Assessing Threat Assessment | EDHRECast 210

Who's the biggest threat? More importantly, how do players decide who's the biggest threat?
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[@mibbzx1493]

Usually One of the most threatening things is when people are tutoring for specific pieces and combos to setup to win instantly. You have to play alot and know what cards will be dangerous like a Bolas Citadel, elesh norn, cards that untapping permanents, for infinite combo, fast mana, ect. Every player should be sniping off pieces that can potentially be stopped early to keep the interaction alive.

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

Usually you want to counter what they search not the spell they are using to search but newer players or knee jerk reaction players usually counter the search meaning there is a chance that player can still get that piece

[@FlowBerni]

@@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena and sometimes you don't even want their gamewinning spell to be in their graveyard..

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

@@FlowBerni Mate at the end of the day this game is still about luck as unless you know their deck completely you are still taking a gamble

[@christopherdukett4158]

1. Scary board state doesn't necessarily mean highest threat, but still be wary 2. Most skilled player can still make mistakes 3. That deck that has always annihilated you before can be an emotional block to the actual threat 4. Most vulnerable player should be allowed to have fun too. I would personally go after the player with the most mana or the most advantageous resource capabilities (i.e high card draw, possible combo incoming, etc)

[@lukepietz7145]

Threat assessment is one of the most difficult things to learn in commander. It’s extremely complicated. Great discussion. You have explained many of the things that I have learned through playing. I have killed someone with little board state because I understood the player was about to combo and win, which confused other players. The simplest terms I use for it is “Is this player going to kill me?” And “Is this player going to win?” One thing I do that helps is to always be honest about my own threat level. I try to explain the threats and why they are threats to players with less experience, or if someone asks.

[@gaymer4rmmeletis]

Considering the small amount out of voters on the original poll, I would maybe recommend doing the poll again and doing a REDUX episode with a higher vote count? Great info overall.

[@CrabBaskets]

For myself, while I do first want to deal with the person with the most threatening board state, I want to consider the player who has open mana and or is known to always have outs (the skilled player) in the pod as my second priority of threat assessment, see if I can knock them out of the game. Fascinating topic, and as always thank you EDHRECast for all of the amazing content!

[@rainmaker709]

I find that the players that go after the most vulnerable tend to be the "newer" players. They have not played long enough to understand "the enemy of my enemy" or not "reducing variables" and instead focus less on winning the entire game in favor of "winning" against someone.

[@kingfuzzy2]

I've only ran into two new players who do this most just ask their opponents what to cast and attack everyone equally.

[@COMPNOR]

Or, autistic players. No matter how hard you try you can't get them to understand threat assessment. So I hate them out of our pods by focusing them so they go away.

[@Garl_Vinland]

Poking vulnerable players is fine. Making the call to finish off a player is a different matter.

[@brendans1983]

The best thing about this video is that the title doesn't have the word Capenna in it. Thank you

[@mfitkin]

My big takeaway is usually that it’s OK if people don’t agree about what is threatening or not, sometimes people forget that when they’re worried about king-making situations or politics in general. As long as everyone is trying to win, differing assessments shouldn’t cause problems.

[@zuterwer1835]

I've had some weird ones. I cast a cruelties of Gix, which I started on chapter one to hand attack the threat (Who had an animar with 9 counters and 6 cards in hand) the second chapter would have let me tutor for a board wipe. The next player in turn oder casts a crush contraband and targest only my enchantment. He explains he did it because that is the only card he can play and doesn't want to do nothing on his turn, and because I had breena in the command zone. For some reason that was enough to lose the game to someone else instead. He then used his only two blockers to attack the two other players, just so he can attack. We lost the next turn cycle, because noone else had an answer. Sometimes I agree, but then there also absolutel idiot plays with threat assesment.

[@taishoukinjiro]

For "most skilled player" I think it's misleading. I have a play group where the skilled player is a Johnny or is playing battle cruiser decks. We tend to focus the Spike at the table instead.

