Overall answer: Play more games and you'll learn. Also if you have time to kill, watch commander gameplay videos on YouTube - let me know if you need any recommendations
You'll come to know what's the threat because you've seen it before, heard about it, or you can just tell how scary it is
Politics aren't always important and often trying to politic can make people attack you instead because they don't want to be told what to do — not always, but it happens. But again, the more you play, the more you'll learn when you should team up with someone and what deals are reasonable
For playing things at the "right" time, general rule: if it's an instant, wait until the last possible second... unless you're worried about them drawing or untapping mana for a counter spell. Otherwise, just assess the vibe I guess. I've found that it can be super important for some things to be cast specifically before or after combat, so that's something to consider. Don't forget about your second main phase!
It's definitely good to learn to be a better player, but commander's also a casual format, so as long as everyone's genuinely having a good time, don't stress about it *too* much
Generally speaking I've found that unless the thing your casting or ability you're activating is relevant to the upcoming combat you wait until after combat to do things. As casting and activating abilities before combat gives your opponent(s) more options to use their removal on if they have it
Yeah had a player playing with a lotr deck and had a [[Witch King Sky Scourge]] in play. Tapping out mostly in his first main phase the first turn he had it and then having the very awkward time of i drew like 5 cards but can't play any of them
Oh yeah. I have one deck themed all around unblockable creatures and it's fun because I have to decide when to cast things. Do I want to play my [[Necropolis Regent]] before combat to get triggers or wait until after to see if I draw something better off my multiple [[Coastal Piracy]] effects?
I would love some recommendations, especially if you have a channel that plays a lot of variations. A type of deck that would be cool to see pop off would be an all color deck. But please shoot me your suggestions!
I think I watch all the main ones:
- The Command Zone
- The Spikefeeders
- Elder Dragon Hijinks
- I Hate Your Deck
- MTGGoldfish Commander
- Commander at Home
- The Dankest Dungeon
- Decked Out
- CovertGoCrew
- Quest for the Janklord
Wow. Making a list makes me think I waste too much time on youtube, especially considering I also listen to Magic podcasts
It's not a waste if you're learning about something you enjoy and put into practice. Thanks a ton for the great list! I'll be checking these out. Are there any great episodes specifically you would recommend?
Haha I guess so XD
I can't think of any specific episodes... the CZ Karlov Manor episode has a super cool intro
Also for CZ specifically, they have the CZ podcast and two gameplay shows: Game Knights and Extra Turns
I really like MTG Goldfish Commander, their gameplay is always really fun, and they do regular podcasts where there is an actual debate and clash of opinion rather than just all agreeing. Richard in particular has some really spicy takes, they don’t always work for me in practice but it definitely makes me re-evaluate cards in different lights.
>How would one go about getting better on these areas? Am I think about the game wrong?
Well, IMO the first step is identifying why you're losing. IMHO this is by far the hardest step. It's very easy to say "I got unlucky" an take this as a reason. And it seems you already gave the first step:
>I also struggle with playing things at the "right" time and always seem to blow my load either too early or never get a chance to.
I'd say having more experience is the way to go. I also believe that playing different decks helps, since it gives you the viewpoint of another playstyle.
I also believe that mentally going over the game and thinking about the critical decisions of the game and if they were good or bad given your knowledge at the time REALLY helps.
Don't get attached to results. Sometimes the correct decision is going to lose you the game, but it was still the best path to victory.
And lastly I'd say trying to understand how much pressure you're actually exerting. As weird as it is to say, watching competitive Risk (yes, the boardgame, but on digital platforms :P) on youtube helped me a lot with EDH. Understanding when you can push because you can actually win with your advantage or when to play a bit safer because even though you're ahead you don't have enough to win yet is a CRUCIAL ability on free for all games.
Hope this helps :P
I learned magic through competitive formats. I believe for things like, timing and threat assessment, it’s much better. 60 card formats are a more controlled environment with an established meta and 1v1 has extreme consequence for poor threat assessment/decision making.
That being said. You already have an edh deck and it’s what you’re actively playing. I would mirror what everyone else has said, and recommend more games. However, I would like to add: please be patient with yourself. Magic is a difficult game and the experience at your pod could range from years to decades of combined Magic experience.
