I HATE YOUR DECK #18 JACOB BERTRAND vs ANDREW DISMUKES vs IHYD || Commander Gameplay MTG EDH

Deck Strategies

• 

  Atla Palani, Nest Tender

  Generate egg tokens to build a resilient board state that can survive board wipes and gain card advantage through flipping cards off the top of the library.

• 

  Dina, Soul Steeper

  Drain opponents' life totals using lifegain triggers, sacrifice creatures to benefit from their power, and leverage infinite combos like Chain of Smog and Exquisite Blood to win.

• 

  Zaffai, Thunder Conductor

  Utilize spellslinger and magecraft synergies with a suite of counterspells to control the game while copying spells for value.

• 

  Jalira, Master Polymorphist

  Cast cheap legendary creatures to sacrifice and cheat out powerful non-legendary creatures with polymorph effects, disrupting opponents and establishing a strong board.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The life drain and sacrifice combo with Dina was a major win threat, forcing opponents to respond quickly or face a losing loop.

• 2

  Zaffai's counterspell package helped maintain control and disrupt opponents' combos, initiating counter wars especially with Jalira's polymorph strategies.

• 3

  Atla Palani's egg tokens provided resilience against board wipes, allowing recovery and card advantage in a control-heavy environment.

• 4

  Jalira's polymorph toolbox enabled flexible responses by cheating out large threats after sacrificing cheap legendaries, adding a layer of unpredictability.

• 5

  Players managed mana carefully to cast impactful spells early, setting the pace for combos and counter interactions.

Notable Cards

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  Dina, Soul Steeper

• 

  Exquisite Blood

• 

  Chain of Smog

• 

  Atla Palani, Nest Tender

• 

  Zaffai, Thunder Conductor

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  Jalira, Master Polymorphist

• 

  Dark Confidant

• 

  Path of Ancestry

• 

  Fierce Guardianship

• 

  Pact of Negation

Summary

The game began with players establishing their mana bases and early board presence, including ramp spells and low-cost creatures like Bob (Dark Confidant) and familiar mana rocks. The player piloting Dina, Soul Steeper focused on a life drain and sacrifice strategy, attempting to chip away at opponents' life totals while utilizing combos like Chain of Smog and Exquisite Blood to generate infinite loops. Meanwhile, the Atla Palani, Nest Tender player concentrated on creating resilient egg tokens to withstand board wipes and generate card advantage through flipping cards off the top of their library. The Zaffai, Thunder Conductor deck used a strong spellslinger strategy with multiple counterspells and magecraft synergies, aiming to control the board and generate incremental value by copying spells. The Jalira, Master Polymorphist deck played a toolbox style, casting cheap legendary creatures and sacrificing them to cheat out larger non-legendary threats through polymorph effects, providing a flexible and disruptive game plan. A key turning point involved the Dina player casting their commander and starting to drain life from opponents while setting up multiple infinite combos. However, the interaction between counterspells from Zaffai and the polymorph toolbox from Jalira created tense counter wars and board control struggles. Atla Palani’s egg tokens added a layer of resilience that complicated board wipes and prolonged the game. Ultimately, the game revolved around managing these combos, counterspells, and sac outlets, with the life drain combos and polymorph threats posing the most significant win conditions.