[@dorsalfin22]

Ty! I'm a Johnny player and have been playing for 6 years and when my pod goes after me when playing my dingey little fun upgraded Dina precon instead of my friend with his really powerful decks (he comes from modern and is incredibly spikey) since he's only been playing commander for like 6 months, it drives me bananas

[@vasylpark2149]

Hey I hope you guys read this, this would be a bit of an involved episode I would really like to see a break down of your placement in the pod as far as wins and losses go. Say Joey has come 4th, 3rd, 2nd,1st place [X] times, or Matt comes in 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st [X] times, Dana comes in 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st [X] times and then do an evaluation based on your typical strategies and playstyle to speculate on why that might be. Edit: vulnerability depends on what I am trying to do. If I need to get an attack in so that I can get ahead or put myself myself in a better position for example having a Yuriko deck you better I am going to go for the player who can't block my attacks.

[@borislibaque1558]

The way I threat access has a lot to do with my role in the pod: if there's an aggro player, a lifegain player, a mill player and a graveyard player, its probably not good for the table if the mill player targets the graveyard deck or if the aggro deck can't muster enough power to keep the lifegain deck in check. Its certainly not the mill deck's job to keep the graveyard player in check and if things start to go that way and you're one of the other two players, that might be the time to team up and take down the mill player if its early or the graveyard player if things have gotten really bad. Another example in the same pod, if you're the lifegain player, its tempting to see the aggro player as the biggest threat because they'll usually have a bigger board state and will be coming at you directly, but if you think about it, most decks have tools for dealing with creatures whereas the other two strategies can attack on an axis you can't defend or counter. You're probably most well equipped to fight the aggro player 1v1. That might matter if you draw an Aetherflux Reservoir and only have enough life to take out one player safely. Another interesting point that wasn't mentioned here, is sometimes your biggest threat is only your biggest threat because you thought of them that way, but they could just as easily be your ally if you paint it that way instead

[@ThisIsACommanderChannel]

I always play my games with the goal of not eliminating a player as soon as possible. I attack everyone equally and try to balance out the life totals. Lately, I have based it more so on potential Mana available and hand size. I also build me decks to always be the threat, I love watching 3 players all try to work together to deal with me. I don't a lot of interaction, I'm the one being interacted against, so I run a lot more protection.

[@rule-of-three1483]

It was a relief to hear Dana give an uncle joke, which unlike a dad joke part of the punchline is something true about the world. On a separate thought, I too am a dinosaur and I came in back in the ante days. It was one of the big draw points into the game, because I came from a competitive pinochle/spades/cribbage background. Players of those games and others know there is a metagame within sequencing that always involves playing the player. Targeting a skilled player is always appropriate if the goal is to compete at any level, perhaps the foundational concept.

[@brendans1983]

I reckon one of the worst positions to be in is 1 player down, 3 left. 1 player is clearly the threat, you need the other player to beat the threat BUT you also need to hit that same player to get triggers to advance your own board and/or draw cards for answers. I hate doing that.

[@kingfuzzy2]

This is why I don't attack for the entire game until I can kill one person at a time.

[@vantharion]

I'm really surprised about the 'most skilled player' because I think that breaks down into two topics: - Most skilled in understanding of the game/deck construction - most MANIPULATIVE player. I think political manipulation is a way in which someone is more or less of a threat. If I think I can manipulate someone, I'm less likely to target them. If I think someone can manipulate another player to pit them against me, I want to eliminate the puppet master. I also think there is the aspect of 'Whoever is the best political target', such as a target that won't draw me a lot of threat. If I attack someone with a creature that'll give me some beneficial effect, I'll earn more table goodwill attacking the player who's doing well, so I won't make more than 1 enemy with that attack, whereas if I took the safer hit, I might get someone to earn a vendetta, and another player to feel more threatened by me.

