Diamond Commander League | S1: E5 | Emiel, Rakdos, Sisay, Teysa | Magic the Gathering EDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Emiel the Blessed

  Uses Emiel's ability to blank creatures with strong ETB effects to draw cards, aiming to assemble an infinite combo that generates massive trampling creatures to win the game.

• 

  Rakdos, Lord of Riots

  Deals damage early with small hasty creatures and ping effects to cheat large artifact creatures into play for free, overwhelming opponents quickly.

• 

  Sisay, Weatherlight Captain

  Deploys planeswalkers strategically, using Sisay's ability to fetch them at key moments, growing Sisay larger and maintaining board control via superfriend synergy.

• 

  Teysa Karlov

  Executes an aristocrats plan enhanced by Teysa's double death triggers, using graveyard synergy and tokens to drain opponents and control the board.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Emiel the Blessed player leveraged infinite mana combos with Cathar's Crusade and Workhorse counters to pump Emiel to enormous sizes and repeatedly blink powerful creatures with Sun Titan.

• 2

  Rakdos player used early damage from Rakdos's ability and haste creatures to cast large artifact creatures cheaply, swinging momentum in midgame with free threats.

• 3

  Sisay player utilized planeswalkers aggressively, including Jace and Liliana, to disrupt opponents and increase Sisay’s power, carefully timing sacrifice effects to maximize damage.

• 4

  Teysa player capitalized on aristocrat synergies with Bastion of Remembrance and graveyard recursion to maintain pressure and punish opponents’ creature losses.

• 5

  Key board wipes and sacrifice triggers, especially from Liliana's ability forcing multiple creature sacrifices, caused significant shifts in board state and player strategies.

• 6

  Players negotiated temporary alliances and used Highlander Points (HP) for in-game advantages, influencing key plays such as additional mana and card advantage.

Notable Cards

• 

  Workhorse

• 

  Sun Titan

• 

  Angelic Renewal

• 

  Smothering Tithe

• 

  Steel Hellkite

• 

  Noxious Gearhulk

• 

  Bountiful Promenade

Summary

The game featured four distinct strategies vying for control in a dynamic multiplayer Commander match. Early turns focused on setting up board presence and resource development, with players deploying key enchantments, mana artifacts, and creatures that synergize well with their commanders. Rakdos, Lord of Riots aimed to get damage in quickly using hasty creatures to cheat large threats into play, while Sisay, Weatherlight Captain leveraged planeswalkers to build incremental advantage. Emiel the Blessed used a combo-oriented approach, setting up infinite mana with Cathar's Crusade and Workhorse counters to grow Emiel and trigger powerful ETB effects repeatedly. Teysa Karlov focused on aristocrat-style value, multiplying death triggers to control opponents and drain life from the table.