EP: 9 March of the Machine pre con battle: Gimbal v Brimaz v Kasla v Bright-Palm

Deck Strategies

• 

  Gimbal, Gremlin Prodigy

  Focuses on creating and growing artifact Gremlin tokens based on the number of differently named artifact tokens controlled, leveraging trample to push damage through.

• 

  Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos

  Utilizes Friskian creature and artifact creature spells to incubate tokens that grow in size and proliferate counters when creatures die, aiming to build a resilient and scalable board presence.

• 

  Kasla, the Broken Halo

  Leverages convoke to help cast spells cheaply, generating card draw whenever convoke spells are cast, and benefits from flying, vigilance, and haste to maintain tempo.

• 

  Bright-Palm, Soul Awakener

  Uses backup to place plus one plus one counters on creatures and grant them temporary abilities like doubling counters on attack and partial evasion, enabling powerful combat turns.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The Stronghold Furnace plane's doubling of damage made every point of damage significant, influencing players to weigh the risks of attacking or rolling the planar dice.

• 2

  Brimaz's proliferate ability synergized well with incubator tokens, creating opportunities for exponential growth in token size and counters.

• 3

  Kasla's convoke mechanic allowed for efficient mana usage and incremental card advantage, maintaining hand resources in a slower early game.

• 4

  Bright-Palm's backup mechanic provided flexible ways to enhance creatures either on entry or by empowering the same creature multiple times for combat effectiveness.

• 5

  Players prioritized establishing board presence and card draw before attempting aggressive plays due to the damage amplification from the plane.

Notable Cards

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  Stronghold Furnace

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  Tireless Tracker

Summary

The game began with all four players deploying their new March of the Machine preconstructed decks and starting on the Stronghold Furnace plane, which doubles damage dealt by sources. Early turns were cautious, with players mainly developing mana and rolling the planar dice, occasionally triggering the double damage effect to chip away at opponents. Gimbal, Gremlin Prodigy focused on assembling a board state with artifact gremlins that grow based on the number of differently named artifact tokens, while Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos went for a strategy revolving around incubating artifact creature tokens and proliferating counters when Friskian creatures died. Kasla, the Broken Halo aimed to leverage convoke to reduce spell costs and draw cards, while Bright-Palm, Soul Awakener used backup to enhance creatures with plus one counters and evasive abilities. As the game progressed, players introduced threats such as Tireless Tracker to generate clues and card advantage, and Tatsuko Umazawa to enable unblockable attacks by creatures with power or toughness one or less. The constant doubling of damage from the plane created tension and forced careful combat choices. Despite some damage exchanges from rolling the planar dice and spells, players were still setting up their strategies. Notable moments included Knight's Whisper being cast for card draw at the cost of life, and the interaction of proliferate mechanics with incubator tokens, setting the stage for larger board states. The gameplay was characterized by steady development, incremental advantage through tokens and counters, and the anticipation of impactful combos or synergies emerging from the new mechanics.