Titania vs Kruphix vs Eight-and-a-half-tails vs Varolz EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

• 

  Eight-and-a-Half-Tails

  Utilizes landfall and token generation to protect key enchantments and creatures, leveraging card advantage through land tax and Anointed Procession to overwhelm opponents.

• 

  Titania, Protector of Argoth

  Focuses on landfall synergies, generating large numbers of elementals from lands hitting the graveyard, and recurring lands to maintain pressure and create tokens.

• 

  Varolz, the Scar-Striped

  Sacrifice and recursion focused deck that uses Grim Haruspex and Fleshbag Marauder to trade creatures while drawing cards and recurring key threats like Bloodghast.

• 

  Kruphix, God of Horizons

  Card draw and resource management through Sylvan Library and other blue-green ramp and control spells, aiming to cast powerful Eldrazi threats and control the board.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Matt's use of Eight-and-a-Half-Tails to grant protection to Grasp of Fate effectively blocked Trevor's attempt to remove key permanents with Ulamog, showcasing a clever interaction with the commander’s ability.

• 2

  The timing of Alish-Norn's board wipe forced multiple creature sacrifices, but also generated card advantage and token creation for Titania's player, turning a board clear into a beneficial event.

• 3

  Players carefully managed their land drops and ramp spells to maximize triggers from landfall and other synergies, highlighting the importance of resource acceleration in this green-heavy multiplayer game.

• 4

  Ghost Quarter and other land destruction effects were used strategically to disrupt opponents' mana bases, notably removing key utility lands like Eye of Ugin to slow down Eldrazi deployment.

• 5

  The use of Grim Haruspex and Fleshbag Marauder by Varolz's player created continuous trading of creatures, fueling card draw and maintaining board presence through recursion.

Notable Cards

• 

  Eight-and-a-Half-Tails

• 

  Titania, Protector of Argoth

• 

  Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger

• 

  Sylvan Library

• 

  Anointed Procession

• 

  Fleshbag Marauder

• 

  Grasp of Fate

• 

  Skullclamp

Summary

The game started with all four players ramping and setting up their mana bases, with early plays including ramp spells like Exploration and mana rocks such as Soul Ring and Thought Vessel. Matt, playing Eight-and-a-Half-Tails, leveraged land tax and Anointed Procession to build card advantage and board presence, while Trevor on Kruphix utilized Sylvan Library and mind manipulation spells to maintain card flow. Mike's Varolz deck relied on sacrificing creatures and recursion with cards like Grim Haruspex and Fleshbag Marauder, and the narrator piloting Titania focused on landfall synergies and token generation. A key turning point occurred when Trevor cast Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, threatening multiple players' boards, but Matt cleverly used Eight-and-a-Half-Tails' ability to grant protection to Grasp of Fate, complicating Trevor's plan. Mike's board was significantly disrupted by Alish-Norn, which wiped his creatures and the narrator's squirrels, triggering valuable card draws and token creation for the narrator. The game saw heavy interaction with removal, counters, and board wipes, alongside strategic land destruction and recursion, with each player attempting to capitalize on their deck's synergies. The game was marked by tactical plays around landfall triggers, protection effects, and sacrifice mechanics, with the players jockeying for control and trying to stabilize after major board swings.