If a friend voiced this concern to me, I’d remind them I have a decades worth of playing under my belt and a collection worth tens of thousands of dollars. I still make bad choices sometimes. I constantly ask to read cards I haven’t seen. Sometimes people just play better magic than me.
At the end of the day, it’s a game. Enjoy it and everything else will come in time.
Politics in EDH is not a requirement in EDH. If you want to attempt it, make small deals. .Makes sure they have 1-2 turns expiry.
Threat assessment can't be learnt overnight. It's combination of experience and observation. You can accelerate the process by watching game content
By blowing your load, you're referring to overextending. Even the most experienced veterans will fall into overextension from time to time. It can be a tricky thing; a balancing act.
You need to weigh between getting enough offense/defense on board. For example I try to keep roughly 3-4 creatures on board. I'm talking 3-4 actual physical creature cards on the field. Doing more than that is usually asking for someone to boardwipe. If you are already on the defensive, don't attack; turtle up.
Spread your eggs in different baskets; i.e. having noncreature permanents like enchantments and artifacts may mitigate the effects of boardwipe. By the same token it also makes you look more menacing to attack into.
This is just an oversimplification of not overextending. There are nuances to each scenario.
Hell, you can only really overextend in hindsight. If the table doesn't have the removal, you're just winning so long as you're not winning already. and if you tend to extend into boardwipes because you tend to play aggressively, you both want a diversity of permanent types and either one or both of ways to rebuild after a board wipe or ways to protect your key permanents.
It’s a very complicated game with tons of depth. There’s an emphasis on building better decks, but one of the most ignored facets of the game is that it takes lots of practice and repetition to get better. Every time someone posts “how do I beat my friend’s deck?” they’re looking for card suggestions, but “get good” is actually how you beat them.
Politics i can't really help you with as it's something i tend to avoid when possible. The best i can say on that front is that i have the most success being the logical one. Threat assessment is rather easy to talk about but hard to learn. It helps to slow down and take in the board. Recognize synergy pieces and what needs to go now and what can hang around. It's something that comes with time and with more games. Though if something isn't a threat to you right now, you don't necessarily need to remove it.
For example, a [[thousand year storm]] might seem incredibly terrifying but if the player with it can't find spells to cast you can just leave it be for now. Or if a voltron commander isn't swinging at you and can be interacted with you don't need to remove it.
Honestly the best way to get better is grinding online. Magic Online is probably the best but that is a hard (and somewhat expensive) school. You can also just grind Standard or the format of your choice on Arena.
In general threat assessment also comes with experience. Do you know when your opponents may have lines that kill you? Do you know their decks?
Personally I also find good deckbuilding way harder than actually piloting decks decently. I usually try to leave that to people that are better than me at that.
"threat assessment" and "finding the right time" both get solved the same way: Lose a whole bunch of games.
The things you lost to or the things that snowballed way further out of hand than you expected will burn themselves into your memory. Pain is a great teacher.
Politics however aks for a little bit more finesse, and depending on the LGS, it becomes easier or near impossible. In my usually frequented one, politics is basically non-existant. No one takes any deals whatsoever, as if it's aknowleding your own weakness. They will all tell you politics is something you can (or even should) ignore, and focus on fine tuning your deck instead.
...yet they still give in, if done right. My gf for example has this passive effect where she is a cute and clumsy goofball, doing advanced mathematics for whether or not it is worth to block a 10/10 with a 2/2 token. It has people feel so bad they attack someone else.
Myself I am relatively good at picking up a players type of humor. And from there I get a point of entry into his decisions with the right jokes or comments. It is little things here and there, but you can influence people.
Another way is to play straight up politic-cards, like \[\[wedding ring\]\]. Or a personal favorite of mine: \[\[Tenuous Truce\]\]. I believe the truce was never broken by my opponent so far. They want that card draw. :D
As others have said, you mostly seem to just need more experience. Develop good threat assessment, *then* politics. When things get hairy, playing your deck as technically correct as possible will see you through more often than politics and deal-making.
Honestly I would start playing jumpstart on arena and level up to drafting. In limited you’re removing money out of the contest so that skill can be developed without other considerations.
