How to Form Your First Regular Commander Pod

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="New Way Forward" href="#" target="_blank">New Way Forward</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CEli+Minaya%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eli Minaya</a></em></p>
<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>?<strong> This week, let's think about the past!</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, and I want to wish you a happy new year.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cycle of Renewal"></div></div>
<p><i>Thanks for kicking around the AItB column this year!</i></p>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
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<h2>A Thank You to the Disciples of Bolas</h2>
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<p>On this final Wednesday of one of the most frustrating years of our lives, I wanted to look back on my first year of <em>Am I the Bolas?</em> with EDHREC and talk about my takeaways from the weekly submissions I've been lucky enough to cover.</p>
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<p>I want to, as always, recognize and thank everyone who has ever read this column and submitted their stories to amithebolas@gmail.com. There are many of you probably wondering when your story is coming. Unfortunately, I can't guarantee I'll be able to use all of them, but I do endeavor to find a way to do so in the new year.</p>
<p>There are some that are just either too short or are absolutely gargantuan. There are some that get submitted around the same time as another that is very similar - for example, I have a great mass land destruction submission simmering in the inbox right now, but I don't want to use it since we just had an MLD sub two weeks ago.</p>
<p>There are some that I flat-out cannot bring myself to comment on publicly because some people need a private talking to rather than being put on blast. I digress.</p>
<p>I appreciate you all. Thank you for writing in.</p>
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<p>Here's what I've come around to in the last year thanks to the submissions and the thoughts they inspired.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God"></div></div>
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<h2>Speaking up Isn’t Easy, but It’s Necessary</h2>
<p>Over the entire run of <em>Am I the Bolas?, </em>whether on EDHREC or on Commander's Herald, there is a thread that persists. People are often put in situations that they quietly didn't want to be part of or even expressed they did not want to be part of. That sucks. Boo! Last week's entry is a great example of this. I'd link it here, but I'm writing both articles in advance. Click my name at the top of this and go look for it. It's a good submission and it's infuriating.</p>
<p>One thing I've been a proponent of is the idea that confrontation has this stigma to it that's undeserved. Sure, people expect confrontation and conflict to lead to the worst because folks often catastrophize the outcome, but is that outcome much worse than the situation you're in right now?</p>
<p>If I'm sitting at a table at my LGS, I've recruited two players to join, and a fourth walks over that I and the other two have discussed not enjoying games with, what do I do? Do we suffer through another game we don't enjoy? Is that better than being honest and direct with someone? It feels bad to exclude someone, sure, but do they want an undercurrent of resentment to permeate their gaming experience?</p>
<p>I'd rather be honest with that person. "Hey, pal. You are a nice enough person, but the decks you bring to the table are often too powerful for the silliness we're engaging with and we'd rather not do that again. Are you able to play one of our decks or do you have a deck that meets us where we're at? If not, we'd rather keep this seat open for someone who can match the play experience we're here for."</p>
<p>If they can produce a deck that meets the vibe, then great! If they can match the expectation of the pod, then awesome, we've had the rule zero conversation. If they don't want to play different decks or change, then they're free to explore the other options at the LGS that match what <em>they</em> are looking for.</p>
<p>Confrontation can be positive. It will lead to either exactly what you want, a compromise that meets many needs, or a simple moment where you can feel bad for a bit, but ultimately, you did right by you, and that's good, too!</p>
<p>Be open and honest. Don't be cruel or mean, but be honest. Assume positive intent, use kindness and open language to get your point across, and leave room for growth. I promise you many, many more positive game experiences if you take this to heart.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Veteran&#039;s Voice"></div></div>
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<h2>Water Off a Duck's Back</h2>
<p>I've noticed over time that I can get a little salty when threat assessment is tossed by the wayside. In every single submission about kingmaking, I have a moment of "that sucks" followed by a moment of "that's Commander, baby!"</p>