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

Political manipulation is great sadly a lot of stuff only works once such as baiting the two remaining plyers to slug at each other as i was a easy kill with nothing out but a 1/1 with life link so i too damage that came my way they ignored me then suddenly turn 11 i dropped both Sanguine bond and Exquisite blood and won the game on the spot. They said it was smart for me to wait as if i played any part of the combo they would have just targeted me as unless they have a fog or something similar it was a instant loss with both out. They then said "You realize we are not going to let you live that long again right?" i replied with "That's fair" as 10 mana for instant win i was pretty much mana flooded from the start before you ask. I drew the first card in the combo and i almost let out a gasp so i had to do some theatrics as i was definitely getting looked at like i had to make it look like i was gasping at more nothing 3 turns later i drew the second card and was definitely like "Ok i need to wait or they will kill it or target me as one of them is running green and the other blue so i need to get them to destroy and counter each other" Fortunately my plan worked and honestly it was my best course of action to do as i usually like to build up a swarm of creatures before attacking to kill off someone like Infect Phyrexian Swarmlord so i am usually pretty passive of a player to the point i was nick named The RNG as if they go for me the other person could win and if i go for someone the other person could win. But i am also known as a Snake that goes for a easy kill which usually snowballs into a victory especially if the opponent was attacking the others and i had leyline of anticipation out then suddenly i cast a ton of cards giving their monsters +1/+1 killing that other player or bringing them really low and i am sitting like "Hey, don't look at me he attacked" Or the times where i disrespectfully steal their kill which draws aggro but is worth it. Though my most Evil play was My friend was playing green black Slivers my cousin a Human deck and me my black deck that had Vampire nighthawk because vampires were cool anyways i played Sanguine bond and Exquisite blood and looked directly at my cousin and said "Cody is going to win his turn as he is playing Slivers with Poisonous if you don't let me kill your creature with my life link, if you do i can kill him" I neglected to tell him that if he let me do it i would win or that i could attack the Slivers anyways and gain life and win because it was a infinite combo and my Cousin felt so betrayed that he said "I am targeting you first from now on" he used lightening bolt on the other person's life directly instead of killing the vampire as our promise again i neglected to tell him he would also die. Someone asked my cousin why he always targeted me first and he said "Because he is EEEvilll" they did not believe my cousin till i proceeded to put a stuffy doll on him then copy it putting it on everyone so they could not attack me then i played cards that made their creatures attack the dolls making them kill themselves it was fun till they mass exiled. Then i drew the actual second stuff doll in my deck as i had two and then put it on my cousin he said "Again really?" and i said "My uncle is a perfectly fine target plus you attack me first every time go ahead get rid of my creature again" and my uncle said "Ok" and exiled it as i did not give it hexproof yet then said "As much as i find your brotherly bickering amusing i can't allow you to set that board up again" I been told many times that people liked playing me in magic as they liked my responses like my theatrics as it is amusing. Yes i also Mutagenic growth a attacking infect creature suddenly killing that one person as i made a 1/1 into a 9/9 but my cousin did warn that person if they did not kill me fast or first then i would ruin their day with some surprise shenanigans which i then immediately once my turn came played Melira, Sylvok Outcast which reads "You can't get poison counters. Creatures you control can't have -1/-1 counters put on them. Creatures your opponents control lose infect." they asked how long i had that card in my hand i said "I had it since the start of the game but no way i could have killed the other person myself" they scooped and said "Welp gg you have the one card that shuts down my deck that i did not even know existed"

[@JonoTheDrunkChef]

on the topic of not hitting the vulnerable player.. I've won multiple games because my deck was under preforming and everyone left me alone and I came through and won at the end with doing literally nothing all game.

[@dantebeleren]

I have both Urza and Yawgmoth flavor decks, and honestly the best way to dissuade people from your commander is to just show them your deck. yes the commanders are still ridiculous, but if you prove you can't go excessively out of control you get a chance to play without immediate focus/hate.

[@psychozen7169]

My favorite part of high school was the club period and after school clubs. So Matt you are so right clubs are where it at!

[@SWNJim]

When it comes to threat assessment, I look at what is there and what most likely would be possible, but I do have a few rules. 1) Kill the blue player first 2) Kill the green player next 3) If you play Simic or B/G/+, gods help you… 5) If it’s Chulane, I don’t care if I lose, I will take you out of this game myself. The above is primarily player removal, when it comes to the board, there’s a number of high value cards (Cathar’s Crusade is one of them) where it will catch my eye. While I won’t focus on the player that has it, I will leave up removal to deal with it, should the need arise. A couple things I look for: 1) known issue cards that I, as a Mardu player, can struggle with. 2) is this card exponential or linear? Exponential is going to have a higher priority. 3) does it untap and/or blink? Yes is going to be a higher priority. 4) Is the commander functional (as in the deck needs the commander to function) or wincon (only is played into a specific board state to end the game)? Functional is going to be higher priority. Wincon will be a lesser priority.

[@boisjoli91]

My first one is actually: “person sitting in front of me”

[@T_Peazy]

I don't know if it's "scariest boardstate" but I consider who's deck is most likely to be able to kill me or who's deck or cards on the field stop me from playing my game.

[@hopposai787]

for me generally my threat assessment goes like this. first who is drawing the most cards, followed by who is making the most mana, lastly followed by actual board state.

