Rankle vs Greven vs Nicol Bolas, the Ravager vs Azusa EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

• 

  Rankle, Master of Pranks

  Disrupt opponents by forcing discard and life loss while drawing cards to maintain hand advantage, applying incremental damage and pressure through repeated Rankle attacks.

• 

  Azusa, Lost but Seeking

  Ramp aggressively with land drops and mana acceleration to cast big spells and generate value with landfall and token synergies, aiming to overwhelm opponents with board presence.

• 

  Greven, Predator Captain

  Deal heavy combat damage by sacrificing creatures to boost power and leveraging menace to push through blockers, aiming for a quick and lethal combat finish.

• 

  Nicol Bolas, the Ravager

  Control the board with removal effects from the planeswalker side while developing powerful threats, using disruption and Insurrection to clear opponents and finish the game.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Rankle’s discard and draw effect was used repeatedly to disrupt opponents’ hands and chip away at life totals while maintaining Miguel’s card advantage.

• 2

  Nicol Bolas’s removal upon entering the battlefield effectively removed key ramp artifacts, shifting the tempo in Seb’s favor.

• 3

  The use of Bottomless Pit combined with Asylum Visitor created a painful discard and card draw loop that pressured Maxime’s hand size and life total.

• 4

  Maxime’s use of Greven’s sacrifice ability in combat, boosted by sacrificing cards like Solemn Simulacrum and Soul Gorger, allowed for a lethal swing despite blockers.

• 5

  Seb’s casting of Insurrection was a game-changing board wipe and attack phase that eliminated Maxime and brought multiple opponents to low life totals.

• 6

  Joey’s ramp and token generation with Azusa and Avenger of Zendikar provided a stabilizing board presence but was ultimately overwhelmed by the aggressive discard and combat damage.

• 7

  The combination of hand disruption, life loss, and combat damage from Rankle and Greven kept pressure on opponents continuously throughout the game.

Notable Cards

• 

  Rankle, Master of Pranks

• 

  Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen

• 

  Bottomless Pit

• 

  Asylum Visitor

• 

  Insurrection

• 

  Greven, Predator Captain

• 

  Lotus Cobra

• 

  Tireless Tracker

• 

  Avenger of Zendikar

• 

  Brainstorm

Summary

The game started with all players ramping and developing their boards, with Greven and Azusa quickly establishing mana acceleration and card draw engines. Rankle, Master of Pranks, was deployed early by Miguel, using its discard and draw abilities to disrupt opponents and maintain hand advantage. Nicol Bolas, the Ravager came down midgame with a removal effect that destroyed an important artifact, shifting board presence. Azusa's deck built a strong ramp and token presence to stabilize and generate value, while Greven focused on aggression with menace and sacrificing creatures for big damage output. A pivotal moment occurred when Miguel cast Bottomless Pit combined with Asylum Visitor to pressure opponents' hands and life totals. Maxime's Greven deck leveraged sacrifice synergies and combat tricks to push damage through, eventually leading to a lethal swing after sacrificing creatures to boost Greven. Seb, piloting Nicol Bolas, executed a devastating Insurrection to clear the board and swing for lethal damage, taking out Maxime and leaving the battlefield in chaos. The game ended with a tight race between Miguel and Seb, with Seb's discard and removal spells maintaining control but Miguel's incremental damage from Rankle and card advantage keeping him alive until the conclusion.