Been having problems with someone in my playgroup.
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Oct. 31, 2016, 4:56 p.m. by chirz2792
My group has been having a problems with one of the players. He's been complaining about the fact that some of the decks have infinite combos and some light land destruction in them. He also complains about infect. Now, normally I wouldn't have a problem with that, everybody has things they don't like about the game. The problem is, he runs all of the things that he complains about in multiple decks and then gives us an endless amount of shit for doing the same. He recently got mad because someone used Rings of Brighthearth+Sensei's Divining Top+Basalt Monolith to draw and play their entire deck, but he runs that exact same combo in his own artifact deck and when we pointed it out to him his response was "I'm playing mono blue artifacts, I have to run that combo". Why? Why do you HAVE to run that combo? That same deck also runs Blightsteel Colossus(which he's gotten down with haste on turn 3 before) and the Mycosynth Lattice+Darksteel Forge+Nevinyrral's Disk and he's been known to complain about combos that destroy everything. Another of his decks runs Butcher of Malakir and Grave Pact but he complains about Fleshbag Marauder. He uses wheel and mass discard effects constantly but complains when they're used against him. He loves playing counter magic but hates having his spells countered. He was the first person in our group to use voltron with all five swords but complains when somebody else uses them. He's also been known to see somebody else using a deck that he thinks is cool and then show up to the next game night with something that's almost a carbon copy of the other deck, then he complains when no one will let him look at or play their decks. I've kind of been rambling here so i'll get to the actual point, how do we deal with this? We don't want to exclude him but we're not sure what else to do. We've tried talking to him about it and he got better for a while but now we're right back where we started. Does anybody have any advice? Has anyone ever dealt with someone like this before? Any suggestions on how to deal with this would be great. Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.
UpperDeckerTaco says... #3
Maybe he's just a puss and don't let him bully/push you. When he states that crap, just be like, "yeah, so what. Get rekt!"
If you can't handle the heat, don't play with fire.
October 31, 2016 5:04 p.m.
Don't play with him again. Easy as that... some people just need to learn it the hard way. He seems to be an absolute idiot, so I would not waste my time with such a childish behaviour.
October 31, 2016 5:04 p.m.
Honestly, tell him to fuck off and stop being a hypocrite. The way I see it is if I run something, in any of my decks, I cant complain about someone else using it. Unless a play group has specifically banned something (the guys I play with hate infect and bumped it up to 21 instead of 10 cause they're wusses, but that's when we just play for fun) anything within the rules is fair game. If it continues I say flip him the bird and refuse to play with him. I get wanting to win, but he doesn't have to be an insufferable asshole especially when he uses the same crap he is complaining about.
October 31, 2016 5:13 p.m.
Steelspike says... #6
I don't like Cyclonic Rift, Stormtide Leviathan, snatch effects or infect, so I play none of those.
If you play with them, you cannot then bitch about them.
This guy sounds very socially inept, and dense. Maybe he's too thick to take hints, and needs someone to "tell him like it is", if you know what I mean.
If that doesn't work, then just refuse to play with him when he shows up.
October 31, 2016 5:19 p.m.
ducttapedeckbox says... #8
All you can do is firmly but politely confront him - have the player that he is closest with speak with him one on one so that he doesn't feel cornered.
Remind him that as a playgroup you all have the right to suggest house rules, but if they are implemented, they must be unconditionally followed by every player. If he cannot do that, then you hope he understands why you cannot include him in future games.
You get to a point where you've felt for someone long enough, and as hard as it may be, you have to move on and watch out for yourself and the rest of your group.
October 31, 2016 5:52 p.m.
chirz2792,
What ducttapedeckbox said.
Life's way too short to play Magic with a complete dick.
October 31, 2016 7:24 p.m. Edited.
I'm kind of tempted to suggest asking him to help you build a deck. He gets to choose what goes into it, knowing that it will be used against him. Then ask why he's including those cards. Of course, I don't seriously recommend doing this unless you're very close to him outside of MtG.
Less passive-aggressively, offer to switch decks for a game. He plays someone else's "annoying" and "unfun" deck, you use his deck with all his disruption and combos.
Or just don't invite him next time you shuffle up, like all the other suggestions.
October 31, 2016 7:27 p.m.
Sim_Will_CMcantfindmehopefully says... #11
I like the idea of switching decks for a round or two, it seems like a non-embarrading chance to realize his hypocrisy on his own.
October 31, 2016 7:37 p.m.
Didn't expect so many responses. To everyone who's telling me to stop playing with him: He's a close friend of mine and I've already talked to him one to one.
Switching decks is something I hadn't considered. I'm definitely going to give that a shot. I also like the idea of having him build me a deck and making sure he knows it'll be used against him. If none of that works I'm just going to tell him that if he wants to keep playing magic with us then he needs to work on his attitude and if he doesn't then he won't be invited to our magic games anymore and I'll just hang with him without magic involved, b/c honestly magic is the only time he really gets like that.
Thanks for all the responses so far everyone. I appreciate the help.
October 31, 2016 8:37 p.m.
Tell him if bitches about a combo it's an auto loss for him
October 31, 2016 8:40 p.m.
I have a suggestion that might help.
Next time he starts to complain, tell him this: "If you really, honestly, want us to avoid these combos, then it is only fair for you to avoid them too. After all, that is what your complaining about, it appearing unfair. It wouldn't be fair for us to not be able to use them, but you still get to.
If he makes the argument that he has to because of the deck he is playing, reply: "The beauty of this game is that you can usually accomplish anything by just being creative. Find another way, and stop using the cards, and we will be more than happy to. If you can't think of any way around using those combos, ask your friends (glance away briefly when saying 'friend' at this point to drive it home) for help with it."
If he makes the argument that it isn't fair, simply reply: "Your claim is that the combo is broken, and shouldn't be used, yet you use it. That is like creating a ban on handguns, and a loophole that keeps you getting in trouble for using them. If you want things to be fair, you must follow the same rules you expect us to follow, otherwise you are just wanting privileged treatment. I don't think I would want to play against someone with the rules stacked in their favor. That takes all the fun out of the game for everyone else."
These three statements should shut down most arguments he can come up with.
November 1, 2016 5:02 a.m.
I like everyone's responses above aside for the violence... so I don't want to throw up more of the same.
What about the everlasting effects of the combo-control-aggro triangle? Does you playgroup not have a control player? an aggro player? Maybe if the group stopped looking at combo as a way to win it would shut down the discussions about WHICH combo is broken and which isn't?
November 1, 2016 10:56 a.m.
Sounds like a douche bag. Go to a local store and pick someone else up.
November 1, 2016 6:19 p.m.
@Harrin: I like that idea. I'll have to give that a shot as well. Most of us only have 1 deck that actually goes infinite but he only ever seems to notice those decks.
@geekmp3: We used to have the control-aggro-combo triangle, but he was the control player in our group so now everything's all fucked up :/.
November 2, 2016 12:36 a.m.
I don't know how good of a friendship you have with this guy, but the one thing life experience has taught me is that if you want to work something out with someone, you don't tell them they are wrong. Even avoid implying it if you can; it turns into a right vs wrong pissing contest too easily.
The idea of switching/having him build you a deck was elegant, kudos legendofa! I'd recommend that path.
That said, if you guys are really good friends to where you know that calling him out won't start an argument, that would be the simplest solution.
Sim_Will_CMcantfindmehopefully says... #2
Screw that guy. I would see if moving the group is an option or just asking him to shut up. Just try to nudge him into not being a hypocritical asshole I guess. He sounds unbearable, like he actually just plays the game to bitch and moan.
October 31, 2016 5:01 p.m.