War politics (EDH / Commander) [Revisão 6]

“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

INTRODUCTION

Agression in MTG is usually based in spells that affect inmediatelly one or several players that will get angry and respond you at any possible time. This brew is designed to face that situation faking an initial pacefull position and aiming to help other players while instigating them to attack each others until a fatal end is inevitable (as commonly happens in real wars).

This deck is mean to be played in 4 player matches where all instigating and curse strategies shine.

Take allies at the beggining, gain some resources by letting them attack each other and finally create some chaos and big threats to smash the remainings.

Curses and vows let you increase the number of cards that you can draw with Zedruu the (not so) Greathearted while there is also numerous cards that can be given to other players or that rotate among them.

While it is constructed using high price land cards (usually proxy my decks), real versions of this deck can be purchased substituting the rich cards with a more budget friendly ones.

I cannot decide about the remaining cards that I have to cut in order to decrease the total amount to 100 and therefore it is still under construction. Tips and discussion is really welcomed.

STRATEGY

Defcon 5:
Initiate the game stablishing some alliances with one or two players. Two-side teatry and Fake peace sections are perfect for that.

Defcon 4:
Opponent permanents that pose a threat can be readucated and put in your favor using cards from Colonialist tactics section. Drawing is important here to keep pace of other strategies.

Defcon 3:
What is better than attacking with big creatures? Letting other players attack each others while to eat some popcorn. Instigate War section with a lot of goad cards, vows and curses that will turn lucrative for other to attack among them. Against the system! section is to focus the group attention to one problematic player that doesn't want to cooperate.

Defcon 2:
During late game it will be imposible to keep faking your insterest and open war will start. Too late for your opponents, you may find cards in Declaration of war and Total war sections that will spark the agression among all people, including you.

Defcon 1:
An appocaliptic nuclear war scenario is perfectly recreated in MTG by using cards of section

TACTICS

Control strategies are perceived as less oppressive by players if they are left with something. Proteus Staff provides a powerful removal effect, but will give the victim a new toy in return; and it can be used politically, e.g. by "upgrading" someone's goblin token with it. Winds of Abandon, Curse of the Swine, Chaos Warp, Indomitable Creativity and Settle the Wreckage also provide compensation for your losses. Removal spells of this kind are strong enough for the Commander format, but also don't draw out games to the point when they're not fun anymore. Commit // Memory is an interrupt/removal spell, hand disruption and graveyard hate; but since everyone gets to draw a new hand of seven fresh cards, most players won't complain. Haphazard Bombardment is a potent removal spell, but it will hit three out of four chosen permanents at random, so no one will get the impression that I'm picking on them. If I intend to evoke that impression I use Crown of Doom, Akroan Horse or Fractured Identity. They're political instruments, meant to punish the player who's ahead and to help the players who are behind. Oath of Lieges, Humble Defector, Pendant of Prosperity, Role Reversal, Hunted Dragon and Dawnbreak Reclaimer also fall into this category. My list is completed by utility spells like Leave // Chance, Deflecting Palm and Jeskai Ascendancy, and some pet cards that are only in there for hilarity, like Polymorphist's Jest, Possibility Storm and Dovescape.

CONCLUSION

I love Zedruu to no end, and of all my brews to date, this one is the most fun, for me and everyone else in my playgroup. I'd like to hear your thoughts on it, so please leave a comment if you care. Thanks!