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A murder mystery plot has arrived inMagic: The Gatheringcourtesy ofMurders at Karlov Manor, the latest expansion to hit the long-running TCG. A string of mysterious murders have the local authorities stumped, and it’s up to the Blame Game commander deck to solve the case by blaming everyone else.
In the Blame Game, your plan is simple: accuse, accuse, accuse! The more creatures you turn into suspects, the more those suspects will be forced to attack your opponents until you’re the only one left standing. All you have to do is avoid those angry stares at the other end of the table.
Angel of the Ruins
Keeper of the Accord
War Room
Blame Game Commander Deck Themes
The primary theme of Blame Game is tohave your opponents kill themselveswhile you sit safely behind your defenses. Cards like Ghostly Prison, Windborn Muse, and Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffsencourageopponents tostay awaywhilegoading cardslike Agitator Ant, Havoc Eater, and Vow of Dutyforce your opponent’s creatures to keep attackingeveryone except for you.
The main idea here is to ensure a board state where your opponents keep attacking themselves. Eventually,this will bring you down to a single(hopefully depleted)opponentwhere you’re able to easily finish them off with Anya, Merciless Angel or Gisela, Blade of Goldnight.
There’sa bit of a token subthemewith cards like Darien, King of Kjeldor and Elspeth, Sun’s Champion offering some 1/1 white soldier tokens, but there isn’t a lot to take advantage of these tokens, and theyseem mainly there to sacrificially block an opponentwho gets around your goading.
There are a few potential commanders in Boros colors, but the one that fits the deck is the one that’s on top of the box.Nelly Borca, Impulsive Accuserwill accuse opposing critters of being suspects, and then goad all suspects into attacking opponents each time she herself attacks. Keeping Nelly alive and attacking will require some strategic thinking, but don’t be too surprised when she eats a murder.
Legendary Angels like Anya, Gisela, and Feather are all great cards, but they don’t offer the same synergies Nelly does with the rest of Blame Game.Stick will Nelly as your commander.
Blame Game Commander Deck Analysis
Blame Game isn’t too bad as far as precon commander decks go. You’ve gottwo solid board wipesinWinds of RathandPromise of Loyalty, andcombat trickslikeTake the BaitandDeflecting Palmwill certainly convince opponents to think twice before attacking.
One notable combat trickisGideon’s Sacrificeand eitherBrash TaunterorBoros Reckonerto turn your opponent’s attack into self-inflicted damage.
There are alsoplenty of rattlesnake cardsthat should keep you from taking too many big beats later in the game.Ghostly Prison,Windborn Muse,Otherworldly Escort, andDarien, King of Kjeldorare all very defensive in nature and intended to shift the enemy’s gaze to other players.
There are plenty of goad sources as well as othercards that just encourage your opponents to fight among themselves. Rite of the Raging Storm, for example, constantly provides your enemies with 5/1 trampling Elementals that cannot attack you. There’s also Curse of Opulence, a card you can cast on an opponent to make them a far more appetizing target for aggression.
Where Blame Game falls down is having the flexibility to answer emerging threats. Goading is a fine strategy, but it takes time to shape the board into one where your opponents will kill themselves for you. In the meantime,you have to keep yourself alive, and sometimes combat tricks like Deflecting Palm won’t cut it.
For budget upgrades, we’re going to look atfurther refining Blame Game’s goad themewhile addressing some of its more lackluster cards and providing some much-needed flexibility.
Vow of Duty
Agitator Ant
Featheris a great card and one that absolutelydeserves her own deckto shine, but that deck isn’t Blame Game.Ancient Stone Idol is a little problematic to playas it’s either too expensive after a board wipe or not impactful enough if your opponent has an army of tokens to deal with.
BothPrisoner’s DilemmaandMob Verdictare hilariously fun spells, but theyjust don’t fit the deck at all.Steel Hellkiteis likewise a great card, but there arebetter scary creatures out there.
Angel of Ruins,Kazuul, andRansom Note just aren’t worth the mana costfor their effects.Otherworldly Escortis a better rattlesnake than Kazuul, but its effectrequires taking damage, which is less than ideal.
Vow of Duty is a bad goad sourceas it provides your opponent’s creature with vigilance.Soul Snare is easily topped by Swords to Plowshares, andAgitator Anthas the unfortunate tendency to beef up an opposing critter where itbecomes a problem later on.
Blame Game Commander Deck Budget Upgrades
The focus on these budget upgrades will be toimprove the deck’s flexibility,bring down the mana curve, andmaintain the same quantity of goad sources. We’re also going to give Nelly some boots to try and keep her alive. you may’t be a beat cop without a good pair of boots.
Reason
Boros Signet
In a world where Ransom Note and Boros Signet both exist,preference is given to the mana rock.
Bothersome Quasit
Nelly will already suspect creatures, which prevents them from blocking, but not all goad sources in Blame Game do the same. Bothersome Quasitensures goaded creatures can’t blockand also goads a few creatures on its own. Win-win.
Chaos Warp
Perhapsthe best red removal spell in existence, Chaos Warp hits everything at instant speed and replaces it with… something. Hopefully something worse, but that’s why it’s called Chaos Warp.
Death Kiss
With a lot ofgoaded creaturesattacking opponents, Death Kiss makes themhit each other twice as hard. You can also turn Death Kiss monstrous to have a climactic turn of goads, clearing the path to victory.
Generous Gift
Like Chaos Warp, only you give your opponent an Elephant token.Excellent instant-speed removalthat’s hard to stop.
Grenzo, Havoc Raiser
Grenzo can either goad, or he can help you play additional spells. The choice is yours, but either way, he’san excellent two-mana creature.
Life of the Party
With all your 1/1 white soldier tokens, Life of the Party willlikely be a bigger critter for you than your opponents. But even if it doesn’t, the enemy’s tokens are goaded, so you won’t have to worry about them.
Sunforger
Blame Game hasa lot of spells that Sunforger would be ideally suited to tutor out. Plus, you can give Nelly a huge molten hammer, and that’s pretty awesome.
Swiftfoot Boots
Swiftfoot Boots are thego-to foot adornments for most commanders, and Nelly should be no exception. Have her swing the turn she comes into play and avoid those pesky removal spells too.
Swords to Plowshares
Better than Soul Snareby a country mile. The standard in instant-speed white removal.
Taunt from the Rampart
With your enemies' teams goaded and unable to block,Taunt from the Rampart can result in an opponent’s death when played right. And even if it doesn’t, the chaos it causes is certain to leave you in a better position than before you cast it.
The Sound Of Drums
Way better than Vow of Duty. Make your enemy’s goaded critter hit harder, or even goad your own critter for double damage. Being able to recast this enchantment after it dies is just a bonus.
Other Budget Upgrades To Consider
There are a number of cheap red/white lands that can help ensure you are never without the right color of mana.Battlefield Forge,Restless Bivouac,Sacred Peaks,Wind-Scarred Crag, andRustvale Bridgeare all fine additions over a Plains or Mountain, and you’ll still have plenty of basic lands to fetch with Myriad Landscape or Escape Tunnel.