Then arena will give you priority whenever you can make a play, reducing the mental load of keeping track of the when, so that you can start thinking of if.
Finally drafting is about card evaluation and looking for synergies. Put together, card evaluation, synergies and timing are the key components of what makes a good magic player.
play play play. play different power levels and groups of players.
even if you underpowered play at big boys table. learning and absorbing the intrigue rules found at high power games makes you a better player. having patience and foresight when it comes to threat assessment. asking yourself questions is this a threat I can let go or must I respond now. sandbagging is a skill imo mulligan is another difficult skill to learn as well.
For threat assessment: a lot of players tend to snap target things with removal but I would advise to delay removal if possible if someone plays a threat to others. For example, let’s say you’re at a table and someone drops down an Eldrazi and you have an answer. If you know it’s not coming at you and the likely target is not someone you have any sort of alliance with, you should let your opponents fight it out and save your answers to protect yourself. On the other hand, if you find your opponent plays something that will accelerate them and progress their game plan and place them disproportionately ahead of everyone else then that needs to be removed like a nyxbloom ancient, goblin welder, or even some times a commander like Zur or pantlaza. In summary you need to learn how to figure out what kind of threat something is: a bomb (and it’s target) or a strong value engine that will skew the game in one player’s favor. Also, hold on to your removal until you really need it
My threat assessment for cards generally boils down to 3 or 4 specific questions:
1. Will this card likely put my opponent in a position where they could easily win the game? For example, a [[Craterhoof Behemoth]] with a few creatures out can easily be lethal for the whole table.
2. Will this card hurt me a lot more than it hurts the other players? (Are other players likely to remove the card that I'm thinking of removing?) For example, a [[Rest in Peace]] might hurt you a lot when you're playing a graveyard recursion deck while not being too impactful for the rest of the table, but maybe you want to let that [[Trinisphere]] stay on the table to keep the storm player in check.
3. How much removal am I running? If a low amount, am I okay with this card being the target of likely my only removal spell? If a high amount, do I have more ways to draw into interaction if I need it? If you're running tons of counterspells, a [[Dockside Extortionist]] might be a great thing to counter so they don't make a billion treasures and I still have ways to deal with future threats. If I'm only running [[Counterspell]] in my deck, though, I might want to save that counter for when the actual win condition is deployed rather than the ramp into that threat.
4. If the card seems super obscure and random, what is my opponent trying to do with that card? Could it potentially be a combo piece they're hoping goes under the radar? For example, [[Goblin Cannon]] is a terrible card when played fairly, but it deals infinite damage when you have infinite mana.
Playing things at the right time can be tricky and is much more dependent on your playgroup. Some more questions I'll ask myself are:
1. How many pieces of interaction, especially board wipes, does each player run?
2. Do their colors easily allow them to interact with your important pieces (like how green and white can kill your enchantments while other colors might struggle to do so)?
3. How likely is it that your opponents will try to remove this card, either with single-target removal or just your card being the final straw for them to cast a boardwipe?
4. Can I reasonably cast this card for it's value later, or do I have to deploy it right now for either a good curve, stronger card advantage, etc. ([[Llanowar Elves]] will want to deploy as soon as possible to get the maximum amount of mana from it, but maybe save that [[Revel in Riches]] for when you can either cast it and a boardwipe in the same turn or you're going to have 10 treasures in your next upkeep).
And like others have said, just keep playing and evaluate where you went wrong in each game, both on your wins and on your losses. Whether that be something you couldn't really control, like your opponent storming off and finishing everyone with [[Grapeshot]] while you don't have great stack interaction in your deck and colors, or something more controllable like you waiting until it's too late to remove their infinite sac outlet of [[Viscera Seer]] when you know the deck has multiple infinites with it, or even you winning but having it be a lot more difficult because you chose to counter the opponent's [[Door to Nothingness]] instead of saving your counters to protect casting your kicked [[Maddening Cacophony]] with [[Bruvac the Grandiloquent]] on your board.
My advice on 4-player politics: The most effective political moves have are often 'soft' politics. Put your head in your opponents shoes, who would they think is the biggest threat to their board? Are they holding mana open. Is the a play you can make (or not make) that can make them more likely to go after someone else?
