<p style="text-align: right;"><em><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> | Art by <a href="https://www.jasonfelix.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jason Felix</a></em></p>
<p>The <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/introducing-the-commander-format-panel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commander Format Panel (CFP)</a> describes 2-Card Combos (TCCs) as two cards that can outright end the game, lock out opponents from playing the game, or are simply two cards that can go infinite. The intention is to bar lower Brackets from clear warping experiences like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Underworld Breach" href="#" target="_blank">Underworld Breach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>In addition to <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bracket expectations</a>, <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/game-changers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game Changers</a>, Chaining Extra Turns, and Mass Land Denial, TCCs are aimed to better quantify just how much power is feasible in the lower Brackets. This way the Game Changer list doesn't need to include hundreds of cards and can instead focus on only the most egregious of cards and exploits.</p>
<p>But what makes something a TCC? Should all TCCs be treated equally? What about non-infinite 2-card combos?</p>
<p>We can touch upon a lot of nuances found in the TCC sub category, so let's start by defining out terms before moving on.</p>
<h2>What Do TCCs Look Like?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Basalt Monolith"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Forsaken Monument"></div></div>
<p>TCCs include any two cards that can end the game, lock players out, or go infinite. These combos can range from anything where two cards can kill three opponents in the same turn, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scourge of the Skyclaves" href="#" target="_blank">Scourge of the Skyclaves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wound Reflection" href="#" target="_blank">Wound Reflection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, preventing your opponents from playing the game through locks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lavinia, Azorius Renegade" href="#" target="_blank">Lavinia, Azorius Renegade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knowledge Pool" href="#" target="_blank">Knowledge Pool</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or generating infinite instances of resources, damage, card draw, etc.</p>
<p>Generally, TCCs involve two cards that disproportionally push a game far into one player's favor while ending the game sooner than the pod anticipated. While decks ought not to be built to end a game at these designated times per se, Brackets state that players should expect Bracket 1-3 games to end at turns nine, eight, and six, respectively.</p>
<p>TCCs most often shatter player expectations by ending a game much sooner than the anticipated turn count Brackets suggest.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chain of Smog"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Professor Onyx"></div></div>
<p>Additionally, it's not enough for players to sandbag their TCCs until the suggested turn limit and win the game unannounced. Lower Bracket games are meant to be played gradually with players telegraphing their advantages and game plans. This is to say that throwing down your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Parun" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Parun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Visionary" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Visionary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on turn nine in your Bracket 2 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arjun, the Shifting Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Arjun, the Shifting Flame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck isn't something your opponents should naturally expect.</p>
<p>The aforementioned TCCs are clear examples of two cards exploiting one another sufficiently to warp a game too dramatically for a lower Bracket experience. Brackets 1-3 aim to exclude interactions that end a game prematurely, out of nowhere, or are deemed too "unfun."</p>
<p>However, not all TCCs are equal. While some can wholly end a game on their own in a vacuum, what are we to do about TCCs that require additional steps, if not additional cards?</p>
<h2>Sometimes, TCCs Aren’t Just Two Cards</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Exquisite Blood"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sanguine Bond"></div></div>
<p>A good example to start with is the popular <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanguine Bond" href="#" target="_blank">Sanguine Bond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo. With just two cards, the next instance of an opponent losing life or the combo's controller gaining life will end the game effectively immediately. And yet, despite the combo's notoriety, the two cards on their own don't actively contribute to ending a game.</p>
<p>The combo isn't complete until someone triggers either enchantment. Until then, there's still a Bracket 1-3 game to be had as long as the conditions aren't met.</p>
<p>I'll argue that this is still a TCC in spirit despite this due to the prerequisites being so simple to accomplish, as I'm sure many would also agree. The takeaway is that there seems to be the possibility of a TCC requiring sufficient prerequisites as to allow a TCC into Brackets 1-3 (specifically for non-thematic reasons in Bracket 1).</p>
<p>Take for example <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hellkite Charger" href="#" target="_blank">Hellkite Charger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Let's assume you had a source like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bear Umbra" href="#" target="_blank">Bear Umbra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that could repeatedly generate the <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-5" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> necessary to indefinitely activate the Charger's triggered ability and gain an indefinite number of combats. In this case, your TCC requires around an additional seven lands to be considered a combo at all.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Approach of the Second Sun"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reprieve"></div></div>
