for a count of untapped mana. The blue player on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baral and Kari Zev" href="#" target="_blank">Baral and Kari Zev</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was tapped out, the fourth player on mono white <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Preston, the Vanisher" href="#" target="_blank">Preston, the Vanisher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and, as I stated, I only have a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mind Stone" href="#" target="_blank">Mind Stone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> untapped. This is all relayed to player, who then proceeds to tap mana to remove mono white player's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghostly Prison" href="#" target="_blank">Ghostly Prison</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from the board and follows that up with tapping out and casting an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Insurrection" href="#" target="_blank">Insurrection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</em></p>
<p><em>In that moment, I was stoked, because two turns previous, I had played a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mage&#039;s Attendant" href="#" target="_blank">Mage&#039;s Attendant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which gives you a blue Wizard creature token that says pay one and sacrifice this creature to counter target noncreature spell unless its controller pays one. Queen could not afford to pay for my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force Spike" href="#" target="_blank">Force Spike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect and the spell got countered. Queen was clearly annoyed when I did this and made some comment about not realizing it was there. To which all of us kind of did the chorus of "they read the card when they cast it." And I also noted that I am using the specific token that the Attendant makes, which visually states what it does, so people could see it and remember. The game continued and I ended up winning by extorting a butt load of times off of casting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</em></p>
<p><em>At the end, Queen again expressed annoyance about me not reminding the board that my Wizard was there when they asked about open mana, and that the win didn't seem fair. I argued the point that the only way the Wizard can be good is when it is overlooked or forgotten and that I wasn't playing unfairly. We ended up moving onto another game but it was clear that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Queen Marchesa" href="#" target="_blank">Queen Marchesa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> player was pissed at me. <strong>Part of me is questioning if I should have reminded everyone about the Wizard and that this specific token has caused this exact problem once before. The more I sit with the more I feel like I might have been the Bolas,</strong> but maybe that's the old Irish guilt flooding in. Considering just removing the Attendant from the deck.</em><br />
<em>Would appreciate your thoughts on this. As always it's a joy to listen. Keep em coming!</em></p>
<p><em>Your comrade in arms,</em><br />
<em>Uncharasmaticbard</em></p>
<p><em>P.S. shout out to Morgan, y'all have a great dynamic and always bring out the laughs! Thanks for putting out fun content!</em></p>
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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 will say, a surefire way to get me to definitely write your submission up is to tell me how much you love the darling super genius co-host and super-producer Morgan Sanchez. She's the best!</p>
<p>I think this submission is an interesting one because of one little detail:</p>
<p><em>"Part of me is questioning if I should have reminded everyone about the Wizard and that this specific token has caused this exact problem once before."</em></p>
<p>We'll get to that. Let's start with the fact that it's great that you're a playgroup that gets together frequently and enjoy playing with each other enough to put it to spreadsheets and track things. That's very sweet. It also means that you can get to know each other better, prioritize and meta-shift cards here and there, but most of all, you get to pick up on each others' little tricks and such.</p>
<p>Considering that this is not only a card that's in the precon Burakos comes from, this is not the first time this Cat and its Wizard have come to disrupt the stack. Announced when played, stayed in play, visually represented correctly - I'd say there isn't much a reason for your opponent to be mad at you for this.</p>
<p>...however...</p>
<p><em>Magic</em> is already a complicated game when you've got to track two board states, let alone four! The Marcheezy player definitely surveyed the board and glossed over the token, for sure, but it's still something that I can't fault them for too hard. "Long game, big play incoming, mental energy expended for the potential win, it's time to celebr - hang on. A <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force Spike" href="#" target="_blank">Force Spike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> I forgot about or missed? I WISH TO BLAME EVERYONE BUT MYSELF!"</p>
<p>This is still a normal reaction and fair. I get it! You're excited to take the win and crumble like Patrick Sullivan after baiting the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Qasali Pridemage" href="#" target="_blank">Qasali Pridemage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> activation, basking in what you managed to pull off. At least that's what you hope!</p>
<p>To have the win snagged from under you especially with something that you missed - my stomach dropped just thinking about it. You lash out, inward or outward, but ultimately, you've gotta let it go and move on to the next game, which is what The Queen does to an extent. I'm sure this didn't carry over to the next session because I'm sure you'd have added a whole bit about being targeted for it in the next game.</p>
<p>That said, I think that an onboard trick deserves a nudge here and there when there's a bunch of stuff on board. I get that the token isn't as good when people play around it and you're literally playing against a deck described as aikido which uses your weaknesses against you - oh, the irony! Personally, my move would be to point to it as a "Hey, you noticed this right?"</p>
<p>Conversely, I'd make a big stink about it entering thanks to the last time, because again, that's my favorite part about this: it's happened before!</p>
<p>What I hope is that this lesson is learned within the playgroup. One of the most fun things about being in a playgroup or joining a playgroup from time to time is finding out the personal "boogiemen" of the group. What cards does this group groan at that doesn't raise an eyebrow in many places.</p>
<p>For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archfiend of Ifnir" href="#" target="_blank">Archfiend of Ifnir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gets groans everywhere it hits, I'm sure, but some playgroups get to sound the alarms when something more innocuous like a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corpse Knight" href="#" target="_blank">Corpse Knight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> hits the board. Don't get me wrong, good ol' CK is a mainstay in my WBx builds, but not everybody treats that lil guy like a harbinger.</p>
<p>All I'm saying is if I joined your pod and you played <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mage&#039;s Attendant" href="#" target="_blank">Mage&#039;s Attendant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and two of the other players went "Here we go again," I'd be <em>delighted</em>.</p>
<p>Not the Bolas, none found here.</p>
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<h3>Read More:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="dcTiMycM3q"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-fine-ill-do-it-then/">Am I The Bolas? - Fine, I'll Do It, Then</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? - Fine, I&#039;ll Do It, Then&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-fine-ill-do-it-then/embed/#?secret=J5RxFUx0CJ#?secret=dcTiMycM3q" data-secret="dcTiMycM3q" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="Ufv9Y8OQkY"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-sidequest-the-player/">Am I The Bolas? - Sidequest, the Player</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? - Sidequest, the Player&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-sidequest-the-player/embed/#?secret=pvcb0kZH6n#?secret=Ufv9Y8OQkY" data-secret="Ufv9Y8OQkY" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="qE6UMDEWSw"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-not-so-welcome-back-toxrill/">Am I The Bolas? - (Not So) Welcome Back, Toxrill!</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? - (Not So) Welcome Back, Toxrill!&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-not-so-welcome-back-toxrill/embed/#?secret=ABvOUi256d#?secret=qE6UMDEWSw" data-secret="qE6UMDEWSw" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


