Kill Him: Tips on NOT being "That Guy"

The Response

Note: My original article was slated to be "Chasing Windmills: The Pitfalls of Mill"  However, as I was unable to find the article outlinging the math behind mill nor found a satisfactory replacement, I've indefinitely backburnered it for a later time.

A frequently told story of mine is my transition from a competitive blue smurf heavy meta to my current less competitive/aggro meta(s).  With this transition the "That Guy" label was quickly passed to me in one of my playgroups.  This was because what were "average/on par" decks in my old meta were "overpowered" and "broken" in my new playgroup.  Now, going from a lower (competitive) level of play to a higher one is relatively simple.  Going from a higher level of play to a lower one is much harder.  In this article I'd like to share what I learned from this transition and the various methods I've employed as well as methods of others to force myself to build less competitive decks.

Try to Delay or Withold Certain Plays

While this method is probably the easiest to implement and requiring little effort, it is for me one of the hardest.  One that I expect others may have similar trouble with.  This is because going from a highly competitive meta where the most optimum plays are expected and desired, the habit of playing out your hand to its fullest potential is overwhelming and instead you are forced to withhold and pull your punches.  This only feels bad when you do it but it feels worse when you lose because you know you could've done better, your potential unfullfilled.  If you're able to do this then I give you props and wish you the best of luck as this would make the transition a whole lot easier.  For those of you like me, don't worry there's more.

Play "Control" decks

Another reletively easy method is to play more controlish decks whereby you have the option to act more like the rattlesnake deck removing threats that would end the game or direct threats to yourself.  For this method I also generally advise removal over counterspells as there is a sort of mental difference between being able to play your threat and having it removed and having it never hit the board at all.  By playing a "control" deck you are not only avoiding being "That Guy" but you are also extending the game and thus extending the enjoyment your peers are getting out of the game.  After all if you end the game after a long drawn out conflict in which your opponents were able to play their threats and come "close" to winning then having the game end quickly before they've made any major plays.  Keep in mind, by control I don't mean completely locking down the board like many true control decks do.  I'm talking about stopping obvious game ending threats and gaining good will through it.  In other words, play politics.

Start Borrowing Decks

This method is the next best thing and is also very easy to do as most players will have multiple decks on hand and will often be happy to lend you a deck.  This way you will play with decks that are already tuned to the meta and can play your best without overpowering the group.  One thing to keep in mind is to ask the themes/goals of the deck as some decks will not be for you or may be much durdlier then you expect.  You don't want to build up resentment forcing yourself to play decks that you have no desire to play.

Build Another Deck

Now for the harder part, building a deck that fits your meta.  This may not be within the perview of everyone as this requires money.  However if you plan on spending a lot of time playing in your new meta then this will probably be the most satisfactory answer as the deck will be yours and only yours, the choices all be yours.  There are several different ways to limit the power of your deck that I plan on outlining.

Create a "Sideboard"

Rather than creating an entirely new deck you can alternatively create a "sideboard" of cards that will replace some of the more powerful and competitive cards and synergies in your deck.  This way you can play what is essentially a necked down version of a deck or general you already like.  This also means that necking down your deck won't cost as much money because you won't have to start from scratch and can use existing cards in your deck.

Stick to a Budget

By sticking to a budget you can create a deck that is similar in budget to your peers this makes it more likely that your decks will match up in power level.  Keep in mind that this might not necessarily be the case, you might be a better deck builder coming from a more competitive environment or your play/build style might be more efficent having played in an efficient atmosphere.  You can inquire as to the price of the decks your peers have or make a rough estimate.  There are two (not mutually exclusive) ways to go about making a on budget deck.

$X or less Decks

This is the simplest form.  This deck does not go over X dollars.  This can easily be tracked by sites like tappedout.net (My favored site), deckstats.net, etc.  Many decks that people would consider "budget" are those withing multiples of $25: $25, $50, $100, $150, $200 but this varies from person to person.

$X or less Cards

The other way to go about this is to make sure the cards that you play with are below X dollars.  This way you are forced to avoid certain powerful "unfair" staples like Iona, Shield of Emeria, Sorin Markov or the like.  Generally playing cards that are under $5, $10, or $15 dollars are the most common limits you can place on yourself.

Why not Both?

Both of these restrictions can be placed on your deck so you are futher limited in the power level of the cards that you play.

Play Pauper/Peasant

A final restriction is to create a pauper or peaseant deck to play with.  A "Pauper" deck is a deck where all the cards in the deck are restricted to commons.  Because increasing rarity often means increasing power, creating a deck made up solely of commons is likely to signifigantly restrict the power of your deck.  A "Peasant" deck is a deck where all the cards in the deck are either common or uncommon and in some cases a certain number of cards being allowed at the "uncommon" level.  Seeing as your peers are likely to be playing "rares" and "mythic rares" a "Peasant" deck may be the desireable level of play you want to build at.

Stick to a Theme

Sometimes even restricting yourself to a budget may not be enough.  This is where building around a theme can be helpful.

Tribal

This is probably the most common type of theme that is employed as tribal decks are often fun due to their synergy and interactions that come from a well supported tribe.  A word of caution though is building around the common tribes can actually lead to some pretty competitive decks.  Tribes like Goblins, Elves, Soldiers, Vampires, Wizards, Merfolk etc often have a signifigant amount of support (not including the tribal support cards that are also available).  Thus if you want to lower the competitive level of your deck it might be advisable to avoid these tribes or at the very least be aware of the temptation to put together highly supported/synergistic deck of these kinds of tribes.  

Other Themes

There are various other themes that can be built around, some more or less competitive than others.  Such themes could be built around a mechanism like Graft/Evolve, Dash, Outlast, or a plethora of other mechanisms.  Often times if you truely stick to the theme it will help mellow out your deck.

Be Patient

Above and beyond, be patient.  You can sometimes up the level of play by pointing out optimum plays and suggesting replacement cards.  Like for instance if your opponents cast their creatures before attacking or remove a permanent when another permanent (or player) threatens to end the game etc.  By politely (keyword here) pointing out better plays and suggesting better replacements for cards (in their decks) you will make it more likely for your peers to listen to you.  After all everyone wants to be a better player and make their decks better, to improve themselves.  Make sure you explain why these plays are optimum and why these cards could be included in their deck (assuming you respect their theme/preferences)

Have Fun!

I hope this article was helpful and I hope you have a merry time playing in your meta.

Next Up

For my next article, I'd like to write "Kill Him Part 2: Tips on being "That Guy"

Thanks for reading,

Sincerely, MTW