[@ViXoZuDo]

that's really a bad way to measure... some decks do need to draw and generate mana because they are not efficient or have the best cards... some others don't need a lot of resources to win. Knowing your opponents and how their decks works are more important to know how to handle the board state.

[@marauder340]

This is easier to do in your specific playgroup's meta, but I like assessing threats based on the lines of play I think they can take in the foreseeable future. It definitely helps to think of how I might look at the present board through the lens of their deck's style.

[@goldfinger4513]

The thing that a stable playgroup leads you too is that you now when a boardstate is threatening even without seeming that way my friend has a anowon deck and if he has one or two unblockables and 6 mana i know he might have notorious thong and can threaten a kill.

[@RaunienTheFirst]

Regarding the poll, it's definitely scariest board state. If no one has a board, or if nothing is particularly scary, then it's whoever is most likely (based on what they have already played, who their commander is, information I might already have on their deck) to be able to stop me.

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

One factor I consider is deck match up, your deck will most likely have blind spots due to its colour or lack of space. The graveyard dies first if you have barely any graveyard hate.

[@patricklynch4074]

My play group has one player that is far and away the best player in the group, winning 75% of our games regardless of how the game starts out despite decks usually being similar power. He's extremely good at seeming like not a threat or not as big a threat as he actually is until its too late. The only way anyone else wins our games is by focusing him regardless of any other factors whatsoever. I guess thats less the case in more equal skill pods, but in mine Target Most Skilled Player is my first choice by necessity

[@DenverEight]

This is less threat assessment more situational awareness. Wanting to add to this, making what stage you are at known to the table is also an important part of threat assessment. Some people some people think they’re in the mid-game too early affecting how they throw out all of their resources. Opportunity cost is also a great lesson for both financial and in combat.

[@ivrissgaming8006]

Board state is all information available to you about that player. Hand size is definitely covered by the first category in that poll.

[@asherboyer378]

In our meta I tend to prioritize people with the scariest board but a close second is the person with a lot of cards in hand. The reason being that most of our decks are pretty consistent and are also combat based so we all tend to have a scary board. As such those who accrue more resources in hand are usually poised to win when the dust settles.

[@dorsalfin22]

Really interesting when Dana was saying how he would likely let the player with the most mistakes or errors go unfocused. I'm the opposite. Not because I'm trying to be punishing to someone who might be new or inexperienced but because that person is SO much more unpredictable. If I make a play based on what I think is optimal but they see it as threatening them when it's not or something like that, that makes it way harder for me to play around that person. I may cast something I would assume is safe but they counter me when a more experienced person would not, etc.

[@ErasmusHereticus]

If the poll is anything close to being representative, this is a good lesson to know. Unless you're #1 or #2 spot on the threat list, you want #2 to go after #1, or at least try to get them to do so, if you aim to try and win from behind really. I personally think the #2 spot is way scarier if everyone else at the table also focuses the #1 threat because that leaves #3 and #4 drained of resources to deal with #2 after #1 is gone.

[@valladaresRey]

One of the things I’ve seen the most that affects proper threat assessment is spitefulness. I often see people spending all available resources just for payback. I see this mostly at LGSs with new groups. I try to keep retribution to a minimum, my payback would be winning if all possible. I think of it as a tactical crazy Ivan.

[@lukepietz7145]

Revenge targeting as a strategy can be an effective deterrent, especially when the player is vocal about said targeting.

[@jasonferguson9052]

I often charge a "did nothing" tax to players who just untap pass. I will attack them for the tax, the tax being a way to try to draw out their plan or force cards out of their hand.

[@Haschlatte42]

Good way to punish ppl for drawing bad. Wouldnt do this

[@jasonferguson9052]

Don't keep bad hands

[@justinhoudeshell4031]

Sometimes a good starting hand draws nothing but land

[@JuQmadrid]

If I have to choose a player to eliminate based solely on their skill, I'd go for the less skilled player because they tend to make terrible threat assessments and spend their interaction impulsively making them impredecible and end up handing up the victory to another player.

[@Garl_Vinland]

If you have a big table of players, say two or three of those players are happy go luckies, and there’s one spike that you know is the BBE, just scoop. Try to find a different pod. There’s only one thing more infuriating than losing to a Spike, and that’s tripping over noob bs while attempting to take out the threat.

