Mechanic Spotlight: Goad

[@vasylpark2149]

Goad makes perfect seen flavor wise. You are instigating or stimulating anger or an attack.

[@commandpower1987]

Except not really. If someone insults you at a bar, you want to punch them, not the two random bystanders🤣

[@vasylpark2149]

@commandpower1987 you are the guy at the bar throwing the bottle at another guy and blaming someone else. Its literally the bar fight scene in every movie.

[@commandpower1987]

Hahaha. Sure that makes sense with some cards, but not with ones where the character goading is taking pride in their goading or is a crab🤭

[@vasylpark2149]

@commandpower1987 true, but thats also true for a quarter of every card in magic. Not every card makes sense thematically.

[@tehrik0020]

6:31 I think rather than the flavor being "the creature is openly taunting yours" it's moreso "the creature has stealthily thrown a cafeteria muffin at yours and has hidden under the table, unable to discern the target your creature punches the closest guy". The idea of many goad creatures from what I've seen is either (in)direct mind controlling or just being a jerk rabble-rouser who goes hiding while everyone else attacks eachother. And when only one other person is standing, the goad player can't really hide in the crowd anymore, and now it's about whether the constant battling has weakened the other person enough for you to finish them off, or if they still have some fight in them.

[@commandpower1987]

That's a very cool way to think about it! Nice take!🤣

[@scottricks1676]

Personally love goad. I’m the goad one in my pod lol.

[@commandpower1987]

There's one in every playgroup hehe🤭

[@mikeheath4916]

Personally really love Marisi as someone who plays against a ton of control and combo. It often feels like playing blue is necessary, so Marisi brings great way to beat them down quick and early before they can build.

[@commandpower1987]

Yeah Marisi seems good in that kind of meta!

[@amarthaler]

Great video. I appreciate the deep dive into what Goad does in the format and to hear your perspective. I would disagree that Goad is on the same level or in the same category as Stax "not allowing other decks to do their thing". I run a Kardur deck in my pod and although my opponents are attacking each turn if able, they can still do their deck's thing most of the time. I do agree, however, that the outcome of each game does get a bit similar, so I've tried my best to include game-enders like Mass Mutiny, Insurrection, or Twist Allegiance.

[@commandpower1987]

I don't think it is quite at the same level as hard stax, but in certain metas it can be a "soft stax". It does depend entirely ok the meta and opposing decks. If you are playing a durdly deck that revolves around utility creatures, then you are effectively locked out of playing those creatures against a heavy goad deck. I guess it also depends what "doing the thing" is, for me that involves choosing who I attack!😁 I agree with you that mileage will vary! Thanks for the support and the great comment. P.S. I actually LOVE Kardur as part of the 99 in a lot of my decks hehe

[@WatcherCCG]

My second deck was Firkraag, which I later retooled into Baeloth. But I disassembled that deck because my pod insisted on treating goad like theft and dubbing me Archenemy any time I got Baeloth out or tried to summon any of my set pieces. Try to cast any of my goad pieces? Izzet player pulls three counterspells out of his ass. I manage to scrape together enough mana to get Baeloth out? He gets killed on sight until the commander tax is so high I can never cast him again. I got sick of basically being told I don't get to play because I ran a mechanic that took control of everyone else's creatures away from them.

[@commandpower1987]

Yeah, unfortunately that is the optimal way to play against stuff like Baeloth. That's why I think it's a poorly designed card. Firkraag I don't think is as bad though

[@WatcherCCG]

@@commandpower1987 Firkraag is probably going to get a second shot eventually, either as his own deck or in the 99 of my Ur-Dragon deck.

[@Miss_Dizzy]

I don't mind playing against Goad as a mechanic because it doesn't really negatively impact what I'm doing. However, other people in the playgroup really struggle against it, and get visibly frustrated. I think a lot of the frustration is in how disruptive goad is to non-combat creature based strategies. It can make it extremely difficult to build and maintain a board state when value pieces are being forced to attack if you lack a means of tapping them or otherwise protecting them. That's not to say that Goad doesn't have clear weaknesses but because it's often in a fairly aggressive shell, some of those weaknesses, are mitigated. Nonetheless, decks that do largely non-combat damage, pillow forts, stax, combo, and go wide decks all do quite well against it.

