~ The competition is but one aspect of the spectacle ~ I always like to sneak in one last game before I start writing my posts for this series. That final game always seems to go so differently than the previous matches I played between posts. This week was no different. I was able to sneak in a final game on Friday night where the power level balance felt perfect and everyone seemed to actively enjoy the game. The idea of balance is such a fleeting concept that it seems we as commander players are always chasing. I’ve employed a “Welcome All Challengers” approach while testing my Taranika deck. The deck is about improving and upgrading. Being unafraid to play against decks of differing, or more accurately, higher power levels, gives me concrete ways to show my improvement and define my flaws. However, the discussion of power level is unavoidable especially because my three opponents aren’t necessarily looking for the same experience that I am. I’m often setting up a game specifically to test my Taranika deck. When I present its power level, I tend to avoid the common 1-10 scale. Instead I try to frame the deck relative to experiences with which other players are likely familiar. In its current form, I most often compare Taranika to a precon. The deck has a clear game-plan and some definite synergy as many of the precons do. It’s also slow developing, has clunky interaction, and comparatively inefficient card choices. If you were to match this deck up with the Nahiri the Lithomancer precon, I imagine they would square off quite evenly. Despite my urging that the power level of Taranika didn’t need to be matched by the table, I often found myself setting the power cap by playing the deck. The people I’ve played against have seemed generally uncomfortable playing higher power level decks against something that is admittedly of lower power. I understand the latter concern as well. I’m not looking to play my Taranika deck against lists lower down the chain either. This has presented two unique problems. First, it can be difficult to find a game at times. Outside of variations on preconstructed commander decks, it seems like most players on SpellTable lack a low power level deck that they would feel comfortable playing against a precon. The second problem is that when people do have those decks, they rarely seem to enjoy playing them or enjoy the game. Lower Power games tend to be a drastically different experience from the commander experience to which most people are familiar. The games are grindier, plays are less explosive, and the margins are smaller. Extracting extra value from each card you play becomes a much more difficult process. The decisions you make matter more and mean less. Taranika is built to thrive in this environment with cards that allow the caster to maximize their value and reward patience. However, this is not an experience people are used to building for or necessarily want to have. The games where people have attempted to match my power level the closest have seemed like the least fun experiences for the table. Alternatively, the games where my opponents tried to match power level less aggressively have been some of the most enjoyable. In these games, my opponents focused less on sheer strength and instead, focused on decks that were seeking to achieve a similar experience. While their decks may have been stronger than mine, they still played lists that lent themselves to slower, grindier games. In these games, my opponents seemed happier and the table seemed to have more fun. The decks may not have been of the same power level but the goals behind the game were similar and the power levels were close enough that people still had meaningful decisions. What I learned from playing this Taranika deck these past two weeks isn’t about individual cards in the deck, it’s not even about the deck itself, but it’s about the format in which the deck operates. Creating a quality experience is about more than matching two theoretical numbers together. It’s about understanding the environment in which your deck is built to function. Taranika cannot play at a table that requires efficient answers or linear game-plans. It doesn’t require that everyone be playing low power decks, but does need a table that can support an inefficient and slow developing game-plan. In the game I described earlier, my opponents likely had decks slightly stronger than my own, but that didn’t matter. The strategies they employed were slower plans that required a gradual build up. I was able to stick around in the game, pick my spots, and make the most of my spells. I could have the experience I desired, in the environment I wanted, with decks that weren’t at a precon level. There’s no magical solution to solving issues of power level and rule zero conversations in commander. It’s impossible to gather all the information you need in a single sentence or heuristic. Instead it’s about collecting tools to help us navigate rule zero. My experience with finding games with Taranika has given me another tool to help create better experiences with the people whom I play.
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AuthorMonoWhiteBorder -- A man who loves MtG and his small dog. Archives
June 2021
Categories"MonoWhiteBorder" and corresponding content is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
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