Am I The Bolas? - A Counterspell on the Table

<h6 style="text-align: right;">Parhelion II | Illustrated by <a href="https://www.adampaquettemtg.com/">Adam Paquette</a> | Image credit: Wizards of the Coast</h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>On Friday, June 20th, Wizards of the Coast announced a momentous Commander rules change. Starting with <em>Edge of Eternities</em>, legendary Vehicles and Spacecraft with a power/toughness box can be your commander! This change is massive and opens up a ton of design space for <em>Magic: The Gathering</em>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_156844" style="width: 780px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/154848.hq_.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-156844" class="wp-image-156844" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/154848.hq_.jpg" alt="RMS Titanic. Illustrated by Henry Peters. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast" width="770" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/154848.hq_.jpg 551w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/154848.hq_-300x218.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-156844" class="wp-caption-text">RMS Titanic. Illustrated by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/htkpeh"><strong>Henry Peters</strong></a>. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast</p></div>
<h2>Why This Change?</h2>
<p><em>Magic</em> Designer <strong>Gavin Verhey</strong> sums up the change to the Commander format with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w75DcnrdoTc">a six-minute Good Morning Magic video on YouTube</a>:</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Why Are We Changing the Rules of Commander with Edge of Eternities?? | Magic Vehicles &amp; Spacecraft" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w75DcnrdoTc?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>In short, the rules change is one that Wizards wanted to apply for a while, but for a series of different reasons at different times, the format's shift had to wait until <em>Edge of Eternities</em>. Additionally, we have learned through this video that both precons from the new set contain a legendary Spacecraft to use as an alternate commander.</p>
<div id="attachment_156846" style="width: 915px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Shorikai-Genesis-Engine.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-156846" class="wp-image-156846" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Shorikai-Genesis-Engine.jpg" alt="Shorikai, Genesis Engine. Illustrated by Wisnu Tan. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast" width="905" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Shorikai-Genesis-Engine.jpg 745w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Shorikai-Genesis-Engine-300x185.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 905px) 100vw, 905px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-156846" class="wp-caption-text">Shorikai, Genesis Engine. Illustrated by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/wisnutan"><strong>Wisnu Tan</strong></a>. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast</p></div>
<h2>What is the Rule Change?</h2>
<p>While the Comprehensive Rules have yet to officially update with these rules, here is the main idea:</p>
<ul>
<li>Starting with <em>Edge of Eternities</em>, legendary Vehicles and Spacecraft cards will be eligible to lead a Commander deck.</li>
<li>To be fully eligible, the card has to be legendary and have a power/toughness box in its card rules.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Is This Impactful?</h3>
<p>In a word, this is currently not a highly impactful change. It's largely just for fun, but <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">it<em>'s</em> still foreseeable as a</span> permanent change to the format. This doesn't change <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shorikai, Genesis Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Shorikai, Genesis Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s functionality, but it allows other Vehicles printed previously to share in that design space.</p>
<div id="attachment_156847" style="width: 753px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Esikas-Chariot.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-156847" class="wp-image-156847" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Esikas-Chariot.jpg" alt="Esika's Chariot. Illustrated by Raoul Vitale. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast" width="743" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Esikas-Chariot.jpg 1080w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Esikas-Chariot-300x226.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Esikas-Chariot-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Esikas-Chariot-768x578.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 743px) 100vw, 743px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-156847" class="wp-caption-text">Esika's Chariot. Illustrated by <a href="https://www.raoulvitaleart.com/"><strong>Raoul Vitale</strong></a>. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast</p></div>
<p>Some of the Vehicles now affected by this change are pretty cool, though. For one, you can now play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esika&#039;s Chariot" href="#" target="_blank">Esika&#039;s Chariot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a commander, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="RMS Titanic" href="#" target="_blank">RMS Titanic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Parhelion II" href="#" target="_blank">Parhelion II</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In fact, one interviewee I spoke with in the past for <a href="https://commandersherald.com/interview-dr-wendi-sierra-bethesda-scholar-on-the-new-fallout-decks/">Commander's Herald</a>, <strong>Dr. Wendi Sierra</strong>, has a Parhelion II "Big Angel Party Bus" deck. Frankly, I'm sure she's thrilled about this new change to the rules.</p>
<p>In any event, we'd like to open the floor to you, dear readers! How do you feel about this new change? Are you already planning a new Vehicle-led Commander deck? Which ones if so? Sound off below, and stay tuned for a slew of new Vehicle-centric deck techs from EDHREC in the coming weeks!</p>


commander rules

Why Do We Salt Out in Commander?

Am I The Bolas? - Deal or No Deal?

Am I The Bolas? - A Counterspell on the Table

Edge Of Eternities Rules Update: Vehicles Can Be Commanders