Many a multiplayer game has been won with a player innocently standing back and letting the blood flow, keeping to themselves with little bits of non-threatening creatures, defensive spells, and possibly something that benefits everyone such as Howling Mine.
Then, of course, there’s me.
The crux of my articles has been politics and peer pressure in games, both in and out, how they affect the”metagame” of the kitchen table. Last week on Magicthegathering.com, we saw a week of card drawing articles. That’s one way of looking at card advantage. The other is recurring use cards. Creatures, artifacts and enchantments… Things that gain more value the more times you use them, or the net ‘consumption’ of cards. For instance, a Wrath of God that destroys four of your opponent’s creatures and none of yours is advantage, one for four.
Some people play cautiously. Some people play conservatively. I like blasting everything in sight. For the refined dark mage that enjoys destruction but not necessarily wanton red”facesmashery,” but the yummy goodness that is black, I present… My Big Black Weapon.dec*, a tribute to a similarly-themed Misetings article from back in the day:
4 Crystal Quarry
4 Cabal Coffers
1 Strip Mine
4 Scrubland[/author]“][author name="Scrubland"]Scrubland[/author]
12 Swamp
2 Vindicate
4 Mutilate
2 Chainer’s Edict
2 Terror
1 Yawgmoth’s Agenda
1 Urza’s Blueprints
1 Mirari
3 Legacy Weapon
3 Cursed Scroll
2 Avatar of Woe
2 Visara the Dreadful
4 Drain Life
2 Death Grasp
Sideboard:
4 Duress
4 Hymn To Tourach
4 Hypnotic Specter
1 Mind Twist
2 Perish/Massacre
Note once again the heavy rares requirement of this deck. A few budget suggestions include cutting the duals for either Caves of Koilos or Tainted Fields, and cutting down one or two coffers. Vindicates add flexibility, but you can always cut them for plain old disenchants (which give you more versatility with destroying artifact creatures than Aura Blast). Death Grasp (which is not too difficult to obtain) can be replaced by Soul Burn, the Avatars can be replaced by the one use but just as fun Nekrataal, but there are no real substitutes for mutilate. Cursed Scroll has no true substitute, especially since Pestilence is hard to maintain with so few creatures. Consider the slightly-cheaper-but-not-that-cheap Royal Assassin. Also note that since this is casual, one doesn’t necessarily need to stick with a fifteen- card sideboard. Side in Massacres if there’s a lot of white, Perish if green.
This deck reflects the opposite end of the spectrum that is bounded by Munchers. Whereas the latter was a passive deck that bid its time with chump blockers and tried to draw into what it needed, this deck is all about destruction and mayhem. Because problem enchantments and artifacts tend to be common in multiplayer, and because black is traditionally weak in removing such threats, Legacy Weapon is the card that holds this deck together. Cheap kill supports a high curve, and Cabal Coffers makes the mana count go faster. Provided you don’t have a lot of big blue on the table, you’re generally fine. Casting an Avatar of Woe or Visara means that you have a four-turn clock on the table that serves as creature kill as well. The reusable kill spells, ranging from flashback on Chainer’s Edict to Cursed Scroll help eliminate creature threats.
My Big Black Weapon has many cards that generate advantage, especially when one sees all the reusability here. It’s generally a pretty simple deck to play. Creature? Kill it. Enchantment or Artifact? Weapon it. Avatar and Visara destroy anything that isn’t protection from creatures or black. Drain Life and Death Grasp are your main kill methods, and Mirari makes countering very difficult. Legions makes an interesting impact here – Bane of the Living makes for a very interesting addition, being either an uncounterable mass removal spell of sorts, or just as a way to wipe the board clear of weenies.
Let’s take a moment to once again examine the principles of Peer Pressure and Politics in multiplayer games and how that shapes the Casual game.
