When To Pay For Rhystic Study

The Three Questions

When you’re faced with a [[Rhystic Study]] tax, ask yourself these three questions:

1. What is my own game plan?

2. Who is ahead?

3. Can I win now?

Let’s break each one down in detail.

1. What is My Own Game Plan?

The first step is understanding your own deck’s strategy and priorities.

Turbo Decks:

• Turbo decks aim to win as quickly as possible, often within the first few turns.

• For Turbo decks, it’s often acceptable to feed the [[Rhystic Study]] if it enables a faster win. The longer the game goes, the more likely the [[Rhystic Study]] player will outvalue you and disrupt your plans.

Midrange/Control Decks:

• These decks thrive in longer games by building incremental value and keeping opponents in check.

• For these decks, paying the tax is generally preferred, as it denies the [[Rhystic Study]] player the card advantage needed to control the game.

Key Tip:

• Don’t let other players dictate your decisions. If a slower deck asks you not to feed [[Rhystic Study]], assess whether it aligns with your own strategy before complying.

2. Who is Ahead?

Understanding the current board state is crucial to making the right call.

If the [[Rhystic Study]] player is ahead:

• Paying the tax is often the better choice to prevent them from snowballing further.

• Only feed the [[Rhystic Study]] if doing so will directly hinder their lead, such as playing a stax piece or resolving a wheel effect to reset the card advantage.

If another player is ahead:

• Feeding the [[Rhystic Study]] may be strategic. Allowing the [[Rhystic Study]] player to draw cards could help them find answers to stop the player who is ahead.

If the [[Rhystic Study]] player is behind:

• Prioritize your own game plan. Feeding the [[Rhystic Study]] can be acceptable if it helps you get closer to a win, especially if the player is unlikely to capitalize on the additional cards quickly.

3. Can I Win Now?

When presenting a win attempt through [[Rhystic Study]], careful planning is essential.

Factors to Consider:

1. Mana Calculation:

   • Ensure you have enough mana to pay for your combo pieces, interaction, and [[Rhystic Study]] triggers.

2. Opponent Resources:

   • Assess how many cards your opponents have in hand and how much interaction they’ve already used.

3. Risk Assessment:

   • If mana is tight and opponents have substantial resources, feeding [[Rhystic Study]] could backfire by enabling them to disrupt your win attempt.

Key Tip:

• If you can’t pay for all triggers but have sufficient mana for multiple interaction spells, it’s often better to hold up interaction rather than paying for [[Rhystic Study]].

Advanced Considerations

1. Multiple Card Draw Engines:

   • If there are multiple draw engines like [[Mystic Remora]] or [[Esper Sentinel]] in play, aim to rebalance the card advantage among opponents. Pay the triggers for the player with more cards to prevent one opponent from snowballing too far ahead.

2. Dead Cards vs. Interaction:

   • Sometimes allowing the [[Rhystic Study]] player to draw helps them find answers to an immediate threat. Use this strategically to maintain balance at the table.

Final Thoughts

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to whether you should pay for [[Rhystic Study]] triggers. Factors such as pod composition, turn order, and current board state create immense variability in cEDH games. However, by applying this three-question framework, you can make more informed decisions and improve your overall efficiency and gameplay.