Gavi vs Mogis vs Alela vs Kadena [EDH/Commander Gameplay] 2020

Deck Strategies

• 

  Gavi, Nest Warden

  Focuses on cycling lands and drawing cards while generating tokens to build a wide board presence. Uses synergies with cards like Teferi's Ageless Insight to maximize card draw and token creation.

• 

  Mogis, God of Slaughter

  Acts as a group slug, dealing damage to all players each upkeep. Utilizes powerful lands like Cabal Coffers to ramp and maintain pressure, combined with life-drain synergies such as Exquisite Blood to gain life and control the game.

• 

  Alela, Artful Provocateur

  Leverages artifact and enchantment synergies to generate flying tokens and control the board. Uses utility creatures and enchantments to draw cards and maintain tempo while pressuring opponents with evasive threats.

• 

  Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer

  Utilizes morph creatures and Kadena's ability to generate card advantage from spells cast. Aggressively pressures opponents with commander damage and flash-in creatures, maintaining tempo and board presence through evasion.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Iden's early casting of Mogis forced constant life loss on opponents, setting a tone of attrition and pressure.

• 2

  The combination of Exquisite Blood and Mogis created a powerful life gain loop that swung the game in Iden's favor after Fraying Omnipotence was resolved.

• 3

  Gavi used cycling and token generation effectively to maintain card advantage and board presence despite the heavy board swings.

• 4

  Multiple morph interactions with Kadena allowed Guy to flash in creatures unpredictably, maintaining pressure and disrupting opponents' plans.

• 5

  Use of bounce effects through Astral Slide and Ice-Fang Aven allowed for reuse of enter-the-battlefield triggers and disruption of opponents' board states.

• 6

  Calvin's sequencing with token generation and enchantments maintained a steady tempo even under constant life and board pressure.

Notable Cards

• 

  Mogis, God of Slaughter

• 

  Teferi's Ageless Insight

• 

  Exquisite Blood

• 

  Fraying Omnipotence

• 

  Grand Architect

• 

  Astral Slide

• 

  Tectonic Reformation

• 

  Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer

Summary

The game started with each player establishing their mana base and early board presence, with key early plays including the casting of Mogis, God of Slaughter by Iden, which began to chip away at opponents' life totals each upkeep. Gavi's deck focused on cycling and token generation, supported heavily by Teferi's Ageless Insight, drawing multiple cards and creating board presence. Calvin's Alela deck aimed to develop an artifact and enchantment synergy, playing cards like Grand Architect and Michaelson's Lattice, and generating tokens with Alela herself. Guy piloted Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer, leveraging morph creatures and Kadena's ability to generate card advantage and pressure opponents through combat damage. A pivotal moment came when Iden cast Fraying Omnipotence, forcing players to sacrifice half their creatures, lose half their life, and discard half their hands, which triggered a massive life swing due to Exquisite Blood in play. This swing gave Iden a significant life advantage, putting him in a strong position. Meanwhile, Gavi continued cycling lands and generating tokens, and Alela kept building her board with utility creatures and enchantments. Kadena's aggressive attacks dealt substantial commander damage, notably a 14-point strike on Iden, shifting dynamics on the battlefield. The gameplay featured multiple morph interactions, bounce effects from Astral Slide and Ice-Fang Aven, and careful resource management to maintain card advantage and board control.