How does a deck win?

By setting up a win condition.

Now that we've identified that, what's the key phrase in the above statement?

Setting up, of course.

No deck pilots itself, not even Sligh. Sure, it gets stupid good hands sometimes but it still takes some thought. But all too, often new players - or just those too oblivious to learn - complain about the"one card" that beat them. This is a most frustrating thing to confront, and it's even harder to deal with. This sort of comment really belittles your skill, and most who voice it don't realize how ignorant they are.

But take heart, fellow gamers - what this comment really means is:"I got beat because I didn't play well or I played sloppy." If you've ever caught yourself saying,"If it wasn't for that one card..." please! Do yourself a favor and take notes.

"If it wasn't for Visara... See, every time you play Visara you win. I can't deal with Visara."

"It's just a win condition; Wild Mongrel's a win condition."

"Not against eleven kill spells!"

In order to understand this illustration having the deck would help greatly. I strongly discourage playing this in anything but pure casual play.

MBC
Land (26)
24 Swamp
2 Cabal Coffers

Removal (11)
4 Terror
4 Diabolic Edict
3 Mutilate

Set up (16)
3 Diabolic Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Tainted Pact
2 Skeletal Scrying
4 Duress
2 Mind Sludge

Win conditions (7)
4 Corrupt
2 Undead Gladiator
1 Visara the Dreadful

What are Visara the Dreadful's faults?
First off, there is but one Visara the Dreadful. Sure, there are four Tutors to nab her with, but there are also four Tainted Pact, which are pivotal to the deck's performance. It is quite possible for her to be Pacted away in search of land or removal.

Second of all, the big beautiful baby costs six to cast. Six! The earliest she'll hit the table, barring Coffers, is Turn 6. Hmm... Seems like quite a few beats to me.

And finally, one of the subtlest concepts to grasp, tempo, comes in to play. Between the removal and hand disruption that need to be played (and possibly tutored for) when will Visara the Dreadful most likely dominate?

When the deal is sealed and the check's in the mail, that's why. You're already helpless; she's just what mops up the mess.

Are You Playing Sloppy?
If you're playing U/G Madness with a full complement of Envelops maindeck against sorcery-laden MBC, you are. It's easy to write off losses to creature removal because, well, what could you do, right?

Of course not. I played my Madness-packing friend with MBC, which everybody knows takes time to set up. Land drops are crucial and spells are costly. He had eight - count 'em, eight - one-mana counterspells (provided he let the appropriate creatures die).

He didn't.

Question 1: How many creatures do you play without running the risk of overextending?
While it depends on what you're playing, against this MBC, two is more often than not the right number. The main reason being the eight instant-speed removal spells. The tempo is very different in this matchup due to the extra counters. U/G is not the aggressor and cannot afford to put a creature in to play unprotected by either a counter or a buffer creature to ward off Edict.

What did my friend open with every game? One unprotected creature. Over and over.

Question 2: Is It Safe To Overextend While Leaving One Blue Up?
My God, no! Not against this deck! When you know that there's the possibility of that counter getting stripped, never ever play more than two creatures. If mass removal hits more than two creatures, pray they can't up and take the game. Another rule of thumb is to always act if they have more than one copy of the most devastating spell. My friend had out a Wild Mongrel, a Merfolk Looter, and a Basking Rootwalla with one blue up. He dropped another Rootwalla. I had eight Swamps. What did I draw? Mutilate number two.

Mutilate one met an Envelop. Mutilate two swept his board. Guess who won?

Question 3: On Turn 3, Do You Counter Diabolic Edict, Terror, Or Tainted Pact?
Well if you've been paying attention you'll have no reason to fear the Terror or Diabolic Edict. The Tainted Pact, on the other hand, fetches or digs closer to crucial land drops. Do you counter it? Of course; stalling opponents is just as crucial to winning as the creature you just smashed face with. Game after game, my friend let it through. I won those games.

Always pay attention to the cards, even the ones that don't directly affect your life total. While not presenting a deadly threat themselves, a deadly threat will come from allowing them through. Proper threat assessment is crucial: Always ask yourself,"What could come of that resolving?"

Question 4: Should Duress Go Through?
Bluffing is a very important, but seldom understood, mechanic of Magic. Forcing your opponent to play around the possibility of a game wrecking spell is oftentimes just as good as actually having the solution. But if they see your hand, well... Bluffing is not so easy is it?

While pertaining greatly to control players, it goes for any instant-speed tricks up your sleeve. If they know the trick is there, then they can play around it, possibly rendering it useless (like, say, counterspells). While countering Duress is often a judgment call always take in to account the state of the game. If your opponent must have that one spell to survive, counter the Duress and bluff. He may have to hold back because it's necessary to force it through allowing you more time for your setup.

And one more thing: Never palm the land needed to cast your tricks. I cast a Diabolic Edict; my friend palmed an Island and decided not to use it. Hmm, what do you suppose he had?

Question 5: If You're Sitting On One Card In Hand, Circular Logic, With A Wild Mongrel Out And One Blue Up, Do You Counter A Terror Directed At Your Mongrel?
The answer should be a resounding no. Why not? Well, the mechanics should tell you no. You can float that Circular Logic and still save your Wild Mongrel; that dog changes colors, too.

What did my friend do? Why he countered the Terror, of course. That is quite possibly the epitome of sloppy game play. I managed to nab two cards with that move - one from the hand, plus one counter wasted. He was out of cards and I had just feinted with my left and smashed him with my right. I pointed a Corrupt at his dome and took full control of the game.

Also, do you recall the game state when I played those two Mutilates? Wild Mongrel, Merfolk Looter, double Basking Rootwalla, with one blue up? He knew I played Mutilate, and needlessly threw that second Basking Rootwalla in to play. Instead of getting only three creatures, I nailed four. Once again, I ask: Who won that one?

The bottom line is this: If you don't need to play it, don't.

The summary of questions runs down this way:

• Are you consistently being beat because of that one card you can't deal with?
• Are you playing the deck correctly in any given match up?
• Are you putting too much faith in instant-speed tricks? (Especially counterspells)
• Are you assessing the true threats correctly? (Look beyond what smashed you)
• Are you using cards in hand to their fullest advantage? (Bluff dammit)
• Are you sure you need to play that right now? (Always ask yourself this when casting any spell)

A small list of questions that you should ask yourself the next time you play a game. Please, try and improve your game - not tear someone else's down. Ask yourself if it really was that one card... Or if it was possibly something you did. Something you can learn from and control next time. The first step to improving your game is admitting you can, and do, make mistakes.

Out,
Jonathan Kilday
JKilday@earthdome.com