Bladewing vs Brudiclad vs Elesh Norn vs Garna EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

• 

  Bladewing the Risen

  Aggressively recurs dragons from the graveyard to leverage Dragon Tempest triggers for damage and board control, using spells like Animate Dead and Dance of the Dead to sustain threats.

• 

  Garna, the Bloodflame

  Self-mill and recursion combo deck that sacrifices creatures to Altar of Dementia to mill cards and reuse enter-the-battlefield effects, generating value and control through sacrifice synergies.

• 

  Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer

  Token generation with goblins combined with cascade and polymorph effects to cheat in huge threats like Stormtide Leviathan, aiming to overwhelm opponents with wide boards and big creatures.

• 

  Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

  Mono-white token and anthem strategy that punishes small creatures with a -2/-2 aura effect, while generating tokens and gaining life to dominate the board and control the pace of the game.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Garna's player cleverly used Altar of Dementia to sacrifice Garna repeatedly, triggering enter-the-battlefield effects and milling himself for value, enabling recursive threats like Shriekmaw and leveraging synergy with cards like Sidisi, Undead Vizier.

• 2

  Bladewing’s player capitalized on Dragon Tempest triggers when repeatedly returning Balefire Dragon to the battlefield, dealing incremental damage and clearing opponents’ smaller creatures effectively.

• 3

  Elesh Norn’s static ability severely hindered Brudiclad’s token strategy by immediately killing tokens upon creation, forcing the Brudiclad player to adapt and slowing his board development.

• 4

  A well-timed Unbreakable Formation by Elesh Norn’s player prevented a mass destruction spell from wiping the board, preserving key creatures and maintaining board presence.

• 5

  Brudiclad’s cascade into Stormtide Leviathan created a major defensive wall and aerial threat, though it struggled to break through Elesh Norn’s control and Bladewing’s recurring dragons.

• 6

  Players carefully managed combat decisions, balancing aggression with caution due to powerful board wipes and recursion mechanics present in the game.

Notable Cards

• 

  Balefire Dragon

• 

  Dragon Tempest

• 

  Altar of Dementia

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  Shriekmaw

• 

  Stormtide Leviathan

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  Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

• 

  Dance of the Dead

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  Unbreakable Formation

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  Solemn Simulacrum

• 

  Monastery Mentor

Summary

The game featured four distinct decks led by Bladewing the Risen, Garna the Bloodflame, Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer, and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite. Early turns saw players developing their mana bases and deploying utility creatures, with Garna's player leveraging self-mill synergies through Altar of Dementia and recursive creatures like Shriekmaw. Bladewing's player utilized Dragon Tempest and repeated recursion of Balefire Dragon to apply pressure, dealing damage and clearing opposing creatures. Meanwhile, Brudiclad created goblin tokens and aimed to transform them into powerful threats but was hindered by Elesh Norn's potent board presence, which continuously weakened smaller creatures and wiped out Brudiclad’s tokens immediately upon creation. Elesh Norn’s player built a board with token generators and aggressive flyers, steadily gaining life and applying pressure.