Zada vs Lyzolda vs Ezuri vs Thrasios / Vial Smasher EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

• 

  Zada, Hedron Grinder

  Flood the board with goblin tokens and use spells that target a single creature to copy effects across all creatures, maximizing damage output and overwhelming opponents quickly.

• 

  Ezuri, Claw of Progress

  Build up a board of elves and other creatures, gain experience counters to boost power, and use anthem effects and combat tricks to swing for massive damage.

• 

  Thrasios, Triton Hero & Vial Smasher the Fierce

  Control the board with efficient spells, ramp lands, and use Vial Smasher's damage triggers on spells to pressure opponents while maintaining a flexible toolbox with Thrasios's ability.

• 

  Lyzolda, the Blood Witch

  Generate spirit tokens and sacrifice creatures to trigger damage and value effects, disrupting opponents while steadily building board presence.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Using Twinflame to double all tokens in play created a huge offensive threat for Zada, though it left him vulnerable to removal afterward.

• 2

  Ezuri's use of experience counters synergized well with Champion of Lambholt and Beastmaster Ascension, enabling large, unblockable attacks.

• 3

  Protecting key creatures with Inspiring Call prevented board wipes from completely resetting Ezuri's board state.

• 4

  Vial Smasher's damage triggers combined with Monarch control provided steady incremental damage and card advantage.

• 5

  Sacrificing creatures to Dictate of Erebos and Blasphemous Act allowed Lyzolda to clear the board and deal damage simultaneously, though it came too late to stop Ezuri's lethal attack.

Notable Cards

• 

  Twinflame

• 

  Otherworldly Outburst

• 

  Beastmaster Ascension

• 

  Champion of Lambholt

• 

  Inspiring Call

• 

  Overwhelming Stampede

• 

  Sylvan Library

• 

  Dictate of Erebos

• 

  Agent of Erebos

• 

  Blasphemous Act

Summary

The game started with players developing their board states, focusing on ramp and early tokens. Ezuri, Claw of Progress took advantage of growing experience counters and token generation, leveraging cards like Champion of Lambholt and Beastmaster Ascension to grow his forces quickly. Dale, piloting Zada, Hedron Grinder, aimed to flood the board with goblin tokens and used spells like Twinflame and Otherworldly Outburst to pump and double his creatures, setting up for a large swinging turn. Lyzolda, the Blood Witch, focused on generating spirit tokens and sacrificing creatures for value, while Thrasios paired with Vial Smasher applied pressure using efficient spells and land synergies. A pivotal moment came when Matt (Ezuri) cast Overwhelming Stampede after building a sizable board and experience counters, swinging for lethal damage and forcing Dale to concede. Prior to that, there was significant combat interaction with multiple players creating tokens and blocking, but Ezuri's board growth and protection spells like Inspiring Call allowed him to maintain a strong presence. Vial Smasher's damage triggers and Monarch mechanic added pressure late game, but it was Ezuri's combination of token generation, anthem effects, and combat tricks that secured the victory. The game highlighted the explosive potential of token synergy decks and the importance of protecting key creatures to close out the game.