<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Beamtown Bullies" href="#" target="_blank">The Beamtown Bullies</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Illustrated by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CTyler+Jacobson%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tyler Jacobson</a></em></p>
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<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, and what the heck is a Moogle?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Moogles&#039; Valor"></div></div>
<p><i>Humanoid kitty cat guys? I thought that was <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Y&#039;shtola Rhul" href="#" target="_blank">Y&#039;shtola Rhul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>???</i></p>
<p>This week: when is it okay to break a deal?</p>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
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<h2>HELLO, MIKE</h2>
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<div><em>I only recently started playing Magic: The Gathering and ever since have been a big fan of your column!</em></div>
<div><em>Here is the story:</em></div>
<div><em>I regularly go to the open Commander nights at my LGS to learn to play against the different decks and get inspirations for new ones. Last week, I had a game where I tried out my most recent addition, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Beamtown Bullies" href="#" target="_blank">The Beamtown Bullies</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I know, I know, I have read the very flavourful Reddit rants about that commander and it already makes me some sort of the Bolas, but the deck's philosophy appeals to me and it was a good budget deck to build.</em></div>
<div><em>Anyway, the particular situation. The game had already developed quite a bit (partially due to me giving people the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boldwyr Heavyweights" href="#" target="_blank">Boldwyr Heavyweights</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and other group hug cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hired Giant" href="#" target="_blank">Hired Giant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), but the table had no real sense for politics. So when I would ask something like "let's strike a deal about who gets this next card" people would not engage in that other than complain when they would be targeted.</em></div>
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<div><em>The only one engaging at one point was the opponent taking their turn before me (Ben), who did not use his <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murder" href="#" target="_blank">Murder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on my commander in exchange for me not giving him a creature next turn. The turns progress and at one point the opponent before Ben goes all in on him with a flyer threatening enough damage to kill him, if it wasn't for Ben's reach creature. With me having an untapped <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Beamtown Bullies" href="#" target="_blank">The Beamtown Bullies</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the battlefield and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eater of Days" href="#" target="_blank">Eater of Days</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the graveyard, I decide to use <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> on Ben's reach creature so that he dies to the other opponent's flyer, then tap my commander and give that attacking opponent the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eater of Days" href="#" target="_blank">Eater of Days</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. He responds by surrendering.</em></div>
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<div><em>However, after the game, Ben complained quite strongly about me betraying him like that, claiming that I would have never won if he had not spared my commander and asking what the point for politics was if it was disregarded like that. He consequentially refused to play another game with me for me a) playing such a mean deck and b) disregarding deals like that. I agree, it hurt me to basically betray the only guy that actually engaged in some politics (a part of the game I really enjoy), but I had a chance to win, so I took it.</em></div>
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<div><em>Since I am new to the scene, I was rather surprised by his reaction and I am now wondering if I broke some sort of "code of conduct" by winning through betrayal. The other members of the round were not too happy either but that might have stemmed from my commander itself, they reacted quite strongly when they were given even the weaker parts of the deck like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hunted Wumpus" href="#" target="_blank">Hunted Wumpus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I even offered to play a rather straight-forward deck without much politics but Ben did not want to give it another go.</em></div>
<div><em>So I ask you, wise Mike,<strong> am I the Bolas? Not necessarily for identifying a win condition and executing it, even though that requires to betray a fellow player, but especially doing that when I combined it with an already toxic deck that apparently many people hate to play against?</strong></em></div>
<div><em>Yours sincerely,</em></div>
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<div><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Jolly Balloon Man" href="#" target="_blank">The Jolly Balloon Man</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></em></div>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Beamtown Bullies"></div></div>
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<h2>HOWDY, JBM!</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'll give to ya straight, bud. You stepped in it. It happens, it's a bit of a rite of passage, in a sense. The way you did it is pretty well like an "all of it at once" approach and I think this is a great submission.</p>
