Balance In Magic: The Gathering Archenemy

By the MagicSAK Team (Hunter)

(If you're brand new to Magic: The Gathering's Archenemy, check out our Beginner's Guide!)

Archenemy is one of the most unique modes in Magic, as it's one of the only modes with asymmetrical gameplay with one titular Archenemy facing down three "Heroes." The mode is great fun, and can be played with the aid of our Archenemy Companion, but there's more to it than just selecting a few Archenemy Scheme cards and playing.

Play groups should discuss power levels before any game, but these discussions are different with Archenemy; how do you describe the power level of one deck that should be able to challenge three other decks simultaneously? The Archenemy has the aid of a deck of Schemes, but is that enough to make it competitive in a 1v3? Let's look at some of the nuances real quick.

Archenemy Advantages

The Archenemy will have several advantages that should make them competitive against those pesky heroes:

• The Archenemy gets a deck of 10/20 (for Archenemy Commander and Original Archenemy, respectively) Scheme cards, which can be incredibly powerful if hand selected with something like our Archenemy Deck Builder
• The Archenemy always goes first and still draws a card
• The Archenemy starts with the same life total as the other players combined (60)

Hero Advantages

• Heroes can attack and block together, so if one player has a weak deployment or few creatures, others can still protect them
• Heroes have the ability share information, strategize together, and keep things like counterspells ready while others push the advantage

So How Do We Balance This?

There are multiple approaches to balancing Archenemy, but 90% of it comes down to deck selection. Obviously, a finely-tuned Bracket 4 deck as an Archenemy versus three precons will not turn out well for the Heroes, and three Heroes with powerful decks against a budget brew Archenemy deck will not turn out well for the Archenemy. How closely should the decks be matched, though?

I believe that Archenemy is a fundamentally casual game type, as evidenced by a general lack of competitive Archenemy play. This game is not meant for ultra powerful decks that can win turn 2 or 3, as the Archenemy's main advantage is getting the opportunity to play multiple Schemes. The minimum Scheme deck size is 10 for the Archenemy Commander game type, so that implies that games might not go longer than 10 turns, but I've seen them come close to that many turns. Let's suppose that we're looking at a casual game with Bracket 1-3 decks, and around 7-10 turns.

The aforementioned advantages for each team should be taken into account, but in a way, the Archenemy actually has the disadvantage oftentimes. Sure, they get a Scheme deck that can have highly impactful effects, but it's not going to compete against three synchronized or high-power decks, so the Archenemy deck should be no slouch. Don't overestimate the power of the Schemes; you can have a well-constructed Scheme deck, but if you happen to be playing Schemes like Behold the Power of Destruction, you'll occasionally see that Scheme fizzle when you draw it on turn 1. So while Schemes are powerful, this shows an example of how they can be completely useless (depending on your Scheme deck and the luck of the draw).

At minimum, the four decks should be in comparable brackets. What about the schemes? If you're playing with low-powered decks, consider making a low-powered Scheme deck with cards like For Each of You, a Gift or Look Skyward and Despair; there are certainly better Schemes, but if your opponents are playing Bracket 1 decks, for example, they may struggle to handle things like multiple Scheme-related board wipes or targeted removals.

Ours Is The Only Truth

As Archenemy is an informal format, I recommend some Rule 0 discussions. If you've played Archenemy with your pod before and found that a certain deck is too powerful, discuss alternative options. If you find that the Archenemy or the Hero team have too little life, consider buffing either team with more life. This is part of the backbone of casual Commander, and so should it be for Archenemy Commander (and Original/Standard Archenemy).

Remembering that the Archenemy should still always be a competitive threat, it's also to remember that this game type is purely for fun. Try to switch up who is playing as the Archenemy, try out different decks and different Scheme decks, and make sure to read the Schemes in your best evil villain voice. Have fun being the big baddie!