<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirran Safehouse" href="#" target="_blank">Mirran Safehouse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A“Piotr+Dura”&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Piotr Dura</a></em></p>
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<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>?<strong> This week: Is a competitive mindset too slow?</strong></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, the alter ego of when I have to go grate some cheese for my pasta...</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Super Shredder"></div></div>
<p><i>I am legally required to like the Turtles set because they are Italians. Right?</i></p>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
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<h2>SUBMISSION</h2>
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<p><i>Dear Mike,</i></p>
<p><em>The context: My friends and I are getting older and many of us have kids, so we don't get to play often and can't always get everyone to the table. The time we do get to play is therefore quite valuable. We typically play casual Bracket 2/3, many of us running with modified precons and, in most cases, we know each others' decks reasonably well (unless someone just got a new precon).</em></p>
<p><em>Call me Player A. I usually organize and host the game, and, in this case, we are playing at my home. I had asked a few people and managed to get four together for a game.</em></p>
<p><em>One player - let's say Player B - has in the past played various games competitively, including Magic. In my opinion, he finds it hard to step back from that competitive mindset and play at a more casual level. This is where we run into our issue.</em></p>
<p><em>It might have been an hour or so into the game, Player B's turn. He'd been taking a long time deciding on his plays for several turns now and asked to see my graveyard. His deck doesn't run graveyard recursion and neither do I (I always make people aware when I have a big flashback/etc card in graveyard anyway), so I laughed as I passed my graveyard over and told him he doesn't need to check graveyards and to just make his play.</em></p>
<p><em>I am known to be the guy that asks everyone to hurry up on their turns - including my partner. I like a fast game, and I believe it's respectful to others to keep the game moving at a reasonable pace, especially when it's just a casual game.</em></p>
<p><em>Player B took this as a deep personal offence and said some accusatory and incendiary things to me. I said the game is over, Player B left and I apologized to players C &amp; D. </em></p>
<p><em>We're not here to Bolas or not Bolas Player B, but suffice it to say I have made up my mind and don't intend to play with Player B again or even interact socially with them and they won't be invited to games I organize.</em></p>
<p><strong><em>Am I the Bolas for</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>1) calling out Player B on slowing the game by unnecessarily card counting graveyards?</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>2) essentially removing Player B from our play group and in large part our social circle, since I organize and host a good portion of the time? If Player B made amends I would consider inviting them back to give them another chance (but no promises I won't hurry them up again though)</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>3) also firing back during the incident and telling Player B they could chill out, play casual and try giving a s#!t (sorry Ken) about other players' time?</em></strong></p>
<p><em>Best regards,</em><br />
<em>Player A</em></p>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lash Out"></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>There's a lot to digest here, Player A. First, I'd like to say thanks for including a reference to my podcast <em>Am I the Bolcast?</em> and shout out to our editor Ken! That made me smile and I'm pretty sure he'll be stoked about it, too. I can't tell you enough how much it means to me that you listen.</p>
<p>Your story is full of information so let's break it down. You host the games at yours most often. There's lots of pressure on game time due to its scarcity among you and your friends. You're the person pushing to keep the speed up. You all play modified precons, keeping to Bracket 2 or 3, but you all know each others' decks pretty well. Your friend is a former competitive player who gets in the tank for a win. You rushed Player B and he fired back with insults, resulting in you kicking him out of your home and group. Bummer.</p>
<p>Look, I will never fault anybody for barring someone from their home. That's your space. You get to decide who is welcome there or not. That's not something I'll argue with. I don't know what your friendship with Player B is like, but given that these are people you're willing to have over to yours, I'll guess you're close enough for me to somewhat expect there to be some potential for reconciliation. I understand that you've made up your mind and that it will take Player B making the first move by apologizing. All this is fair. We don't know what he said, but I can imagine it must have been pretty heinous for you to kick him out.</p>
<p>That said, as the person who essentially puts the pod together and hosts, you're unilaterally making the call to kick this person from the playgroup. I would recommend having a chat with others who were present to be sure that you were levelheaded in your response and that maybe an apology coming <em>from you</em> wouldn't be in order. Worth a chat. If everybody says "Oh yeah, that was out of line, we support you," then power to ya!</p>
<p>Ultimately, what we have here is the way you enjoy <em>Magic</em> is not the same way Player B enjoys <em>Magic</em>. When backed into a position, players can get in the tank and try to find any possible out to win, or even just not lose. While I understand that to you, there's no reason to look at your graveyard, there might be a play there for Player B to pull off. Sure, you don't have recursion, but maybe Player B made a quick swap before the game or has a card that allows him to play something from another player's deck that actually can recur from an opponent's graveyard.</p>
<p>Perhaps, he's operating with different information than you are and part of the fun is working out the puzzle and all its possibilities. Maybe, there's a card in a precon that has a mode you've forgotten about or rarely comes up. I know I'm still discovering new applications for precon cards from like four precon cycles ago.</p>
<p>I understand that moving quickly is a big deal to you and this group, but this is the game. Lots of information to process and there is a clear goal. Sometimes it requires more tanking.</p>
<p>However, it's fair to implement a safeguard or two for your pod to agree to given that this has been a button for you (and probably the group). If long turns are a problem, try working on some house rules like using a turn clock or acceptable shortcuts (e.g., "I'll sacrifice <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sakura-Tribe Elder" href="#" target="_blank">Sakura-Tribe Elder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> at the end of your turn, let's pretend I have a blocker available until then.").</p>
<p>I don't know that I can call you a Bolas. We all can lose our cool and we don't have enough to go on regarding what was said. Your home is your space and you're the boss. I'd just say that making such a strict decision that affects the group without consulting the group might be where I pause, but, again, your home, your decision, etc. Not the Bolas.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burn Down the House"></div></div>
<h3>Read More:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="ArOnlosTFZ"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-giving-up/">Am I The Bolas? - Giving Up</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? - Giving Up&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-giving-up/embed/#?secret=6DWVVLqEX9#?secret=ArOnlosTFZ" data-secret="ArOnlosTFZ" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="yabpD1kuWf"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-whims-of-the-fates/">Am I The Bolas? - Whims of the Fates</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? - Whims of the Fates&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-whims-of-the-fates/embed/#?secret=1qdCbzYCwc#?secret=yabpD1kuWf" data-secret="yabpD1kuWf" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="LUCEtu3QoU"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-slowing-games-down/">Am I the Bolas? - Slowing Games Down</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? - Slowing Games Down&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-slowing-games-down/embed/#?secret=jlty9A3sai#?secret=LUCEtu3QoU" data-secret="LUCEtu3QoU" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


