<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Destructive Urge" href="#" target="_blank">Destructive Urge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CAndrew+Robinson%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Andrew Robinson</a></em></p>
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<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>?<strong> This week, when you've got a hammer, everything looks like a nail!</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.</p>
<p>I'm Mike Carrozza and this is my echoverse twin.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lyzolda, the Blood Witch"></div></div>
<p><i>She is everything I'm not. </i></p>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
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<h2>SUBMISSION</h2>
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<div><em>Hey Mike,</em></div>
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<div><em>I have a situation that came up in a game recently and I'm still not entirely sure I made the right call. I'll leave out the deck specifics for the sake of brevity, because they really don't matter much beyond two cards. </em></div>
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<div><em>The player right before me played <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mycosynth Lattice" href="#" target="_blank">Mycosynth Lattice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and I top-decked <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vandalblast" href="#" target="_blank">Vandalblast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I opted to just single-target the Lattice rather than overloading it, but one of the other players said he would have rather overloaded it and ended the game.</em></div>
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<div><em>For reference, I mostly play with a group of friends that have known each other for a long time now, we picked up EDH before it was Commander, and well before the Bracket system was a thing, we had a house ban list, including cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Armageddon" href="#" target="_blank">Armageddon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. So nobody is a fan of mass land destruction, and we're very locked-in to Brackets 2 and 3. This was my reasoning, plus the fact that I didn't have much of a board; while I could probably win it, it would be a long process unless everyone just scooped. On the other hand, this player said once he knew I wasn't playing the game to the best of my ability he lost interest. Since I passed up on the opportunity to most likely win, he felt like I was holding back.</em></div>
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<div><em>To be clear, there are no actual bad feelings here, we joked about it afterwards, but I'm wondering if I should have handled this differently, especially since there's a nonzero chance this could happen again. I'd love to hear your thoughts!</em></div>
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<div><em>- Vandal Blasting Off Again</em></div>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mycosynth Lattice"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vandalblast"></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>No Bolas. Straight to the chase. I think you did the right thing here. It feels ridiculous to have people <em>begging</em> to have their board completely wiped to move onto the next game. I understand if it's been a long game and people are tired, maybe they want to end the game. I'll concede to that. But you know who else could concede? Your tired opponents. Even if you have the best shot at a win, if <em>you</em> don't feel like putting people through it that way, then you don't have to overload your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vandalblast" href="#" target="_blank">Vandalblast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Your reasoning is sound. This would fall under mass land destruction. Although, technically, because it's not in your deck and your cards alone that add up to MLD, that means your <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets">Bracket 2/3 deck</a> is still in that camp. It just had an opportunity to play higher than its bracket's rules because of this series of events.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Armageddon"></div></div>
<p>I think this situation's a bit of a nothing burger, and if it had resulted in your opponents crashing out, then I'd be confused and wondering if your friend is okay in their personal life. I get wanting to face your opponents at the height of their abilities, but sometimes, winning a particular way can feel like a loss to a lot of people. If there's a no holds barred experience to be had that's going to be in higher brackets and it's fair to want to play within your lane. The novelty of the moment is fun and interesting, but having just played a game where an opponent played <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mycosynth Lattice" href="#" target="_blank">Mycosynth Lattice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> into overloaded <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vandalblast" href="#" target="_blank">Vandalblast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, I can tell you it's a lot less interesting than you'd think. It's something that you can technically come back from and it can be exciting to try! Who knows if my top decks are all lands and my hand is gas? Let's find out, it could be fun! It's more of a prolonged scoop of a game if you don't hammer the nail in the coffin quickly following this. Surely, you win out big time, but really it wasn't your deck doing its thing that took the W, but rather someone else's piece that tipped the scales and I know a ton of people who prefer not to take the win if this is how they do it.</p>
<p>It'd be a whole other story if you played the Lattice and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vandalblast" href="#" target="_blank">Vandalblast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in your own deck then didn't pull the trigger when the time came and it was acceptable according to the table, I guess? Would it, though? Your house ban list includes <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Armageddon" href="#" target="_blank">Armageddon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for god's sake. You're supposed to be playing Bracket 2/3. I don't think you could be the Bolas either way you go. It seems your pals were on board and it was the reckless inclusion of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mycosynth Lattice" href="#" target="_blank">Mycosynth Lattice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> against a red player that brought this possibility on. You didn't pack the two-card <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Armageddon" href="#" target="_blank">Armageddon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, so you're off the hook in terms of the plan.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Destructive Urge"></div></div></p>


overload

Am I the Bolas? - Blast Off!

Commander Showdown - Hallar vs Verazol

Underdog's Corner - Hallar, the Firefletcher