Peer Pressure is that which keeps us from playing degenerate combo decks every game, proxying cards when people don’t proxy, and, of course, that which keeps us from cheating and stealing. Peer Pressure rears its head to keep people honest – to keep people from doing things they shouldn’t.
Politics, the main force that works in a multiplayer game, is that which keeps us quiet, the force that makes Sligh decks not as good. Making friends and enemies in games of Magic is the key to multiplayer success.
This deck spits on everyone – in a controlled manner of course.
In terms of peer pressure, this deck does what black does best: Kill things. Now, gold cards boost the power and versatility slightly, as does the multicolor nature of Crystal Quarry/Legacy Weapon. If someone sees a Terror or Chainer’s Edict, they may not like seeing their creature die, but it’s perfectly expected of a deck that packs swamps. This deck differs from most black decks by simply killing as much as it can. It can be frustrating to see everything die, especially when those somethings are yours. But what are you going to tell someone playing with his big black weapon variant?”That’s not fair! Black shouldn’t be able to kill things”?
Politics, however, is the key to playing this deck correctly. Hand My Big Black Weapon off to anyone, and certainly they can kill creatures… But all that’s going to get you in the end is several players clamoring for your blood. No, sir, the key to playing with My Big Black Weapon is selective use of spells. Is there a Peacekeeper slowing down the game? Blast it, and the other creature playing mages will love you for it. Weapon away offending recursion cards, artifacts, and that mindless Rancor that everyone seems to love. People will thank you for it… Up until you clear the board for yourself. Take a couple of hits. We all know that Magic players can smell weakness, so show none. Drain Life spells will bring your life totals back up, ready for more action. But until then, be everyone’s friend. Is there a large, threatening creature that’s only hitting someone else? Spare a dime – or in this case, a kill spell – and help somebody out. **
Avoid killing things unnecessarily with this deck – as reusable as some resources are, cards in hand are still valuable, and should be used appropriately. If in the midst of a bunch of blue mages, side in the disruption aspects as needed. A countered Hypnotic Specter is better than a countered Drain Life. Some other tweaks I’ve been messing with include bringing in Karn, Silver Golem to deal with annoying artifacts and raising the number of creatures I have to beat down with (animating Mirari and Legacy Weapon, for instance). Consider also Ashes to Ashes in desperate or fatty-heavy environments. This deck is simply about removing obstacles, and smacking someone with good old Drain Life.
What does a deck like My Big Black Weapon tell us about politics in multiplayer? Obviously, with more players come more threats, and because your main kill condition is a fat life drain spell, you’re not going to be getting rid of anyone in the first few turns. This is one of the first decks I played in multiplayer chaos (anyone attacks anyone), and this deck quickly taught me the fundamentals.
One game involved a Sligh/red burn player, a control player, a couple of other decks, and of course, myself. Now, given that I don’t like getting my spells countered, what do I do? I, of course, help the Sligh player by removing the answers my control playing friend slaps down. How many Lightning Bolts, Chain Lightnings, and Ball Lightnings can a Sligh deck pack? How many creatures? Not enough to spread amongst two players, unless there’s some miracle that occurs. Resources are being spent. And like Monopoly, there are only so many houses and hotels to go around.
The greatest lesson this deck teaches you is to choose your targets carefully. In any multiplayer game, the last thing you want is everyone ganging up on you. I’ve not seen a deck that can keep up against three or four good players trying to smack it around. Board position must be carefully monitored. To quote a friend of mine, playing this deck, it’s a good feeling that just about any creature rolls over to you.
But that leads to the weakness of this deck – it has several dead cards against creatureless decks. This is, of course, multiplayer, so that’s hardly something to be concerned about, but be aware that this does happen. Once again, play fundamentals. Analyze the field, see what you’ve got. Would you waste your spell on the only creature in play? Or do you hold it, waiting for a better target?
