Commander Play-By-Play: You Did This To Yourself

Every now and again, I get the chance to record the play-by-play of one of our games. While I’d like to do it with League games, writing down stuff slows
down the pace of play a little, so I’d rather do it while playing a casual game. I also have to consider how long it takes to write things down, since I’m
not writing down only the action, but also the thoughts that are going through my head and the cards that I’m thinking about playing. To that end, I
probably won’t do too many with Animar, Soul of Elements, because it’s a very active deck and lots of things happen on my turn. It occurred to me that my
most reactive deck is Ruhan of the Fomori, “You Did This to Yourself.” I do far less with the deck (there’s no silly bouncing stuff with Cloudstone Curio
and recasting it), and I’m sitting back watching the action most of the time. This gives me the opportunity to write down the play-by-play without
negatively impact the game flow.

I sat down with Armada Games regulars Chris (King Macar, the Gold-Cursed), Todd (Rith, the Awakener), and Anthony (Anafenza, the Foremost). We were lucky
enough to have a pretty epic game.

Turn 1

Me: Plains.

Chris: Swamp, Springleaf Drum.

Todd: Stomping Ground (tapped).

Anthony: Terramorphic Expanse into Plains.

Turn 1

Me: Glacial Fortress.

Chris: Swamp.

Todd: Command Tower.

Anthony: Jund Panorama into Forest.

Turn 3

Me: Clifftop Retreat, Burnished Hart. Gettin’ my mana online.

Chris: Thespian’s Stage.

Todd: Plains, Kodama’s Reach dropping another Plains and getting a Forest.

Anthony: Swamp.

Turn 4

Me: Mountain. Attack Chris with Burnished Hart. He casts Bile Blight, which seemed like a waste to me, since it’s pretty likely he’ll only take 2 and I’ll
sacrifice the Hart later. I sacrifice it now and get two Island.

Chris: Winding Canyons, King Macar.

Todd: Urabrask, the Hidden. Attacks me (36).

Anthony: Plains.

Turn 5

Me: I could play Ruhan here, but knowing that Todd can get a little crazy with Rith and some tokens, I cast Aether Flash instead, following it up with
Sunforger.

Chris: Swamp, Consuming Vapors targeting Todd, who has to sacrifice Urabrask. Chris to (44). Attacks Todd with King Macar (38).

Todd: Selesnya Sanctuary, bouncing a Mountain.

Anthony: Arcane Lighthouse. This is the kind of game I’m happy letting develop when I’m playing Ruhan. The slower development gives me the opportunity to
not get squeezed by too much aggression too early.

Turn 6

Me: Plains, Helm of Obedience. No Ruhan because Chris has Consuming Vapors coming on the rebound.

Chris: Consuming Vapors goes off, Todd, Anthony, and I offered a collective Nelson Muntz. Casts Indulgent Tormentor then attacks
Anthony (who must have “ha ha’d” loudest) with King Macar. Anthony kills it with Putrefy.

Todd: Mountain, Rith, the Awakener.

Anthony: Casts Return to Dust, thinks for a moment, then takes out Sunforger and Helm. He muses out loud about the Drum/Macar synergy, then expresses that
he doesn’t think it’s a long-term problem. I think about it for a bit, then activate Helm of Obedience for 4, targeting Anthony. Todd doesn’t play a host
of creatures, nor does Chris, and I haven’t seen much of Anthony’s deck, so he seems like the best choice. I get Doomed Necromancer, which dies to Aether
Flash (which will be a defining card in this game, as it often is). I realize it was the worst choice, since he’s doing reanimation stuff. Anthony casts
Mulch and gets a Plains.

Turn 7

Me: My draw is Aura Thief, which will be really sweet when there are some cool enchantments out, since I can just cast it, Aether Flash will kill it, and
I’ll get them. Okay, maybe there’s a silver lining to my mistake of milling Anthony. I’m hoping for him to be able to regrow the Greater Good he milled
with Mulch, since it looks like Anthony’s deck does some graveyard trickery.

Chris: Indulgent Tormentor triggers. Chris targets Todd, who pays (35). Recasts King Macar. Attacks me with Tormentor (31).

Todd: Plains, Eldrazi Monument. Suddenly Aether Flash isn’t looking as good. Attacks Chris with Rith (37), pays for the trigger choosing black, and gets
two Saprolings which don’t die to Aether Flash since they’re indestructible. If he can manage to get in one more attack with Rith, he’s going to be in
pretty good shape.