Am I the Bolas? - Now, Get Outta My House

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grand Arbiter Augustin IV" href="#" target="_blank">Grand Arbiter Augustin IV</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Illustrated by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CZoltan+Boros%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zoltan Boros</a> &amp; <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CGabor+Szikszai%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gabor Szikszai</a></em></p>
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<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>? This week, how to deal with strategies you dislike.</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 my wish came true!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn"></div></div>
<p><i>Lorwyn is going to rule so hard. </i></p>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
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<h2>SUBMISSION</h2>
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<p><em>Hey there Mike!</em></p>
<p><em>Love your column btw I had to go through and read all the </em>"Am I the Bolas?"<em> articles once I found them </em>(wink emoji, thumbs up emoji - The system won't let us use emojis)<em>.</em></p>
<p><em>So lets get to it:</em></p>
<p><em>I am a very casual Commander player that generally dislikes stax and other stifling or overpowered cards that are just ridiculous and warp games. Looking at you cards with </em>Eminence<em>. I look for a ten-turn game, give or take, with Bracket 2 or 3 decks. I also like playing unpopular cards personally that are still good but not great. I guess in some ways you could call me a hipster deck builder (but I'm not as cool as Dana Roach, </em>wink emoji<em>).</em></p>
<p><em>With that being said, in my regular pod we have a member that has been on a deck building kick of using commanders and strategies that give free or near free copy effects or cheating mana in big ways to effectively out-battlecruiser everyone by turn seven or eight (again looking for turn ten games and building decks accordingly). We generally have a friendly pod and do not play competitively but this feels like passive competitive play to me. So I recently built a Superfriends, boardwipe-heavy, Azorius stax deck with effects that make spells cost more to play. Some pillowforting cards such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Propaganda" href="#" target="_blank">Propaganda</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and basically built a deck with everything I hate gameplay-wise that should slow these super battlecruiser decks down. Does this make me the Bolas?</em></p>
<p><em>Thank you,</em><br />
<em>Keebrone Kammazela</em></p>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stasis"></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>This type of submission has come my way previously, but it's been a little while, so it'll be fun to see what remains the same and what's changed over the years. Of course, we don't have the full picture, as with every submission sent my way, but there's enough here for me to discuss Keebrone's reactionary deckbuilding.</p>
<p>It seems like you've got your mind set on a certain turn at which you expect the game to end. But to me, a deviation of two turns feels pretty natural and acceptable that late in the game. It's important to acknowledge that your regular pod might have these expectations as well, but if you're the only one upset about this one player, there's more to this.</p>
<p>Regardless of the playgroup's feelings and whether they differ from yours, this all starts with a conversation. Get to your next game night and have a chat with everybody about what your expectations are when it comes to your desired game experiences. Relay to them this ten-turn expectation you have if it's not already been discussed, and if it has, then talk about it some more.</p>
<p>Highlight with evidence that the games are not going as long as agreed upon. Get into what you all want from playing Commander together and work out compromises and places where you all agree.</p>
<p>Then you get to chat about what it is that's causing this. You're making a case for battlecruiser <em>Magic</em> being the problem, and while you haven't exactly <em>proposed</em> a solution, you've definitely concocted something to counteract the perceived issue. That said, it's a bit of a "fight fire with fire" situation.</p>
<p>Stax is pretty universally disliked among <em>Magic</em> players. Yes, there are plenty of uses for stax pieces, but a straight-up stax deck will ruffle feathers at most tables. I believe stax has its place and I enjoy it when I'm in the right place for it.</p>
<p>I don't think that building this deck is the answer. I get that it might feel it is because you see the battlecruisiness as the issue, but going whole hog on an Azorius stax deck just to slow down one player... I have to ask, are you having fun?</p>
<p>Finally, I believe growth within a meta or playgroup that sees some players include cards in their decks specifically to be on guard for certain strategies is normal and necessary to keep up the freshness of a playgroup. Crank that dial up slowly though; don't just go straight up to the full stax deck because you're upset. It doesn't read as "I want to play <em>Magic</em> and I finally have a reason to run this kind of strategy," rather it tells me that you're looking to <em>punish</em> a player. And that's not healthy.</p>
<p>Bolas behavior. Dial it back, you'll be fine.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Authority of the Consuls"></div></div>
<h3>Read More:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="SFzFNOCMKr"><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=M4iEnWPpYY#?secret=SFzFNOCMKr" data-secret="SFzFNOCMKr" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="2y0AN6B6xi"><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=dvfTiQSgpX#?secret=2y0AN6B6xi" data-secret="2y0AN6B6xi" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="dIO7OrJlDg"><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=ymFSzfzZkS#?secret=dIO7OrJlDg" data-secret="dIO7OrJlDg" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


edh playstyle

Am I the Bolas? - Now, Get Outta My House

Am I the Bolas? - Slowing Games Down