Hello awesome multiplayer format fans like Commander, Five Color, Highlander, or even Modern, Standard or Vintage. This series of advanced theories is a great starting place for new Commander or older players alike.

Today I have something awesome for you! Today is one of the most fun effects people forget in modern Commander circles. This was common in old multiplayer games back when, but not now. It's simple...you cannot win, until you don't lose!

How This Works in Practice

Imagine a four-player Commander game with group of players and Commanders

• Player 1 - Azorius Brago, King of Eternal - Blink
• Player 2 - Five Color Creature Type Matters with Morophon, the Boundless - Creature matters
• Player 3 - Izzet with Veyran, Voice of Duality - likely Spellslinger
• You - Naya with Mayael the Anima again - you love this so much!

Great! Now let's get you caught up with the game. We are a few turns in.

• Player 1 - Turn 2 Signet, turn 3 Brago, turn 4 Cloudblazer, swing and blink, turn 5 Solemn Simulacrum, swing and blink, turn 6 Frost Titan, swing and blink.
• Player 2 - Turn 1 Sol Ring, turn two Cultivate, turn 3 Roaming Throne naming Eldrazi, turn 4 Explosive Vegetation, turn 5 Morophon naming Eldrazi, turn 6 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, destroy Veyran.
• Player 3 - Turn 3 - Veyran, turn 4 Guttersnipe, cast Brainstorm EOT. Turn 5 Talrand, Sky Summoner, and casts Ponder, turn 6 Archmage Emeritus.
• You - Turn 1 ETB tapped land, 2 Rampant Growth, 3 is Mayael, 4 is Seedborn Muse, turn 5 is Surrak and Goreclaw, turn 6 tap Mayael and drop Old Gnawbone.

Alright, so now what? How does the table answer the Ulamog that when it swings, has the big annihilator. Note that the Izzet player has two mana left, but it was Negate which is not available to counter Ulamog. So...now what?

How do you keep yourself alive? You have one mana left, tapping Mayael is six, but you cast Rampant Growth, so if you hit all of your lands, you'll have one mana left, although by turn 6 that's not guaranteed. So how can you stop a nasty game winning big guy? My sample is Ulamog, but there are many others - Voltron Commanders killing in one hit, Blightsteel Colossus, Phage, a dork equipped with Grafted Exoskeleton, a group of lethal from Triumph of the Hordes or Craterhoof Behemoth, a landfall enabled Scute Swarm, a huge team with Cathars' Crusade, etc. How do you stay alive and then come back and win with your own red zone or poison or combo? And this suite of answers should work on many different win cons.

Welcome to the theme of today's article!

How do I Save Myself in Commander?

#1. Flyers that Prevent Damage

Let's start with flyers that stop all damage when they block. This suite was in last week's Treasure Trove article and then they are dorks yon can run for the Density of Creatures effect. Basically, you are looking for creatures that can block flyers and either stop combat damage or all damage for dorks or all damage altogether. These will suck up all combat damage from any source that attacks you looking for damage. The only issue here is trample. They will smash. Take Seraph of the Sword as a good example. It's got a 3/3 body so it can only suck up to three damage from an attacker with trample. See how that will stop us here? But even sucking up damage here and there from tramplers safely should work.

#2. High Toughness Blockers

After flying blockers that have the ability to stop damage are high toughness blockers, which can suck up more damage but may not survive bigger attackers, both of which are rarely targeted for removal and also add to your Density of Dorks. As a general rule, the fastest of these are defenders with a cost no more than three and with 7 or 8 toughness. Ideally, you'll want flying or reach big stuff, like the Spider above. The Wall costs two for an 0/6 defender wall with reach if you pay. That's good enough to run right there and it's an artifact for that archetype. Then the Spider costs five with a 2/7 reach naturally and the ability to attack or sweep the sky and keep away blockers.

#3. Indestructible Blockers

After flying blockers that won't take damage and big toughness stuff are indestructible blockers like Stuffy Doll. These are great blockers since people often won't attack meaninglessly into something that cannot die. My favorite is the six-drop uncommon above with flash, 3/3 and vigilance for six mana. You can flash it out to block a surprise attack to kill a 3 or smaller toughness dork or to save you from a key attacker and then counter attack with vigilance who tapped out and then save it for a rainy day for later attacks. And no one attacks into Brash Taunter.

#4. Rattlesnakes

Let's turn to cards that force players to attack elsewhere since they act like the rattle on a snake, enter tapper destroyers like the classic Royal Assassin et all. This three-drop 1/1 has a mana free tap ability to destroy a tapped dork and was classically combined with Icy Manipulator to tap away. Then a trio of mana required tappers arrived too. The first is the Grixis colored legendary dork named Tetsuo who takes four but also can destroy blockers too. The Rathi Assassin can destroy a non-Black tapped for three mana. The Dimir colored Stalking one can tap tr tap or tap to destroy, each for four mana. They won't keep vigilance stuff back or keep away a horde of tokens, but they can keep tapping from real stuff against you!

