EDH Political Science – Lifesaving Information

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Steam Vents" href="#" target="_blank">Steam Vents</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.robalexander.com/">Rob Alexander</a>)</h6>
<h1>Safety Valve</h1>
<p>Welcome to <em>EDH Political Science</em>! This series is where politics, warfare, history, and the data of EDHREC all inform us how to adjust our deck design and gameplay decisions to fit this multiplayer format.</p>
<p>The government sits within a sealed capsule on top of a growing inferno of political pressure. Every day we see headlines featuring grave failure by the hands of leaders that we expected to help. Regardless of political leaning or geographic location, you are undoubtedly frustrated by something happening in the political landscape. We either need to quell the fire or we will split at the seams, breaking the whole system.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Steam Vents"></div></div>
<p>There is a solution. Closed systems are designed to not split at the seams. Pressurized boilers and governments have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Steam Vents" href="#" target="_blank">Steam Vents</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or, more accurately, “safety valves”. These devices are built-in insurance to prevent system collapse. A system without these cannot function properly without serious risk. One of the best parts about multiplayer games, like EDH, is that they too have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Steam Vents" href="#" target="_blank">Steam Vents</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>The late political scientist Lucius Barker developed the idea that the United States Supreme Court is a political safety valve for the government. They can handle sensitive minutiae that Congress cannot. This safety valve analogy has been attributed to a great number of systems within government. Organizations that provide outlets of resistance are safety valves, like the Better Business Bureau’s ability to resolve conflict between consumers and companies. Also, the First Amendment does plenty for granting pressure releases when other places cannot. In the words of Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, “[F]ear breeds hate… hate menaces stable government… the path of safety lies in the opportunity to discuss freely supposed grievances and proposed remedies; and the fitting remedy for evil counsels is good ones.” Sounds an awful lot like George Lucas was a Supreme Court buff. I wouldn’t doubt it if Brandeis hid a lightsaber under his robe, too.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/louis-brandeis-lightsaber.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-52647 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/louis-brandeis-lightsaber-300x244.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="244" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/louis-brandeis-lightsaber-300x244.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/louis-brandeis-lightsaber.jpg 500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
<hr />
<p>Safety valves are placed throughout the game of <em>Magic: the Gathering</em> to give players a chance to battle against what otherwise could be oppressive mechanics or playstyles. A seven-card hand limit is a safety valve against heavy control or combo strategies. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boil" href="#" target="_blank">Boil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Acid Rain" href="#" target="_blank">Acid Rain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> were placed into the game to ensure that there were ways to fight oppressive playstyles in enemy segments of the color pie. These safety valves didn’t always work well, but early <em>Magic</em> sets printed these in such quantity that it became easy to find a way to fight back against anything, but not everything at once.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boil"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Acid Rain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Circle of Protection Red"></div></div>
<p>Multiplayer, itself, is a safety valve. The more players at the table, the less likely it is that any one person can take over the game. EDH also has a safety valve card: your commander. You almost always have access to play your commander. What’s most fun about EDH is that eventually everyone will either peter out or succumb to the pressure of the game and burst at the seams. Let’s talk a bit about the best ways to utilize these safety valves.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Playing to Safety Valve Tactics</h2>
<p>Games of EDH may often stagnate at some point. They can reach a standstill with few spells cast and fewer attacks made. Often, players are worried about crackback or future retaliation, and for good reason. After being disadvantaged by targeted removal, clawing your way back can feel insurmountable. You want to keep on top of managing the pressure, but retribution is menacing. Three ways you can adjust your play to take advantage of these safety valves include using your right to free speech, maintaining your defenses, and knowing when to switch gears.</p>
