"Vampire Master is a busted card" SPOOKY SEASON | The Innistrad Planar Championship WPCS #125

Deck Strategies

• 

  Thalia and The Gitrog Monster

  A landfall and sacrifice deck that generates card advantage by forcing opponents to sacrifice lands or creatures whenever Thalia attacks, leveraging field of the dead and Necro Bloom to flood the board with tokens.

• 

  Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver

  A zombie tribal deck focused on building a massive horde of zombies, utilizing Rooftop Storm to cast zombies for free and pumping them up to overwhelm opponents through sheer numbers.

• 

  Edgar Markov

  A vampire tribal deck that produces vampire tokens via eminence triggers, drains life, and gains incremental advantage by combining powerful vampire synergies and aggressive combat.

• 

  Tovolar, Dire Overlord

  A werewolf tribal deck that uses combat tricks and pump spells to dominate combat phases, with Triumph of the Hordes providing a potential infect win condition by giving werewolves infect and trample.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Ben's use of Thalia and The Gitrog Monster to force sacrifices on attacks effectively taxes opponents' resources and generates card draw, creating a snowball effect.

• 2

  Blake's Tovolar deck leverages Hollowhenge Piper and Triumph of the Hordes to enable explosive combat phases and potential game-ending infect damage.

• 3

  Shay's Edgar Markov deck capitalizes on early vampire token generation and life drain to maintain pressure and disrupt opponents' plans.

• 4

  CGB's Wilhelt deck uses Rooftop Storm to cast zombies for free, accelerating board development and enabling aggressive swings.

• 5

  Strategic timing of sacrifices and combat decisions around Thalia's attack trigger significantly influenced board control and card advantage shifts.

• 6

  Players dynamically respond to the threat of infect and sacrifice mechanics, adapting their attacks and blocks to mitigate lethal damage and resource loss.

Notable Cards

• 

  Thalia and The Gitrog Monster

• 

  Field of the Dead

• 

  Rooftop Storm

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  Triumph of the Hordes

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  Bloodghast

• 

  Black Market

Summary

The game features a dynamic four-player showdown on the gothic plane of Innistrad, with each player piloting a uniquely themed deck. Early turns see players developing their board states cautiously, with Shay establishing a vampire tribal presence and Ben deploying Thalia and The Gitrog Monster to leverage a landfall and sacrifice synergy. Blake ramps into Tovolar, Dire Overlord, setting up a werewolf tribal strategy focused on combat tricks and pump spells, while CGB builds a zombie army led by Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver, capitalizing on zombie tribal synergies and free zombie casting from Rooftop Storm. Key turning points include the deployment of Thalia and The Gitrog Monster, which pressures opponents with forced sacrifices and card draw, and the aggressive growth of the werewolf tribe under Tovolar, threatening to overwhelm with infect via Triumph of the Hordes. Edgar Markov's vampire deck steadily applies pressure through vampire tokens and life drain effects, while Wilhelt's zombie deck maintains a steady buildup of creatures and board presence. The combat phase tension peaks with tactical attacks and sacrifices, particularly around Thalia's attack trigger demanding a land or creature sacrifice, shifting board control and card advantage. The interplay of these tribal synergies and sacrifice mechanics creates a tense race for board dominance and the coveted Innistrad lantern trophy.