Deck & Commander Strategies
Melek, Reforged Researcher
A spellslinger deck that fills the graveyard so Melek becomes large, then casts instants and sorceries to power out a win. In this game it used Wheel of Fortune and Chandra's Ignition to damage the whole table.
Terra, Magical Adept // Esper Terra
A five-color Saga deck built around powerful enchantments and sagas to overtake opponents. In this game it leaned on self-mill and reanimation with Ripples of Undead, Three Visits and Replenish.
Kefka, Court Mage // Kefka, Ruler of Ruin
A Grixis discard deck that forces discards with Kefka's triggers to draw cards, drain life and eventually close out the game after transforming. Here it paired with Blood Chief's Ascension, Liliana's Caress and Monument of Endurance for repeated life loss.
Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER
An equipment deck that suits up creatures with powerful artifacts and relies on Cloud for free equips, treasure and card draw. It won with Sword of Feast and Famine, Buster Sword, Sunforger and Forge Anew.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Tanner's Soul Ring and Arcane Signet into Blood Chief's Ascension followed by a turn-two Kefka built a dominant early position, and it took two removal spells to deal with the Ascension.
- 2
Chandler's Forge Anew returned a discarded Sword of Feast and Famine, which let him free equip it right away. Kefka's discard effects were turned against Tanner here.
- 3
Chandler tutored Stroke of Midnight in response to combat damage triggers with Sunforger, destroying Blood Chief's Ascension at a key moment.
- 4
Chandra's Ignition with a giant Melek hit every player for 18, but Chandler's Heroic Intervention saved his board.
- 5
Replenish gave Shelby a big reanimation turn with Idolon of Blossoms, Summon: Titan and Summon: Fenrir, while Clash of the Icons brought back seven more lands.
- 6
Chandler's Dawn's Truce gifted to Tanner kept Tanner's permanents safe but let him cast a one-mana Blasphemous Act (via Kuldotha) that wiped the other boards and left only his own.
- 7
Cloud's double attack trigger created four tapped, attacking Spirits, which provided surprise lethal damage on two players at once.
- 8
Ethan forgot that Kutzil would stop his Deflecting Swat on the turn he tried to protect Melek, which cost him his last blocker and the game.
Notable Cards
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Kefka, Court Mage // Kefka, Ruler of Ruin
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Forge Anew
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Sword of Feast and Famine
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Buster Sword
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Esper Sentinel
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Wheel of Fortune
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Chandra's Ignition
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Heroic Intervention
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Replenish
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Dawn's Truce
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Blasphemous Act
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Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar
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Sunforger
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Stroke of Midnight
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Path to Exile
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Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER
Gameplay Summary
Tanner opened with a very fast start: Training Center into Soul Ring into Arcane Signet into Blood Chief's Ascension.
He followed it with a turn-two Kefka, which made everyone discard and drew him three cards.
Chandler's Cloud deck got going on the back of Forge Anew.
He returned a discarded Sword of Feast and Famine, put it on Delighted Halfling and then Esper Sentinel, and added Buster Sword.
The Sentinel's "do you pay X?" trigger kept resolving because nobody wanted to give him a card.
Ethan cast Wheel of Fortune to refill every hand.
Shelby sped up his self-mill plan with Ripples of Undead and Three Visits. The midgame centered on Blood Chief's Ascension and the life drain that came with it.
Tanner used it, Liliana's Caress and Monument of Endurance to drain the table several times while Kefka's attack triggers kept the discard and card draw coming.
Chandler eventually tutored up Stroke of Midnight in response to combat damage triggers and destroyed the Ascension.
Ethan landed Melek and used Chandra's Ignition to hit the whole table for 18.
Chandler answered with Heroic Intervention to protect his board.
Shelby then cast Replenish after milling and discarding creatures, bringing back Kefka-proof value like Idolon of Blossoms, Summon: Titan and Summon: Fenrir for cards and lands.
He followed with Clash of the Icons for a large land bounce-back. Tanner recast Kefka after a board wipe set up by Chandler.
Chandler cast Dawn's Truce, gifting it to Tanner so his permanents were protected, then followed with a one-mana Blasphemous Act made cheap by Kuldotha.
This cleared everyone else's board except his own.
He equipped Andúril to Cloud and attacked with Cloud, Esper Sentinel and Kutzil.
Cloud's double attack trigger created four tapped, attacking Spirit tokens, which was lethal to both Tanner and Shelby.
On the next turn Chandler used Path to Exile from Sunforger to remove Melek and bypassed Ethan's Deflecting Swat, which he had forgotten to account for because of Kutzil.
He then used Forge Anew's free equip, cast Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER, and swung with 28 power across the board to eliminate Ethan and win.