<p>The same thing happens if we replace Bear Umbra with a creature like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Old Gnawbone" href="#" target="_blank">Old Gnawbone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as now a minimum of seven damage <em>and</em> seven usable Treasures are required. One <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blind Obedience" href="#" target="_blank">Blind Obedience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn, the Great Creator" href="#" target="_blank">Karn, the Great Creator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> stops this combo in its tracks.</p>
<p>An important factor to note is that this combo isn't technically an infinite combo in either case as the TCC is limited by your opponents' life totals and whether or not their battlefields - whether through stax pieces previously mentioned or a wall of blockers - can either prevent or enable infinite combats.</p>
<p><em>Technically</em> speaking, it's possible for this TCC to not be infinite and to not end the game in a single turn, thus skirting the conditions to be categorized a TCC. Despite this, I'll agree that this still should be considered a TCC and thus excluded from lower Bracket games.</p>
<p>More examples can be found, but eventually we'll discover some combo that requires an amount of prerequisites that are so demanding or so numerous that they would water the combo down to the lower Brackets' power level.</p>
<p>Take <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scute Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">Scute Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for example. The only thing really limiting these ecological terrorists are how many lands you can play in a single turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Priest of Titania"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Staff of Domination"></div></div>
<p>Theoretically, you could construct a TCC with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kodama of the East Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Kodama of the East Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and the Swarm with the prerequisite that you play a bounce land like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Simic Growth Chamber" href="#" target="_blank">Simic Growth Chamber</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as your land for turn with the two creatures under your control, then returning the Chamber to your hand before Kodama's triggered ability resolves from the Swarm creating a token.</p>
<p>With the additional prerequisite of being able to grant your Swarm haste, perhaps through a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Concordant Crossroads" href="#" target="_blank">Concordant Crossroads</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you're able to end the game with what we'll consider a TCC* on turn six, a fairly reasonable expectation for Bracket 3.</p>
<h2>Prerequisites Are to TCCs as Brackets Are to Commander</h2>
<p>We've previously talked about <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/commander-philosophy-to-combo-or-not-to-combo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">playing combos in the lower Brackets</a>, but what we didn't focus on in that discussion was whether TCCs can also fit into lower Bracket experiences. I believe that we can use a combo's prerequisites as a means to limit a combo's warping effect similar to how Brackets are used to tailor the desired Commander experience between a pod.</p>
<p>What if, in order to create a TCC* that can end the game on the spot with an infinite amount of mana, we needed <em>seventeen mana</em> to do so. Let's look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cogwork Assembler" href="#" target="_blank">Cogwork Assembler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Powerstone Shard" href="#" target="_blank">Powerstone Shard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In order for the Shard to tap for seven mana and thus allow us to infinitely activate the Assembler and generate infinite copies of any artifact creature with haste + infinite <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-c" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, we'll need to create six copies of the Shard to do so.</p>
<p>If we wanted to do so all at once, we'd need access to seventeen mana before copying Powerstone Shard. With seventeen mana, I believe that most players will anticipate game-ending moves to be made. Very little is unachievable with seventeen mana.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hushwing Gryff"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wormfang Manta"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Athreos, Shroud-Veiled"></div></div>
<p>Now, what if we had the means of gradually producing permanent copies of Powerstone Shard over multiple turns, perhaps with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mechanized Production" href="#" target="_blank">Mechanized Production</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, only this time we resolve Cogwork Assembler the turn we intend to win? Wouldn't this be sandbagging and go against telegraphing our plays, thus "wining out of nowhere" and going against lower Bracket intentions?</p>
<p>I'd argue that it <em>was</em> telegraphed. We've proven to be able to generate permanent copies of whatever artifact we please and have done so over multiple turns, allowing our opponents many opportunities to stop us from doing so. If they can't win against an opponent generating, say, one additional <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Metalwork Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Metalwork Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> a turn, that's not on us.</p>
<p>They've been more than able to deal with our source of generating Powerstone Shard copies up to this point, and arguably <em>should</em> have by now. Especially if our source of copying is Mechanized Production, a <em>very</em> telegraphed victory condition.</p>
<p>This is but one example. Innumerable instances of TCCs requiring an already game-winning amount of influence can be presented and arguably justified to be allowed into the lower Brackets.</p>
<h2>Ask Not if You Can, but if You Should</h2>
<p>The one argument that stands against a TCC* in lower Brackets is the hard rule that players who don't want to engage with TCCs in any form should have the opportunity to do so. This is a foundational tenet of the Brackets that players ought to have a space safe from the saltier or grindier sides of Commander.</p>