Anthony: Darksteel Ingot.

Turn 8

Me: My draw is Desertion. I sit back, especially since King Macar is out. At EOT, Chris taps Macar with Springleaf Drum.

Chris: Untaps, exiles Rith and targets Anthony with Indulgent Tormentor. Anthony lets him draw a card. Drops Cabal Coffers. Casts Massacre Wurm, taking out
Todd’s tokens (meaning he’ll have to sacrifice Eldrazi Monument; he was so close). We talk a little about him taking the risk of dropping the Monument when
he knew he was only going to get two tokens and knowing that Chris’ deck is pretty control-ish. We agree that the potential upside was worth the risk, even
though it didn’t work out this time. Todd goes to (31). Chris attacks Anthony with the Tormentor (33).

Todd: Sacrifices Eldrazi Monument. Mountain. Casts Tooth and Nail entwined. I think about using that Desertion. I don’t have enough damage prevention if he
gets Craterhoof and Avenger of Zendikar and attacks me. I have to go into bargain mode. I tell him that if he’s not going to attack me, that Tooth and Nail
is welcome to resolve. Of course, he doesn’t know if that’s just a stone cold bluff or not, but it’s probably in his best interest to not gamble on it. I
also have a board wipe in hand, so saving the Desertion seems better for me. He agrees, much fearing doing it to himself. Tooth and Nail resolves, and he
gets Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite and Avenger of Zendikar, netting him 8 plant tokens. I inwardly smile, since he’s played right into my card.

Anthony: Plains.

Turn 9

Me: Draw, drop a land. Ask Todd to name a Journey song. He says “Don’t Stop Believing.” I say nothing. He says “Worlds Apart.” I start singing and then
cast Chain Reaction (check out the tremendously terrible video). Todd drops all the way to (11)
from Massacre Wurm.

Chris: Activate Cabal Coffers, floats some mana, casts Syphon Mind. Todd discards Mercadia’s Downfall (someone was going to get stomped next turn if he
still had all those plant tokens), Anthony pitches Abzan Ascendency, and I get rid of Willbender. Drops a Swamp then casts Rotfeaster Maggot, targeting
Todd’s Elesh Norn.

Todd: Plains, casts the last card in his hand, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth. I consider Desertion, but I won’t get the cards. The only thing I’d get is a big,
fat annihilator, which is good and all, but Todd’s precarious life total means I might not keep it for long. Since I know he’s unlikely to attack me with
it (he fears Mirror Strike would kill him), countering it seems like a low value play.

Anthony: Casts Kessig Cagebreakers and Auramancer, which dies to Aether Flash. He gets back Greater Good. I have to avoid showing too much excitement.

Turn 10

Me: Seems like a turn to cast Ruhan, so I do. Drop a Mountain and I’m done.

Chris: Actives Coffers again, casts Crypt Ghast. We all kind of scratch our heads, but he floats extra mana, then lets Crypt Ghast die. He casts Bane of
the Living face up, which continues the head scratching, but then he casts Disciple of Bolas. It, too, will die, but he sacrifices Bane of the Living to
it, drawing cards and going to (48). It seems like a long way around, spending three cards to get four, but that was all he had.

Todd: Temple of the False God, Beastmaster’s Ascension, and Ranger’s Path, getting Savannah and Taiga. I urge Todd to attack Chris with Kozilek, since
Chris has lots of stuff, to include the dangerous Cabal Coffers. Todd thinks the suggestion carried a “if you don’t, I’m going to hurt you” connotation,
but it didn’t. I just thought it was the better play for the rest of us. He attacks, and Chris sacrifices Springleaf Drum, Cabal Coffers, Thespian’s Stage,
and Rotfeaster Maggot. He goes to (36). Sacrificing the Cabal Coffers was obviously designed to consider him a bit less of a threat, which I thought was a
clever political play.

Anthony: Casts Big Game Hunter, taking out Kozilek. Flashes back Unburial Rites (which was also part of that Mulch dump) targeting Juniper Order Ranger.
Reaches for his dice bag. Attacks Chris with Kessig Cagebreakers, getting 3 wolves and putting counters on them and the Ranger. Chris goes to (33).

Turn 11

Me: Cast Mind Stone. Declare attack, and Ruhan randomly hits Anthony (26).

Chris: Targets the now 5/7 Juniper Order Ranger with Phthisis. Anthon to (14).