<p>Let's start with the choice of commander. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Beamtown Bullies" href="#" target="_blank">The Beamtown Bullies</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a real groaner. It's one of those cards that comes with an expectation that you're going to be playing <em>that</em> kind of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Beamtown Bullies" href="#" target="_blank">The Beamtown Bullies</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck. And it's exactly what you described with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boldwyr Heavyweights" href="#" target="_blank">Boldwyr Heavyweights</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hunted Wumpus" href="#" target="_blank">Hunted Wumpus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eater of Days" href="#" target="_blank">Eater of Days</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> being very popular cards in the deck. I know you recognize that your choice in commander is a little on the mean side and I'll give it to you. It's a salt inducing card like <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> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jon Irenicus, Shattered One" href="#" target="_blank">Jon Irenicus, Shattered One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is the kind of deck you bring up in the rule zero convo and propose it rather than declare it. It's one of those that some players just don't want to play against. If the Bullies having haste isn't enough of an indication that it's a creature people want to get off the board quickly, I don't know what is.</p>
<p>I think Ben choosing not to play more games with you is fair. He didn't enjoy politics, doesn't like the commander you picked, your preferred play style, etc. I say it all the time on the podcast and in this column: if you don't feel like playing with someone, nobody is going to force you to. You can express that it's not of interest to you and find another pod.</p>
<p>Next, the concept of politics in Commander games isn't everybody's cup of tea. Another thing that can come up in the rule zero convo is whether players are into politicking in the game and striking deals. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Beamtown Bullies" href="#" target="_blank">The Beamtown Bullies</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a deck that encourages politics in the gameplay which, at many tables, is welcome. That said, some pilots present the deck as a political deck but use their commander as a bit of a "gun on the table" - you're bullying your opponents with whatever your leverage is. An <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eater of Days" href="#" target="_blank">Eater of Days</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be in your graveyard and flashed to the whole table with a "who wants to play ball?" Some tables might not enjoy that kind of play style to begin with. Let alone...</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hunted Wumpus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boldwyr Heavyweights"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eater of Days"></div></div>
<p>When you asked about whether you'd broken a [sort of unspoken] "code of conduct," you hit the nail on the head. When you're politicking and making deals at a table with Commander players, you're expected to keep your word. There are very few instances where you can go back on a deal and frankly, in some circles, even saying <em>that</em> much is pushing it. You're all trying to win in some way and if you make a deal, it's a momentary truce wherein the involved parties are meant to benefit. The thing is, you hit a few markers for loopholes. For example, you promised you wouldn't target Ben on his turn with your commander's ability and you technically kept your word; but you did kill him. You didn't lie, you just didn't engage in a move that is in the spirit of the bargain given that this strategy is only possible if Ben hadn't kept up his end of it.</p>
<p>Some people say that if there's an opening for a win that you should take it even if you've made a deal. In this case though, given the fact that Ben allowed you to keep the thing that took the game for you, I think it's in poor taste. <em>Even though</em>, if you had had the Bullies destroyed, your <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> could have still ended the game for him and you'd potentially get another turn from the attacking player, who's to say that they wouldn't have just come your way if Ben had made that play? Also, if Ben teased a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murder" href="#" target="_blank">Murder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that he didn't use, did he also tap out so he couldn't destroy any of the attacking creatures? This would be a bad play if a deal hadn't been struck and I guess he thought he had just enough to not die this turn cycle...right?</p>
<p>I think Ben's play here is questionable, if I'm being honest. If the whole game, nobody's indulged in politicking, why start now? Why not wait to crack the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murder" href="#" target="_blank">Murder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as you're ending your turn to ensure the Bullies can't do anything to him? The downside of only getting one side of the story!</p>
<p>Either way, breaking a deal is a thing you do when you're new to the game whether on purpose or by accident. Apologize and try your best to keep it from happening again. I think your question tells me you don't want to be a Bolas, but in this case you unfortunately are. I think it's temporary though. *wink* ding sound effect.</p>


politics in commander

Am I The Bolas? - Burning Your Word