<p>This safe space must remain. Despite the arguments we've discussed thus far, if someone remains apprehensive to playing with or against TCCs in any form, they ought to be granted such an environment that fosters this experience.</p>
<p>As is always the case, this remains a Rule Zero discussion. Does your group mind if your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord" href="#" target="_blank">Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is capable of nuking the table with an attacking <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jumbo Cactuar" href="#" target="_blank">Jumbo Cactuar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Is everyone fine with expecting your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> partner deck to be capable of infecting everyone with instances like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tainted Strike" href="#" target="_blank">Tainted Strike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Maze&#039;s End"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reshape the Earth"></div></div>
<p>We can argue that TCCs and TCCs* ought to be accessible in all Brackets to an extent, but at the end of the day this discussion must be shared with our three opponents. The CFP may govern Commander with our best interests in mind, but they only offer guidance and leave it to us to cultivate our preferred play experiences.</p>
<p>But what do <em>you</em> think? How do you feel about playing with prerequisite-heavy-TCCs in lower Brackets? What are your thoughts on TCCs expanding beyond just two cards? Do you think this interpretation of TCCs can promote more enjoyable games?</p>
<p>I hope this article is helpful in exploring what TCCs can look like and how to play them differently. Find me on BlueSky at <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/ajwicker4.bsky.social">@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>


Commander Philosophy — 2-Card Combos in Lower Brackets

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vexing Shusher" href="#" target="_blank">Vexing Shusher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/tegehel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cyril Van Der Haegen</a></em></p>
<p>Commander is known for the biggest and splashiest plays <em>Magic</em> is capable of. Nowhere else are players able to build the ultimate glass cannon and politic everyone into watching the fireworks. However, for players who seek to focus more on the winning portion of their game night, it's not so easy to convince everyone to ignore your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherflux Reservoir" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherflux Reservoir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> until you're able to storm your way into victory.</p>
<p>You've got to play it cool, or in other words present yourself less threateningly. You've got three opponents that can either draw the table's attention away from you or direct it all back at you. It all depends on how well you can manage what noise you're making.</p>
<h2>The Cool Rockstar</h2>
<p>For this discussion, let's say that performing a game action, whether it be in-game or political, generates some amount of "noise." Some actions are louder than others, like resolving a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jodah, the Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Jodah, the Unifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with open mana (assumedly to cast another legend). Some actions are quieter, such as resolving an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turn three.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solemn Simulacrum"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Treasonous Ogre"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Laboratory Maniac"></div></div>
<p>The louder the action, the more attention it draws. This isn't to say that all loud actions are problematic—attempting to resolve a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toxic Deluge" href="#" target="_blank">Toxic Deluge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to sweep the token player(s) can be an action you may want your opponents to remember.</p>
<p>Rather, this is another variable worth consideration when determining your next course of action. If you make too much noise that draws too much unwanted attention, your opponents are going to react and interact with your board state in undesirable ways (perhaps by resolving their own Toxic Deluge).</p>
<p>On the other hand, if you make too little noise, you'll get drowned out from all of the noise your opponents are generating and be left behind as they close the game out.</p>
<p>Maybe they'll see that you've dumped your hand all at once and are threatening to knock out at least one of them, or maybe they'll band together after they agree that all of those triggers from your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Risen Reef" href="#" target="_blank">Risen Reef</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have generated too much value and start dedicating the whole round of turns to slowing you down.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Risen Reef"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ruinous Ultimatum"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Champion of Lambholt"></div></div>
<p>Whether you're trying to resolve a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ruinous Ultimatum" href="#" target="_blank">Ruinous Ultimatum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or draw half your deck searching for your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Champion of Lambholt" href="#" target="_blank">Champion of Lambholt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, each action adds to your turns cumulative noise level. It's up to you to recognize when is the most opportune moment to turn up the volume and reveal that you were the threat all along.</p>
<p>There are numerous ways of determining your noise level and your opponents', so let's explore which ways can work best for you.</p>
<h2>The Listening Step</h2>
<p>The easiest way to determine whether you're generating too much noise is first recognizing how your opponents view your deck. What are they saying about it? Do they focus their attention towards you regardless of your standing in-game?</p>