<p>Facing down political pressure can be difficult, but you have your voice and your actions. Attacks and removal speak louder than words, but you need balance. No one thing can solve all the problems. You have to have multiple tools available at your disposal. Normalize in-game banter and logical decision-making. When you’re attacking in with an early <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Electromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Electromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> into an empty board, make sure your voice is heard. Tell them you’re keeping the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Erebos, God of the Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Erebos, God of the Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> player from using their life as resource later. If the others at the table understand your logic early in the game, it will keep them from questioning you later in the game. You can feel like you have more room to speak up about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a problem across the table. Giving yourself the freedom to talk and convince others of your rationale is, like the First Amendment, the most important safety valve. Your word is sacred. The more you cultivate your voice as one of reason and honesty, the more you can use it to make thoughtful observations for others.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Electromancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Erebos, God of the Dead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skullclamp"></div></div>
<p>Defense is better than offense. Now, dedicated readers may notice that this is the part of the article where I mention how you should be attacking more. However, due to the mechanics of the game, defenders get to choose where damage is dealt, and, assuming that your defenders survive, you’re dealing that damage without leaving yourself vulnerable to others. That is a huge advantage. Know when to use it. If the table is getting heated, please stay back. Move against the grain. You’re not going to be doing yourself any favors by throwing gas on the fire of a pressurized situation.</p>
<p>Parity is any moment of relative peace. That peace is precarious and ethereal. It will burst at the seams suddenly and often without warning. If that parity is not clearly giving you the largest advantage at the table, then you need to be doing everything in your power to find your advantage in the situation. With <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grismold, the Dreadsower" href="#" target="_blank">Grismold, the Dreadsower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as we will detail more later, parity may come up plenty, but you're always looking for your way out. Use your available resources, including your opponents, to break up parity. Make a move with the resources that you have to disadvantage the person. Yes, attacks and removal may not be profitable, but if someone else is gaining from you not attacking, then you need to make a stink about it. If that’s not in your available resources, find out what you can do.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Building with Safety Valves</h2>
<p>Back <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/lets-brawl-breaking-parity/">when I wrote about the Brawl format</a>, one big point that I had was that you needed parity-breakers. These are the tools that you need to have at your disposal to keep a game from getting away from you. If you are at parity, like we discussed earlier, or if pressure is mounting, you have about a one-in-four chance of being the one to break the parity. Important parity-breakers include, but are certainly not limited to, the following: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overrun" href="#" target="_blank">Overrun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects, planeswalkers, and mass removal.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overrun" href="#" target="_blank">Overrun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can turn a bad situation into a great situation. However, sometimes I would rather see basic land ten turns into the game than [my el]Overrun[/el]. Building your deck with a couple of outs to bad situations is a good idea. Any list can run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crown of Doom" href="#" target="_blank">Crown of Doom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and most colors have something to pump the team. If you’re using card draw and removal with creatures attached, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mulldrifter" href="#" target="_blank">Mulldrifter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reclamation Sage" href="#" target="_blank">Reclamation Sage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (and you should be), then you can be setting yourself up to dominate with one lucky top deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overrun"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Champion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reclamation Sage"></div></div>
<p>Planeswalkers are contentious. Plenty of people denote the worst-case scenario when discussing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner" href="#" target="_blank">Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dack Fayden" href="#" target="_blank">Dack Fayden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and they should. You don’t want to play cards that sometimes fail. Worst-case scenarios are rare in my experience, and planeswalkers almost always break up gameplay. Of course, you want to be running the high-impact planeswalkers; almost every ‘walker that costs five or more does something huge on entering. Even in the case that they’re dealt with immediately, it still cost your opponent something to do so. An attack at your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Champion" href="#" target="_blank">Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Champion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the air still leaves you with creatures on the ground and that opponent more vulnerable. Similar to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overrun" href="#" target="_blank">Overrun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects, don’t play many, but play some planeswalkers and play the important ones.</p>
