S1 Episode 1: Derevi vs Teferi vs Tasigur vs Karador

Deck Strategies

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  Derevi, Empyrial Tactician

  Leverages early mana acceleration and efficient creatures to establish board control and incremental advantage, often using tapping and untapping synergies to generate value and eventually win through combat damage or combo.

• 

  Teferi, Temporal Archmage

  Focuses on control and card advantage using counterspells, card draw, and tempo plays, aiming to slow down opponents and eventually win through a combination of powerful spells and board presence.

• 

  Tasigur, the Golden Fang

  Utilizes graveyard recursion and card advantage to control the game, combining disruption with value creatures and spells that enable a slow grind toward victory, often through attrition or combo finishes.

• 

  Karador, Ghost Chieftain

  Relies on graveyard recursion and value creatures to build a resilient board state, using tutors and reanimation to assemble combos or overwhelming board presence for a late-game win.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Using Gilded Drake to steal key artifacts like Metalworker was a pivotal early move to disrupt ramp strategies.

• 2

  Sphere of Resistance effectively slowed down the game by increasing spell costs, forcing players to carefully consider their mana usage.

• 3

  Null Rod was cast at a critical moment to disrupt artifact-based ramp and combos, significantly impacting the pace of the game.

• 4

  Players leveraged tutors and recursion spells to assemble pieces of combos while maintaining board control and resource advantage.

• 5

  Combat damage from commanders and creatures was strategically used to pressure opponents and shift the game's momentum.

Notable Cards

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  Metalworker

• 

  Gilded Drake

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  Thought Vessel

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  Sphere of Resistance

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  Null Rod

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  Worldly Tutor

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  Eternal Witness

• 

  Vendetta

• 

  Academy Rector

Summary

The game began with each player setting up their mana bases and early plays, with some players struggling with suboptimal opening hands. Early turns featured the deployment of mana acceleration and key cards like Metalworker, Gilded Drake, and Thought Vessel. The players jockeyed for board presence, with Gilded Drake stealing Metalworker and various spells like Ristic Study being cast to draw cards and control the pace. Sphere of Resistance was played early, increasing the cost of spells and slowing the game down. As the game progressed, players used tutors and recursion spells such as Worldly Tutor, Eternal Witness, and reanimation spells to piece together combos or powerful board states. Notable plays included combat exchanges involving Gilded Drake and Tasigur dealing commander damage. Null Rod was cast to shut down artifact-based ramp and strategies, forcing players to adapt. The game was marked by careful resource management, strategic removal, and attempts to disrupt others' plans, particularly focusing on controlling mana acceleration and card draw engines. The game appeared to be heading towards a control-heavy late game where finding and assembling combos or overwhelming board states would determine the winner.