Basim vs. Phelia - Duel Commander - EDH│MTG│bitzelberg

Deck Strategies

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  Basim Ibn Ishaq

  This deck aims to exploit artifact synergies to generate card advantage and powerful board states quickly. It uses creatures like Mother of Runes for protection and Etherium Sculptor to reduce artifact costs, enabling fast deployment of threats. The deck also leverages graveyard interactions and reanimation effects to maintain pressure and remove opposing threats.

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  Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd

  Phelia's white weenie deck focuses on deploying efficient, small creatures that grow stronger through anthem effects and other synergies. The deck emphasizes board control through removal spells like Fatal Push and disruption such as Containment Priest, while using flicker and token generation to maintain tempo and chip away at opponents’ life totals.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Basim's use of Orzhov Pontiff to kill Phelia's key creatures was a pivotal moment that swung board control temporarily.

• 2

  Phelia's aggressive attacks combined with anthem triggers steadily pressured Basim, forcing him into defensive plays.

• 3

  Basim's decision to hold back casting some spells to avoid counter magic showed careful resource management.

• 4

  The interaction between flicker effects and exile-based removal created complex board state management challenges.

• 5

  Casting Fatal Push on Containment Priest helped Phelia break through Basim's protective measures, shifting tempo.

• 6

  Basim's early artifact synergies allowed for card draw and reduced costs, but Phelia's tempo plays and removal eventually overcame this advantage.

Notable Cards

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  Mother of Runes

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  Etherium Sculptor

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  Orzhov Pontiff

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  Containment Priest

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  Fatal Push

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  Flicker

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  Giver of Runes

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  Looter il-Kor

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  Reclamation Sage

Summary

The game featured a clash between Basim Ibn Ishaq's affinity-based deck and Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd's white weenie deck. Early turns saw Basim setting up with artifact synergies, casting cards like Mother of Runes and an Etherium Sculptor to accelerate his board state, while Phelia deployed efficient creatures and used her anthem effect to bolster her board's power and resilience. A key turning point occurred when Basim successfully reanimated Orzhov Pontiff to destroy Phelia's threats, swinging momentum in his favor. However, Phelia's aggressive and flexible white weenie strategy kept pressuring Basim, leveraging cards like Containment Priest and Flicker effects to disrupt Basim's combos and command zone interactions. Throughout the game, Basim attempted to leverage artifact synergies and graveyard interactions to maintain card advantage and board presence, while Phelia focused on incremental damage and controlling key creatures with removal and tempo plays. Despite some strong defensive plays from Basim, including well-timed removal and reanimation, Phelia's persistent pressure and efficient attacks eventually overwhelmed Basim’s resources, leading to a concession. The match highlighted the importance of tempo, interaction, and knowing when to deploy threats or disruption in a duel commander setting.