Obosh vs Gisela vs Trostani vs Haldan | Pako EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

• 

  Obosh, the Preypiercer

  Leverages damage doubling effects and storm cards to inflict heavy damage over multiple turns, controlling the board with incremental damage from spells and creatures.

• 

  Gisela, Blade of Goldnight

  Aggressively applies pressure with anthem effects and efficient creatures to quickly reduce opponents' life totals, aiming for combat damage wins.

• 

  Trostani, Selesnya's Voice

  Focuses on life gain, token production, and board stabilization, using lifelink and populating tokens to outlast opponents.

• 

  Pako, Arcane Retriever

  Exiles cards from opponents’ libraries to cast powerful spells for free, growing Pako with counters and creating value through cascade and synergy with artifacts.

• 

  Haldan, Avid Arcanist

  Utilizes spells and interaction to control the game while supporting Pako’s exile and cascade strategy for explosive turns.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Morgan effectively maximized Pako's ability by chaining cascade spells and casting multiple impactful spells from exile, overwhelming opponents with card advantage and board presence.

• 2

  The use of Stolen Strategy to repeatedly exile opponents' cards created a constant source of resources and threats for Morgan.

• 3

  Trostani's player tactically used Rogue's Passage to enable unblockable attacks and managed life gain triggers to prolong the game despite pressure.

• 4

  Gisela’s player maintained aggressive board pressure but was vulnerable to board wipes and targeted removal, highlighting the risk of overextending.

• 5

  The timely use of counterspells and interaction, such as Decisive Denial to protect key threats, shifted momentum in Morgan's favor.

• 6

  The volcanic torrent triggered by cascade spells wiped Gisela’s board, marking a critical turning point that led to her elimination.

• 7

  Encouraging blocks on key creatures (e.g., hushbringer) allowed opponents to manage threats but also set up for bigger plays later.

Notable Cards

• 

  Pako, Arcane Retriever

• 

  Stolen Strategy

• 

  Avenger of Zendikar

• 

  Dockside Extortionist

• 

  Possibility Storm

• 

  Volcanic Torrent

• 

  Swiftfoot Boots

• 

  Chandra's Ignition

• 

  Court of Ambition

Summary

The game began with all four players developing their boards and setting up their mana bases, with Morgan leveraging Pako, Arcane Retriever's ability to exile cards and cast them, quickly growing Pako into a formidable threat. Morgan's use of Stolen Strategy allowed him to continuously access opponent's cards, ramping into powerful plays including Avenger of Zendikar and Dockside Extortionist, generating a large board presence and treasure tokens. Meanwhile, Trostani's player focused on life gain and board presence with tokens and utility lands, while Gisela's player maintained pressure with aggressive creatures and anthem effects. Obosh's player aimed to capitalize on damage doubling and storm effects to deal incremental damage and control the board with cards like Gutter Snipe and Possibility Storm. A major turning point was Morgan's adept use of cascade spells from Pako's exile pile to generate explosive value and maintain pressure, coupled with artifact and equipment synergies like Swiftfoot Boots and Lance of the Bear to protect key creatures. Trostani's player attempted to stabilize and gain life but was forced into defensive plays, including encouraging blocks to remove threats. Gisela's board was eventually wiped out by a volcanic torrent triggered from Morgan's pile, and Obosh died to commander damage after failing to keep up with the growing threats. In the late game, Morgan took the monarch title and dominated the battlefield with a combination of treasures, cascading spells, and powerful creatures, setting up for a likely victory through overwhelming board presence and resource advantage.