…casual and competitive

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Sitromis

3 January 2010

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It’s a tough world were the competitive format is concerned. Tougher still is perhaps the casual one with added variable! I’m referring to casual Standard play, and here to discuss what separates the two worlds- mere variables, concepts and mechanics. Certain things that work well in one world don’t necessarily play properly in the other. I speak of them with such a varying degree of contrast to emphasize that fact, they are distinctly dissimilar.

I got the inspiration for this article when reworking an early deck concept titled Alluring Bruise; taking it from a single player version into a multiplayer, or casual one; those terms are generally interchangeable. The alterations are in preparation for some casual play of my own, surprisingly enough. For the masochists in the audience, I’d encourage you to take a look at the afore mentioned deck for more on topic discussion. Otherwise, let’s continue!

I’ve used the term ROI when describing spell potency in the past. It’s probably among the most important things to consider when selecting your magic arsenal. What drives your choices is whether you’re building for casual or competitive play. I’m not going to sleight you in one direction or another, as the game is meant to be enjoyed in all its shapes and forms; rather we’ll take a look at arsenal selection, mechanic differences between worlds, and a general overview of the deference’s between game facets; casual and competitive.

Counter Magik or Magic's?

A good place to begin. Have you played a Blue or maybe Blue/White control deck before? Something that runs heavy counter magic’s designed to slow your opponent and give you board advantage? This style of deck is very effective in competitive play because no matter how good your spells are, if they never resolve, its game over. This style of deck relies heavily on refilling your hand. Commonly referred to as the “decking” mechanic where some spell allows you to maintain a hand advantage. Preferably, you alone. Ponder, Ior Ruin Expedition and Divination are all good examples. Once you empty your hand countering your opponent’s spells, you need a way to refill it to get more options and certainly counter spells. Decking or card draw makes that possible. It takes a healthy balance of counter spells, creatures and decking mechanics to fuel this concept and that balance is offset dramatically when you introduce the variable of another player; another 60 possible spells, each a unique threat by their own accord.

While most games won’t see more then 30 spells cast in the competitive arena from a single player, that is all changed in the casual one. To illustrate, let’s do some quick math- in a one on one match, your opponent casts on average how many spells would you say before the game ends? For sake of argument, let’s say that number is 20. 20 spells cast by one opponent. You build your Blue Control deck and add 4x Cancel, 4x Essence Scatter, 4x Negate and 4x Spell Pierce in. 16 counter spells for you. Given the fact that you too need to lay down some threats, you add in 20 other spells. Their casting keeps you tapped on occasion. So let’s say you are able to counter one half of your oppositions spell count. Of the 20 spells s/he manages to cast, only 10 successfully resolve before the game ends. Let’s also say it ended in your favor, for sake of argument naturally.

Now let’s add just one more player to this generalized equation with the same parameters. 20 Spells per opponent per game, totaling 40 spells of opposition that you can expect to be attempted. Well, there are only 32 Blue counter spells currently in Standard print tell me, are you thinking about putting them all in your 60 card tome? I wish you luck. You don’t have to be a math refugee to see that the same concept you had with your Blue Control deck is not going to allow for nearly the same outcome in a casual environment. Casual and competitive are different for this very reason, and it doesn’t stop there. Let’s continue.

Threats and their Removal-

I’m not going back into my poor excuse for mathematical theory as the one above, but the same rules DO apply. There will simply be too many creatures for you to “spot” remove, and too many spells to counter in a casual milieu. This gives way to consideration of other concepts with casual play. More like it forces them. If you happen to have Magic Online or similarly adequate search engine available to you, set it to “Standard” and do a quick search for “all creatures”, “opponents”, “each opponent” and look over each results. There are a total of 36 spells in all between the five colors of magic in Standard matching those three search criteria, currently.

