Scalpel vs. Hammer: A Word on Multiplayer Strategies

After playing two whole Elder Dragon Highlander games I feel qualified to deliver a theoretical discourse on deck building. That’s sarcasm people, look at my screen name. However, you might want to read further since my lifetime record in EDH games is 2-0. I’m undefeated! Actually I just noticed a difference in strategy that might be worth noting. There are, I’m sure, many different philosophies that can undergird any multiplayer deck choice. I’ll talk about two general ones today; the first being a “Toolbox” approach, the second being “Generalist” approach.
I’m not saying that either way of building is superior (actually, I have a definite slant, as you’ll see later, but I really do believe that both views are potentially successful ways to build a multiplayer deck), and yep, there’s plenty of other ways of conceptualizing deck building too (anybody ever heard of “Recursion,” for example?). I’m just giving a bipolar framework for looking at EDH or any other multiplayer deck building. Maybe it will be useful the next time you sit down to build. Let’s start with the Toolbox approach. This term is ubiquitous enough within Magic writing that most of you already know what I mean. In EDH, you have 100 card choices which must be unique (yeah, yeah, except for basic lands, Whiny McWhinerson). Given that the number of different threats others will be playing will be quite diverse, why not include pinpoint answers to many different types of threats along with several redundant ways of searching out theses answers? We could be using Idyllic Tutor to fetch Oblivion Ring to get rid of an opposing Garruk, or Cream of the Crop in an otherwise creature-laden deck to put the Shriekmaw on top. Maybe it means transmuting Dimir Houseguard for Damnation, or Mystical Tutoring for Disenchant. You get the idea. Card advantage comes from dealing with threats (or, I suppose, making the most abusable threats) so efficiently that other players can’t execute their plans effectively.
On to the “Generalist” approach. This is not simply the converse of a Toolbox strategy. The two philosophies share similar core ideas about how games are won. Generalists also believe that the way to win in multiplayer is to deal efficiently with threats and provide the best threats of one’s own at the right time. The difference is in the execution. Oblivion Ring is a great card- the perfect card to get rid of a single planeswalker. But Apocalypse gets rid of every planeswalker, every scary enchantment and artifact, and every dude in play (and your hand, but hey, you can always suspend guys prior, right?). We know there will be many times when O-ring will be better, but Apocalypse is a more consistently useful way of removing things from the game, and that is more valuable to the Generalist. That is the essence of this strategy- no scalpels, only hammers. If any of you have read Anthony Alongi’s multiplayer stuff, this would be sort of a cross between Cockroach and Gorilla strategies. Keep your things around, affect as many permanents as possible, and hopefully the quality of your threats and answers will net you card advantage (and the win) long term. The Generalist wants every card to be as useful as possible in as many situations as possible. Konda, Lord of Eiganjo is a 3/3 for seven mana. That’s pretty much the antithesis of efficiency. But he also lives through 75% of your opponent’s removal (and your own board sweepers) so Konda is a lot better than his stats belie. Speaking of board sweepers, they all get in the Generalist’s deck, not because sometimes they would be the perfect answer to have when you’re behind on the board (that’s a Toolbox ideology) but because most of the time they’ll deal with most of the threats that most of your opponents throw at you.
To whit: You know what two card combo is really amazing? Triskelavus and Acadmey Ruins. Make the Trike, make dudes, kill stuff, rinse repeat. Some good. And they’re even okay cards on their own. That’s the scalpel approach. Here’s the hammer. Akroma, Angel of Wrath. Yes, Trike/Ruins combo will remove opposing creatures, chump block, and given enough turns and mana, win the game all on their own. And yep, Akroma will never kill that annoying Royal Assassin. But she will beat face. Most of the time, against most opponents, the better threat is Akroma. Hey, it’s good to be one of the best creatures in the game. Let’s try some more examples. Scalpel: Mystical Teachings. Hammer: Whispers of the Muse. Teachings is objectively better on the first (and even second, flashbacked!) use. But with the buyback Whispers only gets better the longer the game goes. Scalpel: Sundering Titan. Hammer: Armageddon. I know everybody really wants a 7/10 after binning all your opponent’s land and none of your own non-basics, but Armageddon does the job, every time, against all opponents. Suck it up and sandbag some lands prior to blowing up the world. One more. Scalpel: Cryptic Command. Hammer: Time Stop. “But wait, TooSarcastic! Cryptic Command gives a player all sorts of flexibility- it should be the epitome of a Generalist card!” Au contraire, voice in my head. You can counter exactly one spell. You may also bounce a guy (useful in multiplayer, but not usually backbreaking) or tap an opponent’s team (again, less useful since tempo is glacial in multiplayer games) and or draw a card (cantrips are only exciting if the original effect is good as well). Now look at the hammer. Time Stop ends the turn. It ends the freakin’ turn! No more Storm count. No more attack step. No nothing. See how the Cryptic Command is really a scalpel masquerading as a hammer? It deals with very specific needs, not general ones. It’s still a good card for multiplayer, but only if you buy into the Toolbox strategy to begin with. If you want to be a Generalist, just end the turn already.
And yes, in case you can’t tell, I am a Generalist. So come to Captain Bondage Goth’s place on Friday nights to beat me with your Toolbox EDH decks. I’ll have a hammer waiting for you!