Ratchet vs. Kroxa - Duel Commander - EDH│MTG│bitzelberg

Deck Strategies

• 

  Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger

  A midrange deck that leverages Kroxa’s escape ability to recur from the graveyard, dealing damage and forcing discards. It focuses on pressure through repeated threats and graveyard interactions to wear down opponents.

• 

  Ratchet, Field Medic // Ratchet, Rescue Racer

  An aggressive artifact-based deck that uses sacrifice outlets and protective effects to maintain board control, generate incremental value, and swing the game with resilient threats and combat tricks.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Ratchet’s use of sacrificing his own creatures and triggering protection to flip and gain resilience was pivotal in maintaining pressure and surviving Kroxa’s aggression.

• 2

  The exile effect from Solitude was a critical removal that helped Ratchet keep Kroxa’s threats in check and swing the tempo.

• 3

  Kroxa’s player focused on maximizing damage from escape triggers and forcing discard to disrupt Ratchet’s hand, but struggled against artifact protection and life gain.

• 4

  The game’s tempo shifted heavily after Ratchet’s player successfully used Welding Jar and other artifact synergies to protect key creatures and maintain board presence.

• 5

  Graveyard hate and removal timing were crucial in the matchup, as both decks rely heavily on graveyard interactions for value and recurring threats.

Notable Cards

• 

  Ratchet, Field Medic // Ratchet, Rescue Racer

• 

  Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger

• 

  Solitude

• 

  Winter Orb

• 

  Welding Jar

• 

  Dark Ritual

Summary

The game featured a matchup between Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger and Ratchet, Field Medic // Ratchet, Rescue Racer, with both players adopting aggressive and midrange strategies respectively. The game quickly escalated into a high-stakes race, with Kroxa applying pressure through early aggressive damage and Ratchet leveraging artifact synergies and sacrifice outlets to maintain board presence and gain incremental value. Key moments included Ratchet utilizing his ability to protect himself and generate value by sacrificing creatures, alongside a well-timed Solitude to exile key threats. Kroxa’s player focused on recurring threats and maximizing death triggers, while Ratchet’s player aimed to outpace Kroxa by leveraging protection and regeneration effects. In the decisive moments, Ratchet’s player managed to stabilize and then leverage a lethal swing after an intense back-and-forth involving life swings and combat tricks. The game revolved around managing threats, protecting commanders, and exploiting graveyard interactions, with Ratchet’s synergy and resilience ultimately proving too strong. The decisive swings were aided by well-timed removal, protection shenanigans, and efficient damage trading, culminating in a swift end once Ratchet’s board state was established and Kroxa’s graveyard-centric threats were neutralized.