Deck Strategies
Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep
Ramp mana to cast and control huge sea creatures, using Kiora’s ability to untap lands and cascade into more sea monsters, aiming to overwhelm opponents with large threats.
Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin
Deal incremental damage in precise one-life increments to grow Ob Nixilis with +1/+1 counters, while exiling cards from the library to generate card advantage and maintain pressure.
Nahiri, Forged in Fury
Aggressively equip creatures using Living Weapons and various equipment to quickly boost combat effectiveness and dominate through powerful, well-equipped attackers.
Tyvar the Bellicose
Leverage elf tribal synergies and token generation to create a wide board presence, enhancing creatures with counters and aggressive attacks.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Ob Nixilis’s ability to place +1/+1 counters when opponents lose exactly one life created incremental pressure that forced opponents to constantly respond to his growing threat.
- 2
Kiora’s strategy hinged on untapping lands to cast expensive sea creatures, with the potential to cascade multiple large threats in a single turn if left unchecked.
- 3
Nahiri’s rapid deployment of Living Weapons and equipment allowed for early board presence and strong combat capabilities, applying early aggression despite the slower ramp of other decks.
- 4
The interaction of Ob Nixilis’s damage triggers with Nahiri’s aggressive equipment attacks created tension, as incremental damage from multiple sources kept the board state volatile.
- 5
The presence of artifacts like Lizard Blades and mana ramp spells such as Talisman of Indulgence were key to accelerating each deck’s game plan, emphasizing tempo and resource advantage.
Notable Cards
Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin
Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep
Nahiri, Forged in Fury
Tyvar the Bellicose
Lizard Blades
Talisman of Indulgence
Sacred Foundry
Summary
The game featured four commanders from the Aftermath set, each showcasing unique strategies. Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep, aimed to ramp mana and deploy massive sea creatures, leveraging her ability to untap lands and play leviathans, octopuses, and Krakens. Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin focused on incremental damage, accumulating +1/+1 counters whenever opponents lost exactly one life, and generating card advantage by exiling and potentially playing cards from the top of his library. Nahiri, Forged in Fury ran a Boros equipment-centric deck that emphasized equipping creatures quickly with Living Weapons and other equipment to deliver aggressive combat damage. Tyvar the Bellicose brought a more aggressive, flexible strategy with elf synergies and tokens, supporting wide board states and rapid growth.
