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Every time cards are added to the gatherer, the meta-game for every format changes. This is to be expected. But since Rise of the Eldrazi's release in April, there has been an unwelcome shift in casual games all around the world. If you've ever seriously played a Magic the Gathering format that lasts for more than ten turns (EDH, Multiplayer, Limited or casual matches in general) you'll know that there is no shortage of bombs. From Darksteel Colossus to Comet Storm you'll have the opportunity to hard-cast expensive spells that, in other formats, are unplayable. Luckily, there are so many of these "bombs" in the game that you'll hardly ever see the same spell decide a game more than a handful of times. That is... until April 24th, 2010.
Rise of the Eldrazi is a wonderful "long-form" set. What more could an avid EDH player ask for than a stack of expensive, game-winning, colorless bombs for each and every one of his decks? On the whole, we are in love with Rise of the Eldrazi for what it means to casual formats but there has been one, rather annoying sticking point for us: the repetition and predictability of games involving the Eldrazi creatures.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is, without a doubt, the most powerful creature in Magic the Gathering. For fifteen mana (an amount regularly attained in long-form Magic) you should be able to win the game with one (or maybe even two!) swings. If you've never had to sacrifice six permanents before you declare blockers than you don't really understand the devastation this guy can reap. The first few times this baddie hit the table we were all happy to fold up our cards and have a laugh at his squiggly tentacles. If you're doing well enough to get him on the table and the opposing players have no response than you absolutely deserve the "W". The issue I have with this game winning card isn't that he wins games. It's that he and his cohorts decide the fate nearly all of our recent multiplayer games. Leaving many of us just plain bored.
I posed this question about Eldrazi and their effect on their multiplayer games to our twitterers and was overwhelmed with responses. Most of them went something like this:
This situation wouldn't be as devastating if the Eldrazi had colored casting costs. We'd see them once in a while in whatever mono-colored deck someone happened to be playing but it would be tough to squeeze a 6WWWW creature into your various decks the way you do with the colorless Eldrazi. No, the real issue here is that the Eldrazi are colorless and therefore you're potentially able to roll all of them in every deck you play. And in our group, that's exactly what's happening. Most of our games now end with a few groans and sarcastic expletives involving the word "LoLdrazi".
Hard casting the LoLDrazi is easy enough in these formats but one of the bigger issues is the ability to "cheat" them onto the battlefield. Cards like Bribery, Elvish Piper and Pattern of Rebirth have just seen their stock go up. I've even seen Emrakul, the Aeons Torn Channel his way on to the battlefield on turn two. Now, I know what you're thinking- how is this different than any other early game legacy-win-combo? How is Channel-Fireball any different from Elvish Piper-Eldrazi? There are a few differences. The first is that you must be playing a red/green deck and also draw these two cards on your first turn (which is hard when you're playing 100 card singleton!). While the Eldrazi can be placed into any deck and you can play all of them. Even in 100 card singleton / EDH you're bound to draw one of them in a given game. You're also not able to "search your library and put into play for free" cards like Channel whilst this happens regularly with the Eldrazi. The main issue here is that they are colorless, numerous and can be placed in any and all decks you own. This leads to games ending in similar ways... almost every time. My issue here isn't that the Eldrazi necessarily win every game, it's that they now decide and dictate the direction of every game.
The inspiration for this rant came from this thread on dragonhighlander.net. Predictably, the respondents reply with several ways to deal with a bomb such as Emrakul. Their general attitude towards the original poster seems to be "suck it up and deal with him, pusssy![sic]" While most of the Eldrazi can be easily dispatched with any number of removal spells Emrakul can't be the target of colored spells, can't be countered and it's controller gets an extra turn after casting him so it's a tall order to "deal" with this god of the Zendikar plane. Some responses that stood out to me as viable- Icy Manipulator, any sweep (assuming you get another turn to play that sorcery!), and Mindbreak Trap are all good options. Also, be sure to Doom Blade that Elvish Piper ASAP! These are great tips and I've even taken to putting Icy Manipulators in all of my EDH decks but again, the issue isn't that I can't think of ways to deal with Eldrazi, it's that their colorless, abundant nature causes them to decide how every game goes down.
Our multiplayer group has a loose honor code. If one card or another starts to get tiresome, we voluntarily take it out of our decks if need be. But can you really ask players to abstain from playing the five most powerful creatures ever printed? If they weren't meant for these formats, then which formats should you play then in? There isn't a real answer to this question. The Eldrazi are here to stay and it's silly to try and ban them from the formats they were designed for, and are so exciting to play in. But I will say this: if your games all start to look the same, don't be afraid to suggest a voluntary arms reduction in your group. Set the example yourself. Perhaps limit the number of Eldrazi in your deck or choose a non-Eldrazi creature with that Bribery you just cast. I love the Eldrazi probably more than the next guy but I don't love them enough to have them become the universal ending to all of my casual games.
The Eldrazi aren't going anywhere and they are most likely the most expensive, most powerful colorless creatures that will ever be printed. They have forever replaced Darksteel Colossus as the universal, colorless, baddie-bomb of choice. Since formats such as EDH never rotate out any cards, you'll be seeing giant Eldrazi hitting the table and winning games indefinitely. How you deal with that fact is up to you and your group. Perhaps that could mean banning them as a house rule and perhaps that could mean stacking your deck with anti-Eldrazi spells to deal with them. Either way, as a casual, weekend Magic warrior, it is in your best interest to be aware of the Eldrazi's now omnipotent influence over these formats.
How have the Eldrazi impacted your casual games? Feel free to comment with your own experiences. We'd love to hear them! I'll even accept "suck it up and deal with it pussy!" as a valid comment so fire away!
Oh and in Magic 2011 (M11) News:
Say hello the the pre-release and Magic 2011 Launch-day promos respectively!
