Kaalia vs Delina vs Volo vs Nekusar [EDH/Commander, MTG Gameplay 2022]

Deck Strategies

• 

  Nekusar, the Mindrazer

  Utilizes wheels and forced card draws to deal damage to all players each time someone draws cards, aiming to win through incremental burn damage while disrupting opponents' hands.

• 

  Volo, Guide to Monsters

  Copies creatures that have unique types from those already controlled or in graveyard to generate incremental value and board presence, focusing on simic ramp and value combos.

• 

  Delina, Wild Mage

  Leverages enter-the-battlefield red creatures and her ability to create multiple token copies by rolling dice, generating tokens and value for aggressive board development.

• 

  Kaalia of the Vast

  Cheats large angels, demons, and dragons into play to quickly pressure opponents with high-impact creatures and synergizes with extra combat phases to maximize damage output.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Nekusar's use of multiple wheels and forced card draws created sustained group damage pressure, forcing players to carefully manage their hand size and life totals.

• 2

  Volo's interaction with Eternal Witness triggered duplication effects, allowing him to recover key cards and maintain card advantage effectively.

• 3

  Delina's casting of Imperial Recruiter to tutor for impactful creatures enabled strong synergy with her ability to multiply ETB effects, ramping her token generation.

• 4

  Kaalia playing Aggravated Assault was a major power spike, setting up potential multiple combat phases and significantly increasing her lethal threat on the battlefield.

• 5

  Players balanced aggression with damage mitigation due to Nekusar's damage on card draw, impacting decision-making around casting spells and attacking.

• 6

  Minimal removal and board wipes meant that incremental value and combo setups dictated the flow and tempo of the game rather than large resets.

Notable Cards

• 

  Aggravated Assault

• 

  Spiteful Visions

• 

  Imperial Recruiter

• 

  Eternal Witness

• 

  Lightning Greaves

• 

  Talisman of Dominance

• 

  Arch of Orazca

Summary

The game started with each player developing their board and setting up their strategies based on their commanders' unique abilities. Nekusar, the Mindrazer, focused on wheels and forcing card draws to deal damage to all players, creating a slow but steady burn effect. Volo, Guide to Monsters, aimed to generate value by copying creatures with different types for incremental advantage, establishing a flexible board presence. Delina, Wild Mage, utilized enter-the-battlefield red creatures and her ability to create multiple copies by rolling dice, generating token armies and value through repeated ETB triggers. Kaalia of the Vast pursued cheating large angels, demons, and dragons into play to apply fast, aggressive pressure with powerful creatures, backed by some spicy synergy pieces like Aggravated Assault to generate extra combat phases. Key turning points occurred when Nekusar successfully cast multiple wheels and card draw spells, dealing significant damage and pressuring the table. Volo leveraged Eternal Witness and other value creatures to maintain card advantage and ramp, while Delina's Imperial Recruiter and token generation kept chipping away. Kaalia's play peaked when she dropped Aggravated Assault, setting up potential combos for multiple attacks in a turn, increasing her threat level dramatically. Board wipes and interaction were limited, so the game revolved around managing damage from Nekusar's wheels, responding to Kaalia's aggressive creatures, and maximizing value from Volo and Delina's synergies. The game showcased the classic clash of 'boomer' decks focused on powerful midrange threats and combos against 'zoomer' decks with value engines and token strategies. Ultimately, the match highlighted the tension between Nekusar's group damage from card draw, Kaalia's big creatures and extra combat phases, Volo's creature copying, and Delina's dice-rolling token production. Each player attempted to outpace or out-value the others, with pivotal plays involving wheels, creature recursion, and combo enablers like Aggravated Assault shaping the evolving board state and win conditions.