Animar vs Zurgo vs Rafiq vs Niv-Mizzet, Reborn EDH / CDMR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

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  Animar, Soul of Elements

  Animar aims to quickly accumulate +1/+1 counters by casting and bouncing low-cost creatures repeatedly, enabling powerful combat phases with double strike and other combat buffs. The deck leverages creature draw and combo loops to overwhelm opponents.

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  Rafiq of the Many

  Rafiq's deck focuses on exalted triggers to enhance single attacker damage, combined with efficient creatures and counterspells to protect its board and maintain tempo. The goal is to win through consistent combat damage.

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  Zurgo Helmsmasher

  Zurgo's deck centers on equipping creatures with free or cheap equipment boosts and using Rogue's Passage to make them unblockable, aiming to deal large, direct damage quickly.

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  Niv-Mizzet Reborn

  Niv-Mizzet Reborn plays a multicolor value game, drawing and filtering cards through its ability to reveal multicolor cards from the top of the library. It uses flicker effects and planeswalkers to generate incremental advantage and control the board.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Animar player utilized a combo loop involving Imperial Recruiter, Trophy Mage, Cloudstone Curio, and Shrieking Drake to repeatedly bounce creatures and draw their entire deck, enabling a lethal board state.

• 2

  Rafiq player prioritized casting exalted creatures and protecting them with counterspells, though some counterspell decisions (e.g., countering Time Wipe) may have hindered their own board development.

• 3

  Niv-Mizzet's player effectively used flicker effects from Soul Herder and planeswalkers to maximize value from Niv-Mizzet Reborn's multicolor reveal triggers, maintaining card advantage and board presence.

• 4

  Zurgo's equipment strategy enabled free equips and unblockable attacks, but the player was eliminated relatively early due to focused aggression from others.

• 5

  Key combat phases involved multiple players swinging with boosted creatures, with Animar leveraging double strike and multiple counters to deal heavy damage and exile large portions of opponents' libraries with Ulamog.

• 6

  The game ended in an Animar combo finish after drawing through the deck and generating lethal damage via repeated creature casting and bounces.

Notable Cards

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  Animar, Soul of Elements

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  Shrieking Drake

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  Oracle of Mul Daya

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  Edric, Spymaster of Trest

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  Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger

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  Imperial Recruiter

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  Cloudstone Curio

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  Beast Whisperer

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  Rafiq of the Many

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  Rogue's Passage

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  Time Wipe

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  Pact of Negation

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  Expansion // Explosion

Summary

The game began with the players establishing their mana bases and developing early board presence, with Rafiq generating early pressure through exalted triggers and aggressive swings. Animar steadily grew counters on itself by casting and bouncing creatures like Shrieking Drake and Oracle of Mul Daya, leveraging synergy from cards like Edric, Spymaster of Trest and multiple creature draw engines. Niv-Mizzet Reborn focused on card advantage and value through its multicolor reveal abilities, supported by flicker effects from Soul Herder and planeswalkers. Zurgo's player built an equipment-centric board aiming to protect key creatures with free equips and Rogue's Passage to enable unblockable attacks.