<p>When playing with established groups, it's pretty clear how your opponents view your deck. Their playstyles are known quantities to you and as such make it obvious when they're aiming for a particular goal, if they don't just tell you outright ("That Commander deck is scary, I never allow it to do X").</p>
<p>For playing outside of established groups, it's a bit harder to read your opponents on the fly, but it's still fairly easy to recognize when a loud noise has caught their attention. Everyone will most likely be wary of anyone's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck regardless of how much its pilot claims it's not "that deck."</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jodah, Archmage Eternal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kaalia of the Vast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Magda, Brazen Outlaw"></div></div>
<p>This concept of noise generation is a pretty subjective scale, dependent on what both you and your opponents consider noisy. If your opponents view your Urza deck to be worth paying close attention to regardless of the deck's actual power level, then it's going to be a noisy deck for that game. In another pod that fully believes it's not "that kind of Urza deck," it'll be a much quieter deck for that game.</p>
<p>How loud do you feel when piloting your deck? Do you feel like everyone is watching your every move, listening for the right opportunity to strike? If you feel like you need to convince your opponents to allow you to perform just about every game action, there's a good chance you're being pretty noisy even if that's not your intention. Again, that's not inherently bad, just something to consider.</p>
<h2>The Sound of Silence</h2>
<p>Ok, so being noisy is something that can change from game to game and is dependent on who you're playing with and what deck you're running. How could this be useful?</p>
<p>Ultimately, if you feel like you're the center of attention in a game too often, this is where the analogy of "playing it cool" resides. Instead of "doing the thing" too soon or being too noisy at the wrong time, let your opponents make these mistakes first.</p>
<p>They'll inevitably try to end the game on their own and cause you and your two other opponents to try and stop them. One way or another, one of your opponents will seek to be the splashy Commander player at some point. <em>This</em> is the noise limit you should seek to approach.</p>
<p>As long as you're not as loud as this particular opponent, the attention drawn towards your board state will be secondary to the collective effort to stop the leading opponent from winning. This is a balance, something that needs to be actively maintained turn after turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Altar of the Brood"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Impact Tremors"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx"></div></div>
<p>If you don't match the leading opponent's noise generation (i.e., becoming a threat) appropriately, then one of your other opponents will be able to capitalize off of the "recovery phase" once the leading opponent is dealt with. This is where your balancing act is found. You mustn't be as noisy as the leading opponent, but at the same time be ahead of your other opponents so that you can close out the game with limited resistance.</p>
<p>Similarly, you can politic your opponents into generating excessive noise with amnesty for when you generate your noise, thus putting a larger target on their back while minimizing the risk you assume when closing out the game.</p>
<p>You could let your opponent swing their buffed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of Destiny" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of Destiny</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> at you so that you both gain a good chunk of life, but in return they're going to allow your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Walk-In Closet // Forgotten Cellar" href="#" target="_blank">Walk-In Closet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to stick around. Once your other opponents are fed up with the Angel player threatening lethal and deal with them, you have a prime opportunity to capitalize off of your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Walk-In Closet // Forgotten Cellar" href="#" target="_blank">Forgotten Cellar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that sees a graveyard full of end-game goodies to exploit.</p>
<p>Again, being too noisy is largely dependent on the game at hand. It may be better to let two or even all of your opponents attempt to do their thing and have a slugfest that expends their interaction before you swoop in at the end and claim victory.</p>
<h2>Hearing Is Believing</h2>
<p>What I'm hoping this discussion has revealed are a few handy ways of determining who's the threat, who's everyone's pointing their interaction at, and when's the most opportune time to try to win.</p>
<p>I believe that this noise analogy works best the more competitive games get. The more social the setting, the less players are likely to try and win the game. The less inclined players are to win a game, the less important threat detection is. But these ideas can be practiced in any setting.</p>
<p>Interestingly, <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/commander-philosophy-to-combo-or-not-to-combo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as I mentioned in a previous article</a>, this analogy can be paired with the idea that the more casual an experience you'd like to play, the more removal you ought to be running. Just as more competitive decks should run more ways to win as opposed to literally anything else, more casual decks should seek to make as much noise as possible. Do the thing!</p>
<p>Go and see how many lands you can naturally play in a single turn, or try and see how many times your zombies can die and be resurrected. This is casual Commander after all; where else will you be able to be as splashy as can be?</p>
<p>Try building the noisiest deck you can think of and see what happens. Maybe you get hated out of the game too early, or maybe you learn that a single turn takes way too much time and/or effort to calculate, but those are experiences still worth learning from.</p>
<p>But what do <em>you</em> think? How do you feel about playing it cool? What are your thoughts on the idea of being too noisy? Do you think this analogy is helpful for threat assessment?</p>
<p>I hope this article is helpful in exploring threat assessment in multiplayer formats, and I'd love to hear from you and what your thoughts are. Tune in next time to continue this deep dive in the Bracket system and more <em>Commander Philosophy!</em></p>


