<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skrelv, Defector Mite" href="#" target="_blank">Skrelv, Defector Mite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CBrian+Valeza%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Brian Valeza</a></em></p>
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<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>?<strong> This week, infect? Ew!</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 and 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 and it's thunderstorming out here, right now!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rolling Thunder"></div></div>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
<hr />
<h2>SUBMISSION</h2>
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<p><em>Hey Mike!</em></p>
<p><em>First of all, I love the column, it's a great alternative to doomscrolling Instagram reels lol.</em></p>
<p><em>So, I had a very awkward LGS interaction a couple of years ago, and I still think about it and wonder whether I was in the wrong. I was running a pretty underwhelming mono white <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skrelv, Defector Mite" href="#" target="_blank">Skrelv, Defector Mite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> infect deck, my only friend in the pod was running a fresh out the box <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa" href="#" target="_blank">Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/3898562/corrupting_influence_phyrexia_all_will_be_one_commander">precon</a>. We had made absolutely sure our opponents were okay with both of us playing poison decks. The third player was on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Estrid, the Masked" href="#" target="_blank">Estrid, the Masked</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and the fourth player was on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shirei, Shizo&#039;s Caretaker" href="#" target="_blank">Shirei, Shizo&#039;s Caretaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</em></p>
<p><em>The early to midgame was pretty standard. There was no clear leader, and poison counters were slowly stacking up - evenly distributed between all four of us as we poison players made sure to spread the love evenly between all opponents to avoid leaving a player left out of the game early. However, once we were into the midgame, my opponent on Shirei resolves a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fume Spitter" href="#" target="_blank">Fume Spitter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with Shirei on the board. This is extremely bad for my deck that is almost entirely made up of tiny creatures, including my commander, who is my only real way of pushing poison counters through blockers with my suite of awful white infect creatures.</em></p>
</div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shirei, Shizo&#039;s Caretaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skrelv, Defector Mite"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa"></div></div>
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<p><em>I believe Commander becomes interesting through striving to win, that the most interesting and exciting board states come from every player doing everything they can to win (with the exception of certain feel-bad circumstances, such as going a little bit easy if another player and I are both on infect). Because of this, I bear no ill will towards my Shirei opponent as he picks my board apart with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fume Spitter" href="#" target="_blank">Fume Spitter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, however, I decide if I want any chance of winning, he has to go. The Estrid player is pillow-forted up to the gills and is not presenting himself as a current threat, and the Shirei deck has me in what feels like a very dire situation if I want to win.</em></p>
<p><em>I am sure you can guess where this is going. I direct all my resources towards killing the Shirei player. My friend on Ixhel jumps in as he has cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Norn&#039;s Decree" href="#" target="_blank">Norn&#039;s Decree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which rewards you for attacking poisoned players. An important point to note is that I try to explain my rationale to the Shirei player, as I would not do this without what felt like a good enough reason.</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Norn&#039;s Decree"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Estrid, the Masked"></div></div>
<p><em>The Shirei player is dispatched after a short while and immediately seems upset, shaking his head and staring at me while we continue to play. I ask him what's up, and he says "teaming with infect, scummyyyyy", gets up, then leaves to join another pod. In the moment, I laughed this off as best as I could, as I wasn't really sure what to say, but it made me feel a bit flustered. I felt it was pretty obvious I was screwed if he stuck around, that I only did it because I didn't have much other choice if I wanted to keep playing the game, but he clearly felt we teamed up as friends to eliminate him.</em></p>