Given that information, I’m not suggesting that you omit spot-removal or counter magic’s, nor by the same token would I suggest you try to build a deck that relies on those 36 spells that deal only with opponents or all creatures. Both would fail us. Rather I wish to establish that once again, a balance must be found were the nuances of casual play meet the concepts of competitive. Cards such as Terminate still have a place, but you would never rely on a bevy of similar spells to shut down a single opponent while a second opponent, or third even, establishes a board advantage that is simply beyond your control. You must find a balance in your build, and it must afford you the flexibility to address threats from more than one angle. Single win conditions should be avoided.

Speed used to Kill...

I’ve previously “penned” some content regarding the mana curve in another article; this largely pertained to competitive play. In the casual environment, you have more time. Or more specifically I should say, the games are generally longer. As a result, the mana curve is adjusted. In competitive play, tempo is king. This too is a reiteration on my part, but if you can successfully cast more spells than your opponent, the game generally belongs to you. The same rules do apply to casual play, to some extent. Only there exists an extreme, and in the extreme this rule no longer applies. Google search “Boros Bushwacker” or find another similarly strong and fast deck doing well in competitive standard today; build it; take it to your next meta-game and play it casually. While there will certainly be the exception, that style of deck is going to fail you more than it succeeds. Speed will get you an early advantage, and you’ll likely crush a single opponent if you are allowed to maintain your focus; yet even that you can’t count on. So make no mistake, in casual play “the late” game WILL find you. And if you rely on the exact nature of competitive builds, it will likely leave you weeping in its wake. For those not familiar with the term, it generally refers to anything past turn 7 in the current Standard format.

This is something generally avoided in competitive by early finishes and quick kills, the “late game” I mean. In contrast, it is something to be expected and welcomed in casual. It’s one of its allures actually. You simply can’t kill 3 or more players as quickly as you could in a competitive format. Thus, you can expect an increased capacity for larger, more mana intensive spells. Spells you would not normally see in the competitive scene at all. Spells you would not normally consider to employ. Spells that exceed five mana or more! Some of which are fascinating in their affects. The casual environment is where combos are often realized in fact.

Maintain a Tactical Advantage!

In effort to win, and in addition to the length of game, you’ll still need a tactical advantage. Not only that, but errors in judgment are paid once for each opponent now! I’m not typing about game mechanics or rulings, as most house policies are a little more lenient when it comes to casual play (thus the term “casual”) but rather this; did you summon the wrong creature; cancel the wrong spell; or simply do the wrong thing entirely?! More players equate to more variables, and you want to make sure the equation balances in your favor. Sometimes, this requires the selection of spells that may be a little more devious in nature, or those you would not normally consider as options, certainly not mainboard-deck-set options anyway. Tactical advantage in the casual setting lends itself more towards permanent manipulation than it does counter magic’s or even spot removal; greater net effects as opposed to singular ones.

Take another look at the wording on Silence as an example. Consider for a moment what Sleep can do to a single opponent in a multiplayer game; their blood wouldn’t necessarily even be on your hands! How about giving Lighning Reaver a go or taking your already devastating Vampire deck and simply adding Malakir Bloodwitch to it? The already broken Luminarch Ascension seems ridiculous when you add a few more players to the equation; it’ll likely be active before you untap on turn three! Outside of spells themselves, take a look at mechanics in general. Haste may not be quite as appealing in a multi-player game, but Shroud or Vigilance both seems even stronger; Deathtouch can slow the onslaught of many opponents just as it does one; spells with a Kicker cost (a mechanic we’re likely to see more of come Worldwake with “multi-Kicker”) get played more often. Multi-color concepts are established easier; Players WILL gain life; cast more than one creature per turn or drop more than one land; thus Traps are more likely to go off; spells with X are paid more fully; etcetera as the list goes on! All things to consider as you select spells that produce a lasting tactical advantage.

All these things etch the geography of each world; causing diffusion and uniqueness between the two aspects of casual and competitive play. It stands to reason that once one grasps the solidity of difference between them, deck concept and conception will improve; as will your odds in a favorable outcome. While these words only begin to scratch at the surface of distinguishing characteristics between game geographies, I’m sure the prolixity has more than reached an acceptable limit. So if you’re still with me, shake it off and go play a game or two casual and competitive!

Thanks for the time.