The Art of Playing It Cool in Commander

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares|J13|1" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://samwolfeconnelly.com/">Sam Wolfe Connelly</a></h6>
<h1>Threats and Resource Management</h1>
<h4><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/how-to-build-a-commander-deck" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Article 1: How to Build a Commander Deck</a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-commander">Article 2: How to Choose Your Commander</a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/beginner-content-how-to-win-a-commander-game">Article 3: How to Win a Commander Game</a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/commander-mana-curves-for-beginners">Article 4: Commander Mana Curves</a> |</h4>
<p>Hello there, and welcome to the world of Commander, <em>Magic: The Gathering's </em>most popular format! My name is Brian, and I aim to be your guide for navigating this format that we at EDHREC know and love so much. In this series, we're focused on helping out players new to the format get started. If you missed the previous articles, make sure to check out the links above.</p>
<p>Today, we're talking about two somewhat related topics: threat assessment and managing your resources. The former has a big effect on the latter; if you're going to spend resources to deal with a threat, you need to make sure it's worthwhile. We touched on these a bit in Article 3, but I wanted to expand on them a bit further to hammer home their importance to your gameplay.</p>
<h3>Definitions</h3>
<p>I'm going to define a "threat" in two ways. The first is anything that will make you lose the game. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impact Tremors" href="#" target="_blank">Impact Tremors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Mob Boss" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck. The other type of threat is something that stops you from winning the game, like an opponent playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rest in Peace" href="#" target="_blank">Rest in Peace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> against your graveyard deck. Both types of threats need to be dealt with ASAP if you're planning on winning (or not losing) the game. We'll get into how and when they're dealt with in more detail below.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Impact Tremors"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rest in Peace"></div></div>
<p>Resources are a little more straightforward. In <em>Magic,</em> there are two main resources: mana and cards. Some players (especially black mages like me) might argue that your life total is also a resource, but we'll focus on the first two for today's article. Mana and cards go hand in hand. If you have a lot of mana and no cards (commonly called mana flood), you can't do much of anything.</p>
<p>Conversely, if you have a lot of cards but no mana to play them (mana screw), you'll be outpaced by your opponents.</p>
<p>Some of the most popular and powerful commanders are cards that increase access to these resources. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muldrotha, the Gravetide" href="#" target="_blank">Muldrotha</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives you access to more cards, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ur-Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">The Ur-Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> reduces the cost of your Dragons, giving you access to more mana.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prosper, Tome-Bound" href="#" target="_blank">Prosper, Tome-Bound</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait" href="#" target="_blank">Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are examples of commanders that give you both, probably why they're so popular!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Muldrotha, the Gravetide"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Ur-Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait"></div></div>
<h3>Threats</h3>
<p>Threat assessment is an important part of Commander, especially given the multiplayer nature of the format. You'll have to be on the lookout for threats from three different opponents, all of whom need to be watching out for the threats coming from you and the rest of the table.</p>
<p>This means everyone will be adding and removing threats to the game. The tough part is deciding when <strong>you</strong> should be the one to deal with a threat.</p>
<p>Let's go back to the Krenko example. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impact Tremors" href="#" target="_blank">Impact Tremors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will become a problem real fast if the Krenko player can untap with it. All three of that player's opponents should consider it threat level midnight, and use their combined resources to take it out before it wins the Krenko player the game. It's an easy example, but as we'll see when we get to resources, it's important to asses it properly.</p>
<p>Other cases might have a little more nuance. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rest in Peace" href="#" target="_blank">Rest in Peace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might be a threat to your graveyard deck but not to the other players. You can't rely on them to deal with it for you. After all, why should they spend the resources to help you? For this reason you need to save resources for cards that really impede YOUR gameplan.</p>
<p>Of course, you probably won't have the luxury of dealing with only one threat at a time so prioritizing them is another skill you need to practice. Let's say you're playing your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muldrotha, the Gravetide" href="#" target="_blank">Muldrotha</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck against <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Mob Boss" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impact Tremors" href="#" target="_blank">Impact Tremors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rest in Peace" href="#" target="_blank">Rest in Peace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>You've got ways in your deck to deal with both. In this case, I might aim for the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rest in Peace" href="#" target="_blank">Rest in Peace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> first. Once it's gone, I can use leverage my commander's ability to then deal with the Krenko player while simultaneously opening up my avenue to win the game. In the meantime, my opponents might deal with the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impact Tremors" href="#" target="_blank">Impact Tremors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, saving me the need to do so.</p>
