While stumbling through the internets I noticed Brian Demar's Battle Box Series on Channel Fireball. It struck me as a possible solution to a problem I was having. My playgroup had a time use problem. We had small chunks of time that weren't being spent well. Time before, after, or in between draft and EDH matches was being wasted. Constructed formats didn't seem to be filling these spaces. Members of our play group didn't seem interested in maintaining decks in a 60 card formats. This time was spent drinking beer, shooting the shit, and looking at phones. I only get so many hours away from work and the family. I'm not about to spend it looking at my phone. Drink and shoot the shit, yes, but I can do those two activities while playing magic. After all, that's what I'm there for.
I dug through all the Channel Fireball articles across a few others on different sites. I talked to a few members of my playgroup to gauge interest level. I received general encouragement. Hoping that this could be the solution I was looking for, I took on the investment. I spent the next 6 months collecting the list via bulk, trades, and purchases. Two update articles came out in that time. I had acquired 93% of the list when it was played for the first time. About a year has passed since that first game; I can firmly say, it was what we were always looking for.
You can check out his Mr. Demar's author page on Channel Fireball here: https://www.channelfireball.com/author/brian-demars/. The Battle Box tag page here: https://www.channelfireball.com/tag/battle-box/
What is the Battle Box For?
Our playgroup now uses the Battle Box when nothing else seems to fit the situation, which is more often than you would think. For example:
Spike is going to be 45 mins late, but he's the eighth for the draft. Moreover, two of the drafters didn't bring any decks… break out the battlebox for heads up matches.
We have six players for EDH, but are tired of playing six player rotator EDH games. Roll for the four person pod lowest two rolls break out the battle box.
John Newguy is here today. He doesn't own any decks. We don't have enough to draft. Break out the battle box.
It's 11:00 pm and starting another game of EDH would mean upset wives when we stumble into the house at 2:00 am. But it's just enough time for two headed giant battle box.
My Version of the Demar Battle Box.
Whenever I travel for magic, the Battle Box is in the backpack. It's is double sleeved and travels with all the required lands and tokens in a 650 count cardboard box. It's covered with brewery stickers. The better their beer, the more prominent the location on the box. The bottom of the box is reserved for breweries not likely to be visited again. Due to wear and tear, the stickers now double as structural support.
I'm using an incomplete version of Demar's Box. I maintain it on deckstats.org at here: https://deckstats.net/decks/96729/1035944-brian-demars-battle-box-danger/en. It typically hovers between 95% and 98% of the list, depending on when Mr. Demar's last update article was. I typically add a few cards with every card purchase I make. I think anything above 90% Mr. Demar's list will give you the games he is going for.
Battle Box Gameplay
After a year with the box, it's clear the games he is/was going for, grind on. We initially thought we would be getting in a few games during time gap rain delays. No at all, you are likely going to get just get one. But the complexity has become the appeal. The games are astonishingly well balanced. They always seem to produce close calls that could go either way right up to the last turn.
That's all due to Mr. Demar's card selection. He's not adding the bombs just for the hell of it, he's tailoring the list for gameplay. While there may be a few bombs in the list when viewed through the lens of other formats, none of the selections run away with games in the Battle Box.
Mr. Demars does a good job keeping the list updated. He typically updates it with every standard set. Every time he comes out with a new article, I dump the cards he dumps and start added the cards he added. It's not too difficult once you have most of the base established. His articles aren't published right after release. They typically come out near the end of a set's timeline, shortly before the next set enters standard. I'm not sure if this is because he wants to play with all the cards before publishing, or that's when the MTG content well has run dry and it's time to return to the series to keep the article money coming in the door. Either way, he has been consistent for the last year or so.
It's convenient not to have to brew the list myself. I would much rather spend my time brewing for other formats. This is the gap filler after all, it's not the main event. If Mr. Demars keeps updating the list, I'll keep reading his articles and collecting the cards he adds. If he doesn't, well, I guess we will cross that bridge if and when we need to.
Keep Tapping Left,
Benjamin