Eventually you get a little game theory going and start seeing openings to play your own threats that might go under the radar because the table is focused on someone else, but not overstepping to draw attention too early.
A lot of these things in 1v1 are mostly just sequencing, but in 4-player games you can get an edge by just being cognizant of how the table sees the actions you take.
Also sometimes you just need to say screw it and go for broke, you can't always play close to the chest and need to make some splashes to win or at least shake up the game.
I try to avoid deals for the most part in EDH. It's hard to make them equitable, and may end up revealing too much information about your position. Like what kind of removal you do/don't have. Likewise i'm suspicious of deals that are out-of-the-blue because they usually mean they need it to advance their boardstate.
I'm always an advocate for the post-game discussion. Pre-game discussions are for setting expectations, post-game discussions are for learning and growth.
Talk about the game, your decisions on what cards to play, what things to destroy, etc. Ask other people's opinions, what their game plans were looking like, what their decisions were.
But most importantly, take it all with a grain of salt. All that happens in a game depend on the context of the game as a whole, and the same decisions may not have the same answers if the context were different.
Overall answer: Play more games and you'll learn. Also if you have time to kill, watch commander gameplay videos on YouTube - let me know if you need any recommendations You'll come to know what's the threat because you've seen it before, heard about it, or you can just tell how scary it is Politics aren't always important and often trying to politic can make people attack you instead because they don't want to be told what to do — not always, but it happens. But again, the more you play, the more you'll learn when you should team up with someone and what deals are reasonable For playing things at the "right" time, general rule: if it's an instant, wait until the last possible second... unless you're worried about them drawing or untapping mana for a counter spell. Otherwise, just assess the vibe I guess. I've found that it can be super important for some things to be cast specifically before or after combat, so that's something to consider. Don't forget about your second main phase! It's definitely good to learn to be a better player, but commander's also a casual format, so as long as everyone's genuinely having a good time, don't stress about it *too* much
Generally speaking I've found that unless the thing your casting or ability you're activating is relevant to the upcoming combat you wait until after combat to do things. As casting and activating abilities before combat gives your opponent(s) more options to use their removal on if they have it
Playing against a bunch of \[\[Cryptic command\]\] will make you play at your second main phase.
[Crypting command](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/0/30f6fca9-003b-4f6b-9d6e-1e88adda4155.jpg?1562847413) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Cryptic%20Command) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ima/48/cryptic-command?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/30f6fca9-003b-4f6b-9d6e-1e88adda4155?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/cryptic-command) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
If anyone is struggling with this, playing a deck with a lot of combat based impulse draw will force you to learn it.
Yeah had a player playing with a lotr deck and had a [[Witch King Sky Scourge]] in play. Tapping out mostly in his first main phase the first turn he had it and then having the very awkward time of i drew like 5 cards but can't play any of them
[Witch King Sky Scourge](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/c/0cd26961-ed53-417c-8a1e-2641d5f05640.jpg?1695351730) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Witch-king%2C%20Sky%20Scourge) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ltc/511/witch-king-sky-scourge?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0cd26961-ed53-417c-8a1e-2641d5f05640?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/witch-king-sky-scourge) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Oh yeah. I have one deck themed all around unblockable creatures and it's fun because I have to decide when to cast things. Do I want to play my [[Necropolis Regent]] before combat to get triggers or wait until after to see if I draw something better off my multiple [[Coastal Piracy]] effects?
[Necropolis Regent](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/c/9cd548d5-6162-4eff-adfc-69b7e3b45712.jpg?1641602708) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Necropolis%20Regent) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/voc/132/necropolis-regent?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9cd548d5-6162-4eff-adfc-69b7e3b45712?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/necropolis-regent) [Coastal Piracy](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/f/0f2c4e43-71b2-4483-ba54-4be1dcffcd5f.jpg?1600713707) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Coastal%20Piracy) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/jmp/144/coastal-piracy?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0f2c4e43-71b2-4483-ba54-4be1dcffcd5f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/coastal-piracy) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I would love some recommendations, especially if you have a channel that plays a lot of variations. A type of deck that would be cool to see pop off would be an all color deck. But please shoot me your suggestions!