[@Garl_Vinland]

And to reiterate, there’s nothing wrong with a pod full of casual happy go luckies, or a pod full of tryhards. But you need to understand when the Goblin deck player, and the Golgari Dinosaur player is derdling around; rolling dice to see which opponent to randomly attack while there’s an Atraxa SuperFriends player two turns from winning the game, it is hell world.

[@UnreasonableOpinions]

I find players are spooked by odd things sometimes. People react with more suspicion to my face-down cards like morph or manifest than they do my face-up tutors like Profane or Wishclaw - the former might be the best card with Foretell in my deck, but the latter will explicitly be so. They also get spooked by slow infinites more than actually lethal states. More than once I’ve had players drop everything to kill my arbitrary number of creature tokens by removing me - fair enough - but ignore a player earlier in the turn cycle who has a lethal state ready. That player with Exquisite and Sanguine who failed to find a trigger last turn makes me irrelevant , or I make him irrelevant, depending on the play order since we can’t both live to our untap step.

[@lokumo13]

Board State(Smothering Tithe+Cards+Board>Smothering Tithe+NoCards+NoBoard) >Commander(Counter my Strat or not)>Experienced (Combo or Interaction prone or not)>Vulnerable (will it benefit me or not)

[@TheBuildKing]

What I learned from this Episode, Play more Hand Destruction!

[@garlicxlr]

Unless you're playing against Dark Worlds/BA/Danger! and about 20 other decks

[@samuelrodriguez6576]

A priori knowledge is independent from current experience (e.g., as part of a new study). Examples include mathematics, tautologies, and deduction from pure reason. A posteriori knowledge depends on empirical evidence.

[@VinceOfAllTrades]

The 9% voting for "Most Skilled Player" comes from most people assuming they're the most skilled player at their table.

[@Ryadic]

I took it to mean the most skilled player of the other three I'm playing against regardless of my skill.

[@AxillaryPower2]

I almost always ask "how many cards in hand?" at the same time as checking for blockers. Also, I put "most vulnerable" second priority (behind board state) because I've been in soooo many games where the player stuck on three lands was left alone while every one else beat each other up, only to win because they're the only one who still had resources by the end. But if they've flooded the board and got wiped and now has no cards in hand, I'll probably ignore them. I guess, in my mind, if they have 7 cards in hand, they're not vulnerable, even without mana; Hellbent is way less threatening than mana screw.

[@m4l4kan]

I can appreciate how much thought and strategy most of you put into making these kinds of decisions, but honestly I typically just go after whatever I dislike in the moment, I don't have all of this inner dialogue about threat assessment and cards in hand and open mana, I just kinda blindly swing out, which his probably why I favor Rakdos.

[@psychozen7169]

At 22:00 the moment Joey has chosen kill Matt always! Joey Joey has to play korvold with tergrid in the 99 just to get Matt and Dana upset. Even better a jund commander with those two cards in the 99

[@michaelsmith7561]

Wow, Dana's joke was a banger! well done sir.

[@TeaHauss]

Regarding the poll, you are asking me whether Phil/Seth, Richard, Crim, or Tomer respectively should be killed first? The answer is always Tomer.

[@psychozen7169]

Ok do you counter the tutor or the card they get? I have friend he never counters the tutor but will always counter card draw. I always just wait for a threat. I never counter the tutor or card draw. I have seen folks recently counter tutors at lgs just to keep the person from getting the card they want.

[@AnonymousAnonymous-ht4cm]

Generally I prefer to counter the threat, since then they have to spend resources on it, and may draw more interaction towards the tutoring player. (Exceptions being if you think that they have uncounterable threats, or your counter works better now than it does later, due to what it counters, or how much mana you want open later.)

[@SquIDGAmiG62]

In my playgroups, it is mostly the person that has the saltiest cards is the 'Scariest' boardstate because most cards that make people salty are quite good but annoying. Hence why they get targeted first.

[@erickcolon1670]

Another point for the 4th option, the vulnerable player, is if you're the "arch enemy" you'd want less variance and less people interacting against you

[@DaveyDAKFAE]

I play 6-8 player games most often and thus 'scariest boardstate' is way below 'scariest player' for me. In these big games SOMEONE else will have the answer to the face up threats that are already out there, and I need to be concerned mainly with the person who is waiting to deploy theirs at the right time- they will require a fast response I can't always wait on the table for.

