Deck Strategies
Pako, Arcane Retriever / Haldan, Avid Arcanist
Focuses on exiling opponents' cards to gain incremental card advantage and sets up combo wins involving Kiki-Jiki and Splinter Twin or infinite combo steps with Nehem the Eternal and Aggravated Assault to mill opponents.
Grand Warlord Radha
Utilizes Gruul value and aggressive board development with creatures like Legion War Boss and Ruin Crabs to pressure opponents, generating extra mana through Radha’s ability to enable Kiki-Jiki based combos or infinite combat phases with Aggravated Assault.
The Mimeoplasm
Leverages graveyard value and control through copying impactful creatures and generating infinite mana with Necrotic Ooze combos, using large creatures like Lord of Extinction as backup finishers.
Ghave, Guru of Spores
Generates infinite tokens and +1/+1 counters through synergies with undying and Cryptic Trilobite, aiming to win through combat or combo outlets like Corpse Lunge, though hindered by budget restrictions limiting key ramp and draw cards.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Adam's cascade off Bloodbraid Elf into Abrade effectively disrupted Nate's artifact-based strategy by destroying Vantris Gargoyle early.
- 2
Nate's use of Beast Within to destroy Radha was a critical removal that slowed Adam's aggressive mana ramp and combo potential.
- 3
Bill's Generous Patron provided card draw and counter support to multiple players, illustrating the interactive nature of Ghave’s token synergies in multiplayer.
- 4
Jordan's early use of Preordained and Growth Spiral helped smooth mana and dig for combo pieces despite budget limitations impacting ramp and control.
- 5
The absence of key cards like Earthcraft in Ghave’s deck due to budget constraints forced adaptation with additional combo pieces to maintain competitive synergy.
Notable Cards
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Aggravated Assault
Bloodbraid Elf
Abrade
Beast Within
Generous Patron
Cryptic Trilobite
Necrotic Ooze
Lord of Extinction
Splinter Twin
Summary
The game begins with all four players establishing their mana bases and early board presence. Jordan, piloting Pako and Haldan, focuses on card advantage through exiling opponents' cards and looks to assemble combos involving Kiki-Jiki and Splinter Twin or infinite combo steps with Nehem the Eternal and Aggravated Assault. Adam, on Grand Warlord Radha, leverages Gruul value and aggressive board development with creatures like Legion War Boss, aiming for a Kiki-Jiki combo or utilizing Radha's ability for additional mana to enable combos. Nate L., playing The Mimeoplasm, aims to leverage graveyard value and combos involving infinite mana with Necrotic Ooze, while also controlling life totals with large finishers like Lord of Extinction. Bill, on Ghave, Guru of Spores, tries to build infinite combos using tokens and +1/+1 counters alongside Cryptic Trilobite and undying synergies, though is hindered by budget constraints that remove key cards like Earthcraft. Early turns see Adam aggressively developing with creatures and tokens, using cascade and removal to disrupt opponents, while Jordan sets up for card advantage with Halden and Pako. Nate focuses on ramp and graveyard interaction, and Bill seeks to ramp and generate tokens with Ghave. A key moment occurs when Adam uses Bloodbraid Elf cascading into Abrade to remove Nate's Vantris Gargoyle, disrupting Nate's artifact synergy. Nate responds with Beast Within to remove Radha, trading a creature for the powerful commander. Bill generates card draw with Generous Patron and supports counters on opponents’ creatures, maintaining board presence and fueling his combo pieces. The game unfolds as players jockey for control and position to establish their combos, with removal and disruption playing pivotal roles in slowing down faster combo attempts.