Now let's turn to sacrifices for removal of things that attack which were also in last week's article that aren't dorks so won't get swept up in mass removal. The Seal and Executioner's Capsule are cheap and sacrifice to destroy a non-Black dork, the first costs three to drop and sacrifices for nothing and the second one to drop but two to sac, so they each take three mana and can stop non-Black dorks from swinging your way since they don't want to die. Seal of Fire can drop turn one and keep attackers back and remove small ones. Great pair to play keep away with, and they are often run in enchantment and artifact brews, but they can be played usefully in all multiplayer decks, especially the Black ones. Shout out to Lieutenant Kirtar.

Now let's turn to the most powerful rattlesnake ever printed, No Mercy. This four-drop enchantment turns all combat damage to you into death for the attacker, no matter how big or small and works for big stuff, going wide brews, and more. Note that this is destruction, not sacrifice. Then we have a few No Mercies on dorks, which started with Dread with has a 6/6 body with evasion for six mana and No Mercy so it's awesome, and then the next Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts with a seven cost, perfect blocker with pro creatures like Commander Eesha, a vigilance body to swing through defenses and keep blocking. Shout out to Witch-king of Angmar which is a pseudo-No Mercy on a Commander stick.

There are also cards that function similarly without destroying. Snow Mercy will give the damaging dork a globe Counter to tap for no mana just to tap. Aurification turns what damages you into a Wall with defender so they only get in one hit but can tap for abilities. Dissipation Field will bounce, and in this case, bounce anything even non-dorks that damage you like lands or enchantments. Sometimes people will swing into this to get bounced for recasting like ETB stuff like Eternal Witness or Ravenous Chupacabra. None are as great as No Mercy, but they aren't Black either.

This section was once only Mogg Maniac and in 20 life formats that would still work, but this pair is great in 40 life formats. The idea here is to make a blocker that no one wants to trigger. Both these are two mana 1/1s, as well as the Maniac too. Then they have damage or death triggers. The White one will trade damage to it to destroys an opposing nonland permanent. No one wants that so no one attacks it. The mono-Black one has a death trigger for a random discard, again no one likes random discard rather than when they choose, like Ravenous Rats, so no one else attacks you. This pair would love reach or flying but also are black for fear.

Now let's turn to deathtouch blockers, ideally with flying or reach to stop most attacker since many won't want to trade down size or cost for a one mana 1/1 Typhoid Rats style dork. The best is Baleful Strix that costs two and draws you a card on arrival, and no one wants to give you a 2 for 1 and mana swap. Deadly Recluse costs two for a 1/2 reach with deathtouch and that's big enough to block and keep back 1/1 attackers too or bigger butted 1/Xs since they'll die and you won't trade. And then you have other reachers like Thornweald Archer. There's also the classic Vampire Nighthawk!

#5. Bounce

Now let's turn to instant speed answers of bouncing, ideally either multiple things to ease the card loss of bounce or Capsize. The common costs three, will bounce anything, and if you buy it back for three, you'll never lose it triggering Spellslinger like Guttersnipe and delaying any permanent answer. You can use this for alternate win cons about to fire like Test of Endurance or a red zone threat or a token or an Ulamog, or a token to kill it, or your thing to avoid targeted or mass removal, survive a chump blocker, protect your Commander, ultimate a planeswalker to 1 loyalty and save it and so much more! Then you can use the uncommon to bounce all attackers but just dorks and attackers so tappers like Merfolk Looter or things that didn't swing are unbounceable and just critters. And then the classic Rift will overload for 7 to bounce every non-land you don't control. Love bounce as a backup to what's happening. Shout out to Seal of Removal.

#6. Damage Prevention Permanents

Now let's turn to permanents that will prevent damage which will prevent damage from attacks, let's start with this trio. The first two are artifacts that won't get caught up in creature sweepers and keep your defense, cost four, and tap. The Horn taps for two to prevent combat damage from one dork, and the Pentagram taps for two more but prevents it all from any source, like burn or Earthquake effects so it acts as a Rattlesnake for X spells if untapped to head elsewhere. The dork costs one for a 1/1 on curve and then activates for two without tapping to prevent all combat damage from flyers to stop down that vein of attack. And it adds to your Density of Creatures.

Now let's turn to the classics in land form ever since Maze of Ith! The first time we saw the effect was in The Dark, and this was then visited next in White with Kor Haven that taps for colorless and then with two mana to prevent combat damage. Then we had Prahv, then Labyrinth of Skophos, which taps for colorless and then taps with four to pull out an attacker or blocker from combat so you can save an attacker of yours offensively too.

