<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spider-Man Noir" href="#" target="_blank">Spider-Man Noir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CXabi+Gaztelua%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Xabi Gaztelua</a></em></p>
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<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>?<strong> This week, a stranger takes back!</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> Do us a favor a subscribe to us. We've got some fun stuff in the works and it would mean a lot to Michael, Morgan, and I if you did! Become a Bolcut and get into the Bolcast!</p>
<p>I'm Mike Carrozza - hey, look at this fist!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marvelous Melee"></div></div>
<p><i>Is this the biggest a fist has been illustrated on a Magic card?</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, Mike. Hope you're doing well. I might have a Bolas query for you, one that I'm rather unsure about.</em></p>
<p><em>I just had this game in a <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets">Bracket 2</a> pod online. I was playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tivash, Gloom Summoner" href="#" target="_blank">Tivash, Gloom Summoner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, making beefier Demons as turns went on. One of my opponents was on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spider-Man Noir" href="#" target="_blank">Spider-Man Noir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with a clear goal to Voltron the table. The game is nice, everyone is doing more or less their thing.</em></p>
<p><em>It's turn nine. I had already taken some damage from Spidey the turn prior. He plays <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Altar of the Goyf" href="#" target="_blank">Altar of the Goyf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, counts the value of the buff, then attacks me with his unblockable commander, and another player with another creature, which he then sacs to add counters to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spider-Man Noir" href="#" target="_blank">Spider-Man Noir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spider-Man Noir"></div></div>
<p><em>We go on to tally the damage and I point out that his <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Altar of the Goyf" href="#" target="_blank">Altar of the Goyf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does not in fact provide any buff, since he attacked with two creatures, whereas the Altar triggers only when you attack alone. He wants to go back to the declare attacks steps, arguing that his plan was to kill me all along, that he didn't need to actually attack with the other creature. I show reluctance at this, and he doesn't understand why he can't go back, since this is "only a Bracket 2 game". </em></p>
<p><em>Now, I'm the first one to go easy on the rules, but in this scenario, that would have killed me, plain and simple. So I politely insisted that he played the card, he had the chance to play it right, and that he'll probably be able to do it on his next turn anyway (which he did), but I'd rather not die because of a gameplay mistake he made. </em></p>
<p><em><strong>My question is: am I the Bolas for not allowing him to have his way, even at the cost of losing the game?</strong></em></p>
<p><em>And as always, thanks for your fantastic work, yours is one of the articles I read each and every week.</em></p>
<p><em>Cheers, </em></p>
<p><em>Blinko the Dear</em></p>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Altar of the Goyf"></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>Before moving forward, I should note that Blinko the Dear and I exchanged some messages and they amended the following information:</p>
<p>"It's not an established pod at all. I was playing against three random players found on [a Discord server]. And there was no particular Rule 0 talk about that prior to the game."</p>
<p>What an excellent example of how important the Rule 0 conversation is and how the Bracket System is not at all a replacement for it. Your opponent's use of it being "only a Bracket 2 game" isn't fully out of pocket, though. Here's what <em>WotC</em> has to say about Bracket 2 directly from <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/commander-brackets-beta-update-october-21-2025">their site</a>:</p>
<p><em>"Players expect:</em></p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>Decks</strong> to be unoptimized and straightforward, with some cards chosen to maximize creativity and/or entertainment </em></li>
<li><em><strong>Win conditions</strong> to be incremental, telegraphed on the board, and disruptable </em></li>
<li><em><strong>Gameplay</strong> to be low pressure with an emphasis on social interaction </em></li>
<li><em><strong>Gameplay</strong> to be proactive and considerate, letting each deck showcase its plan </em></li>
</ul>
<p><em>Generally, you should expect to be able to play at least <strong>eight turns</strong> before you win or lose."</em></p>
<p>While gameplay is expected to be low pressure, there's nothing in here that suggests that permissiveness. Some players look at Bracket 2 as a playground to use underserved commanders and strategies, pushing them to their natural limits and really going for the win. Bracket 2 players I know want to be able to build decks that can hang with similarly powered decks so they can play some pet cards that aren't cracking a top EDHREC ranking any time soon. They also want to be able to play these decks to the best of their ability and that means that take-backs aren't always implicitly welcome.</p>
<p>Having a conversation about take-backs can happen so naturally once a take-back arises. The etiquette around take-backs is to check with the table and go with majority rule. Your opponents get to have their say and you abide. However, in my experience, once the decision on take-backs is made, it's often the rule for the game whether they're more or less accepted. There are many reasons not to accept a take-back: massive changes in information, a player abusing the take-back leniency, or, most relevantly, whether a player or key piece is eliminated. Determining where the line is for the group is something that comes up pretty naturally and should be discussed when a take-back comes up. Maintaining consistency with these rules helps strengthen understandings with regular playgroups, but when it comes to playing with strangers online, ensure that take-backs are discussed every time so that you're making sure everybody is still having a good time within the spirit of Bracket 2. We put a lot of pressure on Rule 0 conversation and not everything can fit, but if you feel pretty strongly about take-backs, start making it part of your Rule 0 checklist.</p>
<p>Not the Bolas. We should all be ready to play by the rules as stated if it comes to it. Your opponent did the right thing and conceded in this take-back argument and ultimately showed it didn't fully matter in the end. Thanks for sharing!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Comforting Counsel"></div></div>