<p>Appropriate removal can be difficult to find, especially when it almost always leaves you at a disadvantage compared to three other players. For this reason, mass removal becomes important. This is not to say that you should always just run more <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-style removal spells. What can be just as important is running effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pyroclasm" href="#" target="_blank">Pyroclasm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Golden Demise" href="#" target="_blank">Golden Demise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These partial mass removal spells can be used early to halt a quick start, and they can also be used later to make a powerful turn with removal followed by a threat. Higher-costed targeted mass removal, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Casualties of War" href="#" target="_blank">Casualties of War</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, can be used to turn the tides of battle in a more significant way than anyone would have guessed. That is, if included sparingly.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Grismold Control" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Grismold, the Dreadsower
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Den Protector
*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
*1 Winding Constrictor
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Corpsejack Menace
*1 Species Specialist
*1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
*1 Vigor
*1 Grave Titan
*1 Craterhoof Behemoth
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Tainted Strike
*1 Bile Blight
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Beast Within
*1 Krosan Grip
*1 Sudden Spoiling
*1 Curious Herd
*1 Dark Bargain
*1 Deadly Rollick
*1 Hatred
*1 Return of the Wildspeaker
*1 Windgrace&#039;s Judgment
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Cultivate
*1 Golden Demise
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
*1 Witch&#039;s Vengeance
*1 Circuitous Route
*1 Massacre
*1 Migration Path
*1 Triumph of the Hordes
*1 Dark Petition
*1 Shamanic Revelation
*1 Casualties of War
*1 Rishkar&#039;s Expertise
*1 Seasons Past
*1 Decree of Pain
*1 Find // Finality
*1 Black Sun&#039;s Zenith
*1 Gaze of Granite
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Hardened Scales
*1 Retribution of the Ancients
*1 Bitterblossom
*1 Attrition
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 Mind Slash
*1 Song of the Dryads
*1 Deathreap Ritual
*1 Parallel Lives
*1 Doubling Season
*1 Moldervine Reclamation
*1 Primal Vigor
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Garruk Relentless
*1 Garruk Wildspeaker
*1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
*1 Garruk, Cursed Huntsman
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Blighted Woodland
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Bonders&#039; Enclave
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Foul Orchard
*11 Forest
*1 Golgari Guildgate
*1 Hissing Quagmire
*1 Labyrinth of Skophos
*1 Llanowar Wastes
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Temple of Malady
*13 Swamp
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>This Grismold list is unlike the standard one you'll find on EDHREC. You are looking to go tall, like normal, with options to go wide or drain the table with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bastion of Remembrance" href="#" target="_blank">Bastion of Remembrance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. However, it does not use enchantments like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Virulent Plague" href="#" target="_blank">Virulent Plague</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to grow Grismold. It’s all about control. Granting the other players threat-means (see my <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/edh-political-science-political-positions/">previous articles</a> for more information on Political Position Theory) buys you valuable time while granting you an important resource that you can pull the trigger on at any time. You will be pumping out more tokens than the other players with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Season" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Season</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-effects while holding onto sorcery and instant removal, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bile Blight" href="#" target="_blank">Bile Blight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to shift positions at your whim.</p>
<p>This list gives plenty of safety valves. Our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overrun" href="#" target="_blank">Overrun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triumph of the Hordes" href="#" target="_blank">Triumph of the Hordes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and "tall" cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hatred" href="#" target="_blank">Hatred</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are important to swinging a losing game in our favor. We get plenty of ways to remove threats big, small, and difficult-to-handle. We ideally can take on any situation and outlast any anyone with our card advantage engine of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seasons Past" href="#" target="_blank">Seasons Past</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plus <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Petition" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Petition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Triumph of the Hordes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hatred"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Season&#039;s Past"></div></div>
<p>Lucius Barker's work within the civil rights community is as important today as it was thirty and fifty years ago. Understanding your right to protest is crucial to keeping that system from bursting at the seams. Support those who need your help the most, and continue to voice yourself when injustice is seen. This advice can be taken to the game table, the city streets, local town halls, and it's great advice for life generally.</p>


