"The EDH Friendslayer"

"The EDH Friendslayer"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

It is no secret that a game of EDH is political mess that could ruin friendships in an instant. People who play EDH know that there will always be politics involved and it is actually a great test of how people interact socially and deal with interpersonal conflicts. While playing in SM North Edsa there were a lot of terms coined for several EDH players and among them was the term Friendslayer. Adj. An EDH player that promises early gains and protection to other players in exchange for mutual benefits but in the end kills all other allies to win the game.

Betrayal is something that is always present in an EDH game and a Friendslayer always lurks in every table. 

"Pare , Akong Bahala sa iyo..." , one player would say to another. Friendslayers are the ones who always have a trick up their sleeve , they form easy alliances of convenience because certain players maybe their bane. Forming alliances to take out a unnaturally strong player in the group is a given. For months there was a Kill Sharuum movement because these decks would usually dominate entire matches. Alliances could easily form among friends or in my case before between my brother and cousin or fellow players from other areas. Friendslayers are not easy to spot at this point but they begin showing their true colors once the Pulis(controlling player) or Dominant Strong player is eliminated from the game. 

Like my friend ST once told me , Threat assessment is always key because you always need to have an answer once your alliances break up. Looking at existing armies for example , while it is common to save allied armies from Mass Removal from a dominant player you also need to be planning a way to destroy that same army because once the main threat is gone there is no stopping that army or killer combo from being directed right at you.

Keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. I say keep your friends closer because in the end you need to take care of them Mafia style. The one you know is the one who slays you. Do not be surprised when his next attack is aimed at you. As long as there are EDH games , the Friendslayer will always exist. So keep your eyes open. And your dagger close at hand one is always closer than you think.