The question of the overpowered General.

There's one major question that plagues EDH players:



How do you handle an overpowered EDH General being used by a member of your play group?

Because calling them by name would be awful for the palate.

It's one thing to sit down at the gaming shop as part of a 4 man pod, expecting casual fun, only to get the surprise taste of a Legacy-style kill on the 5th turn. Is it laughable? Maybe. That would depend on whether you were the spectator or the prey. But in a lot of these circumstances, players are able to do this through the sheer advantage of some Generals being much more powerful than others.

While our game shop scenario is one that most may laugh off, it can however, be taken much differently if this same unbalanced General is haunting your play group. It brings about the ethical question of how to approach the subject with the player using him/her as a choice as a General versus how the other players are going to react towards it.


There are 5 different ways that this can be broached.


#1 - Restrict Your Generals and Shatter OP options:

-Look. This is YOUR playgroup and if you're living in the States or better yet, any country with internet allowing freedom of speech, you're probably also living in a democracy. Use that democratic model to look up the EDH ban list and make votes to extend it to whatever house-rule add-ins everyone can agree upon, in order to keep the game honest.



#2 - Aggressive Negotiations:

"This is a friendly game... Right Guys..?" - Some poor soul that thought it they were playing casual.

-This is my personal favorite. If a friend is gearing to eliminate players on 4-5 turns with the usual routine of Mana Crypt into Mana Vault into Sol Ring into whatever other silliness, all which started from the tapping of an original dual land, in order to bring out the inevitable voltron commander by turn 2...  I have no problem looking that player in the eye and simply saying "You do realize that we all have to take you out."

It isn't rocket science. When you bring a tank to a gun fight, it only makes practical sense for the ones with the guns to run and take cover, before regrouping and attacking the larger threat. If someone is acting as the Sauron of the table, warn them that they better not cry when the eventual gang-up happens.

*Take no sympathy for their tears. They didn't when they chose to play with their Kaalia/Scion/Riku/Nekusar/Zhur or whatever General on Mana steroids for your friendly, no-stakes match.


#3 - Make the Anti-Deck: (And don't let anyone distract you from doing it!)

Arm up , war is hell

-It can be annoying to modify your decks with cards to specifically counter-act the super strong generals, but if this is your friend and they're playing with a nearly impossible-to-beat General, then it's up to you to start fighting fire with water. Go on Gatherer or the Wizards of the Coast forums and pre-plan for your next battle with a new strategy.

If your overpowered friend's deck thrives on attacking to kill by the 4th turn, then create a deck that makes players unable to attack. If they're making a case out of killing the table via draw, then start adding mechanics that eliminate the combo. You get the idea. Modifications are annoying, and yet necessary, especially if this is a person that you play with every single week.


#4 - Fight Fire With Napalm

The playgroup knew the risks....

-Your frenemy is out there, laughing at victories of the past. Probably chuckling at the usual Saturday Night Prime Time demise of your Casual Deck. And then the thought occurs:  Maybe it's time that you join the dark side.  That next paycheck? Cash it. And make the ultimate beatdown deck full of weaponry that would make the Sultan from Aladdin say "By the Treasury Agrabah! How did you afford this?"

While a costly venture, it is certain to get you results. But then again, you need to keep in mind that the sequel to this article might actually be directed at you not as the reader, but as the subject.


#5 - Do nothing

It's just a game Dude!

-You plan to have fun. Don't change it. Just because someone has a rough deck doesn't mean they'll win 100% of the time, every time. Be kind. Rewind. And enjoy the game the same way you did back in middle to high school when you first started with you friends.