Tactical Advantage

Eternal Format Strategy

Was there any concern about it being technically optimal to bring a sticker deck and an attraction deck to every eternal game, on the off chance that you end up copying an opponent's card that uses one of those mechanics?

The fun of eternal formats is you have access to all the cards. With that comes this “you could do X, Y, and Z to gain an infinitesimal small tactical advantage” issue which extends far beyond Unfinity. We’re not going to stop making fun things in Magic because Spikes in Legacy and Vintage (a tiny, tiny, tiny percentage of players) can game it.

Eternal Legacy Mechanics Spike Stickers Tactical Advantage Vintage

Black's Tactical Advantage

If curses and demons and evil and such are Black because Black will use anything that gives it a tactical advantage, how is there anything that isn't Black? By this logic, if water, or fire, or nature, or light gave Black a tactical advantage, it would use them, and yet those are not associated with Black.

Black leans towards things that others have granted a taboo towards.

Black Demon Tactical Advantage

Baral's Color Identity

"Black will use any tool which gives it a tactical advantage including things like superstitions. Black loves when it can take advantage of preexisting emotional connections." Then why isn't Baral blue/black? This is literally what he does, taking "advantage of preexisting emotional connections" to torment Pia after she was already captured when there was nothing else to gain from her, then again in his interactions with Chandra. He has only personal satisfaction to gain from torturing Pia.

Baral believes he’s serving the greater good. That’s white not black. Yes, he’s impulsive, but that’s red not black.

Black Blue Dimir (U/B) Factions Greater Good Red Tactical Advantage Torment White

Black's Use of Superstitions

Hi Mark! I was listening to your Color Pie conflicts podcast, and I have a question: Apart from the obvious Black=evil, why are omens and superstitious stuff (Black Cat, Curses, etc.) are in Black? Doesn't Black reject superstition and predetermination? Thanks and stay awesome!

Black will use any tool which gives it a tactical advantage including things like superstitions. Black loves when it can take advantage of preexisting emotional connections.

Black Black Cat Cat Color Pie Colors Drive to Work Tactical Advantage

Commander Strategy Insight

The tactical advantage of having two of the same commander would be that each would track how much extra mana it would take to re-cast from the command zone. But without specifically going and reading the exact RAW for Commander, it's obviously against the spirit and RAI for Commander.

Ah, but Commander is a singleton format.

Cast Commander Mana Singleton Spirit Tactical Advantage The Command Zone

Hydra Growth Tactics

What do you say to aspiring hydras?

1. Keep track of your heads. Your victory should be correlative to your number of heads so it’s crucial you know how many you have. Remember, subtract one, add two.
2. Don’t have all your heads looking at the same threat. Diversify. Your multiple heads are your tactical advantage. Use them effectively.
3. The rest of your body matters too. Everyone’s always focused on your heads. Sometimes, a good foot stomp can get the job done.

Hydra Tactical Advantage

Flanking vs Flying

"Flanking's problem is it was self-referential" (Drive to work 41 for people reading this) Why was this a problem for flanking when it's not a problem for flying? What makes them different in that regard? Why do people forget that blocking flanking gives -1/-1 unless you have flanking but not that flying is unblockable unless you have a creature with flying?

First, it’s not the same. Fliers can only be blocked by other fliers. This is intuitive and just makes sense. Flankers flank but only against nonflankers. If you get that flanking means you’re up on a horse and thus have tactical advantage (which very few players got) then maybe you get the flavor. Flying creates a situation where the opponent cannot do something while flanking makes a situation where occasionally the opponent’s creature is not affected. The first if missed, you just say “Hey, you can’t block”. The second happens after blocking is declared and you go “Oh, I forgot how flanking works so now my creature dies when I didn’t expect it to.”

Blocking Creatures Drive to Work Flanking Flavor Flying Horse Tactical Advantage