Prerelessons

So tomorrow’s the big day, eh?

Tomorrow I and my girlfriend are waking up early and driving to the Franklin County Veteran’s Memorial for some hardcore Two-Headed Giant action. For our $40 entry fee, we get at least seven packs of Magic’s newest, oldest expansion, the long-lost Coldsnap.

I’ve been looking over the spoilers and it looks like the set has some absolute bombs in it. There were a lot of people saying that they weren’t excited about it, but I think they were just initially turned off by the marketing Wizards used, namely that Coldsnap was found almost completely intact in Richard Garfield’s closet, or whatever. Plus, how could anything be good coming off of the multicolored powerhouse that is the Ravnica block?

Anyway, I’ve been trying to summarize beginning Magic strategy in a few pithy tenets so that my girlfriend can handle herself if I’m suddenly stricken with laryngitis or crippling diarrhea at the prerelease.

It’s tricky.

There are a lot of things to think about, and there are a lot of things that are strictly situational, even subjective, or that can’t really be summarized.

I’ll share what I’ve got, though.

1. Seeing more cards is good.

Much of Magic is a game of knowledge, so the more information you have on your deck and your opponent’s, the better. There are many, many derivatives of this idea, but all of them are about knowledge.

If you get the chance to legally look at your opponent’s hand, look at it, write the cards down, and mark them off as they appear. This is why selected discard like Duress is better than random discard like Hymn to Tourach is better than opponent selected discard like Distress. In the first, you’re gaining knowledge; the second denies your opponent knowledge; the third does neither.

Likewise, drawing more cards out of your deck increases your options and reduces the quality of your opponent’s knowledge of your hand. It’s much easier to keep track of a three-card hand than a seven-card hand. Selection is important too—like Brainstorm or Impulse—maybe even more important, but mass draw is hard to beat. This is why control hates Necropotence.

Seeing more cards is also where card advantage first shows up, but it’s no good just to see more cards. Cards have to do something, and the more they do, the better they are. There has to be a balance between card draw and utility. Some cards that draw or look at cards masquerade as being good, like Howling Mine, but Howling Mine and its ilk just set you back a card (the Mine itself) as you and your opponent each draw more cards. Good cards do something.

2. Don’t overextend.

Mass removal definitely exists in Magic, even in one small set like Coldsnap (thank you, Sunscour), and still the best way to protect against that is to hold back a couple of creatures and lands to hasten your recovery afterward. Of course, it’s still a good policy if your opponent’s at seven life and your creatures’ powers total five to drop that last bear for next turn and really put the pressure on him.

In one tournament I played at the Dungeon, I was piloting a RG Control deck of my own design against 9-Land Stompy. It’s early in the game and I drop a Powder Keg. His response is something like Llanowar Elf, Rogue Elephant, Rancor, Rancor to empty his hand. See the problem? Next turn I wipe his board and prevent him from ever getting a start. It’s an extreme example of very, very bad play (especially considering that the threat of Powder Keg isn’t exactly a hidden one) but, really, don’t over extend.

3. Do things at the last minute.

Save your instants and effects for your opponent’s end phase whenever possible. This ensures that you have mana and options open as long as possible, always making your opponent think about possible foils.

Wait to play sorceries and more creatures until after combat. Maybe your opponent will throw a Lightning Bolt at a Flametongue Kavu that’s been harassing him, rather than the Weatherseed Treefolk that you plan to drop this turn.

Similarly, hold your combat tricks and direct damage until they’ll trade with your opponent’s cards, save your life, or kill your opponent. I remember when I started playing Magic and about the coolest thing you could do on your first turn was Mountain, Lightning Bolt, go. How naïve we were, as we subsequently took damage after damage from a second-turn grizzly bears.

Waiting to do things often also means that you’ll see more cards from the top of your deck, and will therefore have more possible options, in concordance with rule one.

The only contradictions I can think to this rule are playing lands before combat, and, of course, playing combat-effecting sorceries and hasty creatures before combat.

4. Untap, Upkeep, Draw.

I still say this sometimes at the beginning of my turns, even when it’s not so important. And, of course, the rest of this is Main One, Combat, Main Two, End Phase.

When it is important, it can be really important. Missing the upkeep phase can mean various warnings, sanctions, even disqualifications for major or repeated offenses in a tournament. Plus, it kind of annoys me when I see people draw their card for turn, then untap all their stuff. I mean, is it really all that hard to remember? It’s got a nice, rhythmic, mnemonic device even!

Anyway, this lesson is especially important for the Coldsnap prerelease as cumulative upkeep is making a comeback with a vengeance. There’s even a card that produces red mana as a cumulative upkeep! It’s Psychic Vortex all over again! Bedlam, I tells ya! Bedlam!

Seriously, though, my experience with cumulative upkeep is best expressed with Illusionary Terrain. Illusionary Terrain was quite a house back in the day, and shutting down my friends’ monocolored decks for multiple turns was huge! Plus, it broke half of their two-colored decks as well. Not too shabby, as long as you remember to take care of it every turn.

5. Don’t wear blinders.

This is another recommendation with many parts, but they can all be summed up by three words pretty neatly, so I did.

First, pay attention. This can go along with seeing more cards (and writing the ones in your opponent’s hand down, for example), but I really mean to the whole game. Graveyards are public knowledge, so feel free to look through them for counters or combo pieces that you won’t likely have to worry about. And don’t play spells into Chalice of the Void or Standstill just because you’ve forgotten about them; your opponent might not let you take it back.

Speaking of whom, pay attention to your opponent when he draws and plays cards. You don’t have a long time with each opponent, usually, but you can learn a lot. Is he baiting a counter by looking overconfident or too cautious? Is he waiting for another land and whimpering when he doesn’t draw one? Is he telegraphing a counter by leaving blue mana open, or has he used too many and is just bluffing based on probablility.

Strategically, don’t get locked in to one idea and miss a game winning play. A well built deck should have a goal in mind, certainly, but don’t be afraid to get away from it if necessary. A Vintage GrimLong deck will gladly take a win on the back of hardcast Elvish Spirit Guide, even if it doesn’t necessarily mean to. And if you’re waiting for a fifth land to finally get rid of your opponent’s Loxodon Hierarch with Earthquake, don’t forget that ‘Quake can also kill your opponent if you somehow whittle him down to three life.

Magic is a versatile game, and there’s synergy everywhere. Don’t miss it just because you’ve been trained to see otherwise.

As for now, it’s late, and since I want to actually be able to keep my eyes open at the prerelease tomorrow, er, today, I’m going to bed.

Good luck in your Magic futures, and I’ll see you at the prerelease!