Am I The Bolas? - Stat Tracking in a Casual Game

Mike Carrozza • March 5, 2025

Opinion
Bureaucracy
 Illustrated by Mark Zug

Hello, and welcome to Am I the Bolas?

This column is for all of you out there who have ever played some Magic 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?"

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 in the column. You might even hear it on the podcast. Which podcast? 

THIS PODCAST!

I'm Mike Carrozza, aka Mark Carbonza, and sometimes, ya just gotta laugh!

Is it Halloween yet?

This week, a group's dynamic is wrecked by numbers.

(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)

HELLO, MIKE

I have been part of a regular Friday night playgroup for the past two years, consistently. We miss the odd week here or there, but who doesn't? Anyways, we have logged around 240 total games over two years. The way we know this is the host tracks every game (just wins and losses per deck, per player) on an app called Guildpact. Shout out to Guildpact. It ranks decks based on win rate and shows players' overall win rate percentage as well.
 
We haven't ever needed it to keep track of what decks are the scariest, if a deck seems too powerful or unfun, we all have enough decks, we simply rotate it out of our decks that we play. Recently however, the host, and only one who actively tracks and looks at stats on the app, has really started to focus on individual player win rate. In a perfect world, it would be 25% each, but it's about 30% me, 27% the host, 25% player 3 and 18% player 4. No one had paid any attention to it until last month. The host pointed out my win percentage was the highest.
 
He has proceeded for three weeks to ensure that I am not really a participant in any games. He has pointed removal at my permanents or killed me or attacked me in ways that have made the other two players in our group question what he is doing. His argument is that his assessment is based on giving me the respect I deserve because I have the highest win percentage, despite it only being marginally higher than his. I voiced my concern the other night and it was met with "look at how he reacts when he isn't winning".
 
I joined this group for a fun social way to consistently play the game I love. Winning and losing has never been a factor for me, which is why the app has been annoying. It seems to have changed it from a fun casual game into one based on who is the best or whose deck is the best. I am finding myself not wanting to go if I am going to continue being unjustly targeted. I am all for acknowledging when I am the archenemy, but I feel it is unfair to focus on me to the point where the other players are questioning it.
 
Am I the Bolas for wanting to stop tracking or take a break/leave from the group?
 
Thanks from a big fan,
 
Daniel
 
 

HOWDY, DANIEL!

Thank you for writing in 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.

Ouh! A submission that mentions no specific deck! All social elements, very interesting case!

There are few things that stand out to me in this one:
- The other two players are questioning the host's judgement.
- "Look at how he reacts when he isn't winning"
- Focusing removal on you to be essentially a non-participant

I think it's fair for you to want to pull back from a dynamic where you are actively being pushed away. The games are meant to be casual, but the moment statistics and numbers come into decision-making to secure a win, isn't that what competition is all about?

Having the stats is just an interesting thing to glance at, but the second they become the reason for anything in-game, I'm less keen on tracking them, too. While it's being used to point you out as the biggest winner, it's also clearly being used as somewhat of a shield for the host who is likeliest to "benefit" from this. That said, what's the benefit even? Winning more? Cool? That doesn't seem to be the priority for the rest of the pod. 

I think the biggest flag for me is the statement "look at how he reacts when he isn't winning". It's dismissive and disrespectful. It's totally fair to not want to keep playing when that's how you're being treated when bringing a concern to the group. You're being targeted for having the highest win rate, which isn't something you can really argue with, and that sucks! A fact, checked by the data, is the excuse to forego the fun for everybody element and instead is used as the top reason for threat assessment that cannot be denied.

I believe, considering the other two players are perceived to be confused by the host's actions toward you, it'd be a good idea to bring it up to the group and ask how they all like or dislike it. I would also recommend doing so outside of a game. Discussing the impact of the stats as its own thing, removed from a game itself, should be a cleaner slate to work from to get anywhere.

That said, if there's no change to the host's behavior around the stats and actions due to them, definitely take a break or see if the others feel similarly. Not to exclude anybody, but if you all agree that it's not fun and they press the issue, then what are we doing here?

Not the Bolas. Keep your peace of mind. Take breaks from the game and groups as you need them. It's totally fair!

Mike Carrozza

Mike Carrozza

Mike Carrozza is a stand-up comedian from Montreal who’s done a lot of cool things like put out an album called Cherubic and worked with Tig Notaro, Kyle Kinane, and more people to brag about. He’s also been an avid EDH player who loves making silly stuff happen. @mikecarrozza on platforms. Check out the Am I The Bolcast? podcast based on his series Am I The Bolas? where people send in stories about whether or not they're the bad guy!