Todd: Says “none of the cards in my hand are great” and casts Rith.

Anthony: Plains, Krosan Grip on Aether Flash. I internally curse him for not playing that Greater Good last turn so that I could get it with Aura Thief.
Attacks Chris again with the team. Chris to (22).

Turn 12

Me: Mountain. Ruhan attacks Todd. We talk about the advantages or disadvantages of him blocking. We come to the conclusion that in terms of being close to
death, 11 isn’t much different than 4, but now that Aether Flash is gone, he might be able to get there with Rith. He goes to (4).

Chris: Transmutes Brainspoil into Poisonbelly Ogre and casts it, causing Todd so say “11 is way better than 4!”

Todd: Land, shrugs, casts Titanic Ultimatum. Says it’s the only time he’s ever done that for a single creature. Looks across the table at me and probably
reads the Mirror Strike in my hand, since I’m sure my eyes are inviting him to come over. Attacks Chris instead (11), Todd to (15). Pays the trigger,
getting seven tokens and going back to (8) due to Poisonbelly Ogre. Again, it’s the only chance he has. He then plays Gaea’s Cradle and passes.

Anthony: Casts Greater Good. Bastige. Attacks Chris with Cagebreakers and 4 wolves. Chris has to block one to live, at (2).

Turn 13

Me: Here’s where it gets interesting. I draw Knowledge Exploitation. I target Chris, suspecting that I can get something out of his deck which will
reanimate his Massacre Wurm, killing both him and Todd. The chicken dinner is Fated Return. I get it, cast it, target the Massacre Wurm, and Anthony steps
in by casting Rout as an instant to save Todd for now. I scry 2 and look at Sol Ring and Land Tax, which get shipped to the bottom.

Chris: Casts Puppeteer Clique, getting Anthony’s Kessig Cagebreakers. Attacks him with it (since it’s hasty), and has enough creatures in his graveyard to
kill him.

Todd: Now still alive, Todd casts Academy Rector and Hazezon Tamar. Since he’s pretty sure I’m going to kill Chris, which will take away the Massacre Wurm
before he actually gets the tokens, it seems like a safe play.

Turn 14

Me: I cast Aura Thief and drop Azorius Chancery, bounced back a tapped Plains. We discuss the possibilities of how this game might play out (which is why I
love playing in a regular group). The safe and sure play is to let Chris kill Todd, then kill Chris on the crack back. We all agree that it will be more
interesting for me to try to get greedy and kill them both. Knowing that I have some damage prevention in my hand certainly helps make the decision
slightly less risky. I attack Chris with his own Massacre Wurm, which will kill him if he blocks or not. He dies, Massacre Wurm goes away.

Todd: On his upkeep, he gets a swarm of sand warriors. He then windmills Craterhoof Behemoth off the top. I have to use the Desertion to stay alive. He
casts Rith and plays Mosswort Bridge and simply passes.

Turn 15

Me: Izzet Boilerworks without casting anything first. I don’t attack him with Aura Thief, because I want him to keep the Beastmaster Ascension so that when
he swings, his creatures (especially Rith) for me to kill him with Mirror Strike. Alternately, I can have him pump up the Ascension, then steal it with
Aura Thief after it has enough counters on it. Unless he has Flaring Pain, he can’t kill me, so I simply pass.

Todd: He casts Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice. This changes everything, since I can’t let Rith connect with me because it will gain too much life for him and
put him out of killing range. He makes the very clever play of attacking with only Rith, fearing some Ruhan-appropriate chicanery like Comeuppance if he
attacks with everyone. I block with Aura Thief and take Beastmaster’s Ascension, which has three counters on it.

Turn 16

Me: I draw Blue Sun’s Zenith, which may get me back in this thing. I attack him with Craterhoof Behemoth, knowing that he’ll block with the Rector and
probably go get Mirari’s Wake (again, making his creatures bigger is what I need in order to kill him). He activates Mosswort Bridge, getting Acidic Slime,
going to (10) from Trostani. He then blocks with both. I kill both and he does indeed get Mirari’s Wake.

Todd: He once again attacks with just Rith. Now I’m forced to use Deflecting Palm, which I’ve been holding since the beginning. That puts him at (3). That
also leaves me with enough mana to play BSZ for 9 at end of turn. In response, he populates a sand warrior token, going to (5). I draw Solemn Simulacrum,
Dawn Charm, Mirror Strike, Burning Earth, Copy Enchantment, and four lands. That’s not really anything that’s going to help all that much, although a quick
count of his lands reveals he has only 6 basic lands. Burning Earth might be able to slow him down, especially since I now have that Dawn Charm.