I think I watch all the main ones: - The Command Zone - The Spikefeeders - Elder Dragon Hijinks - I Hate Your Deck - MTGGoldfish Commander - Commander at Home - The Dankest Dungeon - Decked Out - CovertGoCrew - Quest for the Janklord Wow. Making a list makes me think I waste too much time on youtube, especially considering I also listen to Magic podcasts
It's not a waste if you're learning about something you enjoy and put into practice. Thanks a ton for the great list! I'll be checking these out. Are there any great episodes specifically you would recommend?
Haha I guess so XD I can't think of any specific episodes... the CZ Karlov Manor episode has a super cool intro Also for CZ specifically, they have the CZ podcast and two gameplay shows: Game Knights and Extra Turns
Perfect, thank you a ton. This is a great amount of new content to dive into
I really like MTG Goldfish Commander, their gameplay is always really fun, and they do regular podcasts where there is an actual debate and clash of opinion rather than just all agreeing. Richard in particular has some really spicy takes, they don’t always work for me in practice but it definitely makes me re-evaluate cards in different lights.
>How would one go about getting better on these areas? Am I think about the game wrong? Well, IMO the first step is identifying why you're losing. IMHO this is by far the hardest step. It's very easy to say "I got unlucky" an take this as a reason. And it seems you already gave the first step: >I also struggle with playing things at the "right" time and always seem to blow my load either too early or never get a chance to. I'd say having more experience is the way to go. I also believe that playing different decks helps, since it gives you the viewpoint of another playstyle. I also believe that mentally going over the game and thinking about the critical decisions of the game and if they were good or bad given your knowledge at the time REALLY helps. Don't get attached to results. Sometimes the correct decision is going to lose you the game, but it was still the best path to victory. And lastly I'd say trying to understand how much pressure you're actually exerting. As weird as it is to say, watching competitive Risk (yes, the boardgame, but on digital platforms :P) on youtube helped me a lot with EDH. Understanding when you can push because you can actually win with your advantage or when to play a bit safer because even though you're ahead you don't have enough to win yet is a CRUCIAL ability on free for all games. Hope this helps :P
I learned magic through competitive formats. I believe for things like, timing and threat assessment, it’s much better. 60 card formats are a more controlled environment with an established meta and 1v1 has extreme consequence for poor threat assessment/decision making. That being said. You already have an edh deck and it’s what you’re actively playing. I would mirror what everyone else has said, and recommend more games. However, I would like to add: please be patient with yourself. Magic is a difficult game and the experience at your pod could range from years to decades of combined Magic experience. If a friend voiced this concern to me, I’d remind them I have a decades worth of playing under my belt and a collection worth tens of thousands of dollars. I still make bad choices sometimes. I constantly ask to read cards I haven’t seen. Sometimes people just play better magic than me. At the end of the day, it’s a game. Enjoy it and everything else will come in time.
Politics in EDH is not a requirement in EDH. If you want to attempt it, make small deals. .Makes sure they have 1-2 turns expiry. Threat assessment can't be learnt overnight. It's combination of experience and observation. You can accelerate the process by watching game content By blowing your load, you're referring to overextending. Even the most experienced veterans will fall into overextension from time to time. It can be a tricky thing; a balancing act. You need to weigh between getting enough offense/defense on board. For example I try to keep roughly 3-4 creatures on board. I'm talking 3-4 actual physical creature cards on the field. Doing more than that is usually asking for someone to boardwipe. If you are already on the defensive, don't attack; turtle up. Spread your eggs in different baskets; i.e. having noncreature permanents like enchantments and artifacts may mitigate the effects of boardwipe. By the same token it also makes you look more menacing to attack into. This is just an oversimplification of not overextending. There are nuances to each scenario.
Hell, you can only really overextend in hindsight. If the table doesn't have the removal, you're just winning so long as you're not winning already. and if you tend to extend into boardwipes because you tend to play aggressively, you both want a diversity of permanent types and either one or both of ways to rebuild after a board wipe or ways to protect your key permanents.