[@commandpower1987]

Well put, those tend to be the games where I get most frustrated with goad, the ones where my deck is a little slower and needs time to ramp up. I think on the same note goad tends to disproportionately punish decks who might have stumbled during the early game

[@Badassest]

People want to play stax. People want to play infinite combo. People want to play degeneracy. Goad is an answer.

[@commandpower1987]

Except goad doesn't really answer those. Stax negates goad. Infinite combo laughs at goad. I would say goad is closer to stax than to being an answer to anything, it actually punishes the "fair" decks more

[@bluelink44]

Someone in my playground uses firkraag and I can definitely attest that certain decks are unplayable against goad strategies because utility creatures just get sent in to be crushed so goad ends up being repeatable removal stapled on someone's commander. I agree with much of what you said in this video but I can't say I am a fan of disrupt decorum. It is a cool card and I liked it initially but it usually just ends with whoever's turn is right after the decorum player getting smacked pretty hard by the two other players because they have little to no blockers after swinging all in.

[@commandpower1987]

Yeah, I'm not a fan of Disrupt Decorum either, it's just a little bit less bad than some other offenders

[@tellbetterstories312]

I'm in a very combat oriented group. i have played goad and do enjoy it but others in our group do as well. we all have many decks so it is not a constant thing. I agree if we all played the same decks game, after game the goad player would get beat up. if everyone in your play group is playing responsibly they are concerned about everyone having fun. that means you get to play goad this game but next game play something else. I also agree with your assessment that goad is self balancing. its hard to win with just goad. i hear a lot of times with goad "I'm ok with second place" I'm not a fan of this as it is a form of king making. all of this makes me feel like it is a very balanced ability. Great video.

[@commandpower1987]

Thanks for the support! Agreed that every now and then and in smaller doses goad can be very fun! Glad to hear you agree on the self balancing part! Oh yeah and I also dislike that "go out of my way to get second place" mentality!

[@kryttercakes]

I want Taunt to be a mechanic though. Creature must attack you if able.

[@erikwilliams1562]

Didn't know goad was in blue. Because of course blue gets it too

[@commandpower1987]

Obviously, makes sense as blue is the color of passion, emotion...oh wait

[@camcar9236]

yeah of my friends runs kardur and your point about every game being the same is spot on especially if he gets conjurers closet up its just pain until someone finds artifact removal. I think it works in a deck with goad pieces here and there but mass goad every turn just isnt fun

[@commandpower1987]

Good point, I didn't go into detail on Kardur but he is one of the most egregious examples if built correctly in that if he is doing is thing (spamming kardur every turn) it can be very difficult for some decks to function!

[@Swimming_birb]

Goading is not "taunting" something. To goad is to provoke and response or action from someone or to urge or drive an action. You are not taunting the creature, you are provoking it or encouraging it to attack your other opponents. Taunt is not a synonym of goad.

[@kryttercakes]

I havent played against a goad focused deck except the dimir one that donates bad stuff that cant be sacrificed. ( That deck was alot of fun. ) i do have a The Rani deck thats a lot of fun to play. (In my group, me and one other person like it, 1 person thinks its fine, and the other hates it entirely but i think its just because they want to attack me) even better if my opponent is also goading things because we can basically team up and force the other 2 players to attack each other. Alot of goading also causes P/T increases though so if it comes to a 1 v 1, better hope you saved up some tricks and removal or youre probably dead.

[@pacdaman15557]

I literally haven't been a part of a board stall in years

[@commandpower1987]

Sounds like a high powered meta!

[@scottdowle8218]

who hates goad? lol its annoying to play against but in a really good way, you usually know its coming and its just another factor to think about. way more fun than stacks

[@commandpower1987]

I don't hate goad as a mechanic, but I do dislike repeatable mass goad as stated in the video!

[@snowsurfer2512]

BANDING would be cool please

[@commandpower1987]

Haha ok I'll put it on the list! Be careful what you wish for though!

[@snowsurfer2512]

@@commandpower1987 I'm prepared for whatever you deliver. Looking forward to it in fact! Thanks for the reply. I've got a banding commander deck with Soraya

[@commandpower1987]

Oh wow, truly vintage, love it!