#7. Instant Versatile and Cheap Removal

Cheap stuff ideally costing one mana should be run where possible in your colors. The epic Swords is above with exiling and then the Pongify is there at destroying and leaving behind a 3/3. See also Path to Exile or Rapid Hybridization. Then you want cheap instant speed flexible removal like Generous Gift, Stroke of Midnight or the Orzhov Anguished Unmaking. The best Green one is usually Beast Within, and the Red one is Chaos Warp. Ideally, run exiling removal here where possible so you can answer Blightsteel Colossus or the aforementioned Ulamog.

#8. Instant Speed Sweepers

Now let's turn from pinpoint instant speed removal to save you from one thing to instant sweepers to save you if you are attacked by a giant mass of tokens or creatures pumped with Overrun effects. The sorcery version of Wrath of God costs five to sweep, and if you are attacked as a win con, you can cast it for two more now. You will save more lives of yours with this than anything else in this list. Then the other White bases at seven mana, destroys planeswalkers too, and is always an instant. The Storm starts to deals X damage to all things, yours too, but you can sculpt it if you have bigger booties. It cycles if you need something else. Love this trio loads!!! See also the ground and 'walker sweeper Magmaquake.

#9. Counters that Either do Something or are Cheap

I run two types of counters in my decks, counters that do things or cheap counters ideally both in my counter suite. The best counter that that does something to impact the battlefield is the five-cost for multiplayer. It counters anything. Was it a dork or an artifact? You get it for free! See also Spelljack.

The four-cost instant has two options, counter, bounce, draw or tap. Ideally, you'll counter and bounce any permanent thus getting tempo and board positions for an answer, or bounce + draw or counter+ draw all great. I like the Simic colored creature that costs four, flash, counters anything, do this to counter something as a surprise or to make a blocker to save your life or swing or blink at instant speed, etc. I also really love Draining Whelk which has flying and can be quite the beater for keeping you alive or winning yourself.

Now let's turn to cheap counters instead. I love running the first and best "cheap" hard counter instant ever printed: Counterspell. It's two and counters anything you needed to. Mana Drain is also two mana, counters anything, and then you get free mana, but it's a bit pricey on the secondary market. I do like Negate effects in modern multiplayer since most win-cons are not dorks. So, I do run them in my brews, including the more recently printed Dovin's Veto!

#10. Interaction that Shuts Them Down

Now let's turn to interaction that can save you the game! Let's start with Everybody Lives, the first instant that gives all dorks hexproof and indestructible to keep them alive. Your foe's too, and then you'll all get hexproof to save you from a targeted X spell or Mind Sludge. The classic Teferi's Protection costs three, and then for a round of turns your life total cannot change, you get protection from everything so that nothing can target you, and your stuff phases out so they cannot be bothered either. See how strong they are at saving you or your stuff or both? I love them loads!

#11. Pillow Forts

Ever since Black got Koskun Falls in Homelands, taxes of mana to attack somebody have been a key part of protection in multiplayer. It was in Propaganda and then color shifted to White in Windborn Muse. Then it was made an enchantment with our uncommon three drop above. The rare Blue domain one was printed after Propaganda and taxes for your basic land count, love this in three or more color decks. The five-cost uncommon in White taxes for your enchantment count, quite a lot. The idea here is to force your foes to attack other players with their stuff and then if one or two sneak by you, you can block with Fog Bank, target with Swords, Maze of Ith or Horn of Deafening. Love this stuff loads!

#12. Emergency Fogs

I don't typically like running Fogs in my decks unless they do something else. But as an emergency when you have nothing else, why not? My favorite is the White one above since it's a two-mana Charm and you can Fog, save a dork about to die by regeneration, or counter something that targets you - all three very nice. Then I like Fogs that you can buyback or flashback for more Fogs in the future. The best is the buyback one since trading a land to save you is awesome! Then a shout out to ones that tap attackers and keep them tapped for another round so you can get in a smash in now and then untap before they attack you again like Spore Cloud or Tangle.

#13. Instant Token Makers

Next is this making of chump block-able bodies of a token nature at instant speed. The first instant to do this was Raise the Alarm, although Kjeldoran Outpost was printed earlier. Castle Ardenvale is a newer land and a throwback to that Outpost. Mobilization makes a dork at instant speed for three mana as a mana sink and they have vigilance too including your foe's. The idea here to make bodies to block to keep you alive out of nowhere when someone swings your way! Ideally, you'll find tokens with flying or reach to jump in front of flyers attacking you. Shout out to Squirrel Nest.

#14. Untapped Sweepers

Sweepers that will sweep the table untapped like Magus of the Disk or the artifact above are great at keeping people from attacking you. Ditto the Golgari colored enchantment with a bunch of mana available and unused.

And there we are! I hope that you enjoyed today's look at the ways to keep you alive until you can win the game!! Enjoy it up and down the coast! Shout out to untapped Door to Nothingness with the mana available. Also shout out to last week's Soul Sculptor and Vodalian Illusionist since they can tap to phase/enchantify an attacking dork to save you.