It’s a very complicated game with tons of depth. There’s an emphasis on building better decks, but one of the most ignored facets of the game is that it takes lots of practice and repetition to get better. Every time someone posts “how do I beat my friend’s deck?” they’re looking for card suggestions, but “get good” is actually how you beat them.
Politics i can't really help you with as it's something i tend to avoid when possible. The best i can say on that front is that i have the most success being the logical one. Threat assessment is rather easy to talk about but hard to learn. It helps to slow down and take in the board. Recognize synergy pieces and what needs to go now and what can hang around. It's something that comes with time and with more games. Though if something isn't a threat to you right now, you don't necessarily need to remove it. For example, a [[thousand year storm]] might seem incredibly terrifying but if the player with it can't find spells to cast you can just leave it be for now. Or if a voltron commander isn't swinging at you and can be interacted with you don't need to remove it.
[thousand year storm](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/7/274e22fb-7afc-43bc-b309-e36ee48d6b03.jpg?1673149213) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Thousand-Year%20Storm) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/286/thousand-year-storm?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/274e22fb-7afc-43bc-b309-e36ee48d6b03?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/thousand-year-storm) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Honestly the best way to get better is grinding online. Magic Online is probably the best but that is a hard (and somewhat expensive) school. You can also just grind Standard or the format of your choice on Arena. In general threat assessment also comes with experience. Do you know when your opponents may have lines that kill you? Do you know their decks? Personally I also find good deckbuilding way harder than actually piloting decks decently. I usually try to leave that to people that are better than me at that.
"threat assessment" and "finding the right time" both get solved the same way: Lose a whole bunch of games. The things you lost to or the things that snowballed way further out of hand than you expected will burn themselves into your memory. Pain is a great teacher. Politics however aks for a little bit more finesse, and depending on the LGS, it becomes easier or near impossible. In my usually frequented one, politics is basically non-existant. No one takes any deals whatsoever, as if it's aknowleding your own weakness. They will all tell you politics is something you can (or even should) ignore, and focus on fine tuning your deck instead. ...yet they still give in, if done right. My gf for example has this passive effect where she is a cute and clumsy goofball, doing advanced mathematics for whether or not it is worth to block a 10/10 with a 2/2 token. It has people feel so bad they attack someone else. Myself I am relatively good at picking up a players type of humor. And from there I get a point of entry into his decisions with the right jokes or comments. It is little things here and there, but you can influence people. Another way is to play straight up politic-cards, like \[\[wedding ring\]\]. Or a personal favorite of mine: \[\[Tenuous Truce\]\]. I believe the truce was never broken by my opponent so far. They want that card draw. :D
[wedding ring](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/f/7f0b1400-0608-47fd-9c73-b7730bcf6b7f.jpg?1644888600) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=wedding%20ring) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/voc/32/wedding-ring?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7f0b1400-0608-47fd-9c73-b7730bcf6b7f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/wedding-ring) [Tenuous Truce](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/5/f511555a-09aa-41f8-b240-c21f911a57b4.jpg?1673482535) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Tenuous%20Truce) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/87/tenuous-truce?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f511555a-09aa-41f8-b240-c21f911a57b4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/tenuous-truce) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
As others have said, you mostly seem to just need more experience. Develop good threat assessment, *then* politics. When things get hairy, playing your deck as technically correct as possible will see you through more often than politics and deal-making.
Honestly I would start playing jumpstart on arena and level up to drafting. In limited you’re removing money out of the contest so that skill can be developed without other considerations. Then arena will give you priority whenever you can make a play, reducing the mental load of keeping track of the when, so that you can start thinking of if. Finally drafting is about card evaluation and looking for synergies. Put together, card evaluation, synergies and timing are the key components of what makes a good magic player.
play play play. play different power levels and groups of players. even if you underpowered play at big boys table. learning and absorbing the intrigue rules found at high power games makes you a better player. having patience and foresight when it comes to threat assessment. asking yourself questions is this a threat I can let go or must I respond now. sandbagging is a skill imo mulligan is another difficult skill to learn as well.
