Hello everyone and welcome to CommanderCast Episode 292! We’re your weekly source for Community, Strategy, and Technology, hosted on MTGcast.com and our homesite: CommanderCast.com! This week Mark and Adam have a few topicsthat they feel needs to be addressed. First up, What happened to Tiny Leaders? A format that came in a Blaze and burned out as fast as it appeared. What’s up? After that they go over COLLUSION! Why would two people who are trying to win would work together? Then they wrap things up with a quick discussion of Split cards.

So if you’re down with that all you have to do is click the IB!!!

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CommanderCast Episode 292

Posted: July 31, 2017

Intros:

Adam

Mark

Shoutouts:

• Dean Gootee’s articles on EDHREC, particularly his “Dig Through Time” series.
• A quick history about why Protean Hulk was so obnoxious.

Keep up with the conversation on Facebook & Twitter.

Community:

Lessons for Commander from the death of Tiny Leaders

Or don’t, because TL kinda sucked.

Worth reading/viewing:

• “Tiny Leaders – A (Slightly) Dissenting Point Of View,” by Cassidy over on General Damage Control.
• “What Happened to Tiny Leaders?” by zandl on TappedOut.
• “Why Tiny Leaders FAILED as a Magic the Gathering Format,” by MTG Lion
• “The Curious Case of Tiny Leaders – Dig Through Time Episode 1,” by TastySnackies (he also quotes CommanderCast Ep 185 in this video, so he’s an automatic baller.)
• See also:
  • Tiny Leaders rules & ban list.

Why Tiny Leaders Died:

• The format was “solved” too quickly; top decks too dominant, not enough variety for design space.
• Neither Commander, nor Legacy; it was a format for no one.
• Overly restrictive ban list and rules (no four-color commanders allowed, even with Partner mechanic).
• Perceived as a cash grab; trademarked name rubbed people the wrong way, cards subject to huge price spikes, etc.

What lessons/warnings does this hold for Commander?

• Wait to buy, avoid the bubble (not foolproof)
• Keep casual formats casual
• Keep wotc out of things

Strategy:  

COLLUSION!! Or just manipulation?

“Opponent(s) Choose(s)” cards in EDH. Are they worth running? Is collusion viable strategy in EDH?  What about simply manipulating your opponent into making moves that you profit from?

Examples:

Gold Standard: Fact or Fiction (maybe contrast with Truth or Tale?)

Other notables: forgotten lore/Shrouded Lore, Guided Passage, fatal lore, edicts, torment of hailfire

Bad cards: Mogis, god of the slaughter, evangelize, preacher, misfortune, riches

Technology:

Split cards

Rules

708.2. Although split cards have two castable halves, each split card is only one card. For example, a player who has drawn or discarded a split card has drawn or discarded one card, not two.

708.3. A player chooses which half of a split card he or she is casting before putting it onto the stack.

708.3a Only the chosen half is evaluated to see if it can be cast. Only that half is considered to be put onto the stack.

708.3b While on the stack, only the characteristics of the half being cast exist. The other half’s characteristics are treated as though they didn’t exist.

• Including cmc

• Bad for vial smasher

708.3c An effect may create a copy of a split card and allow a player to cast the copy. That copy retains the characteristics of the two halves separated into the same two halves as the original card. (See rule 706.12.)

708.4. In every zone except the stack, the characteristics of a split card are those of its two halves combined. This is a change from previous rules.

708.4a Each split card has two names. If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name and the player wants to choose a split card’s name, the player must choose one of those names and not both. An object has the chosen name if one of its names is the chosen name.

708.4b The mana cost of a split card is the combined mana costs of its two halves. A split card’s colors and converted mana cost are determined from its combined mana cost.

• Bad for sunforger, as foretold, dark confidant, isochron scepter, goblin dark dwellers

• Good for the shoals, clash effects, sin prodder, timesifter, Living lore

708.4c A split card has each card type specified on either of its halves and each ability in the text box of each half.

708.4d The characteristics of a fused split spell on the stack are also those of its two halves combined (see rule 702.101, “Fuse”).

702.101c The total cost of a fused split spell includes the mana cost of each half.

Favorite split cards cards

Mark: hide // seek, life // death, pure // simple, spite // malice, far // away

Adam: flesh // blood, turn // burn, catch // release, leave // chance, wear // tear

Outtro/Contacts:

CommanderCast  – Email: commandercast(at)gmail(dot)com // twitter: (at)CommanderCast

Rachel – Email: wiehernandez(at)gmail(dot)com // twitter: (at)Blueram1409

Calvin – Email: captainredzone(at)gmail(dot)com  // twitter: (at)CaptainRedZone

Mark – Email: mahlerma(at)gmail(dot)com

Adam – (at)squire9999 // (at)thetrinisphere

Be sure to check out our CommanderCast Facebook page.

And a big thanks to everyone here at the CommanderCast Network. We’ll see you next week with more community, strategy, and technology. Until then, LET’S GET IT!