There's Oloro and then there's Oloro.
You know what I mean. The Esper colors of White, Blue, and Black can combine to form an oppressive, board sweeping, soul crushing prison. I know. I've done it.
Guilty as charged.
It's kind of like how if you drop Sharuum into the Command zone, everyone assumes you are playing combo. The deck builds itself. But it doesn't have to be that way. Sharuum Sphinx tribal is a cool, casual deck full of neat effects and awesome flying sphinxes. But the temptation is there, to go all in on combo.
The temptation to build a prison combo deck with Oloro is strong. Doesn't matter that it's the right colors for a fun mill deck, or tokens, or superfriends. It doesn't matter because there are so many great cards that walk the deckbuilder down the path of locking people out of the game, sweeping the board over and over to reap massive card advantage, and winning on the back of a two-card (or even one-card!) combo.
I don't play Commander at my friendly local gaming store anymore. Now, I either play online or casually with friends. The games are less comborific and cutthroat. It feels like I'm playing Magic again. Fun stuff. But this means building a kinder, gentler Oloro. One that does some cool stuff, but still allows the game to play out.
How?
I've found success with putting together the Deckbuilding Commander Cube, for one. It's a pool of good cards that can fit into multiple strategies. It means that I can build a mashed together token/mill/planeswalkers Oloro and let the cards fall where they may. It also means cutting down on the cards that push themes way too far.
One tutor? Sure. There are times when finding the exact card you need for the situation makes for a fun game. It's usually when you are using the tutor defensively, to get yourself out of a sticky situation. Using the tutor proactively, though? To get a combo piece? Less fun, for everyone.
One or two board wipes? Sure. Grabbing card advantage by wiping the board is sometimes the only way to move the game forward. Doing it every few turns until you've effectively used Mind Twist on everyone is overkill.
More creatures? Yes, more creatures. In a multiplayer format like Commander, more creatures is almost always more fun. It puts the action on the board where we can see it. Having that hidden gem of a card in your hand to tip the combat in your favor becomes exciting. Of course, if your opponent is running board wipe city (the deck), you will lose. But hey, playing against that kind of deck is like losing a little just for playing. Amirite?
Week after week, I played with a guy who ran a Black and Green deck. The deck was all board wipes, ramp, and spot removal. He would sit there, biding his time, until he had enough mana for an entwined Tooth and Nail for Mikaeus and Triskelion. Yes, this strategy can be beat, but he would wait for hands to be empty, for Blue players to tap out, and then boom. Combo. Every game.
Even knowing that it was coming didn't matter. There were other players with more immediate threats. He could afford to sit back and defend until the situation was perfect before going for the win. And it worked, most of the time. When he got beat, it was by faster combo decks that he couldn't interact with. But against a "normal" deck, it was a guaranteed victory.
I can't blame the guy. He was trying to win $5 of store credit, you know? <bleh> But, the games were linear and boring. I've seen that trick before. If you want to have fun, get some new tricks. That's all I'm saying.
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