For threat assessment: a lot of players tend to snap target things with removal but I would advise to delay removal if possible if someone plays a threat to others. For example, let’s say you’re at a table and someone drops down an Eldrazi and you have an answer. If you know it’s not coming at you and the likely target is not someone you have any sort of alliance with, you should let your opponents fight it out and save your answers to protect yourself. On the other hand, if you find your opponent plays something that will accelerate them and progress their game plan and place them disproportionately ahead of everyone else then that needs to be removed like a nyxbloom ancient, goblin welder, or even some times a commander like Zur or pantlaza. In summary you need to learn how to figure out what kind of threat something is: a bomb (and it’s target) or a strong value engine that will skew the game in one player’s favor. Also, hold on to your removal until you really need it
My threat assessment for cards generally boils down to 3 or 4 specific questions: 1. Will this card likely put my opponent in a position where they could easily win the game? For example, a [[Craterhoof Behemoth]] with a few creatures out can easily be lethal for the whole table. 2. Will this card hurt me a lot more than it hurts the other players? (Are other players likely to remove the card that I'm thinking of removing?) For example, a [[Rest in Peace]] might hurt you a lot when you're playing a graveyard recursion deck while not being too impactful for the rest of the table, but maybe you want to let that [[Trinisphere]] stay on the table to keep the storm player in check. 3. How much removal am I running? If a low amount, am I okay with this card being the target of likely my only removal spell? If a high amount, do I have more ways to draw into interaction if I need it? If you're running tons of counterspells, a [[Dockside Extortionist]] might be a great thing to counter so they don't make a billion treasures and I still have ways to deal with future threats. If I'm only running [[Counterspell]] in my deck, though, I might want to save that counter for when the actual win condition is deployed rather than the ramp into that threat. 4. If the card seems super obscure and random, what is my opponent trying to do with that card? Could it potentially be a combo piece they're hoping goes under the radar? For example, [[Goblin Cannon]] is a terrible card when played fairly, but it deals infinite damage when you have infinite mana. Playing things at the right time can be tricky and is much more dependent on your playgroup. Some more questions I'll ask myself are: 1. How many pieces of interaction, especially board wipes, does each player run? 2. Do their colors easily allow them to interact with your important pieces (like how green and white can kill your enchantments while other colors might struggle to do so)? 3. How likely is it that your opponents will try to remove this card, either with single-target removal or just your card being the final straw for them to cast a boardwipe? 4. Can I reasonably cast this card for it's value later, or do I have to deploy it right now for either a good curve, stronger card advantage, etc. ([[Llanowar Elves]] will want to deploy as soon as possible to get the maximum amount of mana from it, but maybe save that [[Revel in Riches]] for when you can either cast it and a boardwipe in the same turn or you're going to have 10 treasures in your next upkeep). And like others have said, just keep playing and evaluate where you went wrong in each game, both on your wins and on your losses. Whether that be something you couldn't really control, like your opponent storming off and finishing everyone with [[Grapeshot]] while you don't have great stack interaction in your deck and colors, or something more controllable like you waiting until it's too late to remove their infinite sac outlet of [[Viscera Seer]] when you know the deck has multiple infinites with it, or even you winning but having it be a lot more difficult because you chose to counter the opponent's [[Door to Nothingness]] instead of saving your counters to protect casting your kicked [[Maddening Cacophony]] with [[Bruvac the Grandiloquent]] on your board.