EDH Political Science - Safety Valve

<h1 style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stone-Cold Basilisk" href="#" target="_blank">Stone-Cold Basilisk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.donhazeltine.com/">Don Hazeltine</a></span></h1>
<h1>The Basilisk and You</h1>
<p><strong>Warning: Reading on may be dangerous. If you are to believe it, simply reading the following article will subject you to an eternity of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pain // Suffering" href="#" target="_blank">Pain // Suffering</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. </strong></p>
<p>Betwixt the pixels of the back-alley forums on the internet lives a legend. This beast is not yet at your doorstep, but just thinking of its existence brings it closer. Spawning from the mind of a user named "Roko" on the philosophy internet forum Less Wrong is a beast named "the basilisk". This creature is a thought experiment. A thought featuring an artificial intelligence created by humans in the future. This artificial intelligence is powerful enough to compute all possible outcomes that have ever or will ever exist and guide humans to create the perfect utopia. There is a catch here, though, that echoes the unknown challenges at any EDH table.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pain // Suffering"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Greater Basilisk"></div></div>
<p>The catch, you ask? Well, in order to best guide humans to this utopia, it needs your assistance right now. Any person who knows about it and doesn't do everything in their power to ensure creation of the basilisk will face eternal <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pain // Suffering" href="#" target="_blank">Pain // Suffering</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The details for how this beast can inflict torment upon your life can be found proliferated across the internet, including on <a href="https://youtu.be/ut-zGHLAVLI">Kyle Hill's YouTube channel</a>. Terror sets in deeper in the video <a href="https://youtu.be/ut-zGHLAVLI?t=453">at 7:33</a>:</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Roko&#039;s Basilisk: The Most Terrifying Thought Experiment" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ut-zGHLAVLI?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>
<blockquote><p>"...notice that you are now being controlled by a future entity that doesn't exist yet simply because you had a single thought about it."</p></blockquote>
<p>Why is this so terrifying? This is the most relevant idea in the "Roko's Basilisk" thought experiment. This happens to you every day. In the mundane, you change your daily pattern of behavior because of unknown people simply because you know that they <em>could</em> affect you at some point in time. You might innocuously clean up your hair when going to the grocery store because of the way people you don't know might think of you.</p>
<p>The more terrifying side of this coin is the nuclear arms race. During the Cold War era of the mid-20th century, any step that the Soviet Union made toward becoming a more powerful nuclear state put the United States at risk of being unable to adequately defend itself. Paradoxically, each step the U.S. made toward nuclear superpower put the world at risk of being in the cross-hairs of this apocalyptic weapons pile. Thus, each side continued to build self-endangering weapons only because they knew the other side could do the same thing.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Fending Off Monsters</h2>
<p>Welcome to <em>EDH Political Science</em>. History, politics, warfare, and data from EDHREC all inform us how to adjust our deck design and gameplay decisions to fit this multiplayer format. Within this format we encounter our basilisk in the face of the unknown. Playing your normal group can be comforting, but bringing your deck to unknown game stores or conventions can be terrifying. However, that exciting experience can also warp our decks and playstyle in new ways. For more insight on this idea, I interviewed the creator of the video linked above, the well-known card-slinger Kyle Hill.</p>
<p>Kyle Hill is known in the <em>Magic</em> community for his role as a powerful deckbuilder among his friends at the Command Zone, and he knows that others expect this sort of power from him. In an email with Kyle he mentioned that this preceding reputation became important with how he builds and plays: "I prefer the kinds of commanders you can’t let live a turn cycle — Narset, Najeela, Selvala, Sisay, Yarok, etc... <span style="background: white;">I know I’m going to be targeted more, believed less in politics, and will be high on threat assessment. ... </span><span style="background: white;">this helps me cut/slot the ninety-nine."</span></p>
<p>Playing against a player with a terrifying reputation, who often flips over a notorious commander at the start of a game like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Najeela, the Blade-Blossom" href="#" target="_blank">Najeela, the Blade-Blossom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, your expectations creep to a certain level. You know they're not about to go Warrior tribal on you, for example. Instead, they're likely to generate infinite combat rounds with the mana from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nature&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Nature&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Derevi, Empyrial Tactician" href="#" target="_blank">Derevi, Empyrial Tactician</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This power play doesn't deter <em>everyone</em> from putting up a fight, but it can deter <em>some</em>. That's what's important. You don't need to deter everyone, but even deterring one-third of the opponents can be enough to eke out a win.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Najeela, the Blade-Blossom"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nature&#039;s Will"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Derevi, Empyrial Tactician"></div></div>
