If you’re looking to change your gameplay, and fancy trying out a new casual format with a medium to large group of friends, you might have come across a format known as Grand Melee. Every Magic: The Gathering format is enjoyable, but Grand Melee allows you to have an exhilarating and chaotic multiplayer battle that you are sure to remember. If you fancy a free for all battle for supremacy, and love games with plenty of action, read on to find out what’s involved in Grand Melee and how to play this exciting format.
What is Grand Melee?
This is a multiplayer format that can be played with 5 to 8 players. Essentially, it is based on the format Free For All , but with a few key changes. In Grand Melee, the chaos and unpredictability levels are raised. This is because players start with a smaller life total than other formats, and they also share a communal turn. This means everyone acts simultaneously during each phase of each turn. This communal structure means the gameplay is fast paced and dynamic. You can choose to form alliances for a short term and quickly get out of them, swinging the game in your favour.
What do you need to play Grand Melee?
Each player will need a regular Magic: The Gathering deck. Usually, Commander decks are used for this type of game but constructed 60 card decks can also be used. You’ll also need a play area which is big enough to accommodate all players, and plenty of dice.
How to play Grand Melee
In order to play the game, each player will start at a life total of 20 and each player will take their turn at the same time. This means that everyone will untap their permanents, draw a card and take their main phase actions in sync with each other.
In addition to this, combat is done at the same time. Each player will declare their attackers and blockers, and combat damage will be dealt at the same time too. Essentially, the game continues until there is just one player left standing.
Chaotic and unpredictable
Those looking to have a more unpredictable and chaotic gaming experience will suit the Grand Melee format. As there will be multiple players trying to take control, forming alliances and breaking them, it provides a thrilling format that will test your strategic thinking to its limit.
Contributing to the fun and chaos are the following factors:
As this is a communal structure, players must frequently react to their opponent’s actions. This can lead to an unpredictable and frenetic pace of gameplay.
Temporary alliances can often form as some players can team up to take down a threat. However, backstabbing and betrayals are also a possibility as most of these alliances are fragile and short-lived.
Plenty of Melee decks incorporate random cards. These may include dice rolls or coin flips, which can flip the game around completely.
Building a Grand Melee deck
Whilst you can use any MTG deck in this format, there are some card choices and strategies that you may want to consider when building your deck. These include:
Threat assessment – If you can identify who poses the biggest threat at the table, you can tailor your deck to counter them. For example, you might include removal spells for powerful creatures, discard spells to disrupt your opponents and counterspells for a game winner.
Board control – This could be tricky but when you are playing multiplayer, it’s vital to try and maintain control of the board. If you include cards that can wipe out multiple creatures, or remove enchantments and artefacts, this can disrupt your opponent’s strategies and give you control of the board.
Card advantage – Advantage is vital when playing with multiple opponents. It’s a good idea to include creatures with card draw abilities or card draw spells to ensure that you have enough in your hand to carry on.
Life gain – As Grand Melee requires you to start with a life total of only 20, choosing cards that can heal you and prevent damage can help you stay in the game for longer.
Tips for playing Grand Melee
While it can be difficult to predict what’s going to come next, there are some general tips that might help you if you choose this exciting format.
Build a resilient deck – As we mentioned, there are cards that can help you withstand the chaos of Grand Melee. Build a deck that can disrupt your opponent's strategies, protect your permanents or build a robust defence, and you’ll have a better chance of staying in the game.
Know your politics - Try and work out the dynamics of the players at the table and build alliances that can benefit you. However, don’t hesitate to switch sides if it is in your best interest to do so. Also, be prepared for other players to betray you too.
Have fun – As Grand Melee is a casual format, it’s primarily designed for social interaction and fun. This multiplayer brawl is not to be taken too seriously.
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