Am I the Bolas? - I Take it Back, I Meant to Kill You!

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.jehanchoo.com/">Jehan Choo</a></em></p>
<p><em>Magic</em> is a very complex game. Commander is an even more complicated means of playing <em>Magic</em>, partly due to Commander being a multiplayer format AND an Eternal format.</p>
<p>Because of this, mistakes are bound to occur. There have arguably been <em>very</em> few Commander games that have concluded without error. However, due to Commander's social aspect, such mistakes are easily remedied and fixed simply by players continuing play as though a fault never occurred or backing the game up to the point of fault and continuing from there.</p>
<p>Not all mistakes are equal, though, and some "fixes" aren't as feasible as they seem. Let's look into a few different common mistakes that can occur in a Commander game and discuss why some mistakes aren't worth fixing in-game.</p>
<h2>What Mistakes We're Talking About</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doubling Season"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ponder"></div></div>
<p>If I control my commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning, Army of One" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning, Army of One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that's equipped with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Greaves" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Greaves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and I try to target Lightning with, say, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duelist&#039;s Heritage" href="#" target="_blank">Duelist&#039;s Heritage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a common fix may be to simply say I choose not to target any creature due to the enchantment's "may" option. Depending on the timing of the mistake and my opponents' approval, I may even be allowed to target another creature instead.</p>
<p>A simple mistake with an easy fix. The game continues. Later on, maybe I try to resolve <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mother of Runes" href="#" target="_blank">Mother of Runes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>' activated ability targeting Lightning who still wears the boots, hoping to making my commander unblockable for a turn. Now the fix, while relatively simple, may not be as clear as before. Should the table conclude that I can undo Mother's activation entirely or does Mother's ability end up targeting another creature if possible?</p>
<p>My vote for a player making a mistake like this is to say Mother was never activated, as the original target could never have been targeted anyways, but that's not guaranteed to happen. Players who may have had "feels bad" moments in previous games regarding misplaying instants and sorceries may conclude that because something was put onto the stack, we shouldn't/can't walk the game back that far.</p>
<p>A similar problem can occur if I were to cast an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Embercleave" href="#" target="_blank">Embercleave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> intending to target Lighting who's still shrouded by Lightning Greaves. Does the table allow Embercleave to resolve but not auto-equip? Can I walk back my casting of Embercleave and try something else instead?</p>
<p>The honest answer to all of these questions is to say "it depends" (shocker). Many factors will determine whether the table can/ought to choose a certain fix for problems like these.</p>
<h2>How These Mistakes Are Made</h2>
<p>One easy factor to consider is whether the player making the mistake is new to <em>Magic</em> or playing with a new deck/new cards. Often times, newer players will make a simple mistake such as tapping their lands in the wrong order or misunderstanding the wording of some cards (especially some of the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wheel of Misfortune" href="#" target="_blank">lengthier ones</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<p>Sure, new information has been given to the table unintentionally and now everyone knows that player is holding up some board wipe, piece of removal, some fashion of a game-winning spell, etc., but the boon of Commander being socially motivated is that this information doesn't have to negatively influence the game, especially for new players.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Decimate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Despark"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Terastodon"></div></div>
<p>The game can continue as is up until the player ought to have resolved their intended effect, or if amicable the table can agree to let the effect resolve at that moment despite the mistake. For new players and players using newer cards, often times the fix is as easy as pretending it never happened.</p>
<p>And this isn't limited to just new players. If a more enfranchised player accidentally taps the wrong lands for one spell and tries to cast another with the wrong colored mana, an easy fix is to just allow the spells to resolve normally, given the player legally could've cast both spells with the right mana.</p>
