Am I The Bolas? - Teacher's Pests
Teach by Example Illustrated by Johan Grenier
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 below one day. You might even hear it on the podcast. Which podcast?
I'm Mike Carrozza, aka Mark Carbonza, hey, WotC made a card about me!
Friggin' Master of Farts!
This week, time for a lesson.
(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)
HELLO, MIKE
Hi Mike/Mark Carrozza/Carbonza,
I've had the pleasure of reading through each and every one of your articles, and I'm working through the backlog of your podcast. If anyone reading this hasn't listened yet, please do. It's a wonderful insight into the opinions of magic content creators, and always a fun listen.
I was wracking my brain the other day for a situation where I might be the Bolas, and I finally came up with one that I'd love for you to weigh in on.
I am a high school teacher, and I run a gaming club for some interested students. A few of my students mentioned to me that they play Magic on the side and wondered if I would play some Commander with them. I, of course, said yes. I've been playing Magic for about five years now, and have been playing various TCGs for around 10 years, so I thought it would be fun to play with some newer players and bring low- to mid-powered decks that don't compete as much at my LGS.
At the next week's club meeting, I took what I would consider a mid-powered deck with me, and absolutely stomped them. I apologized, played another game with the same deck, and had the same outcome. The decks that my students were playing are homebrewed piles of cards that they threw together from what they owned.
Over the next week, I brewed a budget, spellslinger/Wizard kindred list that I thought would be low enough power but it was not. After a few further attempts at building low-powered decks, I resorted to bringing an unedited precon (Anje Falkenrath
These past few months, my students have upgraded their decks and brought precons, but still struggle against my unedited precon. They keep trying, but they really seem to be getting disheartened, but whenever they win, they brag and get really happy about it.
I've refrained from bringing any Magic stuff these past few weeks. I don't want to pubstomp my students, and they've been having plenty of fun playing without me.
Am I the Bolas for pubstomping my students? Am I the Bolas for not brewing something weaker than a precon? Am I the Bolas for playing to win against players that are far less experienced than I am?
- Raven
HOWDY, RAVEN!
Thank you for writing 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.
This is a fun one to receive, but it also feels like one I get to answer while I kick my feet up.
I mean, don't let the kids win every time, but if they're disheartened, come on buddy, let 'em have it. Teach them how to do things and let some things slide. They don't know your hand, but you've got more experience and you know the deal, throw 'em a bone!
If you can't brew anything lower powered than a precon, it's time to borrow a deck of theirs. They're young and learning, their resources probably aren't necessarily as plentiful either. Teach them about Scryfall and EDHREC. Teach them about the tools if the concern is them building better.
But if they're happy with their decks when they're playing against each other yet pester you to play, borrow one of theirs and make the best of it. If you continue to stomp, it might be cool to show why you make certain decisions when you do. You're a teacher, I'm sure this will come naturally to you. Maybe roam around the table and point some stuff out, give them advice they can internalize and use in the future.
I think you're not the Bolas for not being able to brew worse than a precon. At a certain point it's like you've worked this brew brain muscle and it's not easy to shut off. Add some more restrictions if you've got to every time. But I recommend borrowing, still.
I don't think it's necessarily Bolas behavior to play to win against players who are less experienced, but I do think in your unique position, it is necessary for you to show it's possible to topple you off the podium. Give them that excitement and a new king of the hill.
Not the Bolas, but you've got to be careful about making things too disheartening.
