{"ops":[{"insert":"This deck looks to recreate the feeling of the most unstable, volatile Thanksgiving dinner imaginable, one where every member of the family sits on the opposite end of the political, moral, or rational spectrum and bring that experience directly to your local Commander pod.\n\nThankfully, you don't have to think "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"too"},{"insert":" hard with this deck. Do you see your opponent's board? Is one of those creatures clearly a problem? Goad it. Make it someone else's problem. Slap one of the deck's many goad effects onto it and suddenly Ms. Bumbleflower has developed some "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"very strong opinions"},{"insert":" about the need to protect the Israeli state and is ready to start throwing hands with everyone else at the table.\n\nSeveral of your goad effects are reusable, including "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Bloodthirsty Blade"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Eye of Nidhogg"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Ghoulish Impetus"},{"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Laser Screwdriver"},{"insert":", ensuring that the yelling only gets louder as dinner goes on.\n\nOf course, you're not just going to make your opponents' creatures look like the jerks at the table. You're bringing some deeply problematic friends to dinner too. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Xantcha"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Sleeper Agent"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Alexios"},{"insert":","},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":" Deimos of Kosmos, and Slicer, Hired Muscle"},{"insert":" all have the wonderful quality of becoming "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"someone else's responsibility"},{"insert":". Donate them around the table and watch your Commander game slowly transform into "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Lord of the Flies"},{"insert":" before turn six.\n\nBetter yet, protect your horrible little friends. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Feign Death "},{"insert":"and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Gift of Doom"},{"insert":" can keep them around, while my personal favorite, "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Treacherous Link"},{"insert":", can turn one of these creatures into the gift that truly keeps on giving. \n\nIf you can't goad their creatures, remove them instead! The deck packs over fourteen pieces of removal, giving you plenty of ways to deal with anything that can't be bullied into attacking somebody else. Meanwhile, cards like "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Crawlspace"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Maze of Ith"},{"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"No Mercy"},{"insert":" discourage everyone from turning their newfound aggression toward you. \n\nNothing brings down a family dinner quite like an old family secret unearthed through a combination of bickering, guilt, and two bottles of wine. That's where cards like "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Kaervek the Merciless "},{"insert":"and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"The Lord of Pain"},{"insert":" come in. Suddenly Grandpa's secret Canadian family has been revealed, Grandma is crying, somebody has stormed outside, and twenty years of deep-seated resentment are being distributed evenly around the table. \n\nSecret deck achievements! "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Portcullis "},{"insert":"is my secret alternate game hidden inside the deck. Try to land it when the only creatures around are your infiltrators, donated threats, or permanently goaded creatures, then sit back and watch Camelot fall. Bonus lore points if you manage to get Xantcha, Sleeper Agent and Heartstone onto the battlefield at the same time. No additional reward is necessary. You know what you did.\n\nThis is very comfortably a solid "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Bracket 2 deck"},{"insert":", although it can absolutely hold its own against lower-end Bracket 3 decks when their board states are susceptible to goad and they aren't packing a lot of removal. It isn't designed to end games quickly. Instead, you're manipulating combat, redirecting threats, handing out dangerous creatures, and slowly engineering a board state where your opponents do most of your work for you.\n\nThat does create one major weakness: the final opponent. Goad is fantastic when there are three other players. You need to carefully place your goad effects and preserve enough removal, burn, and Xantcha activations to actually close out the game once you're down to one opponent. Otherwise, get used to coming in second a lot.\n\nThis deck is at its best with a pilot who enjoys being an active political player: making deals, offering favors, redirecting attacks, selectively helping opponents, and constantly changing allegiances to suit your endgame. You aren't necessarily the biggest threat at the table. You're the person who assigned the seating chart.\n"}]}