<p>Or maybe someone announces they're going to resolve one spell but realizes for one reason or another that they would rather not and start undoing their payments for the spell. Maybe their <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brainstorm" href="#" target="_blank">Brainstorm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is better held up until the next turn and, before resolving anything, decide to take back tapping their <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Island" href="#" target="_blank">Island</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and return Brainstorm to their hand. No harm, no foul.</p>
<p>However, a good point of contention worth discussing is how an <em>experienced</em> player's mistakes ought to be remedied. For those of us who have played our fair share of <em>Magic</em> and have handcrafted decks with intent and care, how should our mistakes be dealt with?</p>
<h2>Mistakes as a Learning Device</h2>
<p>Again, it depends, but the solution I'd like to highlight for this discussion is allowing the mistake to happen and play with their consequences. When appropriate, letting players play with the consequences of their mistakes allows them to learn how to be a better <em>Magic</em> player and thus create a more compelling Commander experience.</p>
<p>If I still control my Lightning with the boots and try to flash in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mithril Coat" href="#" target="_blank">Mithril Coat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as an experienced player, I shouldn't necessarily be allowed to take back the spell's casting. After all, it's the enters ability that I screwed up, not the spell's casting itself. Same with Embercleave. Both Equipment are legally allowed to be cast and enter, but their intended targets weren't legal and thus either fail to resolve or must find a new, legal target depending on the situation and the table's consensus.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Midnight Clock"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Illusionist&#039;s Bracers"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sylvan Library"></div></div>
<p>Mistakes like these would provide me the opportunity to learn about shroud's nuances and whether or not such effects are ultimately worthwhile instead of a source of hexproof or a form of protection from X.</p>
<p>Similarly, some popular cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhystic Study" href="#" target="_blank">Rhystic Study</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, require that I, the controller, pay constant attention to <em>every</em> spell that's resolved in order to ensure I'm actually drawing cards. As an experienced player, it's not enough for me to simply cast Rhystic, miss every spell a player has resolved during their turn, and ask "Hey, did you pay the <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> for any of that?" Same for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wandering Archaic" href="#" target="_blank">Wandering Archaic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These are "may" triggers that, because I've missed utilizing them properly, I've been assumed to opt out of their "may" abilities.</p>
<p>This is different from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> which specifies that you <em>must</em> create a Treasure token if the tax isn't paid. It can feel bad when someone forgets Smothering Tithe exists and, after realizing on a later turn what actually should've happened, they then create a game-winning amount of mana seemingly out of the blue. Sure, they technically have the Treasures no matter what, but they really should've played Smothering Tithe more responsibly.</p>
<h2>Self-Policing Mistakes To Becoming a Better Player</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aether Vial"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dryad Arbor|V12|5"></div></div>
<p>Some mistakes are easier to fix than others, but just because their solution is simple shouldn't mean we ought to enact that solution every time. Mistakes are necessary tools for learning, so we ought to allow ourselves the grace to make them and understand how we got there and how to prevent such mistakes in the future.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the table should decide what the best solution is regardless of whether it's the "legal" remedy recommended by tournament standards, but we should individually take a step back whenever we make a mistake and learn how this mistake was made and not be afraid of owning said mistake.</p>
<p>To advocate for misplays to remain misplays doesn't have to look like demanding a perfect game nor shaming others into playing with the same mentality. The better player we can become, the better our pods will in turn become, both as a <em>Magic</em> player and opponents.</p>
<p>But what do <em>you</em> think? How do you feel about allowing misplays to remain misplays? What are your thoughts on advocating for others to be selective with their remedies? Do you think the social aspect of Commander fosters or inhibits such an ideal?</p>
<p>I hope this article is helpful in discussing how misplays can be used to better the Commander experience. Find me on BlueSky at <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/ajwicker4.bsky.social?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@ajwicker4.bsky.social</a>, I'd love to hear from you and what your thoughts are.</p>
<p>Tune in next time to continue this deep dive in the Bracket system and more <em>Commander Philosophy</em>!</p>


mistake

Am I the Bolas? - I Take it Back, I Meant to Kill You!

Commander Philosophy — How Many Mistakes Is Too Many?