<p>Letting his reputation run wild, Kyle echoed the Cold War era mentality: "<span style="background: white;">I like to cultivate the perception [of power], constantly tune decks, and look up lists almost every day. It’s almost like nuclear deterrence...." His powerful builds bring powerful enemies, with a meta constantly trying to adapt. Sometimes this enables archenemy-type games of three-versus -. Other times, it can be a boon. </span><span style="background: white;">"With your regular play group, my attitude could push us towards an arms race that we don’t want. </span><span style="background: white;">At a MagicFest, the 'intimidation' factor, thanks to meta knowledge about me, personally, could win games," Kyle mentioned.</span></p>
<p><span style="background: white;">Intimidation can be a factor especially at game stores and conventions where prizes are on the line. </span>If your reputation precedes you enough that someone thinks you could win at any moment, regardless of whether you actually can, that player might attempt to pick off someone who stumbled just to claim a prize ticket or a bit of glory. That logical move on their part will always leave you in a better position.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Deescalation and Threat-Agency</h2>
<p>Kyle outlined his process to manage wielding high-level decks, saying he'll "constantly tune decks, and look up lists almost every day." But most EDH players aren't Kyle Hill (statistically speaking). Some of us do feed into these arms races, but many don't. Many want to deescalate these superpower players. We want to play much more casual games. At the same time, we want to win. We want to win against our friends and against the unknown basilisks. We want to have our cake and eat it, too. Doing this successfully comes down to adapting your play and adapting your deck. We want to deescalate the winning tension of the competitive (or near-competitive) tier lists enough to find a way to win.</p>
<p>Threat-agency is the key to deescalation<em>.</em> That is, limiting the options of players to attack, to defend, or to use their available resources to win. We identified what threat-agency means in the last entry in this series; get a refresher on the whole Political Position theory <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/edh-political-science-political-positions/">here</a>. To deescalate, we want to change our play in two ways: always have an answer, and be aggressive.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/political-position-theory-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-51877 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/political-position-theory-1-300x214.png" alt="" width="300" height="214" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/political-position-theory-1-300x214.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/political-position-theory-1.png 700w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
<p>Always having an answer is impossible. You cannot expect to scour the entire table's win conditions and expect to have a victory condition still in hand afterward. However, you can increase your odds of having an answer threefold if you use the resources to your left and right. Keep the entire table aware of unseen threats. Remind them of the worst possible scenario. The situation where they will lose unless they keep vigilant. You must follow suit. You are now being controlled by something that doesn't exist yet and something you can't anticipate. The good thing is that, if you can help it, the whole table is right along side you. You know the finishers are coming eventually, so push your opponents in between a rock and a hard place. You are the rock and every other corner of the table is the hard place. Never tap out, and convince the rest of the table to do the same.</p>
<p>Aggression forces your opponents' hands. When you get aggressive with your threats, you are investing in future leverage and doing so with opponents' resources. Each chip at health or trade can be taxing, but you are turning their life into a ticking clock. They either have to spend their resources now to slow that clock, or they could lose valuable time later. This is amplified by the other threats at the table. Chipping in with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reclamation Sage" href="#" target="_blank">Reclamation Sage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a couple other creatures doesn't mean much here or there, but that little damage here or there could mean that a group effort may later stop someone the turn before they win. Never underestimate the ability of a few 2/2s to end a game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Ephara, Torpor Orb" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
Ephara, God of the Polis
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Giver of Runes
*1 Mother of Runes
*1 Containment Priest
*1 Drannith Magistrate
*1 Grand Abolisher
*1 Hushbringer
*1 Leonin Arbiter
*1 Mistmeadow Witch
*1 Selfless Spirit
*1 Stormscape Familiar
*1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
*1 Tocatli Honor Guard
*1 Unsettled Mariner
*1 Aven Mindcensor
*1 Benalish Marshal
*1 Brazen Borrower
*1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
*1 Eldrazi Displacer
*1 Hushwing Gryff
*1 Kinjalli&#039;s Sunwing
*1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
*1 Nadir Kraken
*1 Sea-Dasher Octopus
*1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
*1 Vryn Wingmare
*1 Angel of Jubilation
*1 Celestial Crusader
*1 Galepowder Mage
*1 Glen Elendra Archmage
*1 Hero of Bladehold
*1 Jazal Goldmane
