<h6 style="text-align: right;"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Satya, Aetherflux Genius" href="#" target="_blank">Satya, Aetherflux Genius</a> Illustrated by Illustrated by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CAaron+Miller%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Aaron Miller</a></h6>
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Hello, and welcome to Am I the Bolas?
This column is for all of you out there who have ever played some Magic 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?"
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?
<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" />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AmITheBolcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">THIS PODCAST!</a>
I'm Mike Carrozza, and tell ya, the stuff you find while thrifting!
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Look at this lil shiny egg!
This week, are you winning too much?
(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)
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<h2>SUBMISSION</h2>
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Hi Mike,
Longtime Commander player, new fan to your articles. I play with different pods, both in LGSs and with longtime friends. We mostly play Brackets 2-3 and have a variety of decks for any occasion. Not to toot my own horn, but I do find that I get a good number of wins, and people have cited my deckbuilding and gameplay as tight and fair. When I see newer players or lower power decks, I try to match the vibe for a smoother game.
Recently, I went on an annual trip with friends where we play Commander for days, which we all love! Oftentimes in this group, I end up the winner, and have been known for making comebacks out of nowhere or playing all my outs. This year I came with my decks still synergized, but a few at a lower power than before. Without going into too much detail, in a variety of four- and five-player games (six players rotating in and out), I ended up winning 10 out of 30 that I played. Sometimes, I lucked into turn-one <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a>s that put me ahead, but mostly it was a closer game of attrition or combat. Nothing crazy, no combos or tutors to my name.
By the end of this trip, two of my friends got quite salty about my win rate and asked for me to change my decks to match their level. When I asked them what they thought I should do, they didn't have any specifics in mind. Aside from a handful of cards they cited (a few extra turn cards and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reflector Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Reflector Mage</a> cloned in my <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Satya, Aetherflux Genius" href="#" target="_blank">Satya, Aetherflux Genius</a>, which are easy swaps), they admitted that my deckbuilding was good and not even pricey. They listed many of my decks they said were fine, but they couldn't give specifics about what I should do otherwise and said it was up to me. I compared my lists to theirs and saw that they were using powerful cards and strategies that at the very least equaled my own. I did suggest before the trip even started that they should run more removal, since they kept dying to onboard threats with hands full of protection spells, but they don't want to change what they're doing.
When I asked my other friends about it later, they didn't think I was doing anything wrong. They thought my decks were on the same level more or less as everybody else, that I played fairly with no cheese, and that often, I outplayed these salty players which is why I won. One of them suggested I sandbag more to allow the Salties to win, but that seems like it would cheapen everyone's experience to me if I'm not playing authentically.
I'm not sure how to power down when most players I know, including myself, see this primarily as a gameplay issue. How can I help my salty friends see what the other players see and get their game up? Or is that not a good approach either? Am I the Bolas if I more or less stay the same instead of relenting to salt?
This seems like a lot of text so I should stop now, thank you!
Sincerely,
Forever the Hegemon
PS: Examples of my decks include a stompy <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yeva, Nature&#039;s Herald" href="#" target="_blank">Yeva, Nature&#039;s Herald</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Queen Marchesa" href="#" target="_blank">Queen Marchesa</a> Aikido, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer</a> with Ninjas, the aforementioned <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Satya, Aetherflux Genius" href="#" target="_blank">Satya, Aetherflux Genius</a>, and an infamous <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Feather, the Redeemed" href="#" target="_blank">Feather, the Redeemed</a> deck. I'm taking extra turns out of my <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vial Smasher the Fierce" href="#" target="_blank">Vial Smasher the Fierce</a>/<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esior, Wardwing Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Esior, Wardwing Familiar</a>.
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<h2>VERDICT</h2>
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.
We've discussed this on a mailbag episode either released yesterday or next week with Michael Celani and Morgan, so if you'd like a longer take on this, please go check out the podcast for Mailbag Four!
Let's get this out of the way, sandbagging isn't the worst thing in the world. It's fine at the right time and place. If something crazy is about to go off, maybe I'll sandbag to see what could happen because that's of interest to me. Sometimes, you're playing against a new player who's learning the ropes but is spending time looking over them wondering why they ever got in the ring if they keep getting beat down. Sandbagging something won't kill you.
If you play with these folks regularly enough that you go on an annual retreat and among the six of you, two are upset you're winning too much but can't point out exactly why... this might be the first Am I The Bolas? entry to embrace a classic "git gud". If you feel like sandbagging, I'm sure it'll be charitable at best, but it definitely wouldn't feel good if they found out.
It's not like you haven't suggested improvements to their lists and if they're comparable, then it's fair game! Not to mention, you lost 67% of the time you played! 33% is a higher-than-expected win rate, but in some playgroups, one player is really good at spotting things and can take a win with a ham sandwich. It just happens. There are opportunities to learn from a player like you! That's part of the fun to me, too!
So what can you do? Remove <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reflector Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Reflector Mage</a>, totally fair, real pain in the butt to deal with, so that's an easy trim. Then remove your extra turn spells, yeah, fine by me. Then what? I don't think sandbagging is the answer. The thing I keep coming back to is that maybe you should rock up with a precon right out the box or ask to borrow one of their decks. Hell, swap decks! The trouble with you giving one of your decks is the confirmation bias that comes from if one of them wins, which with a 66% loss rate, can happen! Then they'll say "See!? Your deck is too good!" So I reckon borrowing a deck and seeing what you can turn out is an idea I'd lead with as their complaints are chiefly about your deckbuilding, giving no credit to your ability to outplay them.
It should come as no surprise that I don't think you're the Bolas.
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salty

Am I The Bolas? - Salty for Your Losses