With a new upcoming set and my ever growing desire to get in just any kind of V:TES action I feel it is needed to start generating some hype about the game as it stands. To do this I want to take a look back at some of my favorite aspects of the game and how they compare to a current casual Magic Format, Elder Dragon Highlander(EDH).
First of all, because I involved Magic I will be referring to the article as a hybrid article, because most people will be able to understand the general terms generic enough to read this from either side of the fence, and you will only enjoy it more if you happy to be on both sides.
During my time playing V:TES I wrote a series of articles which I called, Play the Player. In these articles I would point out some of the key attitudes and player types which were defined by the deck and play style of the player piloting them and give tips on how to handle those players. I’m going to broaden this because I have seen many of the same tells in EDH. The most basic categories of each are The Pro, The Casual, and The Schemer.
Everybody knows “The Pro.” This is the guy that no matter what the rest of the table is doing, this guy is going to play something tier one. While many other players may be busting out experimental decks, this guy is busting out Nergal or 5-Color Control. In EDH The Pro is most commonly playing green and abusing artifacts and enchantments to get back cards that are just completely retarded to play in a multiplayer format. The Pro player isn’t the guy who wants to table talk much and he really doesn’t like it when you do something that nocks him out of his grove. Eagle’s Sight (V:TES) and Tranquility (M:TG) are The Pro’s worst enemies in their respective multiplayer formats. Being able to stop The Pro no matter where he is can be especially useful when you consider that his deck is designed for maximum efficiency. I would like to point out, however that I am not stating that this is any sort of negative point to The Pro. The Pro is out to do the same thing everyone at the table is and that is to win the game because that is how he has fun. If you give him a challenge, he’ll still have fun even if he loses. He may not like your cards during the game, but you can change the dynamic.
Ex : I run very odd cards in my deck that catch me tons of flak from players when I play them, or at least they used to. In EDH I run cards like Warp World and Jokylhaups cards that crack the dynamic of The Pro’s game. Warp World against a deck running 18 non-land permanents means that I am going to almost always come out ahead. The ‘haups is going to punish players for over extending due to overplaying lands or creatures or both. I have gotten into several arguments over playing these cards, but when you point out the why afterwards, as long as it makes sense to you, it will usually make sense to them.
The Casual player can sometimes be more annoying than The Pro. The Casual player has constructed a deck full of some of his favorite cards and none of them are going to give him enough staying power to change the game. This tends to be my deck building strategy in V:TES unless I spend hours working on a deck. Cards always work best when they are loosely synergistic. Two cards that work great together make a combo, but one card that works great with any card is like eating a cake and finding out it gave you super powers. The Casual player tends to miss that boat. Instead they will focus on being excited about playing some big fat creature that dies to every spell in your deck, and wondering how they are always the first to walk away from the table. The Casual player however, will usually have a more open mind about cards, but usually that’s only because the filter hasn’t been removed. In addition, you can seldom expect to find a card in The Casual’s deck that has ever attained any real value. The Casual tends to confuse playing for fun with playing for cheap.
The Schemer is a very wide category. The Schemer is the person who sits down at the table and intends on getting your cards to be the weakest part of your deck. Many of his cards will have a high versatility but low sting value. The Schemer is always reading cards and loves to search through discard piles and probably even other players’ decks. The Schemer is a very easy player to crack once you realize that what creates the versatility. Usually their versatility extends in to returning cards from other zones or playing cards from straight out of these zones. Put a few of the right cards in the wrong places and their game will probably be permanently shut down.
Remember that these are just the general categories. Some players may cross over categories or be a very special variety of that play type. The key is to keep your eyes open for the tells and be ready to respond appropriately. The better your ability to prepare for their actions, the more fun you can have being one step ahead of even the craziest of outcomes.
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Posted on: 27-August 10