Turn 17

Me: I draw Bribery and the play is obvious. I’m actually one low mana cost creature away from being able to just kill him since I can cast the Solemn and
Ruhan. I Bribery him with the intention of getting Purphoros, God of the Forge. There’s nothing else in the deck that’s going to kill him, so I get
Purphoros. I cast Solemn, taking him back to (3). This is still only a stopgap. If he hits me once with Rith, the game will probably be out of reach. Cast
Burning Earth, leaving up two mana to play Dawn Charm. I know he doesn’t play Blood Moon, but it’s a Mountain and a Plains just to be safe.

Todd: Seeing the pressure of Burning Earth (although to be fair, he can tap Cradle for all the mana in the world and only take one), he attacks me with
everyone. I have to cast Dawn Charm. He makes a sand warrior now to go to (5).

Turn 18

Me: I draw a Plains, which is less than I was hoping for. I attack with Jens to see if there’s a card worthwhile on top. He’s definitely aware that if he
goes to 3, I only have to have drawn a creature and he’s dead. He debates whether or not the life or the card is more worthwhile. It’s a tough call, and
not sure which one I’d make in this situation. He blocks with a token, trading (because of Mirari’s Wake). I draw Clone. For a split second, I think I’ve
won. Then I realize the tokens don’t enter the battlefield until my next upkeep. I tap four non-basics, going to (27) to get six mana (two of them produce
two each) plus a basic so that I can cast Clone and Copy Enchantment. I copy Hazezon anyway, hoping that he’ll maybe only attack with Rith again (which
would be a huge punt, and one I’m pretty sure he’s not going to make). He goes to (1). I copy Burning Earth, so now even a little lifegain isn’t going to
let him tap more than one non-basic. He has 18 2/2 tokens, so it’s not like not taking the damage from Burning Earth matters, since I don’t have enough
blockers. My hand at this point is only Reroute and Mirror Strike. The best I can hope for is that he attacks me with Rith as well as the swarm so that I
can get the draw. Well, I suppose the best I can hope for is him activating a targeted ability with a single target and draw a winner. As I wrote that last
line, I got a little panicky that I had punted by not rerouting a Trostani activation just to get the card-but the ability isn’t targeted.

Todd: He does indeed attack me with everyone but Hazezon. I show him Mirror Strike and we die together.

It seems only fitting that this week’s Deck Without Comment is the deck in this writeup.

Ruhan of the Fomori: You Did This To Yourself

Sheldon Menery

0th Place at Test deck on 04-22-2012

Commander

Creatures (13)

Planeswalkers (3)

Lands (37)

Spells (46)

Here is the latest database version of all my decks:

ADUN’S TOOLBOX
; ANIMAR’S SWARM;AURELIA GOES TO WAR;CHILDREN of a LESSER GOD;DEMONS OF KAALIA;EREBOS and the HALLS OF THE DEAD;GLISSA, GLISSA;HELIOD, GOD OF ENCHANTMENTS;DREAMING OF INTET;FORGE OF PURPHOROS;KARN, BEATDOWN GOLEM;HALLOWEEN WITH KARADOR;KARRTHUS, WHO RAINS FIRE FROM THE SKY;KRESH INTO THE RED ZONE;LAVINIA BLINKS;LAZAV, SHAPESHIFTING MASTERMIND;ZOMBIES OF TRESSERHORN;MELEK’S MOLTEN MIND GRIND;MERIEKE’S ESPER CONTROL;THE MILL-MEOPLASM;NATH of the VALUE LEAF;NYLEA OF THE WOODLAND REALM,OBZEDAT, GHOST KILLER;PURPLE HIPPOS and MARO SORCERERS;ZEGANA and a DICE BAG;RAKDOS: LIFE IS SHORT;RITH’S TOKENS;YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF;RURIC THAR AND HIS BEASTLY FIGHT CLUB;THASSA, GOD OF MERFOLK;THE ALTAR of THRAXIMUNDAR; TROSTANI and HER ANGELS

If you’d like to follow the adventures of my Monday Night RPG group (in a campaign that’s been alive since 1987), ask for an invitation to the Facebook
group “Sheldon Menery’s Monday Night Gamers.”