Magic the Gathering!

Playing a lot of EDH this past month has taught me a few things

There are way more activated abilities worth copying with Rings of Brighthearth than I imagined; even getting free Rampant Growths off of Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds is really good. Getting infinite colorless mana with Basalt Monolith is pretty good, too.

EDH games can go on forever if someone doesn’t nut up and start making some enemies.

Whoever has the best toys tends to win.

Don’t underestimate the value of artifact mana sources. A Sol Ring, Thran Dynamo, Everflowing Chalice, or even just a Guild Signet in the first few turns can mean bigger threats earlier than answers are ready or accessible to deal with them. And extra mana late game is a huge asset when casting the enormous spells that define EDH, or having the mana to recast a general for the 3rd, 5th, or even 6th time.

Efficiency in EDH isn’t as much about mana cost as it is in other formats; it’s about doing the most work for a card slot. Explosive Vegetation is usually better than Rampant Growth. Return to Dust is usually better than Revoke Existence. Avacyn is usually better than Deathless Angel. Look for cards with Flashback, Replicate, Buyback, Retrace, and other mechanics that allow multiple uses.

In a singleton format, access to repeatable card selection or draw is very powerful.

EDH is a very hard format to play one-on-one. Once someone takes the upper hand, it can be nearly impossible to regain lost momentum.

Combo can be fun. Instant-win combo, not so much.

Almost anything is possible in EDH, so try to have an answer for any kind of threat. Even if you have to resort to inefficient or high mana cost artifact answers for threats your color normally can’t handle, like artifacts in Black or enchantments in Red. Also try to have flexible answers, like Oblivion Ring, Volition Reigns, Austere Command, and Putrefy.

Cards like Eldrazi, Blightsteel Colossus, and Inkwell Leviathan will end games very quickly if not dealt with, and can be hard enough to answer that they can sometimes be little or no fun at all.

Use the best equipment you can because unless you’ve built around equipment you shouldn’t devote that many slots to it; however, the right equipment can get a lot of work done. Protecting your best threats by granting Haste, Shroud, Hexproof, evasion, or Indestructibility to creatures over and over is remarkably useful.

The most hilarious way to kill someone is often the best; EDH isn’t a game for titles and prizes. It’s about having a great time.