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The Book of Five Rings

Commander / EDH Aggro Multiplayer Primer RBW (Mardu) Tempo Tokens

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Lands (34)

Fire (14)

Earth (26)

Water (15)

Commander (1)

Commander: Isshin, Two Heavens as One

Void (18)

Wind (14)

Gorin no Sho

This is the Way for men who want to learn my strategy:

  • Do not think dishonestly.
  • The Way is in training.
  • Become acquainted with every art.
  • Know the Ways of all professions.
  • Distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters.
  • Develop intuitive judgment and understanding for everything.
  • Perceive those things which cannot be seen.
  • Pay attention even to trifles.
  • Do nothing which is of no use.

Miyamoto Musashi

Let's start talking about the main character of this primer, our Miyamoto Musashi (Isshin, Two Heavens as One). The first time that I saw it, I immediately tought about the potential that this deck can achive, double the attacks effect can be very over powered and can turn the advantage on the board by our side fastely. The commander itself is decisive to outstand the opponent but the deck needs to work well even without the commander on the board and it does. Every pieces work in sinergy. The advantage that we try to achive is for sure the spirit of the strategy that lies beheind the deck, it really seems that the real Book of Five Rings suites the way to play. The strategy is the way of the advantage, we must always keep it on the opponents and pressing them making big board or with global life loss. If we break their rythm they will be troubled and the advantage we kept it will be the key of the victory. Preserve it is one of the main thing we have to do, i will write about it in the books especilly in the earth one. This is not an hard deck to play but we must always consider to don't burnout our resources or our rythm will be broken and that is the worst scenario because our General is for sure powerfull but doesn't make cards advantage so it is useless if we have no resources to play. Take your time, don't be hurry and try to preserve the advantage on the board that you've gained, this are the main suggest that I can get you, all the rest is practice.

enter image description here There is timing in the whole life of the warrior, in his thriving and declining, in his harmony and discord. Similarly, there is timing in the Way of the merchant, in the rise and fall of capital. All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discern this. In strategy there are various timing considerations. From the outset you must know the applicable timing and the inapplicable timing, and from among the large and small things and the fast and slow timings find the relevant timing, first seeing the distance timing and the background timing. This is the main thing in strategy. It is especially important to know the background timing, otherwise your strategy will become uncertain.

Miyamoto Musashi

In this book we will speak about the advantage strategy in terms of board protection and tempo. Tempo is really important in commander, know when to play and the pressure that our moves can make on the board is an aspect that we always have to keep in mind, that's why the casting time and the possibility to makes fluid our turns is the base of our strategy. As you can see we run different things that makes us ramp, the reasons are for first that I want a fluid deck and second that I always want to be able to cast the General. The deck of course has to play even without the General into the battlefield but it's undeniable that it really makes the difference when there is. When I speak about fluidity of a deck I mean basically the Tempo, pace the threats with the correct timing, pressing and troubling our opponents is fundamental. Another fundamental thing is to protect the state of the board, we have to keep safe our pieces and with them break opponents rythm, if they wipe our board it will take time and resources to be scaring again and in the worst scenario our rythm will be broken and that is what we don't want to happen. Know when to play you pieces and be sure to keep them safe, that is the first step to a solid strategy.

enter image description here "There are many enemies" applies when you are fighting one against many. Draw both sword and companion sword and assume a wide-stretched left and right attitude. The spirit is to chase the enemies around from side to side, even though they come from all four directions. Observe their attacking order, and go to meet first those who attack first. Sweep your eyes around broadly, carefully examining the attacking order, and cut left and right alternately with your swords. Waiting is bad. Always quickly re-assume your attitudes to both sides, cut the enemies down as they advance, crushing them in the direction from which they attack. Whatever you do, you must drive the enemy together, as if tying a line of fishes, and when they are seen to be piled up, cut them down strongly without giving them room to move.

Miyamoto Musashi

Press the board. These words will return over and over again while you will read this primier because basically is a guide point in the deck strategy. Here in the water book is where we speak about pressing the board in numerical terms. Big boards are always scaring for our opponents and the deck has the way to make it. The attackers are splitted in this book and in the fire book, the water triggers will make your board grow until it will be unmanageble. Tokens help to make the engine works, a lot of cards of the fire book do their best if we have many pieces that can attack, they also sting our opponents' bothering them, especially if they are using decks that use the life points as a resources; this kind of decks usually don't run many creatures. If we attack them turn by turns we will denial their moves and break their rhythm. To make board it also helps us to menage the board state, it will force people to play in defense and to calibrate any move, sometimes fearing to be the next target if they become a threat. If we achieve this result it means that our strategy is working, if they move as we wish it also mean that we are giving the rhythm's time, this is the best situation for us. Keep the board state with the help of the earth book's cards, let's the fire cards do their best with the many pieces that we can generate and our advantage will bring us to domain the board.

enter image description here Everything can collapse. Houses, bodies, and enemies collapse when their rhythm becomes deranged. In large-scale strategy, when the enemy starts to collapse you must pursue him without letting the chance go. If you fail to take advantage of your enemies' collapse, they may recover.