[@chrishiggins2651]

Joey, you could have just said you were in Seattle. It's always raining there

[@okgut2033]

What about the most tricky player/deck? Cause i would definetly choose that one next to the board treat.

[@wesleymclain9146]

weird how I can be the player who gets targeted for each and every one of those reasons in a single game. like people get scared of the dumbest shit and I'm just like "they're about to go infinite!" but nooo, I'm scary because i have Tevesh Szat because he "steals commanders." No, Tevesh doesn't ult unless I'm going to lose the game from him not ulting. He is there for blockers and card draw.

[@brendans1983]

Atraxa does the same thing. You cast her cos you need a blocker, you have no counters on anything and people just shit their pants and swords it. It's pretty funny but it wears thin after a couple times

[@Dracula797ESP]

Hey got the list for "chulane the librarian"? Would love to see it!

[@lucaskobi7164]

I start off with whoever did first blood then planeswalkers, then life, board state then the blue player. (But I try to sit next to the blue player.)

[@toddatkinson735]

Be the threat, take out everyone at once. Make yourself be assessed.

[@kazeinu0151]

I'm the player in my group that everyone focuses even when I have the smallest board or playing an intentionally weak deck. I try to explain what my deck is capable of (or not capable of, rather), but it seems to always come off as deflection. Not sure what to do about it at this point.

[@spitfyre8661]

Just embrace the role and throw in a few cards to fight back with. If youre the threat anyway just go with it.

[@kazeinu0151]

@@spitfyre8661 been trying to think of what decks would be conducive for this. More stuff at instant speed maybe. You have any suggestions for cards, aside from like hexproof/protection/counter type effects?

[@brendans1983]

It sucks but you sorta have to wear it as a badge of honour. Your ability to problem solve and get out of difficult situations has scared your table. I play with a regular group of 4 and one of us retains/processes info a bit better than the rest of us. Unfortunately, he thinks I am the biggest threat at the table cos the other 2 are not the greatest deck builders. Which means I always have the best player at the table destroying everything I do because if I don't have anything, he wins. Good times 👍

[@CameronSMoore]

I built a Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant deck whose entire goal was to be politically safe. There are a handful of cards that make me invulnerable to damage, so I’m not worth attacking. I also don’t play too much at once. The deck definitely looses to concentrated removal, but I try to make it not worth it. Always allow another player to have a bigger board, and always try to keep protection up. End the game with Approach of the Second Sun, and boom, gameplan.

[@kingfuzzy2]

As someone who's very good at being ignored in a game run effects that punish your opponent for attacking you like comeuppance or batwing brume or reward them for attacking your opponent like coveted jewel or the monarch mechanic. Also wait until a few big treats have been dealt with before deploying your own threats or good removal.

[@Crypt4l]

The poll is missing the correct option: "Most cards in hand and lands in play."

[@kingfuzzy2]

The green player and the wizard "tribal" player are usually the threat 9/10 in my experience.

[@Crypt4l]

@@kingfuzzy2 What if everyone has green in their color identity?

[@kingfuzzy2]

@@Crypt4l whoever goes last or the manascrewed green player.

[@Crypt4l]

@@kingfuzzy2 I think l'll stick to my metric. Thanks though^^

[@kingfuzzy2]

@@Crypt4l thank goodness ( ;

[@akselhansen304]

For me it's usually kill the combo player and if there are non kill the one with the grindiest deck since all my decks try to out grind my opponents and stopping aggro players tend to keep them down for a long time

[@stronggreenflame]

I only go after the person who's vulnerable when I get something out of attacking and they are the only one I can safely attack.

[@mibbzx1493]

Thats bad threat assessment 🤣 attacking somebody who is lets say gimped on lands or doesn’t have anything threatening to you is just letting the power player build up and run away with the game if left unchecked before it gets out of hand. I can see if you need card draw or something but going full force on the weakest link won’t benefit you much unless they’re playing some janky/gimmicky style combo deck with infinite wincons and shit like that

[@kingfuzzy2]

This is something that makes me strongly dislike aggro players don't target the person behind until they become a threat.

[@stronggreenflame]

That's what I ment. Like if I need to deal damage for rakdos to reduce me spells cost or draw cards with Cedric. Who's ever open is who gets it.