<p><em>My friend and I were swiftly defeated by the Estrid player afterwards, but my mind was stuck on this uncomfortable interaction with player #4. To this day, I am not sure how I feel about the interaction - I can understand his frustration, perhaps I should have tried to make a deal to stop him from killing my commander every turn, but that didn't feel like the best route to victory at the time.</em></p>
<p><em>I would be interested to know what you think! Is Magic a zero-sum game? If my opponent winning prevents me from having fun, should I be allowed to stop him from having fun for a chance at winning?</em></p>
<p><em>Thanks,</em><br />
<em>Scummy Infect Player</em></p>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bring the Ending"></div></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>As much as I dislike infect, I definitely don't hate it as much as I once did. I think by playing it conscious of the other players' experience, you did your part to ensure everybody has a good time. However, I'm seeing a few things in this story that are worth touching on.</p>
<p>For many players, most of the time you bring a Commander deck to a table, you're putting 100 cards down and saying "I'm going to try to kick all your butts". Ignoring the varying degrees of effort and leniency, you're looking to win the game or win by achieving a stated goal - "I want to feed 20 creatures with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gyome, Master Chef" href="#" target="_blank">Gyome, Master Chef</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>". Every deck is a metaphorical gun on the table. The threat is there for everybody.</p>
<p>When you're playing with poison counters, you drop the required hit points of your opponents to ten from 40. That speeds up an already ticking clock.</p>
<p>It's definitely going to warp how a game is played. By spreading the love around, you commit to a more midrange experience and I can get behind that, no problem.</p>
<p>The fact that Shirei was so easily taken out by you and your friend almost feels like when an arm wrestler lets their opponent struggle, laughing as they put their full weight against you, before finally bringing the hammer down. I understand the Shirei player's frustration. To an extent, that is.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Distorted Curiosity"></div></div>
<p>I have to ask myself what the Shirei player was thinking when they presented themselves as a persistent threat to our Scummy Infect Player.</p>
<p>Was Shirei expecting SIP to watch their board just dwindle every end step and do nothing about it? It's called threat assessment and Shirei became absolutely necessary to remove. Even if you'd made a deal with Shirei, players can choose not to accept them.</p>
<p>Plus, deals have a shelf life. If you'd made a deal to allow yourself to bolster up an army, the Shirei player could go back on their deal and pop the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fume Spitter" href="#" target="_blank">Fume Spitter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> whenever they feel like you're getting out of hand again.</p>
<p>I think deals are fun and should be entertained, but I don't make deals with a gun to my head. I'll tell you to shoot. If you win, you did it, congratulations.</p>
<p>If you only hurt me, you've proven yourself to be the greatest threat to my game at the table and you need to go. And that's what happened here.</p>
<p>The <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fume Spitter" href="#" target="_blank">Fume Spitter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> popped SIP's board and they couldn't just sit there and do nothing about it. If they don't have graveyard hate at the right time in mono white, I guess it's player removal time.</p>
<p>I don't think you're the Bolas here. I also understand where Shirei is coming from at least a little bit, thanks to the infect of it all. That said, it's threat assessment.</p>
<p>You made the right move for your game. Either way Estrid took it. If Shirei had struck a deal with you instead of going for all your lil' guys, they'd maybe have helped chisel away at Estrid, but they didn't make that decision either.</p>
<p>Magic players, it's fine to be upset with how things went and to feel like you were robbed, but for the love of god, if someone explains their threat assessment to you and you don't rebut with an offer to work together or simply accept it, I think it's time for a walk.</p>
<p>If I show up to a party wearing a shirt that says "I'll smack bald men on the head if they're close enough", I'm pretty sure the bald guys at the party will either avoid me or have me kicked out if I smack one of them on the head.</p>
<p>Heck, they might even pre-emptively have me removed because they saw my shirt. The people with luscious locks (the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Estrid, the Masked" href="#" target="_blank">Estrid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> player, ironically) aren't threatened by me and my shirt. I could never get mad at the bald dudes for wanting me out.</p>
<p>Does it make sense? That's threat assessment. The sooner you get better at seeing the board state through your opponents' eyes, the sooner you'll be able to let stuff like this go because you'll recognize that you are a threat to other players.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abzan Battle Priest"></div></div>