The most common mistake I see in multiplayer games is showing off. I’m guilty of it too. It’s just too tempting to make the flashy play, to draw the”oohhs” and”ahhs” of your fellow players. Resist this temptation unless you’re 100% sure that it will go through. Is anyone playing counterspells? Anyone playing burn or creature control? Or maybe you want to draw out those counterspells or burn spells. After all, any burn going to your creatures isn’t going to you.
In the end, however, if creatures of any sort are being played at your table, you’ll have enough ammo to take care of it. Despite my cautions on not nuking everything in sight, a clear board is what you’re looking for, except for your own side. The trick is achieving it while at the same time, building up to critical mass of mana or creature attacks. You will make friends eliminating creature threats. You will make enemies killing everyone’s creatures.
My Big Black Weapon can handle mid-sized multiplayer games, Drain Life is going to finish someone off in one shot since most of the time. You’ve got six of these spells. This leads to the next fundamental that one learns from playing with My Big Black Weapon, which is card economy. Do you hold the spells waiting for the next target, or do you kill that weenie beating down on you right now? When do you cast Yawgmoth’s Agenda? Just because you draw a card doesn’t mean you use it right away.
Play with this deck a little – or a deck with a similar game plan. Again, this is the easiest way to learn. Choose your targets, have a little fun. Watch out for the people you play with, and watch them quake when the board is clear.
In the end, this deck is a good choice for creature heavy games, obviously. This teaches you very quickly when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em, getting the most bang for your buck. Multiplayer isn’t always about being conservative, but it is about making the right friends. Be careful about how you wave My Big Black Weapon around, or any deck’s threats when you play in group games.
Let’s summarize here:
- Decks will have a limited number of resources, especially as the game gets larger . Sligh decks and Suicide black-style decks tend to suffer more in larger games for this reason. The key to success is to then use those limited resources as efficiently as possible.
- Choose targets carefully . Remember that the goal in multiplayer is to win, and the easiest way to do that is to let everyone else weaken each other. Contribute to players’ demises by occasionally killing the problem creature or contributing in some other way, but use your resources not only efficiently, but also sparingly. That will leave you with the most options later in the game.
- Do not cast spells just because you can . Remember basic physics: Every action causes an equal and opposite reaction. Unless you’re playing an aggressive deck, the best way to go is to stay quiet and build up your 1) hand, 2) mana base, 3) board position. Don’t wait too long. This distinction is the hardest part of learning how to play Magic – when to draw and when to go. Practice is the best way to learn this.
- In your caution to not make big waves, however, do not be so engrossed as to miss an opportunity to beat down for a couple of points . If you have the chance, hit someone! An easy criterion to go by is this: Will you lose more resources (cards, creatures in play, lands, life) by hitting someone? If the answer is no, or that you wouldn’t be losing anything, then hit them.
The goal of this deck is to win by casting large Drain Lifes. Visara and Avatar is also a beating, but this should be your second plan. This deck’s character is one who enjoys chaos and destruction, who feels no fear and will gladly use a spell to draw out a counter. In a way, this is the anti-Timmy, eliminating creatures easily and efficiently. Because of the lack of disruption before sideboarding and the tendency for combo decks to be creature light, it tends to roll over to combo decks, unless you can somehow begin the beatings early.
Remember that this deck is built for multiplayer – should you decide to play this or a similar deck, your spells will be cast in defense of your person. Many times, that’s what a multiplayer game comes down to – waiting for someone to make a move. This deck guarantees that when you make a move, people will notice. And hopefully, it won’t matter, since they’ll be dead.
John Alcantara Liu
“Steely Resolve, naming elves, go.”
“Oooh, that’s gonna hurt…. I cast Mutilate, go.”
“…”
* – Those following my articles will recognize this as the first deck I referenced in my original article, Why A Banned List For Casual Groups Is Ridiculous, with a modification, adding in Visara. Yes, I am that idiot playing Crystal Quarry.
** – Of course, I have a personal rule when it comes to multiplayer-the combo deck player dies first.