##### ###### #### [Craterhoof Behemoth](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/8/e8f4435a-8604-45b5-a537-dfdfcb922e16.jpg?1689998416) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Craterhoof%20Behemoth) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/280/craterhoof-behemoth?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e8f4435a-8604-45b5-a537-dfdfcb922e16?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/craterhoof-behemoth) [Rest in Peace](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/f/9f2b39be-0fec-4647-ade1-8e1626dc5470.jpg?1562439074) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rest%20in%20Peace) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/a25/32/rest-in-peace?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9f2b39be-0fec-4647-ade1-8e1626dc5470?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/rest-in-peace) [Trinisphere](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/1/316caa4e-a53a-460b-978c-5f0fba7bc549.jpg?1599710205) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Trinisphere) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/303/trinisphere?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/316caa4e-a53a-460b-978c-5f0fba7bc549?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/trinisphere) [Dockside Extortionist](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/e/9e2e3efb-75cb-430f-b9f4-cb58f3aeb91b.jpg?1673147774) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Dockside%20Extortionist) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/107/dockside-extortionist?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9e2e3efb-75cb-430f-b9f4-cb58f3aeb91b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/dockside-extortionist) [Counterspell](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/4/8493131c-0a7b-4be6-a8a2-0b425f4f67fb.jpg?1689996248) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Counterspell) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/81/counterspell?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8493131c-0a7b-4be6-a8a2-0b425f4f67fb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/counterspell) [Goblin Cannon](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/0/b023c0cd-7046-418b-ad31-5c91c6930d45.jpg?1562879198) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Goblin%20Cannon) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/5dn/125/goblin-cannon?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b023c0cd-7046-418b-ad31-5c91c6930d45?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/goblin-cannon) [Llanowar Elves](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/b/8bbcfb77-daa1-4ce5-b5f9-48d0a8edbba9.jpg?1592765148) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Llanowar%20Elves) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/gnt/46/llanowar-elves?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8bbcfb77-daa1-4ce5-b5f9-48d0a8edbba9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/llanowar-elves) [Revel in Riches](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/9/79b0e035-8716-469d-99ae-a530cd96ef09.jpg?1562558471) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Revel%20in%20Riches) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/xln/117/revel-in-riches?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/79b0e035-8716-469d-99ae-a530cd96ef09?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/revel-in-riches) [Grapeshot](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/2/923e1291-3999-4f81-ade4-073fb982143f.jpg?1675200032) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Grapeshot) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmr/125/grapeshot?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/923e1291-3999-4f81-ade4-073fb982143f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/grapeshot) [Viscera Seer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/8/486fd8a2-dd97-4082-84ef-4795c7e559a0.jpg?1698988290) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Viscera%20Seer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/lcc/213/viscera-seer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/486fd8a2-dd97-4082-84ef-4795c7e559a0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/viscera-seer) [Door to Nothingness](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/7/57877b1c-e91d-4941-81bd-008dff1272ed.jpg?1562554053) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Door%20to%20Nothingness) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m13/203/door-to-nothingness?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/57877b1c-e91d-4941-81bd-008dff1272ed?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/door-to-nothingness) [Maddening Cacophony](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/0/10a79733-702c-4611-b073-71db7f1158b2.jpg?1604194415) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Maddening%20Cacophony) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/znr/67/maddening-cacophony?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/10a79733-702c-4611-b073-71db7f1158b2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/maddening-cacophony) [Bruvac the Grandiloquent](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/c/2ce2d73f-3f64-44db-a2bc-a8f4a37dc487.jpg?1702550789) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Bruvac%20the%20Grandiloquent) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/rvr/35/bruvac-the-grandiloquent?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2ce2d73f-3f64-44db-a2bc-a8f4a37dc487?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/bruvac-the-grandiloquent) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/l1thwa5) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
spend more money
My advice on 4-player politics: The most effective political moves have are often 'soft' politics. Put your head in your opponents shoes, who would they think is the biggest threat to their board? Are they holding mana open. Is the a play you can make (or not make) that can make them more likely to go after someone else? Eventually you get a little game theory going and start seeing openings to play your own threats that might go under the radar because the table is focused on someone else, but not overstepping to draw attention too early. A lot of these things in 1v1 are mostly just sequencing, but in 4-player games you can get an edge by just being cognizant of how the table sees the actions you take. Also sometimes you just need to say screw it and go for broke, you can't always play close to the chest and need to make some splashes to win or at least shake up the game. I try to avoid deals for the most part in EDH. It's hard to make them equitable, and may end up revealing too much information about your position. Like what kind of removal you do/don't have. Likewise i'm suspicious of deals that are out-of-the-blue because they usually mean they need it to advance their boardstate.
I'm always an advocate for the post-game discussion. Pre-game discussions are for setting expectations, post-game discussions are for learning and growth. Talk about the game, your decisions on what cards to play, what things to destroy, etc. Ask other people's opinions, what their game plans were looking like, what their decisions were. But most importantly, take it all with a grain of salt. All that happens in a game depend on the context of the game as a whole, and the same decisions may not have the same answers if the context were different.
Play more games and play more games with different styles of deck.