[@mibbzx1493]

@@kingfuzzy2 im more so like ill poke at them with 1 or 2 creatures and get their life total about halfway to still try to keep them in check, they wont go untouched at 40 life

[@kingfuzzy2]

@@mibbzx1493 seems entirely reasonable better than koing the Mana screwed person doing nothing for 4 turns then losing to the threat because they weren't attacked or dealt with in any way all game.

[@Hexatomb]

Joey is always the threat.

[@andrewpeli9019]

I think I'd really enjoy playing with these guys, Dana and Matt especially. They're old school, experienced players who care about the format and play the game the way (in my opinion) it ought to be played. My local card shop is full of whiny, unskilled, combo players. I don't go there often because I just don't have fun when I do. I'll lose to a labman+consultation effect at least half of the games. And if I attack those players they cry about not having a board state. They have this really terribad tolerian system where they reward combo control players. You get bonus points for playing CEDH removal and counter-magic, but lose points for using efficient ways of removing players with combat with things like triumph of the horde.

[@Srynan]

My secret is, I am never the threat. And by that rule, if I am the threat, I will probably lose. I literally build my decks in ways that make others say that someone else is usually scarier, until it is too late and I swoop in for the win. Or I have lost to sb who has built a more cohesive deck

[@TheMaskedHero]

I always think the spot behind Matt is a drop of water on my screen.

[@DarthSnugglePuss]

I have a Korvold deck and a Chulane deck with abysmal win rates because I’m a terrible player and I have awful luck 😂

[@kingfuzzy2]

Same for sharuum and inniaz powerful decks with multiple game ending combos that have only gotten there once due to me in the habit of keeping hands with pet cards and not even checking if I have a land in hand.

[@DarthSnugglePuss]

@@kingfuzzy2 my deck lists are 9s. My luck and skill turn them into 6s.

[@kingfuzzy2]

Hey if you have fun it's always a 9

[@nickw7125]

My playgroup is very political. Unless the scariest boardstate is on the cusp of being out of control, my usual target is the one who is the most politically vulnerable. They may have the weakest board, the strongest, or neither, but if it is expedient they are going to be on the receiving end of a lot of punishment.

[@garlicxlr]

Boardstate is fickle; skill is forever.

[@diggerdog9205]

You play Niv Mizzet? I'm coming at ya lol

[@spacefreak5064]

Meanwhile in my playgroup... Player 1: Yeah I attack you Player 2: Me too Player 3: Yup Me: Why is everyone focusing me? I only have 3 Eldrazi Titans on board and Annihilator 10 in total... Leave my cosmic horrors alone they just wanna munch on mana *nom*

[@edwardgribbins7175]

Who takes the longest turns should have been an option

[@happybrain2674]

get the blue player first! then the blue player with most mana! then everything else! EVER ALLWAYS!!!11! 😜

[@DrukenReaps]

I feel like I play with that 9%

[@mthlay15]

Panda 🐼 express 😉

[@TheStephenation]

I don't eliminate one person first. I eliminate us all at the same time. It's better this way.

[@rileypowell5354]

Threat assessment? I think that's casual commander speak for "my win con is too slow"

[@hadeszero4526]

I get why they kill Joey first now. He is that second poll option.

[@bladetb3934]

It changes as the game progresses. Early game 100% go after the most skilled player. But their skill becomes largely irrelevant as the progresses and someone else pops off. But then later on near the endgame I'd say you gotta go back to most skilled player since they will plan for this endgame better

[@Nr4747]

Going after the most skilled player is a really bad idea because you will end up targeting someone with the weakest board state, who missed land drops, deliberately played a weaker deck etc.

[@Achjakommaherkommadu]

Killing the player first who killed you the last time: 100%

[@victorcarrillo2151]

New generation will say “ I low key hate chulane decks”

[@hadeszero4526]

attacking the only person with a board state. Good right?

[@TaIathar]

So... next episode is assessing how to trim your deck's power level so you're less of a threat during threat assessment?

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

Honestly what i think is those that attack the most vulnerable are not really that good at the game as they are wasting their resources attacking the weakest player when they should be focusing on the stronger one that is more so a threat

[@Mwarrior1991]

focusing on who you percieve as the most skilled player is a rookie mistake. you're operating off of your own personal bias rather than what is actually happening in the game.

[@ivrissgaming8006]

Multiple tomes Joey has mentioned "things that aren't board state" that have definitely been board state evaluations... hand size is board state. Life total is a part of the board state.... this episode frustrated me very much