Deck Strategies
Rowan Kenrith
A red-white spellslinger and burn deck aiming to control the board with burn spells and aggressive creatures while leveraging synergy between spells and combat damage to close out the game.
Kozilek, the Great Distortion
A ramp and Eldrazi deck focused on casting large Eldrazi creatures to overwhelm opponents, supported by colorless ramp and disruption.
Grenzo, Dungeon Warden
A sacrifice and graveyard-based deck that uses Grenzo's ability to put creatures from the bottom of the library into play, combined with treasures and aggressive creatures to generate incremental advantage and pressure.
Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign
A control and card advantage deck centered on Sphinx tribal synergies, using Call to the Kindred to tutor and trigger multiple Sphinx effects, aiming to outvalue opponents through repeated draw and disruption.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Tom’s early Magus of the Moon severely disrupted opponents' mana bases, forcing everyone to adapt their strategies around the mostly mountainous mana environment.
- 2
Ren’s repeated use of Call to the Kindred allowed him to efficiently generate value by tutoring and triggering multiple Sphinx creatures, enabling strong card draw and board presence.
- 3
Grenzo’s synergy with Pitiless Plunderer and Judith, the Scourge Diva created a continuous stream of treasure tokens and value from sacrificing lands and creatures, fueling his plays and mana acceleration.
- 4
Alex’s casting of Kozilek, the Great Distortion was quickly countered by Rapid Hybridization, demonstrating how early removal and interaction shaped the tempo and board state in this game.
- 5
The use of Helm of the Host on Bane of Bala Ged created multiple attacking threats, increasing pressure on opponents and demonstrating a key combo potential in the red ramp deck.
- 6
The dynamic between aggressive attacks and protective counterspells (such as Windrider Sphinx’s counter) highlighted the importance of timing and interaction in maintaining control of the board.
Notable Cards
Magus of the Moon
Call to the Kindred
Basalt Monolith
Pitiless Plunderer
Rapid Hybridization
Helm of the Host
Judith, the Scourge Diva
Bane of Bala Ged
Dream Eater
Coalition Relic
Summary
The game began with all players ramping and developing their board states cautiously, with early plays including mana rocks, evolving wilds, and key creatures to establish tempo. Tom (Grenzo) quickly set a disruptive tone by casting Magus of the Moon, which heavily taxed everyone’s mana bases, forcing adjustments and careful resource management. Meanwhile, Ren (Unesh) deployed Sphinx-themed synergies, focusing on drawing cards and controlling the board with multiple Sphinx creatures, leveraging Call to the Kindred to repeatedly fetch impactful sphinxes and trigger their powerful abilities. Alex (Kozilek) aimed to use big Eldrazi threats but faced early removal and disruption, including a timely Rapid Hybridization that replaced Kozilek with a smaller creature.