The Untouchable

Best card in Pauper Standard?

     

Eight people showed up to dip their toes into the newly formed pauper standard format and it didn't take long for one strategy to emerge as the most powerful.  While most went the red route and splashing either white or black, the champion Ian Go crafted a white/green deck around the aura Ethereal Armor.  He paired it with Gladecover Scout and set about casting Theros' enchantment creatures to buff the hexproof elf some more. It usually didn't take long for most decks to succumb, especially when a second Armor came down.

The 1/1 that could.

This two-card combo is actually taken from a Modern archetype popularized by famous and skilled professional Magic player Reid Duke.  Although both commons, the synergy is powerful as opponents are left scrambling to find ways of interacting with the elf who usually gains first strike, lifelink, and a bunch of other abilities courtesy of auras.  Then with bestow creatures, there is the added benefit of salvaging a creature or two if the Scout meets its demise somehow.

Is this the answer?

While Devour Flesh can also get rid of a pest that can't be targeted, Celestial Flare is a better solution as it doesn't give up life points to the opponent.  A full set is recommended in the sideboard or maybe even a couple in the maindeck if this archetype gains widespread use.  However, it might not prove sufficient as evidenced by Ian's match against his finals foe who boarded in thirteen cards out of a possible fifteen.

So Magic players better load up their arsenal with the appropriate weapons as people dig deeper into this exciting new way to enjoy the game.

Clan Wars is Spreading

Team Oh No (right) defends their title.

It's gratifying to hear people say that they enjoy playing 3vs3 Team Commander, a format that I developed using ideas from members of our Magic community in SM North.  We've had three tournaments so far and attendance has been growing steadily.  But more than the numbers, it's what players say that has me jumping for joy.  

"We'll come back next week to avenge our loss."

"Even when we were losing, we were having fun and laughing with our teammates."

"We can play almost anything because the format isn't broken."

And so on and so forth.

These statements reaffirm what I believe are the advantages of a team format over multiplayer and duel versions of Commander.  First, bookkeeping is kept to a minimum unlike in multiplayer/league games which usually employ a point system.  In 3vs3 or Clan Wars, teams just have to overcome their opponents and that is reflected in their win-loss records which is quite easy to track.  Second, deck construction is a breeze because we use the banned list for multiplayer, which most Commander pilots adhere to, so there isn't a lot of adjusting necessary to get a game started right away.  In duel, people have to take out their Sol Rings (which they hate doing) and memorize a different list of banned cards.  Third, defeats don't hurt as much because it's the group who lost and not just an individual.  Conversely, victories feel twice as good because teamwork adds a sense of belonging, of togetherness.  For these reasons alone, it is worth giving 3vs3 a try.

While it's great that Clan Wars is winning converts by the day, I know that I have to work harder to ensure that there is a level playing field and a fantastic play atmosphere.  My hope is that there will be a rules committee soon to help me craft and provide the most enjoyable Commander experiences ever.  If all goes well, then one day there will be a huge tournament with teams from around the globe competing and relishing this latest Magic variant.

How to Emerge Victorious in the Clan Wars

Here are ten tips if you're joining the Clan Wars and want your team to be the last one standing.

1. Strategize.  Your team needs to figure out how it is going to win every time.  Do you choose beatdown, control, combo or some combination of the three?  For instance, one team had Kaalia for quick offense, Teferi for disruption and defense, and Damia for additional countermagic as well as the option to combo off.

2. Build decks that work well with each other.  For instance, one team didn't take this into account and an Armageddon from one of its members crippled not only the opponents but also his teammates.  Ironically, the opponents recovered faster from the land destruction spell and won eventually.

3. Have adequate mana sources.  Some teams lose outright because one of their members miss several land drops.  This is particularly fatal if the person suffering mana drought is the focal point of the offense or defense.  There have been too many incidents of teams failing to win simply because someone was manascrewed.

4. Combo away.  Having three enemies is tough so it's vital that your team has a combo to kill them all simultaneously.  There was one case wherein a Solemn Simulacrum equipped with Sword of Feast and Famine and an Aggravated Assault out was able to save the team during the last five turns of the round.  It is also advisable that the combo doesn't require a lot of cards and mana to assemble.

5. Don't forget the aggro guy.  It's important to have someone who can pressure the combo decks.  Most of the good teams have a Bruna, Krenko, or Thraximundar to press the attack.  If they manage to kill one, they can then wait for time to expire or use their strength in numbers to eliminate the survivors.

6. Use cheap commanders.  You need to have low casting cost commanders so that they can be deployed right away.  For instance, the edge gained by casting Gaddock Teeg on the 2nd turn is enormous especially if the team built their decks to take advantage of him.  Most teams have someone with a commander costing four mana or less to establish board presence early in the hopes of riding him/her to victory.

7. Play all five colors.  After a team lost several games they realized that their weakness was lack of access to white, especially to removal spells like Swords to Ploughshares.  Having access to as many colors as possible allows the team to solve a lot of problems.  There was the case of one team using Animar as the win condition because of its protection from white and black which their opponents couldn't overcome.

8. Everyone is a threat.  Each member of the team should be able to play defense and offense because the most common tactic is to kill the defensive genius or cripple the offense-minded warrior.  As such, it is necessary that members serve multiple roles adequately.  This way someone can act as a decoy while another sets up a combo.

9. Communicate.  One of the most enjoyable aspects of the format is the interaction between teammates.  It is also the most powerful as teammates who talk with each other about everything do better.  Losing teams can always point to a time when they didn't share information which ended up being crucial.

10. Choose the captain wisely.  Being the captain is probably the most important function in a team format.  He needs to collect, analyze, and act on a lot of information during the game.  It is his decisions from assessing threats to organizing defenses that determine whether a team rises or falls.

After learning the ten ways by which you can improve your chances of winning the Clan Wars, you can also contribute your own ideas in the comments.