Delina vs Vial // Sakashima vs Ur-Dragon vs Grazillax [EDH/Commander, Magic The Gathering Gameplay]

Deck Strategies

• 

  Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar

  This deck focuses on casting extra turn spells and using unblockable creatures to loop these spells for infinite turns, generating large amounts of card advantage and control over the game.

• 

  Sakashima of a Thousand Faces with Vial Smasher the Fierce

  A group slug deck that creates multiple copies of Vial Smasher to deal random damage to opponents and their boards using big spells, aiming to control the battlefield and chip away at players.

• 

  The Ur-Dragon

  Ramp-heavy dragon tribal deck that leverages powerful dragons and ramp spells to dominate the board and win through overwhelming dragon attacks and synergy.

• 

  Delina, Wild Mage

  Mono-red infinite clone deck that uses combat damage triggers to create token copies of commanders or other creatures, aiming to swarm the battlefield and overwhelm opponents.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Grazilaxx's player maximized the use of extra turn spells in combination with unblockable creatures to chain multiple turns, drawing numerous cards and gaining overwhelming tempo advantage.

• 2

  Sakashima and Vial Smasher's group slug strategy aimed to spread incremental damage across opponents each turn, supporting board control by repeatedly dealing damage with multiple Vial Smashers.

• 3

  Delina’s player effectively used combat damage triggers combined with cloning effects to generate multiple tokens, creating a wide board presence that pressured opponents.

• 4

  The Ur-Dragon player prioritized ramp and synergy but was slower to develop a winning board state, highlighting the importance of early ramp and card draw in dragon tribal decks.

• 5

  Reliquary Tower enabled Grazilaxx to hold large hands without discarding, facilitating continuous card draw from extra turn loops.

• 6

  Combat damage triggers and blink effects were pivotal, with players balancing aggression and defense to manage threats and maximize their commanders’ abilities.

Notable Cards

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  Time Warp

• 

  Temporal Mastery

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  Nexus of Fate

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  Reliquary Tower

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  Vial Smasher the Fierce

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  Sword of Hearth and Home

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  Dire Fleet Daredevil

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  Kindred Discovery

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  Boros Signet

Summary

The game featured a competitive four-player Commander match with Delina, Wild Mage; Sakashima of a Thousand Faces with Vial Smasher the Fierce; The Ur-Dragon; and Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar. Early turns saw players setting up their mana base and deploying ramp and utility creatures. The Grazilaxx player focused on a blue extra turns deck, leveraging unblockable creatures and extra turn spells to generate card advantage and eventually loop multiple turns. Sakashima and Vial Smasher aimed for group slug strategies with multiple Vial Smashers and damage-dealing spells to control the board and chip away at opponents. The Ur-Dragon player prioritized ramp and big dragon threats, while Delina's deck sought to use infinite cloning combos to flood the board with token copies of commanders or other threats. A key turning point was Grazilaxx's successful execution of extra turn loops using cards like Time Warp, Temporal Mastery, and Nexus of Fate, allowing them to draw massive amounts of cards and maintain control. Delina's player utilized combat damage triggers to generate tokens and maintain pressure, while Sakashima/Vial Smasher applied incremental damage through group slug effects. The Ur-Dragon player used ramp and dragon synergy but struggled to close out the game quickly. The match featured multiple combat phases where damage was spread around, and strategic use of blink effects and combat triggers influenced the flow. Ultimately, the game revolved around Grazilaxx's ability to chain extra turns and generate overwhelming card advantage, putting pressure on the other players to respond or fall behind.