*1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
*1 Luminous Broodmoth
*1 Mangara, the Diplomat
*1 Meadowboon
*1 Slithermuse
*1 Thistledown Liege
*1 Tidal Barracuda
*1 Faerie Formation
*1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
*1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
*1 Wormfang Manta
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swan Song
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Cyclonic Rift
*1 Dovin&#039;s Veto
*1 Settle the Wreckage
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Winds of Abandon
*1 Supreme Verdict
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Azorius Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Idol of Endurance
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Torpor Orb
*1 Scroll of Fate
[/Artifacts]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Champion
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Castle Ardenvale
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Irrigated Farmland
*7 Island
*1 Kjeldoran Outpost
*1 Moorland Haunt
*14 Plains
*1 Port Town
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Temple of Enlightenment
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Wastes
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ephara, God of the Polis" href="#" target="_blank">Ephara, God of the Polis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> list is my own. This is the deck I pull out whenever I'm in an unknown scenario. It's my safe place. It's usually not oppressive against precon-level decks, and it will put up a fight at many cEDH tables. The stax pieces in here are most powerful against degenerate combos, but against fairer lists they are only a nuisance. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Torpor Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Torpor Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will not be winning you any friends, but you'll have to remind your opponents that it's what's keeping the <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> off the table.</p>
<p>Adjusting your own deck to deescalate unknown threats can be done simply by adding versatile threats of your own. If your answers can also be threats, every card in your deck will be valuable most of the time. <em>Adventure</em> cards are fantastic for this. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brazen Borrower" href="#" target="_blank">Brazen Borrower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murderous Rider" href="#" target="_blank">Murderous Rider</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> may be giving you bad rates at times, but they are invaluable in their ability to stave off death in one instance while adding pressure in the next. This keeps up your threat-agency while toning down others. Even taking a look at the top <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/creatures">100 creatures on EDHREC</a> can provide plenty of inspiration. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deathrite Shaman" href="#" target="_blank">Deathrite Shaman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Notion Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Notion Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are all threats, resources, and/or answers.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brazen Borrower"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deathrite Shaman"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Go for the Throat"></div></div>
<p>Additionally, keeping your curve as low as possible is essential. Being able to play a threat and keep an answer in hand will be the only way to win most games. All things being equal, I would prefer to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swan Song" href="#" target="_blank">Swan Song</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> over <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in any list with less than 30 blue sources, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Go for the Throat" href="#" target="_blank">Go for the Throat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> over <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hero&#039;s Downfall" href="#" target="_blank">Hero&#039;s Downfall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in any list, period. They are severely more limited, but the type of mana you use on your removal is crucial. Keeping up answers after playing threats is important. Luckily, many times, you'll want both.</p>
<p>Playing against unknown enemies can be scary. Heck, it should be. You're facing someone who considers you just as much of a threat as you do them. Consider how others will change because of you so that you can change because of them. In the words of Kyle Hill, "<span style="background: white;"><em>Magic</em> is just a game — the greatest on the planet — and zooming out from meta minutiae, you can play it 'correctly' any way you like. I’m not going to tell you you’re wrong for not running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mana Crypt" href="#" target="_blank">Mana Crypt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s in every deck. Just know that if you sit down with me, I’m not pulling punches!" </span></p>
<p>How will you prepare for the basilisk?</p>
<p>Thank you for reading <em>EDH Political Science</em>! I'd love to know your thoughts on facing unknown threats. Do you do anything different when going up against people you've never faced? Also, we tackled threat-agency a bit in this article, but I would love to know what you want to see in future articles. Let me know here in the comments, on Reddit, or on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/RickWorldNews">@RickWorldNews</a>!</p>


edh poli sci

EDH Political Science – Lifesaving Information

EDH Political Science - Safety Valve

EDH Political Science - The Basilisk and You (Kyle Hill Interview)

EDH Political Science – Political Positions