Miyamoto Musashi

Here in the fire book the main argument is to derange the opponents' rhythm. How to do that? As we have seen in the water book, numerical pieces advantage is of course a good way to alter the opponents' rhythm but it's not enough to break it. Fire's cards aim straight to the life points of our opponents, to make them work at their best is absolutly important to mix them with the water's pieces or with the presence of our General on the board. These scenarios are what we are tring to achieve to break their rhytm. Fire's cards also haste the time of our plays, to be able to cast something and swing immediately the opponents with the fire pieces and their trigger abilities it's something that suite perfectly the tempo spirit of this deck. The global loss of lives are very bothering for our opponents and they will help us to get the reins of the match, they must fear us, we also have to press their mind state to be sure that they can do some play's mistakes. This is the right state of mind that we have to keep to play this deck, the fire pieces must be something fast, unpredictable and painful our enemies, you have to be sure when to play them to get out the best, if you play them bad you will just throw away yours chances to win. Be sure to finish mercieless your opponents or as Musashi's said "If you fail to take advantage of your enemies' collapse, they may recover" and that is what we don't want to happen, the deck has all the ways to break its enemies, be sure to do it.

enter image description here When your opponent is hurrying recklessly, you must act contrarily and keep calm. You must not be influenced by the opponent. Train diligently to attain this spirit.

Miyamoto Musashi

In the wind book, Musashi speaks about the other schools’ techniques and how they are sometimes opulent in style but useless in practice. To pair this concept to the MTG table is not that simple, the meta is usually full of well established decks that know what to do and to manage them is an issue to resolve. This is not a control deck and it’s not suppouse to be it but to find the way to respond to the opponents’ plays is a thing that we have to handle to keep the advantage. I pair this analyses that Musashi has on other schools to the way that we have to connect with the opponents, this is why in this book I’ve put all the cards that go somehow to prevent and to manage their plays. We have somehow to negate the plays of our oppoentes that try to break our rhytm, if we manage on this there will be us who we will breaks their one. The control of the board and the opponents’ plays are aspects that always need to be considered in our strategy. We are not playing alone and if we understand their way to play and how we can break it we will always been a step forward them. With this book we must learn how allow them to make useless things and how to negate the useful ones, i think that there is nothing more to say.

enter image description here Until you realise the true Way, whether in Buddhism or in common sense, you may think that things are correct and in order. However, if we look at things objectively, from the viewpoint of laws of the world, we see various doctrines departing from the true Way. Know well this spirit, and with forthrightness as the foundation and the true spirit as the Way. Enact strategy broadly, correctly and openly. Then you will come to think of things in a wide sense and, taking the void as the Way, you will see the Way as void. In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness.

Miyamoto Musashi

Work in progress...

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Dokkōdō

  • Accept everything just the way it is.
  • Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.
  • Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.
  • Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.
  • Be detached from desire your whole life long.
  • Do not regret what you have done.
  • Never be jealous.
  • Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.
  • Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself or others.
  • Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.
  • In all things have no preferences.
  • Be indifferent to where you live.
  • Do not pursue the taste of good food.
  • Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.
  • Do not act following customary beliefs
  • Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.
  • Do not fear death.
  • Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age.
  • Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.
  • You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honour.
  • Never stray from the Way.

Miyamoto Musashi

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Revision 19 See all

(4 days ago)

+1 Caustic Bronco main
-1 Charismatic Conqueror main
Top Ranked
Date added 9 months
Last updated 4 days
Legality

This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)

19 - 0 Mythic Rares

54 - 0 Rares

14 - 0 Uncommons

4 - 0 Commons
Cards 100
Avg. CMC 2.92
Tokens Cat Soldier 1/1 W, Copy Clone, Elephant 3-3 G, Experience Token, Gnome 1/1 C, Goblin 1/1 R, Goblin Shaman, Human 1/1 W, Rebel 2/2 R, Soldier, Soldier 1/1 RW, Soldier 1/1 W, Spirit 1/1 C, Treasure
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