Karlov vs Animar vs Nymris vs Omnath

Decklists

Deck & Commander Strategies

Nymris, Oona's Trickster
A draw-go control deck that uses its commander for card advantage, aiming to win through a Thassa’s Oracle combo facilitated by massive card draw and disruption.
Omnath, Locus of Creation
A midrange value and combo deck that leverages Omnath to generate mana and value, assembling creature-based combos to finish the game.
Animar, Soul of Elements
A combo deck that uses Animar as a cost reducer to enable powerful creature combos with cards like Ancestral Statue and Walking Ballista.
Karlov of the Ghost Council
A stax and prison deck aimed at locking down the board with disruptive enchantments and creatures, then winning through combos like Heliod and Ballista or Vito and Exquisite Blood.

Gameplay Insights

1
The interaction between Consecrated Sphinxes led to an extensive chain of draws that significantly expanded hand sizes, enabling multiple players to cycle through their decks rapidly.
2
Alex’s use of Archon of Emeria effectively locked out Noah’s Omnath deck from casting noncreature spells, demonstrating the power of stax effects in controlling the game state.
3
Nick’s timely use of Deflecting Swat to redirect Chain of Vapor onto a spirit token prevented the removal of Archon of Emeria, preserving the stax lock and enabling Final Fortune to finish off Noah.
4
Cal leveraged Tainted Pact to dig for Thassa’s Oracle, setting up a potential win condition despite the heavy stax presence on board.
5
The game’s dynamic shifted considerably after Noah’s elimination, focusing on Alex’s stax control and Cal’s card advantage tools, highlighting the resilience and adaptability of control strategies in cEDH.

Notable Cards

Consecrated Sphinx
Mystic Remora
Urza's Saga
Archon of Emeria
Force of Will
Tainted Pact
Pact of Negation
Final Fortune
Chain of Vapor
Deflecting Swat
Gilded Drake
Chalice of the Void
Dauthi Voidwalker
Tymna the Weaver
Sensei's Divining Top
Grafdigger's Cage

Gameplay Summary

The game features four competitive decks piloted by skilled players, each leveraging their commanders' unique strengths.

Early turns saw a flurry of setup plays with control and value engines coming online quickly.

Cal, on Nymris, Oona's Trickster, established a strong draw-go control presence with Mystic Remora and Consecrated Sphinx, enabling massive card draw that ballooned his hand size.

Noah's Omnath deck developed a midrange board with efficient creatures and ramp, while Nick's Animar deck focused on ramp and combo potential.

Alex's Karlov deck implemented a stax and prison strategy, locking down opponents with Urza's Saga and Archon of Emeria, eventually deploying powerful prison pieces like Grafdigger's Cage and Chalice of the Void to disrupt combos and spells. A key turning point was when Noah attempted an aggressive chain with Final Fortune and Chain of Vapor to remove Archon of Emeria, but it was countered by Nick's Deflecting Swat, preserving the stax lock on Noah.

This resulted in Noah losing the game to the extra turn effect from Final Fortune.

Subsequently, Nick’s Animar deck was eliminated after drawing from an empty library during a complex interaction involving Consecrated Sphinx triggers.

The game then focused on Alex's Karlov leveraging stax elements and powerful creatures to control the board while Cal tried to maintain card advantage and pressure with Nymris's control tools.

The game ended with Alex's Karlov deck in a dominant position, utilizing prison effects and efficient attacks to whittle down opponents.

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