<p>It's a bummer to have your <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> destroyed all because Dylan was mad that you found a way through his token army with your now-unblockable commander to take him out of the game. That sucks. But it's also entirely within the possibilities when playing <em>Magic</em>.</p>
<p>Something that's helped me <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTGdAGPDBpo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woosah</a> my way through it all is taking a beat to think "I have a new obstacle to get through now." That's the part of <em>Magic</em> I love. I enjoy making engines out of my deck and navigating through the obstacles. When someone does something to kingmake someone else, it might seem impossible, and in some cases, it is, but I get to try to dig for an answer and make it work.</p>
<p>I am grateful I get to play more games after this, I am grateful I saw decks "do the thing," and I am grateful for this game that makes me feel smart and creative all at once.</p>
<p>Letting things wash over me like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EPCPAx7h6k" target="_blank" rel="noopener">water off a duck's back</a> is what has allowed me to keep my peace and still be able to find moments to be present and happy playing <em>Magic.</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Turtle-Duck"></div></div>
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<h2>I'm Okay with a Little (Mass) Land Destruction</h2>
<p>Okay.</p>
<p>This isn't an invitation and I definitely hope you do this with a plan, still...but stax and mass land destruction are both things I'm coming around to in <em>Magic</em>. Maybe it's because I'm enfranchised and I'm looking for the more complex and taboo - much like music lovers will find their way to a noise-jazz album at some point or another - but I think I'm ready to give stax another go and to not be immediately upset at the possibility of land destruction.</p>
<p>Also, playing 1v1 <em>Magic</em> helps you get over this a little bit. Play some Limited. Enjoy the diversity and the new dynamics of play.</p>
<p>I'm not dwelling on this and don't want every deck I play against now to be stax or land destruction, I'm just saying, maybe sometimes, we can solve a puzzle that doesn't get out of the box often.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Armageddon"></div></div>
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<h2>Follow Your Impulse for Kindness</h2>
<p>This is going to feel like a bit of a brag, but whatever, who cares. I like who I am and I try to be a good person. Part of why I think that is because my impulses tend to be toward community and care.</p>
<p>For example, at the last prerelease I attended, a new player (first prerelease!) had a pack of penny sleeves that were falling apart. Without thinking, after watching him struggle for a minute, I handed him the pack of extra sleeves I've been lugging around at prereleases for years in case I open two wildly different decks from my kit (it only happened once). He was appreciative and thanked me.</p>
<p>"Whatever Mikey, that's nice, but don't you think you're tooting your own horn a little here? What, you need another pat on the back there, pal?"</p>
<p>Now, hold on! Later in the prerelease, I saw that same new player offer to give the tokens he had no use for to players in the pairing next to him who were searching for theirs. "Keep 'em! Spread the love!" he said. Look, I'm not taking credit for that. But I am saying that when more people are as open and giving, it invites more behaviors like that.</p>
<p>Years ago, I had a proxy for a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vandalblast" href="#" target="_blank">Vandalblast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in a deck because, at the time, they were hard to come by. Three bucks, but sold out at every store I knew of. I explained this to the pod I joined at my new LGS in Toronto and one of my opponents reached into his backpack, grabbed his binder, pulled out a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vandalblast" href="#" target="_blank">Vandalblast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> put it on the table. I offered him money, but he wasn't having it.</p>
<p>Since then, whenever I could and it wasn't breaking the bank, I've given players cards they mentioned needing. I've even gotten up to buy a copy from the LGS we're playing at if it wasn't going to hurt my pockets. Some the folks who've been on the receiving end of this have told me of times they've paid it forward and honestly, that's what I hope to see more of. A moment of sharing and joy that'll remind you that it might all be cardboard, but it's also the people.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="New Way Forward"></div></div>
<p>As always, thank you for submitting. Please continue to do 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>Happy New Year!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gift of Growth"></div></div>


Am I the Bolas? - A Year of Lessons

<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>


commander pod

How to Form Your First Regular Commander Pod

Am I the Bolas? - A Year of Lessons

Am I the Bolas? - Slowing Games Down