Tax Evasion, ft. Edgar Markov, Dina, Venser, and Kaalia [EDH/Commander Gameplay 2023]

Deck Strategies

• 

  Edgar Markov

  Aggressively build a vampire tribal army by generating vampire tokens and leveraging tribal synergies to overwhelm opponents quickly.

• 

  Dina, Soul Steeper

  Gain life to trigger opponents losing life simultaneously, utilizing combos and life gain synergies to drain opponents steadily.

• 

  Venser, Shaper Savant

  Control the board through bounce effects that return spells or permanents to opponents' hands, disrupting their tempo and plans.

• 

  Kaalia of the Vast

  Deploy powerful angels, demons, and dragons early to create a threatening board presence and pressure opponents to respond.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Edgar Markov’s use of Mirror Entity amplified his vampire tokens, significantly increasing board threat and forcing opponents to prioritize removal.

• 2

  Dina Soul Steeper’s life gain-triggered drain strategy combined with Bolas’s Citadel created a potent incremental damage engine.

• 3

  Venser’s bounce effects were critical in slowing down aggressive plays, buying time to stabilize and set up counterplays.

• 4

  Kaalia’s early deployment of high-impact creatures maintained constant pressure and shaped opponents' defensive responses.

• 5

  Players carefully managed land drops and mana ramp to enable timely casting of their commanders and key spells, influencing tempo.

Notable Cards

• 

  Mirror Entity

• 

  Imperial Recruiter

• 

  Bolas's Citadel

• 

  Talisman of Indulgence

• 

  Azusa, Lost but Seeking

Summary

The game featured four players piloting Edgar Markov, Dina Soul Steeper, Venser Shaper Savant, and Kaalia of the Vast. Early turns focused on setting up board presence and ramping mana. Edgar Markov quickly established a vampire tribal board, leveraging tokens and aggressive pressure. Dina Soul Steeper aimed to gain life and drain opponents by exploiting life gain triggers, planning combos involving Bolas and Citadel to amplify damage. Venser Shaper Savant played a tempo control game with bounce effects, disrupting opponents’ plans by returning key spells and permanents to their hands. Kaalia of the Vast sought to drop impactful angels, demons, and dragons to swing the board state decisively in her favor. The game’s pivotal moments included Edgar Markov deploying Mirror Entity to boost his vampire army’s power and toughness, escalating the threat level. Dina’s life gain and drain engine created incremental life swings, while Venser’s bounce spells controlled tempo, preventing opponents from stabilizing. Kaalia’s aggressive creature drops put ongoing pressure on the table, forcing opponents to respond quickly or face overwhelming threats. The interaction of tribal synergies, life gain, and bounce effects shaped a dynamic board state where each player pursued their distinct win conditions. The gameplay highlighted how tempo disruption, token generation, and incremental life manipulation can influence multiplayer Commander games.