Am I the Bolas? - Scummy Infect Player

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Laboratory Maniac|INR|71" href="#" target="_blank">Laboratory Maniac</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CJason+Felix%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Jason Felix</a></em></p>
<hr />
<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>?<strong> This week, listen up!</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 and at least we got Fleem in the first place.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goben, Gene-Splice Savant"></div></div>
<p><i>FLEEM!</i></p>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
<hr />
<h2>SUBMISSION</h2>
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<p><em>Hey Mike,</em></p>
<p><em>Long time reader of the column, I think I sent you a submission some time ago about me that involves that same deck and is another story about it being too powerful.</em></p>
<p><em>I play regularly with two groups: Group A, who has been playing Magic for 20 years, and Group B, which has been playing Magic for a year and a half. When I play with Group A, I use a high <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets">Bracket 4</a> (I use shorthand: [4]) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck (decklist <a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/22224271/ramp_kinnan_win_5_2_26">here</a>) and I am the least powerful player in the pod. When playing with Group B, I use a low [4] <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Norman Osborn" href="#" target="_blank">Norman Osborn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck (decklist <a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/22223746/oiarc_5_2_26">here</a>). The people in Group B have a large collection of old cards, and their decks are a weird mix of mediocre Commander precon and Game Changers from the 1990s. They average high [3], and while my deck is technically [4], it is on the same power level.</em></p>
<p><em>The problem is that those are the only two Commander decks I own. Each of my friends has one or two decks per pod, and often we'll take all the decks, put them in a pile, and draw straws to see who gets what to keep things interesting. In this manner we keep ourselves from having to have lots of decks in order to enjoy ourselves.</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy"></div></div>
<p><em>One day, I walk into a game store to buy some cards, and there's a few people playing Commander. I have some time, so I ask if I can join them for a game. They say sure, why not. I ask them what bracket we want to play, because I only have [4]'s. They ask me what a bracket is. I explain the whole <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets">Bracket System</a> to them, the Game Changers, the mass land denial, all that, and we conclude that they are playing around a high [2] level. I warn them that my least powerful deck is a low [4], and that I will likely win with no warning the turn before. I let them glance through my deck and they come to the conclusion that there are very few creatures in the deck that can pose a threat due to combat damage, there's no burn, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Laboratory Maniac" href="#" target="_blank">Laboratory Maniac</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is unreliable at best. According to them, there's no reason for my deck to be a strong other than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Notion Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Notion Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They sit down with me and we start playing.</em></p>
<p><em>The win condition of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Norman Osborn" href="#" target="_blank">Norman Osborn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is this: Draw/Tutor into <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aphetto Alchemist" href="#" target="_blank">Aphetto Alchemist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unctus, Grand Metatect" href="#" target="_blank">Unctus, Grand Metatect</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, use this infinite combo to draw your entire library, then play Lab Man and win. My opening hand has Unctus, I rapidly fill my graveyard, then cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Counsel" href="#" target="_blank">Demonic Counsel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and fetch the Alchemist. I discard an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anger" href="#" target="_blank">Anger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on my next turn, cast Alchemist, and tappity-untap to draw my library, slap down Lab Man, and win. It was turn four.</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aphetto Alchemist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unctus, Grand Metatect"></div></div>
<p><em>My new friends are FURIOUS. "I've never won a game before turn six!" "Why did you think you could go spoiling our games?" "We don't allow that power level in our group!" "Why didn't you tell us about that infinite combo?" They all leave within five minutes. One of them said, I quote: "Alright, Nicol B, you rule the world now, I hope you like it." before slamming the door on his way out.</em></p>
<p><em>What did I do wrong? I told them their decks were high [2] and mine a low [4]. I told them that I would likely win before turn six. I told them that [4] has two-card infinite combos in it. True, I didn't specifically enumerate the combo, but am I supposed to do that? If someone walks into our pod and says "Bracket 4", I immediately think "Kill the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Displacer Kitten" href="#" target="_blank">Displacer Kitten</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker" href="#" target="_blank">Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on sight".</em></p>
<p><em>So Mike, please tell me: <strong>Am I the Bolas for playing against people with an overpowered deck even though they knew it was overpowered and it was the only thing I had?</strong></em></p>
<p><em>Thanks,</em><br />
<em>Vorinclex42</em></p>
</div>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Norman Osborn"></div></div>
</div>
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<hr />
<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>I selected randomly among the submissions and committed to whatever came up and it looks like today's entry in the <em>Am I the Bolas?</em> catalogue seems pretty cut and dry.</p>
<p>If all the discussions happened as advertised and the players let you sit down, after learning about the Bracket System and of a power level disparity, I think their complaints about things unfolding as predicted can be brushed off a little bit. Not the Bolas.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Time Stop"></div></div>
<p>But hang on. Were there things that could have been handled a little bit differently? Sure, there's a little bit of room to grow. However, before I continue, I have to address this bit right here:</p>
<p>"<em>One of them said, I quote: "Alright, Nicol B, you rule the world now, I hope you like it." before slamming the door on his way out."</em></p>
<p>Come on. If you read this, I need you to come in the comments and tell us with your whole chest that this happened. If it did, first of all, I'm sorry for all of this.</p>
<p>Secondly, I disagree with their judgement. Leaving the store instead of just asking you not to play again seems excessive - slamming the door especially. It feels like something is missing.</p>
<p>But "<em>Alright, Nicol B, you rule the world now, I hope you like it"</em>? Come on, I'm having such a hard time believing this one. Maybe it's that a ton of people lately have been commenting about how submissions lately feel fake, but this one is at least most likely embellished, right?</p>
<p>I just think it's a fun and even cartoonish exit line. It's a multi-cam sitcom moment where the studio audience sees you react to the door slamming and collectively "aww" at your disappointment.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Continue?"></div></div>
<p>Anyway, if you explained the Bracket System and they continued anyway, that's on them. They went to the hole in the wall that says "if you put your hand in here, it'll get chopped off" and got upset when their hand got chopped off.</p>
<p>What'd you think the words that were said before the game were for? If someone warns that their deck is really strong compared to yours by a large margin, and then they absolutely trounce you, the most acceptable thing you can say is "wow, you weren't kidding, eh?"</p>
<p>Then you take it from there. Is there another game? Probably not, but I can't be mad at that, you did what you said you would.</p>
<p>It's clear these people weren't working from the same knowledge pool as you, so to assume they would know to kill a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Displacer Kitten" href="#" target="_blank">Displacer Kitten</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> urgently is unfair. I think you could have pointed things out that would need to be dealt with. That's the advice I have here.</p>
<p>Don't assume that people know what you know. Unless it's hidden information in a sweaty environment, it's worth informing players of what to expect when dealing with a type of deck they don't seem to have encountered before. Sometimes, this stuff happens, but I hope you could brush it off and have a fine day afterwards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Release to Memory"></div></div>


playgroup

Am I the Bolas? - Scummy Infect Player

Am I the Bolas? - But I Told You!

Playgroup Brews - War of the Spark (Pt 1)