<p>As a game evolves, threats will come and go, shift their level of importance, and be the topic for table politics. Commander games can get very complicated for this exact reason, and there isn't really a "correct" formula. A lot of it will come from playing your deck and experiencing how other decks operate. Get into the habit of asking yourself "what stops me from winning?" and you'll get better and better at threat assessment.</p>
<h3>Resource Management - Gameplay</h3>
<p>Outside of win conditions, ramp and card velocity are the most important aspects to a Commander deck. Why? They give you access to more resources, which you desperately need. At the start of the game, it's your 100 cards versus your opponents' collective 300. At the beginning of turn 2, it's your one land versus your opponents' collective three.</p>
<p>This wild imbalance means you need to catch up fast, and if your opponents are good players, they'll be wanting to do the same thing. You can't just sit there and amass mana and cards without using them, (despite what many blue players might think) so let's look at a few ways to effectively use the resources you have access to.</p>
<p>This is where threat assessment plays a big part. Let's say you're holding a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in hand, and your opponent has some big monster like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghalta, Primal Hunger" href="#" target="_blank">Ghalta, Primal Hunger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on their board. Do you fire off the Swords right away?</p>
<p>Heck, no! Ghalta might seem threatening, but I'd rather not spend my card to deal with it unless I absolutely have to. If it's likely to hit one of my opponents, I'm happy to sandbag my card and force my opponent to deal with the big Dino.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swords to Plowshares"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghalta, Primal Hunger"></div></div>
<p>Here's another example: It's turn two, I've got five cards in hand and two lands on the battlefield. One of my cards is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckless Impulse" href="#" target="_blank">Reckless Impulse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a very efficient card velocity spell. If you've got nothing else to do on turn 2, it might be tempting to fire it off. But it's really unlikely that I'll be able to do anything with those exiled cards by the end of my next turn. It's probably better to take the turn off and wait to use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckless Impulse" href="#" target="_blank">Reckless Impulse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> later when it's more likely to be more impactful.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reckless Impulse"></div></div>
<p>Both of these examples are simplified, but they work to demonstrate the concept of resource management during a game. Remember it's your cards and mana versus three times that, so keep it in mind during a game to maximize what you have!</p>
<h3>Resource Management - Deckbuilding</h3>
<p>If you didn't read Article 3 (and you should) we used the example of casting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> versus <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Using Swords will actually be resource negative for you: you spent your mana and card to deal with one opponent's creature, but the other two players spent no mana and no cards. On the other hand, casting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> into a big board allows you to spend four mana and a card to deal with far more than that from your opponents.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Utter End"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wrath of God"></div></div>
<p>This is not me saying that you should never play targeted removal like Swords. In fact, Swords is one of the best ways to deal with a single threat <em>because</em> it only costs one mana. Imagine if the example was <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Utter End" href="#" target="_blank">Utter End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> versus <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> instead. Would you rather pay four mana and a card to deal with one thing or a lot of things? It becomes a lot more clear which one is better.</p>
<p>In this way you can "manage" your resources via deckbuilding choices. Unless I'm paying a premium for flexibility, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beast Within" href="#" target="_blank">Beast Within</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, I want my single-target removal under three mana. Otherwise, I want to be able to hit more than one target; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Casualties of War" href="#" target="_blank">Casualties of War</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for example.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beast Within"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Casualties of War"></div></div>
<p>I want to write an entire article comparing types of interaction, so I'll leave it there for now. The lesson is to think about how you can include and use certain cards that will negate your starting 1:3 resource deficit, while simultaneously allowing you to deal with opposing threats</p>
<h3>Wrap Up</h3>
<p>Alright, I know that was a lot more conceptual than the previous beginner content you might have seen from me or other writers. If you want me to expand or clarify anything, drop me a comment below. Threat and resource management are skills that take practice, but I'll leave you with the two main things to consider:</p>
<ol>
<li>What stops you from winning the game?</li>
<li>What is the best way to negate the resource imbalance between you and your opponents?</li>
</ol>
<p>Look out for more beginner articles from me soon, and if you're looking for cheap and effective decks, check out my other series <em>Brew For Your Buck</em> here on EDHREC. Until the next time, have fun assessing threats and managing resources!</p>
